Amerie, “Gotta Work.” Shake-the-foundations R&B; all wailing soul horns, thunderous beats and vocal proclamations. True to the song’s title, Amerie builds up a sweat here, but the track never feels labored, the excitement never taken for granted. “I do it ’cause I love it!” she insists as the song draws to a finish, and her love is both palpable and infectious. (Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0) (myspace.com/ameriemimarie)
R. Kelly vs. Broken Social Scene, “I’m a Flirt 7/4 Shoreline.” An uncredited YouTube mash-up, gluing Kelly’s mid-tempo “Flirt” vocals atop BSS’s expedient “7/4” backing track. The first mash-up I’ve heard in ages that warrants replay, and it unearths surprises from both sides of the divide: If Kelly has rarely sounded so urgent, BSS have never sounded so sleek. No doubt, in due time it’ll sound like the work of a laptop whiz kid with too much time on his hands, but right now, it’s a blast. (3.5) (youtube.com/watch?v=-YPaPSyU-Vc)
Sneaky Sound System, “UFO.” Synthy dance-pop from Sydney, Australia. The group is appropriately named, seeing as how it unobtrusively slips in references to R.E.M. (“The One I Love”) and Nirvana (“Smells Like Teen Spirit”). Keyboards are thrilling, singer is convincing, rhythm’s a bit stiff, though not disagreeably so. (3.5) (myspace.com/sneakysoundsystem)
Lo-Fi FNK, “City.” Synthy dance-pop from Somewhere, Sweden. Anonymous, but in an interesting way. When it’s playing, it sounds like throbbing, post-disco genius. When it’s not playing, I have a hard time remembering it at all. So what do I do? I end up playing it lots. (3.5) (myspace.com/lofifnksweden)
Kate Nash, “Foundation.” This 19-year-old upstart from London—a more polished Lily Allen, basically—winds you up for the sake of winding you up, so it’s no surprise that a couple of punchlines land with a thud (the “bitter”/“fitter” rhyme in particular makes me cringe). But there’s a musical intelligence at work here: The tacky drum machine beat is taut as a thin wire, and when the piano man rolls out the barrel in the second verse you’ll wonder how on Earth you just ended up in gospel-house heaven. (3.5) (myspace.com/katenashmusic)
Kanye West, “Stronger.” The world is always a better place when there’s a little more Daft Punk in it, and West’s manipulation of a snippet from the masked duo’s “Harder Better Faster Stronger” is masterfully done: Slowing it down a couple of notches, he unearths the song’s potential as a corporate nightmare (an interpretation somewhat borne out by the stylish video). Unfortunately, the thing drags, feeling a little bloated and a bit dreary (which, granted, might be the point). (3.0) (kanyewest.com/?content=video_stronger)
Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk.” “Pavement meets Paul Simon in Graceland” is the tag line on this New York quartet, a sure formula for art-school preciousness if ever such a formula existed, but it works okay anyway. The drummer has clearly studied his dance moves, the guitarist makes gangly sound gorgeous, and the flautist, well, let’s just say they have a flautist and leave it at that. (3.0) (myspace.com/vampireweekend)
The Twang, “Either Way.” “Post-baggy” (whatever that means) guitar pop from Birmingham, England, led by a whimpering vocalist who sobs his way through the verses and will possibly make you want to slap him. But there’s an accidental loveliness here as well—a wide-openness in the mix and a nice ringing texture in the guitars. (3.0) (myspace.com/thetwang)
Shop Boyz, “Party Like a Rockstar.” This grunge-hop sensation from Atlanta recently trudged its way up the charts, and it’s not hard to hear why—three seconds in and you’re hooked. Three or four listens later, however, and you start to wonder: Since when did partying like a rock star sound like attending a funeral? More bubbly, duuuuudes. (2.5) (myspace.com/shopboyz)
Justice, “D.A.N.C.E.” French electro-house that’s bursting at the seams with production moves straight outta d.i.s.c.o. (love those Chic violins, especially). This duo’s expertise is transparent, but so, unfortunately, are their ideas: I can’t hear past the track’s spliciness, and the “fun” here feels more than a little pre-empted—like I’m supposed to think those kiddie voices are adorable just because, you know, they’re kiddie voices. (2.5) (myspace.com/etjusticepourtous).