Song of the Week: “Shuffle A Dream”

Who: Little Dragon

With a funky bass and a smoky voice, “Shuffle A Dream” exudes an effortless cool. The song comes from Little Dragon’s third studio album, Ritual Union. The Swedish electronic band is fronted by Yukimi Nagano and was formed in 1996. The song mixes a unique combination of R&B and electronic music. Little Dragon can be found collaborating with many other great electronic artists. They worked on two tracks on Gorillaz’s Plastic Beach, and Nagano’s voice is featured in SBTRKT’s “Wildfire”.

Also Worth a Listen: “Ritual Union”

Song of the Week: “Looking For The Magic”

Who: The Dwight Twilley Band

Meeting at a screening of A Hard Day’s Night, Dwight Twilley and Phil Seymour went on to form The Dwight Twilley Band. Most well-known for their 1975 Top 20 hit “I’m on Fire”, The Dwight Twilley Band’s career arc can be characterized as near hits. “Looking For The Magic” comes off their second album Twilley Don’t Mind (1977), a perfect album if you ask anyone with common sense. The song is a great representation of Power Pop in the 1970s. Though reviewed well, the album didn’t do as well as hoped. Seymour left the band the following year, and Twilley went on to release a handful of albums as a solo act. The video features Tom Petty (label mate) playing bass in all his glory.

Also Worth a Listen: “That I Remember”

Song of the Week: “Swingin Party”

Who: Kindness

Hailing from the United Kingdom, Kindness is the namesake of Adam Bainbridge. Bainbridge takes on a classic from The Replacements’ 1985 album Tim. Kindness brings a chill-wave and disco take on “Swingin Party”. The original is a classic and nearly impossible to improve upon. Instead, Bainbridge creates an eerie mixture of detached vocals and atmospheric synths. Coming off his debut album World, You Need A Change Of Mind, the cover is stripped down and simple compared to the original but in a pleasant way.

Also Worth a Listen: “Swingin Party” by Lorde

Song of the Week: “We Can’t Stop”

Who: Miley Cyrus

I have a strange love for Miley Cyrus songs. I can confidently say I’ve only heard two Miley Cyrus songs in total (the other being “Party in the U.S.A.”). I neither tried to avoid nor seek them out, but the two I have heard I absolutely love. The song, originally intended for Rihanna, was produced by Mike Will Made It. It is the lead single off Cyrus’s fourth album. The lyrics are pretty standard for a pop song. There are a few references to drugs (“dancing with Molly”) that may surprise people who still view Cyrus as a Disney star, but the lyrics are fairly indistinguishable from other pop musician. The music is impossibly catchy, with a slowed down techno beat. The song is good, but the music video is a perfect complement. Directed by music video veteran Diane Martel (who also directed “Blurred Lines”), the music video features fighting, a french fry skull, stuffed deers, and Pepto-Bismol blood.

Also Worth a Listen: Errr “Party in the U.S.A.”

Song of the Week: “Turtle Neck”

Who: Bosnian Rainbows

Bosnian Rainbows’ self-titled debut was released last week and sounds unlike anything the band members previously worked on. Created fresh from the break up of The Mars Volta, the band consists of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta), drummer Deantoni Parks (The Mars Volta), lead singer Teri Gender Bender (Le Butcherettes), and keyboardist Nicci Kasper. Of the numerous songs that stand out, “Turtle Neck” does so the most. The song drips with syrupy 80s alterna-pop, sounding more like Tame Impala than Mars Volta. Teri Gender Bender sings with more control than she has before, her delivery more akin to Chrissie Hynde than Iggy Pop.

Also Worth a Listen: “The Eye Fell in Love”