Jerry's Pick: "Small Bill$"

"Small Bill$"-Regina Spektor  

Regina is back!

Boo, you whore! Not that Regina!

It's the return of my favorite Soviet-born, classically-trained, pop pianist -- Regina Spektor -- whose new album (Remember Us To Life) is her first in an American presidential term.

I first fell in love with this blue-eyed, redheaded, Brooklyn-raised expatriate through her quirky but cute compositions "On the Radio" and "Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)."

But aside from said quirky cuteness, she also has an amazing knack of painting colorful images with that special Spector style of poetry... kinda-sorta like fairy tales for grown-ups that seem to lean a little more toward the Grimm than the Hans Christian.

While Regina's personality always comes across as bubbly and bright, I have a theory on how she manages to tap into her inner sinister.

She told Noisey's Kim Taylor Bennett, "I kind of always had that tragedies-looming-around outlook. Just having come from generations of Stalin and World War II... everybody had all these horrible stories that I grew up listening to: People getting taken out and shot or buried in the roads alive -- I sort of didn't grow up (with) Coke-a-Cola, Mickey Mouse..."

Regina -- who just became a mom for the first time -- explained, "I'm at the most happiest time in my life and I'm writing some of the darkest and kind of most sad -- music."

For "Small Bill$," Spektor conveys her fable of a man with major money problems who is being chased and swallowed by debt. The dramatic strings and booming backbeat may match its metaphorical theme, but what makes this track charming is Regina's playful voice and catchy cadence highlighted by a whimsical chorus layered with lots of "la-las."

Now that I really think about it, "Small Bill$" is so Soviet kitsch that it's more Soviet kitsch than Soviet Kitsch was Soviet kitsch.

Yep, being in the red never sounded so much fun!

Jerry's Pick: "Hell No"

"Hell No"-Ingrid Michaelson

I've been an Ingrid Michaelson fan going on ten-years now.  Songs like "Parachute," "Be OK," "Afterlife" and "Time Machine" are all still in rotation on my iTunes playlist.  In fact, Ingrid's "Boys Chase Girls" was one of my top-10 best picks from all of 2014.

Well, my favorite bespectacled female indy-singer-songwiter may have just released her strongest pop-single to date with "Hell No..." a you-go-girl break-up anthem that you can dance to.

No doubt "Hell No" was inspired by Michaelson's own recent and somewhat messy divorce.  She told the Huffington Post, “We all have been through being wronged, so we created a powerful break up song. This song is not about one specific relationship but about lots of different relationships and how they culled together into one unified force of anger."

For me, Ingrid's new see-ya-later single is a mix of Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and Avril Lanigne's "What the Hell" with a few dashes of Meghan Trainor's "No" sprinkled over the chorus.

"Hell No" was written by Ingrid in Nashville with country music vets Barry Dean and Luke Laird (Little Big Town, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw).  Michaelson told James Dinh of iHeart Radio, “I just wanted to kind of go outside of my comfort zone and write in this different world and see what happened.”  She added, “I think there is definitely a country feeling to the vibe of the song. It's just produced in such a poppy way but we just had so much fun."

With clever/cute/cutting lines like, "I should've known better/I saw her wearing your sweater/Nice glasses, fake red hair/Just like me," I feel the Parker Posey of Pop may have just produced her first true mainstream breakthrough single.  (By-the-way, the song's yet-to-be-titled parent album -- featuring more letting-go/moving-on themed tunes -- is set to be released this August.  And her self-made Snapchat Filters-inspired music video is below.)

So, go ahead... give it a spin!  I'm sure you too with say "Hell yeah!' to "Hell No!"

Jerry's Pick: "Harlem"

"HARLEM"-NEW POLITICS

Are your ears tired? Listless? Run-down? Looking for that perfect piece of poppy punk to raise your energy level several notches?

Well, I just may have discovered the rock anthem of 2013!

It's a tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick BOOMing track called "Harlem" performed by three hyper Danes in Brooklyn who call themselves New Politics.

You may have already heard about these guys. It was only a couple of years ago when their debut single "Yeah Yeah Yeah" received moderate airplay on a handful of alternative radio stations, drew comparisons to the Hives, and was chosen as the theme to Dew Tour 2010. And like "Yeah Yeah Yeah," "Harlem" contains enough aural-caffeine to stimulate the alternative-rock lobe of your brain to keep the rest of your body pumped-up.

The party begins with cheerleader-like chants, a strong My-Sharonian backbeat, lyrics touting the frolicsome females of Upper Manhattan, all of which is held together by a kick-ass chorus: "When it gets loud, I turn it up! Shake it like a bad girl up in Harlem!" (Then there's a not-so-subtle nod to masturbation -- "Here come the jets, hide my money in your tube socks" -- that would make the Violent Femmes proud.)

"Harlem" is one of those tracks that works just as well as a Red Bull.  Side effects may include heart palpitations, rhythmic foot tapping or, quite possibly, spontaneous car-karaoke. Listen liberally. And as John Lennon once instructed, "Play Loud!"

Jerry's Pick: "Playing For Keeps"

"PLAYING FOR KEEPS"-ELLE KING

Here's a young bleach-blonde with an old soul and a bluesy voice accentuated by a perfect mix of grit and rasp.

Her sound is similar to Adele, but with depth.  Joplin, Holiday and Duffy also come to mind.

Singer, songwriter, multi-instumentalist Elle King feels every single syllable that rolls effortlessly out of her mouth on "Playing For Keeps," one of four original tracks off of The Elle King EP.  Despite being in her early-20's, the crackles in her voice hint at a seasoned veteran who sounds as if she's been performing in smoky bars for decades.

"I grew up loving Etta James and Aretha Franklin and Al Green and Otis Redding, and I just love old-school R&B," King told Vanity Fair. "It’s just music that moves you and grooves you, and it was very important, I think, for music. That sound was, and still is today, my favorite. And I also love country."

You may have caught Elle performing "Playing For Keeps" last week on Letterman or heard it as the theme song to the new VH1 series, "Mob Wives: Chicago."  Regardless, you should be playing "Playing For Keeps" as this one definitely is a keeper.

Incidentally, Elle is the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider and model London King.  Yeah, she made the right choice. The surname "King" works way better when you're singing the blues.

Jerry's Pick: "Sleep Alone"

"SLEEP ALONE"-TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

I was happy to hear that Two Door Cinema Club has finally released a new single (which you can sample by clicking the music video below)! But if you've never heard of the Irish trio, I strongly recommend listening to a couple of tunes from the group's last album, Tourist History, first. "Something Good Can Work" and "What You Know" are two of the best indie-tracks of 2010 and still get recurrent spins on my iPod. Their latest, "Sleep Alone," is a bit more polished than anything on the band's first disc. Their new single may have lost a bit of the band's indie-edginess, but it's still a fine-crafted pop-tune… especially down to the track's final 30-seconds where they channel a bit of Viva la Coldplay.

Regarding their new album, singer Alex Trimble said, "Beacon is a much more intimate record than our first, but at the same time, it's much bigger and more inclusive. Trying to find that balance has been our goal for a long time and this record takes us one step closer to the band we've dreamt of becoming." 

The rest of Beacon will see the light of day in early September.

-Jerry Steffen

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

I am such a rock 'n' roll purist that I went through all of my iTunes songs and inserted and/or replaced the supplied album cover pic with the track's single artwork instead. It took a while to complete the project, but now I have a wider variety of images which are more directly associated with the song I'm listening to.  In fact, most of the artwork you see on this blog are from the cover of the song's single release.

It's real easy! Find the image on-line; save the image on your computer; right click on the iTunes song; click on 'get info'; click on 'artwork'; click on 'add', find the picture in your files and you're good to go!

Okay, here are a few just-released songs (and pics) you may want to add to your collection!



"COME ALONG"-VICCI MARTINEZ (with CEE LO GREEN)

One listen and I was hooked!  The slow, driving beat pulls you in but it's the perfectly paired voices of Vicci Martinez (who took third place on "The Voice") and Cee Lo Green who give this bluesy track its soul. It'll take just one-half of a listen to "Come Along" (which was originally recorded by Swedish artist Titiyo in 2001) before you accept Vicci's invitation and start singing with the chorus. 

“I think the lyrics are really important for people today, for all of us but especially for our generation,” says Vicci. “We can break the cycle and habits that our society has been stuck in. It is a time of evolution, evolving into our divine, most perfect self. I feel this is a step that I’ve been trying to take and by singing this song, I’m asking everyone else to come along with me and take a stand.”

"GUARDIAN"-ALANIS MORISSETTE

I know it doesn't seem as though it's been over 15-years since the release of her breakthrough Jagged Little Pill, but I'm here to reassure you that you will not be aurally bitch-slapped while listening to Morissette's latest single "Guardian." The gentler, kinder, more nurturing Alanis has, more than likely, once again borrowed words from her personal diary and set them to a flowing rollercoaster back-track.

For now, this is all you get from the Canadian songstress as her seventh album, Havoc And Bright Lights, will not be available until August 28.

"HEARTBEAT"-JJAMZ

Katy Perry and I both agree that the perfectly-produced "Heartbeat" from this California supergroup should be the summer song of 2012. The LA-based musical collective known as JJAMZ (pronounced juh-jamz) got its moniker from the first-name initials of the five best friends in the band: Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley, Bright Eyes), James Valentine (Maroon 5), Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), Michael Runion (solo) and Z Berg (The Like). I hear it! Can you?

Also very good and worthy of a few moments of your time...

"THIS HEAD I HOLD"-ELECTRIC GUEST

"STARE INTO THE SUN"-GRAFFITI6

"TAKE A WALK"-PASSION PIT

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

I hope you had a chance to check out my recommendations from earlier this month as they're just beginning to take off.  The Gotye track "Someone That I Used To Know" is especially getting alot of attention nationally!  But that was yesterday's news!  On to this week's picks!

"TONGUE TIED"-GROUPLOVE

I know we're just a few weeks into 2012, but I'm gonna be bold and label this track the feel-good song-of-the-year!  I've been playing this Grouplove single for three-weeks now and still can't get enough of it.  And, odds are if you pull up next to me while I'm in my car, I'll be singing along to it at the top of my lungs.  You may have already heard "Tongue Tied" as it was used in an iPod Touch television commercial last month.  Trivia: Grouplove's Ryan Rabin (drummer/producer) is the son of former Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin.  Get to know it!




 "DEDICATION TO MY EX (MISS THAT)"-LLOYD

Okay, I'm was a little slow on this one as it was released four-months ago.  But what-the-hell... if it pleads, it leads!  What peaked my interest the very first time I listened to "Dedication To My Ex" is I immediately recognized that this soulful song (from R&B singer Lloyd Polite, Jr.) samples the bass loop from one of my favorite Duffy tunes: 2008's "Mercy."  The track, which features André 3000 of OutKast and is "narrated" by Lil Wayne, has enough funk to get your grandma dancing!  Just tell her that word she can't quite understand is "cookie."

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

It's a new year and everyone is making resolutions to eat less and exercise more.  I, on the other hand, promise to try and get these blogs out in a timely fashion because I've been slacking as-of-late.  So, how about updates once a week? Okay, that ain't gonna happen... so, let's make that once a month.  Deal.

Since my previous post, which was last October, I've discovered a handful of great tunes.  But, by now, you've probably heard of some of them.  If not, you gotta check them out.  And, I pledge to update this page with more shiny-new pop songs often, and... eat less and exercise more.


 "LONELY BOY"-THE BLACK KEYS

What's not to like about this track?  "Lonely Boy" has several layers of hook from the bluesy guitar to the motivating back-beat and a obsessive chorus that will have you singing along after your first listen.  ("Oh, OH, oh-oh... I got a love that keeps me waiting...")  The parent album El Camino was only released last month and has quickly been added to many critic's favorites lists of 2011, including mine.  The song was co-written and produced by Danger Mouse.




 "SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW"-GOTYE

I'm usually attracted to something that stands out from all of the others, a song that is definitely uniquely unique. This post-relationship point/counter-point set-of-lyrics starts out delicate but builds to an emotional climax with lyrics about broken promises and how to move on after an emotional break-up.  The roles are played perfectly by Gotye (Australia's Wouter De Backer) and Kimbra (New Zealand's Kimbra Agiejew). Love... this... song!!!




 "TONIGHT"-SEETHER

You don't have to be into post-grunge/alternative metal to dig this single from the South African band Seether.  "Tonight," which is part of their album Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray, is heavy but melodic and romantically uplifting as well.  It is by far the best cut from their new album and has already hit the top of several rock charts in North America.  Remember, it'll sound better at "11."

After you add the above three suggestions to your music library, here are a few others I've been playing on my iPod since Thanksgiving that you might want to get to know too!

"THESE DAYS"-FOO FIGHTERS

"TOMORROW"-CRANBERRIES

"UNDERNEATH THE SYCAMORE"-DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

"PARTY IN MY HEAD"-SEPTEMBER

"GET BURNED"-SLEEPER AGENT

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

I attended the American Music Awards in Los Angeles last week... well, sort of.  I was able to crash a couple AMA pre-parties (Thank you, Melissa!), but wasn't able to score credentials to the big show.  I was, however, able to be part of the small crowd that was allowed to witness the pre-show AMA taping of Hot Chelle Rae performing a couple of their songs outside the Nokia Theatre.  (You can audition their latest hit at the bottom of this page.)

Just as the AMA's big winners this year were women (Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Adele...), I too seemed to have leaned a bit toward the female voices in songs I've added to my iPod this month.  Here's what I feel are a few of the best new releases over the past few weeks

"VIDEO GAMES"-LANA DEL REY

The first time I listened to "Video Games" from Lana Del Rey, I was waiting for this slow, lazy, mournful torch song to kick-in.  Well, it doesn't.  It ends as it begins.  And you know what?  That's okay.  But before you hit "play," be sure to listen with the headsets on and your eyes closed as this haunting ballad is sure to conjure up lots of imagery.





 "WE ALL GO BACK TO WHERE WE BELONG"-R.E.M.

To my ears, REM's swan-song single "We All Go Back To Where We Belong" sounds as if the track was written and scored by Burt Bacharach and could have easily been a hit in the 1960's for Dionne Warwick.  So later, when I picked up a recent edition of Rolling Stone and read a review that referenced the same Bacharach connection, I felt vindicated.  Now, it's not the band's best effort, but when you take into account they're using these three-minutes to say "Goodbye," you kind of want to hang on a little longer.




 "GAMES PEOPLE PLAY"-LISSIE

Nashville guitarist Joe South first put "Games People Play" inside Billboard's top-20 in 1969 and those lyrics have been covered countless times over the past 40-years by acts from Mel Torme and Jerry Lee Lewis to Hank Williams Jr. and James Taylor.  Blue-eyed soul singer Lissie gives the protest-song a rootsy revival which makes it an easy listen.  It's one of five-tracks of covers from her recently-released EP Covered Up In Flowers.




 "GONNA GET OVER YOU"-SARA BAREILLES

"I'm gonna get over you. I'll be alright, just not to-night." Know that feeling.  That's the punch-line from "Gonna Get Over You," the latest pop-perfect hit single from Sara Bareilles which features broken-hearted lyrics set to an upbeat backdrop.  It's not as effervescent as "Uncharted," but still worth $1.29.




 "TALLULAH"-COMPANY OF THIEVES

Here's a funky, horn-driven piece of soul that sounds as if Lily Allen accidentally booked a recording session with Tower of Power.  "Tallulah" from the Chicago-based threesome Company of Thieves is my feel-good track of the month and should have your head a-bobbin' and your foot a-tappin' before the track comes to a quick stop.  By-the-way, the little girl with the big voice is Genevieve Schatz who said the song was inspired after a drive through the abandoned town of Tallulah, Louisiana shortly after Katrina.  She said she noticed lots of ivy vines completely engulfing the structures as if Mother Nature was taking the buildings back and saying, "We'll start over here!" She added, "There is life in the process of death.  I just really enjoyed that, and wanted to celebrate it in a very New Orleans, Motown, some type of soulful fashion. So we paired these lyrics with this fun horn section to make an upbeat dance song."

Here are a couple others I've added over the past several weeks that you just may want to keep as your own.

"SET FIRE TO THE RAIN-ADELE

"I LIKE IT LIKE THAT"-HOT CHELLE RAE

"DON'T MOVE"-PHANTOGRAM

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Folk, rock, alternative too.  Well, this week I discovered a handful of tunes that represent a few of the colorful bands of that wonderful rock and roll rainbow.  Just click on the links below to hear the songs.

Check 'em all out... see which ones you like!


 "YOU'LL BE MINE"-THE PIERCES

Is there such a thing as female adult alternative folk-pop?  If not, there is now.  Meet the Pierces, comprised of Birmingham-born sisters (Catherine and Allison) who possess identical pitch-perfect voices that harmonize so well together they sound as if one person was double-tracked in the recording studio.  I liked the studio version of "You'll Be Mine" immediately but found a greater appreciation for this very personal composition after listening to Catherine explain how they came to write the ballad (which is followed by an acoustic performance of the song).  I think you'll like it as quick as... one, two, three.




 "NOT YOUR FAULT"-AWOLNATION

There's no way in hell that AWOLNATION will ever top last year's "Sail." That synth-laden track is still freakin' awesome and so unique!  But I had to give props to the band-in-all-capital's latest single from Megalithic Symphony which is a much more uptempo, just as synthesized, track called "Not Your Fault."  After just a couple of listens you'll be singing along with the hook.  If not, then it is your fault.





"DIFFERENT"-XIMENA SARINANA

Finally, let me introduce you to Ximena Sariñana (hi-MEN-a sa-rin-YAH-na), a 20-something Mexican-born actress, singer-songwriter who falls into the category of "adorable."  Although the majority of her previous recordings have been in Spanish, there's hope that "Different" will more than cross-over to the American pop charts. (I just now heard part of this song used in a Pop Tart TV commercial!  Mmmm, Pop Tarts!) Take a listen to her matter-of-fact delivery on "Different" and see if you agree that it's sort of in the same style of that 1987 hit song "Breakout."  (Okay, besides me, who remembers Swing Out Sister? Anyone...?)

Here are three other new tracks worth checking out:

"PARADISE"-COLDPLAY 

"STEREO"-IAMDYNAMITE

"THE LADY IS A TRAMP"-TONY BENNETT and LADY GAGA  

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

I caught a bit of Kid Rock's performance on television during the nationally televised Green Bay Packers home-opener pre-game festivities at Lambeau Field last week and had to give another listen to his latest single "Care."  Every AC station in the country is probably playing the ballad right now and I came close to recommending it this week.  It's a solid song, especially the version with Martina McBride, but after a couple weeks I found myself already skipping past it whenever it pops up on the Pod.  It became a quick burn-out for me... but check it out for yourself.  See if you Care.

But moving on... there were two stand-out tracks that I've been giving quite a bit of repeated play lately.  Oh, by-the-way, this week's picks are brought to you by the letter "W."


 "I MIGHT"-WILCO

The new Wilco album The Whole Love is supposed to be available toward the end of this month but the band advance-released the track "I Might" which I've already listened to well over 30-times.  Partly because it's so catchy-cool and partly because I've been (unsuccessfully) trying to decipher the lyrics that lead-vocalist Jeff Tweedy is singing.  ("Slim Jim..." what?)  But what makes the song extra special are the xylophone accents throughout the tune and a very catchy keyboard riff à la ? and the Mysterians.




"HANG ON"-WEEZER

The second single from the latest Weezer album Hurley (yeah, that's that "Lost" dude on the cover) is finally getting some notice. Check out "Hang On" which is so hooky I'm sure that when the band performs the tune live, the title will easily become an audience-participatory fist-pumping chant. Here's something curious about the track: "Hang On" features actor Michael Cera ("Superbad," "Juno") on backing vocals, mandolin and hurdy gurdy.

That's it for now.  More to come!  Right now I'm heading to Google to find out what the hell a hurdy gurdy is.

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Of all the music I've added over the past several weeks, I think I've been playing the tracks "Get It Daddy" (Sleeper Agent) and "When I'm Alone" (Lissie) the most.  They pass my stringent "repeated listens" test.  On the other hand, I did once recommend Santana's cover of "Photograph."  Well, that got old really quick.  Sorry about that.  Anyway...


"SWIM"-SURFER BLOOD

I found a couple tunes which are definitely not your typical pop songs, but they're good!  The first is from a Scottish band called Surfer Blood.  Okay... they're not from Scotland... or even Britain.  Try West Palm Beach, Florida.  Still don't believe it.  They could be singing "In A Big Country" for God's sake.  Anyway, check out the accent on this rocker they dubbed "Swim."




"CAN'T KEEP JOHNNY DOWN"-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS

The music from They Might Be Giants is an acquired taste, one I first discovered after hearing "Ana Ng," the band's second most familiar track.  (The first has to be "Boss of Me," the theme song to the TV comedy "Malcolm in the Middle.")  The nasally lead-vocals emanate from the beak of John Flansburgh who may or may not be the subject of the two-minute ditty "Can't Keep Johnny Down."




"JACK IN THE BOX"-PAULINE

Finally, a song so new and so obscure the track isn't yet available on iTunes and the only YouTube link has just a thousand hits.  Be the first on your block to add "Jack in the Box" from Pauline, a Swedish vocalist who seems to borrow a bit from Amy Winehouse, Gwen Stefani, Supremes and even Dinah Washington! (All in front of a Fats Domino-styled riff.)  I took a liking to this jazzy number after the first listen!

New Music "Pick of the Week!"

"THE ADVENTURES OF RAIN DANCE MAGGIE"-RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

Not a whole lot of happiness for my ears this week.  If fact, I'm recommending a track I first heard last month.  It just took several listens before I really began to like it.

The song is "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie", a funky little jam from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the band's first new single in almost four-years.  (The parent album I'm With You should be out at the very end of this month.)  Chili Peppers' lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis explained, "It's just a collection of memories and people along the way that had maybe left my consciousness until I heard that music, and then they kind of came dancing back into my consciousness, and out the old pen onto the paper."

I think you'll discover that this bass-laden groove has just the right amount of cow bell.

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Came across four new singles this last week that you just may want to audition...

"NOT ENOUGH"-STACY CLARK

For me, Tori Amos and Ani DiFranco come to mind when listening to "Not Enough," a track from singer-songwriter-guitarist Stacy Clark.  The disjointed piano intro makes this Adult Alternative ballad one of the more interesting tracks of the month.




"JUNK OF THE HEART (HAPPY)"-THE KOOKS

The first time I heard of the band the Kooks was through a song that was included on the 2009 charity album "War Child Presents Heroes" where they covered the Kinks classic "Victoria."  The band's new single "Junk of the Heart (Happy)" is a lightweight cut from their album of the same name (set for release this September).




"JET LAG"-SIMPLE PLAN

Simple Plan has been known as a Canadian punk-pop band, but their latest single "Jet Lag" is a lot less punk and a whole lot more pop.  I guess that's unavoidable when Natasha Bedingfield is the guest vocalist.  Take a listen.  Who knows, you may like it.




"MAJOR MINUS"-COLDPLAY

Lastly, another U2ish sounding rocker from Coldplay's latest project.  According to Chris Martin, "Major Minus" is about people who "express themselves in negative environments" and cited the White Rose Movement (a group of German children who printed anti-Nazi flyers during World War II) as inspirartion.

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

"MOUNTAIN TOP"-BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH

I always get excited when I hear something new but drastically different from everything else that's aired on most radio stations in the country.  A couple of tracks I heard last week fit the bill.  The first is from Bedouin Soundclash, a Totonto rock-reggae outfit that had a top-10 hit in their native Canada in 2007 but is still hoping to place one on the charts in the USA.  Jay Malinowski may not have a perfect singing voice, but his crackling lead vocals are perfect for "Mountain Top," a cut from Light the Horizon which came out late last year.




"SOMEONE'S GONNA BREAK YOUR HEART"-FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE

The other band is Fountains of Wayne who happen to feature one of the best songwriters of any decade.  (Trivia: The band's bassist Adam Schlesinger wrote the catchy title track for the Sixties period-piece pop-music film "That Thing You Do!")  FoW's latest is "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart." It may take, at least, a couple of listens... but I think you'll eventually find it worthy.  Enjoy!  More to come!

Previous New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Here are a few previous picks from the first half of 2011 that you may want to check out! 

• Brighter Than the Sun - Colbie Caillat
• Don't Gotta Work It Out - Fitz and the Tantrums
• Get It Daddy - Sleeper Agent
• God In Training - Breaking Laces
• Excuse - The Ettes
• Walk - Foo Fighters
• Who Says - Selena Gomez and the Scene
• The Limelight - Steffen (click then scroll down to the track: "The Limelight")
• Heartbreak Down - P!nk
• Heart Skips a Beat - Lenka
• (It) Feels So Good - Steven Tyler
• Blowin' My Mind - BoDeans
• Driven By Their Beating Hearts - A Silent Film
• When I'm Alone - Lissie
• Long Time - CAKE
• You and Me - Elizabeth and the Catapult
• The Ballad of Mona Lisa - Panic! at the Disco
• Sun of a Gun - Oh Land
• Green Grass - I Am Arrows
• 1000 Ships - Rachel Platten
• Undisclosed Desires - Muse
• My My - Liz Phiar
• You Are a Tourist - Death Cab for Cutie
• Whirring - The Joy Formidable
• Architechs and Engineers - Guster
• Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells
• Mine Smells Like Honey - REM
• Melancholy Astronautic Man - Allie Moss
• MoneyGrabber - Fitz and the Tantrums
• Crash Years - The New Pornographers
• Rolling in the Deep - Adele
• Kick Drum Heart - The Avett Brothers
• The Story of Us - Taylor Swift
• I Want the World to Stop - Belle and Sebastian
• Sad Song - The Cars
• I Do - Colbie Caillat
• She's Enough - Atmosphere
• Sail - AWOLNATION
• Young Blood - The Naked and Famous
• Your Surrender - Neon Trees
• What the Hell - Avril Lavigne
• Tell Me I'm a Wreck - Every Avenue
• Closer to the Edge - Thirty Seconds to Mars
• Never Gonna Leave This Bed - Maroon 5
• Hello - Martin Sloveig
• Drug - White Denim