Dance
LFMAO - Party rock anthem
You might remember the "I'm in Miami, b*tch"-track from a while back from these guys. A title like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Might have been even better without the part with the female vocals. The video complements the track really well.
Jakwob feat. Smiler - Right beside you
Dubstep seems to be at it's prime right now with even Britney Spears and Martin Solveig using dubstep elements/breakdowns in their recent singles. Jakwob is another dubstep producer and this is a nice, poppy track.
Magnetic Man - Anthemic
And just the round off the obligatory dubstep chapter, it's pretty hard not to move to the sounds of the new Magnetic Man track too.
Benelux
Das Pop - Skip the rope
Excellent jumpy, poppy track by Bent and his buddies. The video was shot with a hundred or so camera-phones, but the end result isn't that spectacular, really.
Sherman - Days go by
As much as Sherman personally prefers the solo acoustic performances, I hope he continues the fine string of pop singles he's made so far. Bonus points for the immediately recognisable opening seconds.
Selah Sue - This world
Selah Sue seems to generate a lot of animosity, and apart from the artificial Jamaican patois, I can't really grasp what puts people off. Might be one of the best singles so far, starting with a bassline reminiscent of the "Stan"-track by Eminem, culminating in the chorus.
Hooverphonic - One, two, three
The new Hooverphonic is nothing really special, but bonus points for the great retro, asymmetrical marine-outfit by Noemie. Impossible not to think of the following track while hearing the chorus lyrics.
Pop
Rumer - Am I forgiven?
I've been checking out most festival coverages (Pinkpop, Glastonbury, Rock Werchter, T in the Park), and a lot of bands really failed to make an impression, but one pleasant discovery was Rumer, a English singer who looks a bit like a cross between Adele and Emily Deschanel, and who specialises in melodic, orchestrated pop with a retro touch. Ideal lazy afternoon, Radio 2-material, and there's nothing whatsoever wrong with that.
Alice Gold - Runaway love
One of the more recent pop princess wannabe's is Alice Gold, and I have no objections, your honor.
Katy Perry - Last Friday night (T.G.I.F.)
Never really got into her previous "E.T."-single, but this one really hits the spot. The outfits and haircuts in the video are a bit like "Hot Tub Time Machine", and the song and lyrics are pretty funny as well ("think I'll have a ginger ale/that was such an epic fail").
Kaiser Chiefs - Little shocks
I was really unimpressed with recent Kaiser Chiefs performances, and the new single is just no fun.
Rock/Indie
Cold War Kids - Finally begin
Seems like somebody slipped these guys a Vampire Weekend cd, the African-inspired guitars polishes their once edgy sound into the realms of all things pop.
The Naked And The Famous - Young blood
It doesn't happen that often that a band from New Zealand attempts an international breakthrough, but these kiwis with their bombastic, electronic sound might just have a shot.
Death Cab For Cutie - You are a tourist
The main selling point of the new DCFC single is the repetitive cheerful guitar riff. Ben Gibbards haircut may induce temporary blindness and should be punishable by law.
The Horrors - Still life
The Horrors are back, once again with a new sound, slower and less eerie and abrasive than the "Primary Colours"-record.
Bon Iver - Calgary
Nothing wrong with the new Bon Iver single, choosing a less acoustic and more electronic path than the "For Emma, forever ago"-album. Almost has a sacral, religious vibe to it.
The Shoes - People moving
Two brothers from France, recommended for "Tv On The Radio"-fans, because the vocals sound very similar.
The Joy Formidable - Whirring
Hitting the radio waves from Wales, this female fronted three-piece and their bombastic indie rock. The frontwoman is called Ritzy, if someone was looking for baby names inspiration. I'd never heard of the word 'abacus', but with a little help from my trusted friend wiktionary, I'll go ahead and guess it's used here in it's architectural meaning: "The uppermost member or division of the capital of a column, immediately under the architrave."
The Joy Formidable - A heavy abacus
Glasvegas - Lots sometimes
There's not a lot of buzz regarding the latest album by these Scots, but anyone with a lost adolescent crush will be able to relate to the lyrics here.
Warpaint - Bees
Saw this track in the Glastonbury coverage and it blew me away. Great, compelling bass sound. Fabulous song structure. Eerie guitar riffs. The post-rock influence in the riffs bar the usual obligatory endless repetitiveness. The fun thing about this band is trying to ascertain which band member is the hottest. The main vocalist used to be/is a model, and the main guitarist dated John Frusciante once upon a time, but the slightly boyish bassist is also a force to be reckoned with, and we all know there's nothing sexier than a female that knows how to play the drums. Really tough call.
Yuck - Holing out
Album review coming up, this London outfit is succesfully reviving the nineties alternative rock/grunge scene. They seem to have a thing for videos that aren't quite suited for work, and this track features pretty much the same guitar solo twice because it's that good.
