The Trendsetters Make Things Better

M.I.A. “M.I.A. (Arular Version)” – One of the things that I find most impressive about M.I.A. is her ability to make a string of seemingly random (but highly specific) images, references, and slogans seem like a fully formed polemic while rarely ever making any direct statements. Anyone who is even remotely informed will be able to read between her lines – there’s not a lot of room for ambiguity here, though obviousness is in short supply. It’s not entirely absent – “you can watch tv, watch the media/President Bush doing takeover” is pretty blunt, but it isn’t didactic. It’s just matter of fact. American imperialism isn’t big news to M.I.A., which is refreshing given that on some level, most anti-Bush/anti-Iraq war songs produced by Americans seem vaguely surprised about it. (Click here to visit the official M.I.A. website.)

Masha Qrella “Last Night” – In my experience, most hybrids of folk rock and electronic music have resulted in tepid yuppie pop that often sounds like standard AAA singer-songwriter fare with a tacked-on “trip hop” beat. Masha Qrella’s approach to merging acoustic and electronic elements is far more organic and much less selfconcious. “Last Night” is particularly inspired as it bridges two sections that sound like My Bloody Valentine if they did MTV Unplugged with a stunning, understated instrumental bridge which ranks among the most beautiful things that I’ve heard in months. (Click here to pre-order it from Boomkat.)

Elsewhere: Everybody knows that UK indie rock types are almost uniformly thin and pretty. But do they wear nice shoes? Find out over at Popstars Feets, a blog which gives new meaning to the word “shoegazer.”