THE SIMILOU - ALL THIS LOVE

"All this love saved up for nothing"

This is probably the perfect summer song. Just wait until that chorus kicks in! A nice throwback to eighties synth-pop that never was, the Similou (from Sweden) have crafted a total number one hit here. Bubbly and bright, without being annoying or "cute," this song will quickly be lodged in your brain. The video to this song reminds me of Super Mario Bros. The guys are playing/dancing on a cloud and shooting rainbows (no kidding; and trust me, it's not as totally campy as it may sound!).

(you can buy the album here - music is posted for evaluation purposes only. Please support the artists. If you hold the copyright to this song and wish it to be removed, contact me and I will delete it immediately.)

THE CHALETS - FEEL THE MACHINE

"Everybody wants to feel the machine"

You can use your imagination as to what this song is about... Somewhere between Franz Ferdinand and the Go Gos, this Irish band has a kitschy sound that could really be huge. I think a song or two of theirs has appeared on the U.S. TV show Greys Anatomy, but their album's yet to be released in America (along with like every good album in the world). The video to this song is also very entertaining.

(you can buy the album here - music is posted for evaluation purposes only. Please support the artists. If you hold the copyright to this song and wish it to be removed, contact me and I will delete it immediately.)

THE RASMUS - F-F-F-FALLING

"The night is calling me like a drum"

This would be the perfect theme song for a cool, Buffy-like TV show. Random, I know, but I'm throwing that out there anyways. But, theme song or not, this is one of the most delicious slices of poppy rock I heard from 2004. From the lovely fade in, to the punchy guitars, to the soaring bit after the second chorus, to the strange Michael Jackson-ish sound in the second verse, this song has classic written all over it. They definitely outdo all of the meat-n-potatoes "rock" (I'm looking at you, Nickleback) that litters American radio at the moment.

(you can buy the album here - music is posted for evaluation purposes only. Please support the artists. If you hold the copyright to this song and wish it to be removed, contact me and I will delete it immediately.)

PRINCE - 3 CHAINS O' GOLD

"They are the nucleus of my soul, melt down, no, they will never"

I know, Prince is a huge superstar to include in a blog about hits from another planet. But, I doubt that many people are familiar with this track. I think it could've been the Bohemian Rhapsody of the early 90's. That's no small praise, as Bohemian Rhapsody is like one of the best songs ever recorded. There's more crammed into the six-ish minutes of this rock opera than in most albums. Like B.R., 3 Chains O' Gold goes from fast to slow, quiet to loud, dramatic to (somewhat) refined - all in short, nearly operatic bursts. It doesn't really make much sense and the woman at the end (trust me, you'll hear her) is laughably theatrical, but I wish more artists would attempt songs like this.

(you can buy the album here - music is posted for evaluation purposes only. Please support the artists. If you hold the copyright to this song and wish it to be removed, contact me and I will delete it immediately.)

SURFEROSA - PRESTIGE

"I'm not impressed, I'm not depressed, I'm gonna find another lover!"

Look at that crazy tie. The lead singer, Mariann, is insane. That's just part of the reason why this Norwegian band needs to become a global hit. Sounding very much like Sweden's The Sounds, Surferosa combines dance, punk, rock, and electro into a glorious mess. This song in particular typifies to me what's so great about this band. It's catchy as hell and sounds like it should be blasting out of some interplanetary disco off in the far regions of space. Very retro-synth 80's video game-ish (if that made any sense).

(you can buy the album here - music is posted for evaluation purposes only. Please support the artists. If you hold the copyright to this song and wish it to be removed, contact me and I will delete it immediately.)