CATCHY: Drake -- "Take Care"

The best sample of a reinterpretation of a cover.

Nerves Junior -- "Bright As Your Night Light"

Over the last few months or so I have read some reviews calling Nerves Junior's first release a  "masterpiece" and a record that will "change the way listeners look at the world" (eg WeListenForYou and PrettyMuchAmazing). To say the least, I was unbelievably skeptical on my first listen to this debut record by the Louisville foursome. My opinion of this album: it certainly isn't a "masterpiece," but it's a damn good record.... very good in fact. Every year I find about 10 albums that just don't live up to the hype for me, but there is always that one album that stands up to my gauntlet of judgment against over hyped records. As Bright As Your Night Light is that record for me in 2011. What has everyone going nuts for this album is the combination of experimental electronic sounds on this record and straight up psych-rock that also exists on this nine track album. I haven't really heard anything like this before. It combines my favorite aspects of bands as wacky as The Flaming Lips with the brilliant technical musicality one can hear in a band like Radiohead (this is a very extreme comparison, but give this record time and you will start to heard what I am writing of). I wouldn't say this record is a masterpiece only because I feel it doesn't have the songwriting that I hear on a record that is described as a "masterpiece;" but in due time I feel that this band could put out an even better record than this fantastic debut that could warrant the title of "masterpiece." One can't listen to this record and not be totally enamored by the absolutely stunning and brave combination of sounds. Give this one a listen.... you won't regret it.

Nerves Junior -- "Bright As Your Night Light"

Listen to the whole album HERE

Feist -- "How Come You Never Go There"

1,2,3,4... blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah - this is just about the only thing I really knew of Feist prior to this new album, Metals. Furthermore, going into this album, I thought it was going to be obnoxiously twee and cutesy, but I was very wrong. Within the last few weeks this record has steadily grown on me as one of the best albums of the past month or so. For one, it is superbly produced; rarely does a record sound so clean and crisp. Secondly, the song writing is simply out of this world. Lastly and most importantly, the amount of care that was put into the musicality of this record is just unmatched. This is certainly going to go down for me as the album with the best arrangements this year. Moreover, what I love so much about this record is how it sounds. Their something so precious and "adult" about this record. Yes, "adult" is poor word choice here, but it's the best word I can think of to describe the sound of much of this record. Listen to it yourself to see what I mean.

Feist -- "How Come You Never Go There"

CATCHY: Big Deal -- "Chair"

Big Deal -- "Chair"'

Big Deal's debut album, Lights Out, is out via Mute.