Mika: "Tah Dah" & "Underwater"

"Hello, I'm yummy."

Truth be told when UK singer Mika burst onto the scene a few years ago I was less than impressed. His falsetto vocal tricks did nothing to endear me to him though he was pretty to look at. However, I thought I'd give him another whirl when I saw he released a new album The Origin of Love. Tastes change, after all, and maybe there would be a song or two I'd like. I'm glad I erred on the side of open-mindedness because The Origin of Love is quite good. And Mika is still pretty to look at. "Underwater" is a harmony-drenched ballad, while "Tah Dah," the last track on the album's bonus disc, is a bouncy pop number with a big hook.

Mika - Tah Dah

Mika - Underwater

bat for lashes: "marilyn"

According to Pitchfork, the Marilyn that Bat For Lashes refers to in her new song is Marilyn Monroe. (Though I have my heart set on another Marilyn.) And MM, or at least her spirit, is a symbol for everything that's divine and beautiful in the world. It's a gorgeous, dreamy tune in which Natasha Khan croons "Holding you, I'm touching a star/Turning into a Marilyn/Leaning out of your big car." It'll be featured on her upcoming album The Haunted Man, out October 23.

siobhan wilson: "all dressed up"

fragile, delicate, there are myriad words that could used to describe siobhan wilson's vocals. "all dressed up," from her EP glorified demons, is a beguiling track about the lengths one goes to get the attention of someone who's got their eye on someone else.

momofoko: "we know"

the last time i wrote about momofoko they were a sextet of swedes. now the lads have added a lass and they have released their first single as a septet. don't let the cover art fool you; "we know" is a pulsating blast of energy. and the lady's vocals, even if they're in the background, are a welcome addition. the dance-rock number is the first tune from the band's upcoming album, tentatively scheduled for spring 2013.

evening hymns: "arrows"

some songs are born cinematic. others are perpetually spellbinding. "arrows" by evening hymns has the good fortune of being both. featured on the band's sophomore album spectral dusk, "arrows" was recorded in a log cabin in northern ontario. the slow-and-steady drum, like a heart about to cease beating, is at the center of the song. rhythmically pulsating, it gives way to jonas bonnetta's haunting vocals. bonnetta wrote the songs on spectral dusk to cope with the recent loss of his father. there is a sense of doom that permeates throughout the song's five-and-a-half minutes, but it's a quiet, peaceful acceptance of fate. a misunderstanding, but knowing, that death eventually comes to all and we are all finite.  

[MP3] mansions on the moon: "radio"

of their new tune "radio," LA's mansions on the moon says:

We recorded and produced this song ourselves with our homie and renowned mixer/producer, Neal H. Pogue (Fulton Unltmd.) “Radio” was recorded at Mophonics studios in Santa Monica. This song has been in the archives for a minute and we are really excited to give this to you for FREE. 

rihanna: "diamonds"

the ever prolific rihanna today dropped her new single "diamonds" from her as-yet-untitled upcoming album. what do you think? 

[MP3] ac newman: "i'm not talking"

this was the first new song to greet my ears this morning on my iPod, and what a joyous experience it was. AC newman's newest, the first single from his upcoming album shut down the streets, is a lovely, lyrical, lilting tune; it's almost a carpenters-esque ballad. this is what i had hoped jens lekman's new album would sound like. so i might be switching my swoon factor to newman whose body of work heretofore i have been less than knowledgeable. streets is out october 9 and newman is embarking on a north american tour beginning  in late october.

[MP3] lana del rey: "blue velvet" + penguin prison remix

everybody's talking about lasagna del rey's cover of bobby vinton's 1963 #1 hit "blue velvet." the song is part of lasagna's new campaign and sponsorship with clothing giant H&M. luckily penguin prison is on hand to inject some life into lasagna's listless, lifeless, soulless interpretation.

st. lucia: "september"

when st. lucia blew threw town this summer for an all-too-brief concert he did sample a couple of songs from his upcoming debut album. the best of those, and the show's closer, was "september," which i described at the time as "an electronic-dance number that built to a wonderful climax. it was the perfect song to close the set and showed that st. lucia had much more up his sleeve than he let on." the song has officially been released and i'm not so sure that the live version doesn't beat the studio version to a pulp. what is your take on the new track?
 

imagine dragons: "underdog" and "on top of the world"

if you haven't yet sought out a copy of imagine dragons' debut album night visions i strongly suggest that you do. it's a well thought-out, cohesive 44 minutes of aural pleasure. at times they sound like the killers, other times coldplay, but they are by no means a ripoff, nor do they seem intent on drawing such comparisons. their personality and panache are distinct and evident throughout the record. they're big on hooks and two of the best (and biggest) can be found on "underdog" and "on top of the world," particularly the latter with its slightly tropical vibe, hand claps, synths and vocal yips.

imagine dragons - underdog

imagine dragons - on top of the world

[FROM THE VAULTS] beverley knight: "shoulda woulda coulda"

a decade ago i spent hours online searching for top 100 charts from across the globe. i still follow the charts avidly, mostly billboard, to see what else is out there, what's burning up the charts in the hopes that there's that one shiny diamond of a genius pop song just waiting to be discovered. if this were 1849 i'd be staking a claim in them thar hills.

in 2002 r&b songstress beverley knight, the u.k.'s mary j. blige, broke through to the mainstream with her most recognizable hit "shoulda woulda coulda." of course it never made a ripple on the water on this side of the atlantic but, hey, that's what the internet is for. and porn.

[VIDEO] dragonette: "live in this city"

dragonette's new album bodyparts drops next week! if you can't wait to hear it 'til then you can stream it now on the hype machine. and if you still can't get enough, check out the new video for their latest single "live in this city" above. of the video the band says:

Imagine a city where you're so badass that everyone wants to get with you. This is where we found ourselves when making the video for "Live In This City," but the longer we spent in this magical place, the more things were not as they seemed...

morgan page: "light years" (feat. richard walters)

need a progressive house, radio-ready dance-pop fix? well, of course you do, mary, it's almost tuesday!

satellite stories: "sirens" (slow magic remix)

sometimes when i hear a song for the first time, and it's a really good remix, i'm tempted to not listen to the original. the same is true vice versa. what if it's not as good and ruins everything? life as we know it would end and my dreams of becoming a teen model would come crashing down on me. so when i saw the radio edit of the single on soundcloud, though i was tempted to listen, i opted not to. that's because the slow magic remix of the tune is so good, so dreamy. still i'm including the original version below. you take a listen. which one do you like better?

[VIDEO] frank ocean: "thinkin bout you" (SNL performance) and "pyramids"

frank ocean received excellent notices for his performance on the 38th season premiere of saturday night live last night. (seth mcfarlane was the host.) he performed "thinkin bout you," which you can watch above. he also performed "pyramids" and today released an official video for the song which you can watch below.

[ALBUM REVIEW] the xx: "coexist"

by daniel samaniego

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Given the current fetishism of high octane EDM, it is something of a miracle that music as richly nuanced as Coexist, the second album from the Mercury prize -winning threesome the xx, has found such a wide (and youthful) audience.

But for the xx, miracles are ordinary. The euphoria of a kiss; the secret world shared between lovers color these fleeting, dream-like songs so radiantly. From “Angels” to “Our Song,” each track disappears into the next, airborne and ephemeral. It is as if their nocturnal debut never stopped playing, but instead morphed into a weary, bittersweet dawn of new compositions. Coexist, is less a sequel, but more the result of a band expanding upon their musical élan.

The poise of these rising aesthetes is born of a stubborn, yet earnest influence of atmospheric mavens Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil, Disintegration-era Cure, as well as soul singing and trip hop – Sade has been cited as a key influence. While Coexist plays as solemnly as It’ll end in Tears, as languidly as Milk & Kisses, and with sexuality a la Lovers Rock, the xx sound so alluringly unique, submerged in their signature call and response vocals and moody, hushed guitars, twinkling at the sublime outer orbit of current popular music.

[ALBUM REVIEW] the presets: "pacifica"

Rating: ★★★★☆

the presets' pacifica arrived in all corners of the earth today; thankfully, it was worth the wait. after recently teasing us with two singles, including the brilliantly atmospheric "ghosts," the ten tracks that make up pacifica are equally as challenging as far as palatable, accessible electronica goes. "promises" is as pop as any calvin harris or david guetta tune saturating radio right now. while "surrender," brilliantly conceived and executed, aims straight for the dance floor.

that's not to say that every track is great. "A.O." seems misguided and unsure of itself while "fail epic" is a bit of a downer and an anticlimactic album closer. the australian duo sticks with a formula that was used expertly on their last two albums beams (2005) and apocalypso (2008). but it would be unfair to merely say the album is formulaic. the presets know what works, what doesn't and the abundance of sheer energy and passion that is so evident throughout pacifica easily makes up for any clunkers.

the presets - promises

the presets - surrender

frank + derol: "barely love you too"

if you look at the photo long enough you start to see the resemblance. see the auburn haired girl on the right? she looks familiar doesn't she? that's brandi cyrus, miley's sister. she joined up with codi caraco in the last few years to create the duo frank + derol.

cyrus, of course, has a background in country music as she toured with her father for most of her childhood. caraco on the other hand has a background in classical music. two dissimilar backgrounds to be sure but their skills combined create some interesting and oftentimes haunting indie pop music. their self-titled debut EP was just released led by the glorious, ethereal single "barely love you too." there's nothing like a sad song lyrically wrapped in a pretty pop melody. an LP by the duo is scheduled for 2013.

sansa: "waiting for the sky"

sansa shares more in common with jewel and mark hopkin than just looks. the finnish beauty has a genre-crossing folk sound with a dark streak running through it. "waiting for the sky" is a haunting mid-tempo ballad, accentuated by breathy vocals, that's featured on her third album savior. "i try to laugh as much as possible to survive the northern melancholy," sansa says. despite the laughter it's clear that some of that northern melancholy has seeped into her music, and it's absolutely enchanting.

sansa - waiting for the sky

[VIDEO] brandy: "almost doesn't count"

why am i so addicted to brandy lately? the drink, not the singer.

yeti lane: "warning sensations"

a yeti is another name for the abominable snowman but that's not where yeti lane got their name. the paris duo combined the names of their two favorite records: yeti by amon düül II and "penny lane" by the beatles. the echo show is their second full-length album released earlier this year after some personnel changes within the group. the psychedelic-shoegaze sound is best encapsulated on tracks like "warning sensations" which layer atmospheric, melodic guitar work over bleeping synths over and combine with subtle yet effective vocals.

the helio sequence: "december"

four years ago the helio sequence released an album with one of the greatest, most gut-wrenching breakup songs of all time. "lately," the lead track on their 2008 album keep your eyes ahead, was an atmospheric, lush indie folk-pop masterpiece. the portland duo is set to release their newest studio album, negotiations, next week and on it they certainly revisit some of those exquisite moments of keep your eyes ahead. like on "december," which has a more acoustic vibe than "lately," but no less the appeal and charm.

[MP3] atlas genius: "trojans" (fred falke radio edit)

oh, fred falke. how i love thee. anything you do makes me happy. like this remix of atlas genius' debut single "trojans." the original version can be found on their debut EP through the glass. the fred falke remix, pure pop perfection, can be downloaded below.

lana del rey: "serial killer" (demo)

as much as i like to make fun of lasagna del rey with her modicum of talent and heaps of hype, every one in a while she does surprise me. so when some freshly leaked demos hit the interwebz last week needless to say i was dubious but nevertheless interested. lo and behold one of those demos, "serial killer," was quite good and even showed some vocal prowess. this would have made a nice addition to her lackluster born to die album. by the way, lasagna was just chosen as british GQ's woman of the year and to accept the honor she got naked and posed for the camera. something tells me that wasn't the first time...

[MP3] capital cities: "nothing compares 2 u"

been meaning to post this for a while. capital cities are two LA guys, jingle writers in fact, who met on craigslist. (we're not sure if it was the classifieds section, missed connections or ma$$age services.) once they began composing music together a flurry of blogosphere love followed and their deput EP dropped last year. they've released a couple of new tracks this year, which you can hear on soundcloud, but the new tracks can't compare to this delightful cover of sinead o'connor's "nothing compares 2 u." this new electropop arrangement works completely except for the abrupt cold ending.

savoir adore: "regalia"

though it's the unofficial end of summer here in the US courtesy of labor day, the summer never really ends if you find the right music. like brooklyn dream pop duo savoir adore's newest single "regalia" from their upcoming album our nature, out october 22. grab a download of their first single "dreamers" here.

[MP3] XOV: "black and white"

it's only a matter of time before XOV gets signed to a major label and blows up. but before that happens he's just released the third song from his upcoming EP clowns II called "black and white." this follows closely on the heels of his two previously released songs "stones" and "tomorrow is my day." you can listen to those here. "black and white" is much more orchestral and gives way to a driving drum beat that's hard to resist.

no doubt: "push and shove" (feat. busy signal & major lazer)

so far, so good. we've already been treated to no doubt's first single, "settle down," from their upcoming new album push and shove; this week the title track leaked and the tune, featuring busy signal and major lazer (who also produced), is ska-punk-pop perfection.

no doubt - push and shove (feat. busy signal and major lazer)