One of the BEST electropop I’ve heard in recent times… Madeon is a 17 year old from France who has been remixing music for big stars like DeadMau5 and Yelle. Pretty damn impressive. Looking forward to much more from this youngster.

Que Veux Tu (Madeon Remix) [Yelle]

BEST COAST

If the Beach Boys were reincarnated (Ok, I know they’re mostly still alive but…) as hipsters from LA, they would probably be something like Best Coast. Not a huge fan of surf-pop but I do like a bunch of Best Coast’s songs. The best way I can describe their music is bittersweet… sweet yet the sound is almost cynical.

I Want To [Best Coast]

PITBULL

I could not HELP MYSELF from posting this Pitball song “I Know You Want Me” because of Lanvin’s adorably awkward dancing models in their Fall 2011 campaign. Best fashion campaign I’ve seen this season. Looooove.

So… good.

Poised for action.

The great thing about the old school Nokia cell phone was that it doubled both as communication technology and communicative weaponry. Someone says something gnarly about your mom to your face? Throw your boulder of a Nokia cell phone in his/her face like you know JWoww did when she used to beat up girls like Sammy in high school. Message received!

RAPHAEL SAADIQ

He’s old school in the New School, if you know what I mean.

mp3: Calling [Raphael Saadiq]

ROBYN

Robyn is almost like a fine wine, gets better with age. After her little stint with popularity back in the mid 90s, I never thought she’d rise above super cheesy pop songs.

mp3: Call Your Girlfriend (Feed Me Remix) [Robyn]

METRIC

mp3: Collect Call [Metric] - MUST DOWNLOAD

I’m just gonna say it: I love Kanye West… the producer. Kanye West the man is a different issue for me. And I have to ask: should we judge the man? Or should we judge the artist?

Here’s a song from 808′s and Heartaches that I recently discovered that is fantastic. My new early morning thinking song as I drive to the hospital. Everything in the world is quiet, like I am all alone in the universe. I know Kanye is an amazing producer because this song makes me feel like I just took a listen inside a moment he experienced and now I am experiencing it too, when I listen to this song. Have a listen; in the right moment you will understand.

mp3: Street Lights [Kanye West]

p.s When he says “In the streets” it kinda sounds like he’s saying “industry.”

PRISCILLA AHN

I have a soft spot for Priscilla Ahn’s music… like anyone else who would enjoy her music because it is so soft and soothing like a Downy towel fresh out of the dryer. Even her song with Tiesto was so soothing. Take a listen and lie back.

mp3: When You Grow Up [Priscilla Ahn] via musicunderfire.com

LATE BLOOMERS

I randomly found this song on RCDLBL and it’s pretty damn chill.

mp3: Never Don’t Grow [Late Bloomers]

Timeflies

Here’s a young track – really, they are talking about graduating high school. But it is actually a good song, I just don’t think I, at 25, can relate to the subject matter anymore. Plus, I like growing up.

mp3: Never Grow Up [Timeflies]

THE NATIONAL

I love the National. I was first hooked on them when I heard “Fake Empire,” specifically by the line “we are half asleep in a fake empire.” What a killer line!! It’s poetry, I tell ya.

…I know nothing about poetry.

But anyways, ever since then, I’ve been a big fan. But it’s not just their tendency for musical poetry but also the sound of Matt Berninger’s voice. It has the ability to take us to a different place; that gruffy, gravelly, deep voice transports me to a place where men are men and the world is a hard knock place where we have to fight. A world where patience is necessary for survival.

mp3: Think You Can Wait [The National]

“Think You Can Wait” is the theme song for a new movie called “Win Win” starring good actor/everyman Paul Giamatti:

DAMIAN MARLEY AND NAS

I’m a sucker for genre destroying albums by two musically powerful entities. However, not all these collaboration albums meet up to their hype. Damian Marley (youngest son of Bob) and Nas’s collaboration however does meet expectations – big ones, as they are both powerfully talented artists on their own. Damian is not only the son of a legend by a 3 time Grammy Award winner. Nasty Nas is, well, Nas. You know.

mp3: Paticnce [Damian Marley and Nas]

ARCADE FIRE

THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM, HOW DO THEY PAY THEM ALL? Oh …. that’s a mirror.

mp3: We Used to Wait [Arcade Fire]

NU SHOOZ

Released in 1986, “I Can’t Wait” by Nu Shooz’s American chart run coincided with that of a Stevie Nicks song also titled “I Can’t Wait” (a rare incidence of two different songs with the same title charting at the same time). Interesting fact from Wikipedia.

mp3: I can’t wait [Nu Shooz]

Why did those extra large, baggy silk blazers go out of style again??

DUFFY

“Tell me, can we ever be… serious?”

mp3: Serious [Duffy]

I was just watching this live video of Duffy singing “Serious”:

I love how there is a whole movement of singers coming out of Britain who embrace schools of jazz and soul music (Adele, Duffy, Joss Stone, etc), arenas where true emotions still come through in music. As much as I like fun, dancey pop music as much as the next American, I also need to cleanse my palate with something a bit realer, something with a little more artistic integrity.

Duffy’s voice is somehow both gritty and high and somewhat reminds me of her poppier counterpart Jessie J, who has an equally strong voice but honestly most of Jessie’s songs are crap and won’t last longer than a year in popularity.

FOUR TET

I always thought Four Tet was a band but it turns out to be this one dude mixing all different genres together into awesome music. Sometimes he forgets to brush his hair because he’s too busy making great music for us to listen to.

mp3: As Serious As Your Life [Four Tet]

GWEN STEFANI

This song is not great by any means and I wouldn’t judge it on the same parameters as the above two, but I love Gwen Stefani and some of her pop is really great (i.e. “Cool”). I thought this song off of the Love.Angel.Music.Baby. album was worth a listen, just a fun 80s song. Nothing too serious.