Look Long Time In My Pretty Eyes

The Twin (featuring Avenue D) “Fire-Desire” – In a genre dominated by homophobes, one excellent queer ragga song can seem like a minor miracle. Believe it or not, this is Boy George sparring off with raunchy NYC hipster booty MCs Avenue D for the affections of some lucky Chi-Chi Man. A bit of advice: If taken literally, “Can I put fire in your rectum?” is a kinky request that ought to be declined. (Click here to buy it from More Protein.)

Jonathan Coulton “Skullcrusher Mountain” – If you have a high tolerance for smirky humor and mainstream country pop, this will probably seem like some kind of gift from above. Coulton nails the contemporary glossy American singer-songwriter aesthetic while subverting the genre with bizarro lyrics written from the perspective of a reclusive mad scientist/supervillain in love with his dim-witted but beautiful hostage. Though the song is awash in a sea of irony, he nevertheless manages to make lines like “even my henchmen think I’m crazy” and “isn’t it enough to know that I ruined a pony making a gift for you?” seem genuinely poignant by delivering the vocals with a sincere tone and employing the classic tricks of sappy pop songwriting. (Click here to buy it from Jonathan Coulton.)