Otto Knows - Million Voices

Dance music has really taken over in the past few years. For better or worse, it's become the new rock and roll. DJs and producers are the new rock stars of the moment, though everything's cyclical and I'm sure the universe will come round again eventually. I've always been a fan of the dance genre, though I prefer it when it's mixed with a healthy dose of pop and rock. But every once and awhile I can really fall for an instrumental, pure dance track. Million Voices is one of those cases. When it's at its strongest, this kind of music can conjure a sense of euphoria that's unlike anything else on the radio. This track is ridiculously simple and repetitive, yet somehow it just pulls you in. No wonder it's currently smashing in a number of European countries.



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

Felix Cartal - Tonight (ft. Maja Ivarsson)

"I'm gonna be the one for you tonight"

I was first brought to this track by Maja Ivarsson's involvement. For those who don't know, Maja is the lead singer of Swedish band The Sounds. I've been a massive fan of the Sounds since their debut album and always like to hear new material from them (though it's hard to really compete with their earliest stuff). Even though this is technically a track by Canadian producer Felix Cartal, it might as well be a new Sounds track since Maja handles all the vocals. Sure, it's a little more electronic than her band's usual output, but underneath all that fancy production is a catchy, simple pop song. The track's from Cartal's album, Different Faces, which was released a few months ago.



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

Muse - Madness

"Now I have finally seen the light"

Sometimes it seems like I'm the only one in the world that adored Muse's Olympics song, Survival. It was deliriously campy and over the top, something that I honestly didn't know the band had in them. For their next single, though, they've taken their sound in a much more subtle direction. Madness finds them embracing a slightly electro, downtempo side. It's a different step for them, and doesn't really come alive until the last minute and a half. I'm not sure if this is something that radio is going to jump on, but it's very pleasing regardless. It's deceptively melodic and the vocals are really perfect. I like that they're experimenting a bit, particularly with production. This, combined with the last single, makes me very eager to hear the album (which has unfortunately been pushed back to October 1st/2nd).



(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.