you to cue up. Ain't pop music a wonderful thing?
Paris Hilton "Stars Are Blind" Stars Are Blind EP
If Paris were tied to a jukebox and dropped into the Pacific, the world would be a slightly better place. But if this no-talent has to make music, why not a lightweight reggae song perfect for the summer? The bubbly groove is closer to Aswad's lovers rock than, say, Sizzla, and Hilton's voice has the kind of bubble gum quality Cyndi Lauper gets when she's trying to sing straight. Hilton 1, World 0.
The Handsome Family "After We Shot the Grizzly" Last Days of Wonder
Don't go on any weekend excursions with Brett and Rennie Sparks, it will only lead to disaster. With his gentle deadpan floating on a soft country lope, the HF singer recounts a trip that includes a dead radio, a lost compass, a dinner of horse meat, and a limestone cave hiding a human skull -- and that's before they get to the second verse. The demure tunes on Last Days of Wonder are terrifically vivid, and by the time Brett floats away on a raft built from skin and bones, you'll realize King Kong's Skull Island wasn't too bad after all.
DMX "Lord Give Me a Sign" Here We Go Again
Roll over Tupac. Dark Man X is probably the most tortured rapper in history. So while we await a book that can truly do him justice, he's writing his own story in the studio, treating the airwaves as his confessional and his audience as priest. In that imitable bark, the Ride or Die rapper gives shout outs to Jesus like lesser MCs praise Rolexes. And when the gospel choir comes in, it's like heaven just got hyphy.
Dashboard Confessional "Don't Wait" Dusk and Summer
Who knew that beneath Chris Carraba's tattoos was America's answer to James Blunt? This new single takes every spiky edge the singer has and smoothes it out in a radio-friendly gloss. The polished sound grabs the ear first, but quality's there: the pitiable pin-up has kept his part of the Top 40 deal with one of his most instantly memorable odes to the lovelorn. It's a "You're Beautiful" that ought to come with its own box of tissues.
Damone "On Your Speakers" Out Here All Night
Teenyboppers show up in all eras, in all kinds of music -- yes even the smartypants atmosphere of alt rock has room for puppy love ditties. "Promise me you'll be okay/keep in touch if miles away," coos the singer Noelle as she jumps into the tour bus and leaves her sweetie behind. Not to worry. He'll hear her on his speakers; that's the kind of relationship they have. Even the heaviest music needs some esprit to vitalize the sludge, and this impressive Boston outfit has built its reputation on bringing lots of liftoff to its tunes. A cagey confluence of Pat Benatar and Cheap Trick, their latest disc should be on your speakers for at least a little while this summer.
Gnarls Barkley "Who Cares" St. Elsewhere
Everything is work for Cee-Lo; he has a hard time taking things the easy way. But as he explains himself on this addictive and unusual track of cinematic samples, things start to get clarified. "It feels like The Surreal Life," he whines, but he's referencing something crazier than VH1's too-many-peas-in-a-pod experiment. If Danger Mouse can keep that groove going, we'll listen to the singer's psychobabble all day.
The Futureheads "Skip to the End" News and Tributes
On their second album, the Newcastle turbo-punks do the only thing they could -- slow down. Dig around on this single, however, and you'll discover plenty to savor: broad regional accents, rousing riffola, and even some drumstick tomfoolery. You may not be able to pogo to the stuff as easily as before, but there's still enough quirkiness in the air to keep the quartet endearing.
Candi Staton "You Don't Have Very Far To Go" His Hands
One way to get out of a relationship is to demean your partner's every move. Mock the bad hair, tease the weight issues, counter each suggestion, cackle at opinions. Someone's been doing it to the esteemed gospel singer. "If I'm not crying/you're not satisfied," she tells her prick-face beau in this R&B flavored Merle Haggard tune. The ache is in their air, and the heartbreak is around the corner, so expect the tears to arrive any second.
Muse "Supermassive Black Hole" Black Holes and Revelations
When Radiohead shucked off their Brit stadium rock mantle, Muse were there to pick it up with 2004's Absolution. Maybe they got bored with the regular stuff, too, because now they've scuzzed up the guitars and put Matt Bellamy's choirboy vocals through a vocoder. Like Prince fronting Depeche Mode during their mid-1990s pornofunk phase, it's out of control and borderline bonkers.
Peter, Bjorn & John "Young Folks" Writer's Block
Ever since The Scorpions' "Winds of Change," the whistle has been an unfairly maligned element of pop music. This Swedish trio, however, are taking it back. Here, it's both melancholy and insolent, the perfect accompaniment to the apathy of Peter Moren and duet partner Viktoria Bergsman's deadpan lovers chat. "All we care about is talking," they admit over an itchy post-punk rhythm. "Talking about me and you."
