The Easy Gramophone ft The Little Ones

1. Of Montreal - 'Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse'
The song-names are mouthfuls and the band-name's a nonsense, but gee whiz is the new Of Montreal album amazing. Kevin Barnes sings here about a "crisis," asking his mood to "shift-shift back to good again" - and whaddyaknow but soon the cascades of synths are upon him, glad as rainbows. As he sings about "chemicals, chemicals" the psychpop blinks and flashes, like Bis after a long holiday in sunwashed California.
Download at: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/hissing/

2. Los Campesinos - 'You! Me! Dancing!'
Newly signed to Wichita Recordings (Bloc Party, The Pipettes, Go! Team), Cardiff's Las Campesinos may be the best British band since BEFORE the Arctic Monkeys - a gang of kids who cheer and holler and whirl. What starts as churn and noise fades into messy-haired dancepop, party music with a fringe. I think I'm in love.
Download at: http://www.myspace.com/loscampesinos

3. Karen Dalton - 'Katie Cruel'
First released in 1971, In My Own Time was reissued in November by Light In The Attic Records, reintroducing a songwriter who's perfectly placed for today's folk revival. Dalton has a voice that falls somewhere between Joanna Newsom's squawk and Tim Hardin's melancholy blues - but it's not as challenging as you might think. There's something very natural in the way her tired American voice plows the furrows of this traditional, banjo and violin alongside.
Download at: http://www.lightintheattic.net/

4. Marit Bergman - 'My Love'
Swedish popstar Marit Bergman covers Justin Timberlake's (deserved) smash, and she does it with piano and xylophone. It's a performance unveiled and sentimental - special for the way it's plainly adoring. Timberlake's love-song stripped down to the ballad it was likely born as. Plus: melodica solo!
Download at: http://www.myspace.com/maritbergman

5. The Little Ones - 'Cha Cha Cha'
A pop song with enough vim that it's more than merely "jaunty" - it's altogether fun. A boy and girl duet while the tom drum rumbles, while the shaker shakes; it's not far from Peter Bjorn and John, or even from a rockin' take on Paul Simon. But then of course, inevitably, there's la-la-las and a whole-hog call-in-the-village finale. There's a celebration. Happy new year.
Download at: http://www.wearethelittleones.com/little_music.html