The Damnwells - "What You Get"

The Damnwells - "What You Get": "Enjoy this little slice of Replacements-style (but more taut) rockin'. Short and sweet, you'll wish it lasted twice as long."

LCD Soundsystem - "Starry Eyes (Original)"

LCD Soundsystem - "Starry Eyes (Original)": "Just another entry in my ongoing fascination with Nancy Whang, as previously noted in my posts about Soulwax and The Juan MacLean. If this continues, I'm going to have to make a Nancy Whang tag for the blog..."

Tori Amos - "New Age"

Tori Amos - "New Age": "Tori takes on the Velvet Underground, although - interestingly - she picks the live 1969 version of this song as a template, not the album version from Loaded. I really like the keyboard treatment that supports most of the song, keeping things mellow, until the full band kicks in, allowing the song to simmer, subtly, to Tori's ending boil. "

Those Bastard Souls - "Good Luck Split Town Today"

Those Bastard Souls - "Good Luck Split Town Today": "This song comes across like young hubris and drunken mischief disguised as the effortless cool that comes from being blessed by dumb luck. It may sound straight from the garage, but it's not that simple - ex-Grifter Dave Shouse is single-handedly manning all the instruments, making its sloppy energy all the more amazing."

White Lies - "A Place To Hide"

White Lies - "A Place To Hide": "Is it just me or does the intro musical section recall Giant Drag's "This Isn't It"? Granted, the song then goes in a much different direction, but I still can't help but notice the similarity.
(Not trying to knock White Lies, since they also have songs that stand on their own, for example: "E.S.T.".)"

Lady Gaga - "Paparazzi"

Lady Gaga - "Paparazzi": "With Lady Gaga in the press all the time, I keep getting this song stuck back in my head, even when I try not to! I think there's some kind of subliminal programming in it..."

The Whigs - "In The Dark"

The Whigs - "In The Dark": "Less crunchy but no less energetic than previous efforts, this song is totally awesome. Can't believe we have to wait until next year for it to come out."