Donkeyboy - Downtown

Ever since Donkeyboy burst onto the scene with the now-classic Ambitions, they've been one of the most reliably great pop bands in the world. Honestly, my only frustration about them comes from the fact that they don't release nearly as much music as they should. Even though they've released some brilliant singles pretty recently, their last actual album was more than three years ago. I'm hoping that Downtown kicks off a new prolific era for them. The song follows what you'd expect from Donkeyboy, with a spunky hook and polished, synth-heavy production. I can't say I like it as much as their past three singles, but even 'alright' Donkeyboy is better than most pop music out there.

Dragonette - Let The Night Fall

Awesome pop group Dragonette have been doing a lot of featurings and collaborations of late, and it's been awhile since we've heard a 100% pure Dragonette song. Luckily, Let The Night Fall seems to be worth the wait. I use the words "propulsive" and "soaring" a lot to indicate a sound that I'm totally obsessed with. It's all about that beat and melody that just seems to climb and climb the longer it progresses. The track feels a lot more anthemic than Dragonette have been for awhile, and I hope that it's a taste of sounds to come from them. Pick Up The Phone is still probably my favorite Dragonette song of all time, as I prefer their more melodic songs to their quirkier electropop. Let The Night Fall seems like a nice mix between the two styles.

Park Gyuri & From The Airport - The Little Prince

This was such a nice surprise! The Little Prince is k-pop, but it doesn't sound anything like k-pop. It's a collaboration between Park Gyuri from great girl group Kara and strangely-named indie duo From The Airport. I saw this song likened to Shiny Toy Guns' brand of synth rock, but I think it's actually much better than that. It boasts some amazing production, with propulsive synths and electronic drums bouncing around all over the place. Couple that with a soaring, j-pop-esque chorus, and we've got something that breaks all sorts of boundaries and really should appeal to just about anyone. I wasn't expecting this song to be on my radar at all, but I'm kind of addicted to it now. Ironically, it's better than anything on the actual new Kara album. The b-side is also tons of fun.

Namie Amuro - Fashionista

The name Namie Amuro has been on my radar for well over a decade, and for good reason because she has been one of the biggest Japanese pop stars since the mid-nineties. For some reason I was under the impression that she performed mainly ballads, but then I listened to the previews of her new album and was floored by how awesome (and uptempo!) it is. Better than that, Amuro has released a piece of work that sounds like the perfect updated version of a classic Madonna-mixed-with-Kylie 90's dance album. It really does sound of an era, and it just happens to be my era. It's an incredibly refreshing, strong collection of songs. I could pick almost any of them to feature today, but I think I want to share Fashionista, which was a single a few months ago. It's catchy from the get-go... a real club track with an ever changing, dramatic melody and production. Sometimes it sounds kind of like something Shinee would have released in 2012-2013. But the real musical touchstones are still Madonna and Kylie. If you like this song, you'll love the album!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.