There's a ton of fun stuff in the mix for April and probably a little bit of something for everyone. There's also a tie this month for best album cover. On one hand we've got the wonderfully trippy Peplab Drive cover, and on the other the fantastically sexual Louis XIV's The Best Little Secrets Are Kept (I could have posted the toned-down cover, which basically cuts off the lady's butt...but come on. We all have butts. It's not anything new.)
1. "Beautiful People"/Peplab- this song is purely addictive fun. It's electronic with some sunny guitars and a little latin flavor provided by shakers, not to mention a touch of acid. The refrain is simple and easy with thinly-veiled drug references; this is the perfect song for a day in the sun.
2. "The Way She Said"/Velour-This is pop music at its best. The words may not be amazing, but the rhymes flow so nicely that, well, whatever. The tight rhythms and pared-down melody are catchy-it's a laid-back tune perfect for a lazy day.
3. "Skinny Love"/Bon Iver-There's a special place in my heart for melancholy acoustic folk, but it's hard to reach. Bon Iver does it perfectly here, with sparse instrumentation and words that could be straight from a poem. The effect resonates powerfully.
4. "Staring at the Sun"/TV on the Radio-TVotR is one of the most diverse groups around, so it's hard to pin them as one thing or another. "Staring at the Sun" is a catchy little gem, with their typical howling lyrics, buzzing guitars, and minimalist snare.
5. "Maybe Tomorrow"/Stereophonics-I love Stereophonics to death, but apart from Kelly Jones' vocals nothing in this song is very grungy. Their usual raw power has been exchanged for a much smoother, laid-back, pop-rock sound, and I really dig it. The lyrics are simple but piercing, the way Oasis' lyrics usually are.
6. "Where Is My Mind?"/Pixies-The Pixies are hit-or-miss with me since I don't always enjoy Black Francis' screaming or off-kilter lyrics. But here the Pixies really sound like Radiohead; they open with an acoustic guitar and then add heavy, buzzing guitars. I like the lyrics, too, they're spacey; "Where Is My Mind" could be a modern indie rock song.
7. "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?"/Rooney-they've become very popular very fast, the reason being that Rooney produces addictive throw-back rock. When I first heard this song, I thought it was from the 80's. Anyway, Robert Schwartzman's (he's the guy from The Princess Diaries) LA roots come through very clearly in a song that's less about (shallow) heartbreak and more about an uber-catchy rhythm.
8. "Superstylin'"/Groove Armada- Reggae meets dance-floor electronica in this infectious mix by the masters of such style. Groove Aramada has been around forever, and has been experimenting forever, and they hit the mark more often than not.
9. "Streetlights"/Bloomsday Rising-They'll never be great unless they mature or do something a little more creative, but "Streetlights" is a catchy enough and nice enough rock effort to be worth mentioning (since most mainstream rock sucks now-a-days). I personally think they're too melancholy and should write more upbeat stuff, but the balance of heavy power-chords and Phil Lang's rich vocals which walk the fine line of grating but manage to eke out on the side of pleasant come together nicely.
10. "Paper Doll"/Louis XIV-If you can abide very, very dirty and explicit lyrics (dirtier, in some ways, than rap, which at least gives us the courtesy of euphemisms) then you're in for a real treat. Louis XIV creates absolutely addictive glam rock; they're even one of David Bowie's favorite modern bands.
-elln
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