Vanbot - Lost Without You

"You'll be my stranger"

It's so exciting when a pop act like this comes out of nowhere. Yes, I know I wrote about Vanbot very recently, but she just released a second track on her soundcloud page and it's as stunning as the first one so she deserves another mention. She's going for that full-out Robyn With Every Heartbeat/Dancing On My Own sound and that is definitely something that I can't ever get enough of. This is a lush electronic pop opus with a stunning chorus. Vanbot manages to pack so much emotion into such a short, dense space. It's really amazing stuff. And like the first track, this is freely downloadable via the soundcloud link. This is a pop star that is doing things right!

Lost Without You by Vanbot

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Pop Blitz 4/6/11

Noah & The Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
I've been very much enjoying this band's reinvention as a slick, melodic aor rock act. This isn't one of my favorites from the album, but it's got a laid-back nostalgic sound. B+

Usher - More
Usher delves even further into club sounds, and this is one of his strongest singles in years. It's very Taio Cruz, which means it's gonna sound old fast, but for now I'm enjoying this. B+

Pitbull - Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)
Empty calories. I'm not a fan of the heavily distorted vocals that make up the chorus to this. Pitbull's part is passable, but I don't think this is all that memorable. C

Alexis Jordan - Good Girl
There's something refreshing about Jordan's simple, airy pop. The drums on this are fantastic, but on the whole it's not as strong as her debut. The chorus is pretty strong, though. B+

Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Melodically, this is like a slowed down version of their last single. It's a nice, strummy, Summer-sounding single. Very pleasant, but I'm already a little sick of it. B

Willow Smith - 21st Century Girl
Not a bad song, necessarily, but the delivery is very annoying and the lyrics are just ridiculous given who the singer is. Give this to Rihanna, switch it up a bit, and it could be pretty good. B-

The Strokes - Under Cover Of Darkness
Their much-lauded return to form kicks off with this pleasant, jangly single. They've had stronger, for sure. I love the sound of it, but there isn't really much of a hook beyond the guitars. B-

Diamond Rings - Show Me Your Stuff

"All I need is already in me"

Diamond Rings is the project of Canadian John O'Regan, a deep-voiced, glam-loving singer with one amazing song and an album that I'm not quite sure about. I can see why people love it. It's downtempo, diy pop/rock in the mold of old Lou Reed records mixed with the new wave of the 80's. Personally, it's a bit too downtempo and diy for me. But this track (it's best to experience this for the first time by watching the glamorous video, btw), is a glimmer of what could be. Show Me Your Stuff is beat heavy, with house-piano that builds to a gigantic chorus. It's glam that borrows equally from the 70's and the present. For some reason, the song was left off the album (perhaps because it didn't fit with the rest of the tracks?), even though it was released a few months prior. It's okay, because I'm hoping that for the second album he embraces this sound. I love the Adam Ant homages in the video, I love the stupid rap, and I love that this is a performer with a ridiculous amount of x-factor.

Diamond Rings - Show Me Your Stuff by LipSyncMusic

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Cocknbullkid - Asthma Attack

"You keep me coming back"

I hadn't listened to a Cocknbullkid track until just last week. I, like many others, was turned off by her stage name. Hell, I didn't even know that it was a she at all. I just don't understand why certain artists/bands pick certain names. It's like judging a book by its cover, and we all do that. Either way, I've finally given her music a listen and I am totally hooked. This track, her latest single, is a surprisingly breezy disco-pop number that will make an excellent Spring/Summer release. Delving further into her earlier releases, I'm very impressed with this lady's ability to write a catchy pop song. It's bubblegum with substance. Once you hit the chorus of Asthma Attack, there is no resistance. An album's due in May, and I'm very much looking forward to it. Between this, Patrick Wolf, and Gaga, May's gonna be pretty awesome.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the EP here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Viktorious - Kill The Fun

"Sometimes the waiting gets me down"

You're probably all sick of me posting songs by Viktorious by now, but being that this is his last free song (until Summer, when this whole thing will apparently repeat!), and it's one of the best, I couldn't help but write about it. As you know by now, this Swedish electro-pop-rock artist has been releasing a free track every Friday on his website for the past month and a half. Killing The Fun is the latest, and my favorite since the first released track (the still-brilliant Instant Virtuality). While other songs have been moodier and a bit colder, this is full on propulsive pop. The verses are the standout here, all power chords and a stadium-ready melody. I really like the processing on the vocals, too. It's exactly the sound I hope he explores further. Everything comes together on this one. I could easily hear it on the radio.

Viktorious - Killing The Fun by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Download the EP for free here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.