Subtle

Big industry awards often frustrate me. Be it the Oscars, the Emmy's, or the Grammy's, the nominees for these types of shows often feel all-too-predictable, seeming more the result of bureaucratic processes than true appreciation. But every once in awhile, a gem of an underdog gets the recognition they deserve in the form of a nomination. This year, we're cheering for Mikky Ekko, the Tennessee songwriter who's duet Stay with Rihanna (perhaps you've heard of her) received a nomination for Best Pop Duo Performance. But while Stay is an undeniable smash, it would have been cool to see his more recent collaboration with Active Child, the incredible Subtle get a nod, too. But hey, baby steps.


Subtle (feat. Mikky Ekko) - Active Child



While I gush away about his collaborative tracks, I have to note that Ekko is a formidable performer in his own right, evidenced by his summer single Kids, which you definitely need to check out.

Hello Again

Hey fellow countrymen, have y'all had enough of the cold weather yet? Me too. But don't worry, I know just what you need: JAMAICA.

Sadly no, I am not running a contest to fly all my readers to paradise, but close. JAMAICA -- the insanely catchy, pop rockin' French duo -- are back after years of doing whatever French musicians do between albums (smoke a lot of cigarettes, look cool, and eat bread probably, idk) with their sophomore release, Ventura. While the album drops in March, its befittingly monikered first single, Hello Again, is here now. It has every bit of the bouncing beats and jangling guitar work we remember from the band, with a markedly tighter, polished finish. This preview has us pretty darn excited for the rest of the album, but as for now -- a snow day never sounded so good.

You can preview the song below, but if you want a download link, you've gotta head over to the band's website.
Go, Go!

Hello Again - JAMAICA

Habits

I've gotta stay high all the time to keep you off my mind.

The year's most stressful month has arrived. While you're busy buying Christmas presents and spending too much money on plane tickets trying to get home for the holidays to family you not-so-secretly distain, music writers everywhere are wracking their brains and arbitrary ratings systems to create their all-important Best Of The Year lists. I probably won't do a "best of" list this year; mainly because I haven't listened to more than 5 albums all the way through.^* But that doesn't mean I won't preach to you at least a little bit.

Before you inevitably read other, more legitimate publications' lists, I want to tilt your bias by presenting you with what I think know to be the best pop song of the year, no contest. (Well, barring Titanium, but that is a contentious topic, and also I'm pretty sure it was released in '12, and also also we're here to promote music's little guy, not its Guetta.) Obviously it was written by a Swede. Tove Lo's Habits is such a perfect sad girl power ballad you'll probably know all the words without having heard it. Swedish girls just get it, after all. While Habits has already been used for background on every MTV show produced this year, it has yet to go double platinum, and I think we should rectify that before 2014 rolls along.
Looking forward to seeing y'all -- and Tove! -- at the top.

Habits - Tove Lo


^{* [I realize this makes me the problem, not the solution.]}