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Sampling Miley Cyrus on the first single for their second album, All Yours, is an interesting choice for this band that famously won Britain's Mercury Prize in 2012 for their debut record An Awesome Wave. Read more...

Since I'm feeling reinvigorated after a much-needed summer vacation spent with family swimming in the Aegean Sea and touring Italy and Greece, I'm choosing a song to reflect my mood. You can practically feel the sunshine and taste the salt water as this uplifting dance track washes over you. Read more...

The first few lines out of Sam Smith's mouth as he transforms this pop-candy classic into a soulful tear jerker illicit instant gasps of awe. One would need to be a sociopath not to recognize the depth of this guy's sincerity, or the profound excellence of his vocal chops.

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With all the musical swagger and confidence of a band ready to conquer their generation, the Ramona Flowers have arrived. While the song's tarted up electro-rock is almost modernized-by-numbers with its dub-step bass drops and distorted guitar, it still sounds great. Read more...

Restraint is clearly not in Ms. Young's vocabulary. Backed up by Dave Grohl on drums and longtime David Bowie producer Tony Visconti on bass and guitar, and obviously influenced by tour mentor Morrissey, "Pearl of a Girl" is wildly energetic and huge fun to listen to. "How are you so calm when it's so severe?" Young wails. Listening to this, I have no idea.

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One of my favorite rock vocalists of all time, Deftones' Chino Moreno, once again follows his hip-hop dream-pop/rock muse with this, his latest side project (see Team Sleep from several years ago). Gone are the gut wrenching metal screeches, and only the sensitive, breathy and almost psychedelic crooning remains. Personally, I love this side of him, where he cites Depeche Mode as a primary influence. A really great song on an equally great (self-titled) album.

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I laughed so hard watching this video I shot Coke Zero out my nose. Originally written and recorded by English '80s metal band Venom, TSPT have produced this cover as a sociology project of sorts. According to their corresponding press release, their version: "offers queer critique/mockery/profanation of its ideological morass in equal measure." And it's fucking hysterical.

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SBTRKT – “Temporary View feat. Sampha”

Electro-soul collaborators SBTRKT and Sampha stick the listener directly into the sauna in this sweltering new track. You have to embrace the dizzying heat or be suffocated by it. Allow the perspiration to cleanse you, then follow up with a cold shower.

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