1. Michelle Branch - "Loud Music"
The first time I heard this song, I was in the car with my wife (on the same day that we drove too fast with Zeppelin on, by complete coincidence), and she rolled her eyes and said something like "this song is really stupid." I nodded in agreement but said "it's really catchy, though." And honestly I have no problem with stupid lyrical conceits if they're propped up by a huge hook.

2. AWOLNATION - "Sail"
It feels like there's a whole little wave of vaguely indie-ish and mostly also vaguely electronic (but definitely not Pitchfork-approved) bands blowing up on mainstream alternative radio these days, headed up by Foster The People. And most of that stuff holds no appeal for me, but this song really grabbed my attention, partly because I had no idea what it could possibly be when I first head it -- I thought maybe it was that Danger Mouse/Jack White song that'd been on the charts, but no. Anyway this is a pretty interesting breakout hit for a new artist, feels kind of ugly and lurching and not very radio-friendly, which is after all what makes it stand out so much.

3. Miguel - "Quickie"
I already kind of summed up why I like this song on Singles Jukebox, but I love that the follow-up to "The Sure Thing" (probably my favorite single of 2011) is such a 180 and yet also awesome.

4. Meek Mill f/ Rick Ross - "Ima Boss"
The fact that Rick Ross is now so established in the pop rap firmament that he has a vanity label with artists under him is just so, so depressing to me, and the fact that he's helping Wale continue to have a career is both offensive and hilarious. But I kinda like this Meek Mill cat, at least based on how relentless he owns this song, to the point that Ross's presence barely registers (whereas "Tupac Back" feels like a Ross song, and not a good one). Rap radio needs more cheap synth horns.

5. Theory Of A Deadman - "Lowlife"
Theory Of A Deadman is kind of the offbrand Nickelback, and generally don't have their more successful buddies' facility for big dumb hooks, but both bands also have a penchant for sleazy jokey songs, and Theory are definitely better at those, between "Bad Girlfriend" and this song, which is maybe a little too melodically sunny but still pretty enjoyable. Donal Logue is also very well cast in the video.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 11:43 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.