I Can See It In Her Eyes

N.E.R.D. “She Wants To Move” – Whoa! Did Pharrell just sing “her ass is a spaceship I want to ride?” Yes. Yes, he did. And then there was a sci-fi sound effect! This is the first contender in the stakes for weirdest mainstream single of 2004 – it’s got all of the tell-tale Neptunes signature moves, but manages to sound somewhat alien thanks to the rumbling percussion (which reminds me of early Smashing Pumpkins, believe it or not), guitar squeals, and distinct lack of chorus. Nevertheless, it still comes out sounding like great pop. This is from the forthcoming Fly Or Die.

Vive La Fete “Nuit Blanche” – Their name translates to “Long Live The Party,” and the title is a French expression to describe a sleepless night of partying. That should clue you in to the aesthetic of this Belgian duo. Basically, this is catchy dance-pop sung in French. Love it or hate it.

Blonde Redhead “Elephant Woman” – On their forthcoming 4AD debut Misery Is A Butterfly, Blonde Redhead finally evolve beyond their old formula (you can’t hear it, but here’s my impression: uh uh, eh eh, ah ah, oh oh, ii ii, uh uh) and find themselves sounding like some kind of cross between the Cocteau Twins and Debut-era Bjork. The lush sound suits them well; but even though the new record may be their most consistent to date, nothing on it comes close to the restrained melancholy of “In Particular” from their previous album.