Sound Of Arrows coming back?

I apologize for missing a couple of days. Itunes screwed up the album artwork on my iphone for the second time this summer, so I've been spending the past 24 hours re-embedding artwork one album at a time. A process that will, charmingly, take weeks. Ugh. Now, I've shared this brilliant, brilliant remix before, but I thought it was appropriate to draw attention to it once more because of the recent news that Sound Of Arrows may be coming back with new material for the first time in four years. For those who don't know, Sound Of Arrows released one of the best pop albums of the past 20 years when they unleashed Voyage on us in 2011. The song below was the album's climax, though not in this remixed form. Be sure to check out this new interview with them, and if you haven't given the album a spin, what are you waiting for? Catch up before it's too late!!

Robyn - Got To Work It Out

Swedish pop genius Robyn has taken a page from the Korean music industry and opted for the concept of mini-albums over full lengths. Her newest is a journey through 90's-inspired dance and club music. It's loose and somewhat freeform, with an emphasis on groove over rigid song structure. As such, it's not likely to have as wide an influence as her best material. I'm hoping, though, that it'll have some nice staying power instead. I'm already impressed with the ridiculously catchy Got To Work It Out. The groove itself is enough to rave about, but Robyn has always been an expert at riding a song and imbuing every last word with a palpable attitude. It's so good to have her back, and I hope that mini-album releases mean we won't have to wait as long for new music next time.

B1A4 - You Are A Girl I Am A Boy

Upon first listen, I was a little worried about the new B1A4 single. They are one of my absolute favorite K-Pop groups, particularly because they tend to honor strong pop songwriting over following trends. Sweet Girl, which is very much a 70's disco pastiche, isn't really what I wanted from them. And on first listen, the song itself didn't sound hooky enough at all to be a single -- especially one we've had to wait over a year for. However, it's growing on me. The guitar solos, in particular, really elevate it into something special. I think I might prefer the second track on the mini album, though. Despite its somewhat cringe-worthy title (which is frequently repeated in the chorus), the song is an energetic, extremely well-produced pop song. It maintains the 70's feel that highlights the bulk of the album, but it has a rockier backbone than most of what B1A4 have produced. I'd actually label it "power-pop" more than anything, which is a refreshing genre for mainstream Korean music to explore. Whatever you'd call it, it's a big track with an incredibly anthemic hook. In fact, the entire mini is more impressive than I'd first given it credit for.