Hey y’all! It’s a fucking five song Monday! I have been listening to some great new music lately, and here are five fantastic tracks that I can’t wait for you to hear. Also, it is nearing that time of year where the best of albums list gets compiled, and while I have quite a list going, I am eager to hear what has made YOUR lists; I don’t want to miss out on something incredible that I may not have heard of yet. So… let me know what you are listening to in the comments as well. Now to the five songs I’ve got for you today:
Vanbot – Make Me, Break Me
I couldn’t wait for a 5S-day, so I posted the video for this on Facebook the other day immediately after I heard it, because of how incredible it is. While the Robyn influence is undeniable (and frankly, welcomed with open arms), this song is fresh, and highlights the fact that there must be something genetically inherent about pop music in Sweden. In fact, Vanbot’s entire debut album is delightful, and a great find; it’s full of great songs that I am pleased to have randomly discovered. I expect to see it among my favorite albums of this year; like I said it’s delightful. Whatever is going over there in Sweden, I am glad that the pop music keeps flowing out of that magical land, and into my ears.
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
It seems like the Brits do boybands better than almost anyone, and this is a new contender in the boyband genre that are killing it with this single (they were on the show the X-Factor, and came in third… looks like that show really does well at finding talent). Their new album Up All Night is a solid release, and one that is sure to have many singles. This song is a great pop song that will probably never see the airwaves here in the states; which is a bummer, because it has a lot of great energy. I have been listening to this one on repeat, and I am glad to share it with you today. Thanks to my buddy Douglas for telling me about the wonderful One Direction!
Cher Lloyd – Want U Back
After falling head over heels for Cher with her previous single, With Ur Love (which I posted about on the previous incarnation of the 5S-day), I was curious to hear what else she would release. Imagine my surprise when her debut album Sticks + Stones was actually brilliant (save a song or two), and was filled with great songs like this one. I love this song; it’s my favorite from her album. She has a lot of the same spunk that reminds me of Lily Allen, which I adore. This is yet another great find that I randomly stumbled upon; 2011 has had some great finds, and they seem to be getting better and better!
Penguin Prison – Don’t Fuck With My Money
I have seen a lot of talk on the blogs about Penguin Prison, but for whatever reason, I was never moved by one of their songs. Then I saw the video for this one, and I loved the song! This song reminds me a lot of that one song from the 90s that I’m sure everyone knows, but not a lot know who sang it: the New Radicals’, You Get What You Give. Similar feel with a more dance beat; I like it. I’m glad I am on board with the oft talked about Penguin Prison now!
The Saturdays – My Heart Takes Over (Digital Dog Remix)
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING tears it up like taking a beautiful ballad, and a laying a slick as hell beat over it, turning it into a dance-floor filler. This song is definitely one of the best examples that I have heard in many, many years. The Saturdays’ My Heart Takes Over is a gorgeous ballad that I love all on it’s own, but this remix that they released is like pure pollen to a bee; I cannot get enough of it. I only wish there were more remixes of this high quality doing the same thing… where are Thunderpuss when you need them (remember them?)? Either way, brilliant. Their new album is great as well; not as wonderful as I was hoping, but I guess you can’t win them all, can you?
BONUS:
Westlife – Lighthouse
Lastly, it is bittersweet that I bring you Westlife’s most recent single Lighthouse, off of their final album, which is a Greatest Hits collection. This is a band that I have followed for more than a decade, and have loved for so long that I am really broken up about their impending split. I am a major sucker for a beautiful pop ballad, and these guys have delivered many, many times in that department. I have loved following them for all of these years, and am glad that they have put out so many wonderful albums. Westlife will always be among my favorite artists, and I will definitely cherish the great pop music they released in their impressive career. My only hope, is that Shane and Mark release wonderful solo albums, and keep making music that I love. Westlife, I love you guys, and you will most certainly be missed.
Well, a farewell, and some great music, what more can you ask for on a Monday? Hope you enjoyed my picks, and please let me know what you are listening to as well. As I said, I will greatly miss Westlife, and I am just glad that those guys have made so many amazing albums over the years; the fans have a ton of great music to cherish from their amazing career… I just wish it wasn’t over. *sniff*
Let me start by saying a major thank you to my buddy 
Lord knows I have thanked BBC Radio 1 in the past for turning me on to some amazing tunes, and here’s another shout out to perhaps my favorite radio station, that just happens to be located across the pond. I heard this song a couple of weeks ago, and I immediately jacked the volume up, and grabbed my phone to Shazam this gem; this song is gold!! While Yasmin may be signing about the Finish Line, I certainly hope she has more amazing stuff like this slated for the future, and this is more of a beginning than anything final. This is the type of music that should be on radio stations here in the US; as always, the UK is getting it right time and time again, way ahead of the game. Watch the video for Finish Line 
After a couple of the other girls from Girls Aloud broke out on their own, and failed to fully blow me away, and sustain (to be fair, I did LOVE both Cheryl Cole’s Fight For This Love, and Nadine Cole’s Insatiable), out of nowhere, Nicola Roberts is BURNING IT UP. This track is hot, and just in time for summer! Produced by seemingly everywhere producer Diplo (he’s 1/2 of Major Lazer, and throws in a recognizable sound effect, which I can only assume is his calling card), and containing a heavy beat, killer chorus, and outlandish beats, this song has been burning up my ears since I first heard it a few weeks ago. This song begs to be danced to, and Nicola is commanding you in a way that Kelly Rowland would be proud. I hope that the rest of Nicola’s upcoming album is like this dance floor killer, because it if is, I think we may have found the one girl from Girls Aloud that stands a chance of holding her own stylistically and musically. While the style is totally different, it reminds me a bit of when Siobhan Donaghy made her amazing sophomore album Ghosts, after leaving Sugababes; you never know how talented one of the group is until they decide to go their own way and try something different. “L-O-V-E! Dance to the beat of my drum!” Absolutely!! Watch the video for Beat of My Drum 
FINALLY. Ladies and gentlemen, something that I have been waiting on for quite some time, may have finally happened; Nicole Scherzinger is going to break through the US market, and finally have a fucking SOLO HIT. While I did think that this sounded a bit Rihanna-ish the first time I heard it, I didn’t see that as a negative. In fact, I think it is exactly what Nicole needed to finally break through solo on her home turf; familiarity. So far, I have heard this on the local radio station a few times, and it seems to be making at least some ripples on the charts. While I doubt it will be a number one for her, I do think it will open the door for her in home country musically, and we may finally get to hear more and more solo stuff from the most talented Pussycat Doll. Ladies and gentlmen, Nicole Scherzinger is home, and hopefully, there’s more to come! And yes, 50 Cent’s cameo in the song/video is almost 100% unnecessary. Watch the video for Right There 
What can I say? Again, the UK is killing it; this is the current number one hit in the UK. They are so far ahead of the pack sometimes, it just makes me wonder what the hell is going on in the US music scene. Dubstep is the “new” sensation in the UK, and is a style of music that I cannot get enough of. I am hoping that Dubstep makes more of a splash here than previous styles of music from the UK did stateside (most notably UK Garage, which I still fucking love; thanks to *N’SYNC for trying to make it happen, though!). This is such a great song for summer, and one that I am glad to have discovered, thanks again to my musical saviors over at BBC Radio 1. I love how the end of the song starts to get louder, faster, etc; it reminds me of Beyonce performing Suvivor live as she did on her concert DVD. Pure energy! Watch the video for Louder 
Speaking of Beyonce… Well, 4 is out, and well, I’m underwhelmed. I wanted to love it, because I do love Beyonce, but I just didn’t. That being said, I had high hopes for this album, mostly because of how much I loved Run the World (Girls) as its lead single. In fact, I thought, that I had posted this song in a 5SF or something, because of how much I think this song is SICK, but I apparently didn’t, and as such, wanted to feature it as a bonus track (or a super-relevant Google+ approved +1) in this week’s 5SF. A lot of people were turned off by the Major Lazer sample throughout the song, but I have to say, that while YES, it does sound almost identical to Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor, please keep in mind that Switch produced the track, and he is 1/2 of Major Lazer (apparently it is a Major Lazer day for me today…). I think Beyonce’s vocals elevate the track, and put a fresh, and frankly sick-as-shit spin to it. I have been loving this song more and more with each listen, and I just wish that I didn’t stick out like a sore ass thumb on 4 (I was hoping for more like it on the album); but hey, you can’t win them all, can you? Watch the video for Run The World (Girls) 
Not only is this song amazing, but the video is incredibly beautiful as well. I love Patrick Wolf; he always seems to be standing outside of the box, and yet crafts such amazing pop, that you’d think that everyone in the box would be singing his praises. This guy is eccentric, but that’s his strong suit; he really pours a lot of that eccentricity into his music, fashion, and style, and the result is a true pop superstar that never seems to get enough praise or credit for his work. His new album, Lupercalia is slated to come out in the next couple of weeks, and after hearing and falling head over heels in love with this track, as well as the first single, The City, I am simply bursting at the seams to get my hands on it. 
The new album, Little Hell, came out earlier this week, and it is incredible. After hearing O’ Sister, Fragile Bird, and Northern Wind prior to its release, I had high hopes, and pretty high expectations that this album would be yet another amazing release from Dallas Green, aka, City and Colour. After one listen, I will say that I was not disappointed in the least. It is a fantastic album from beginning to end, and represents some of his most beautiful work. While it isn’t as delicate and achingly beautiful overall as the previous release, Bring Me Your Love, it has true heartfelt moments that stand right along side that album, as well as more uptempo and more rock tracks that add a more gritty element to his previous work. Dallas is an exquisite song writer, and an incredible musician, and this album is hands down, one of the absolute best of 2011, by a landslide. With this album, Dallas has solidified his place amongst my most favorite artists, and has proven that he just gets better with each new release. I really hope that he makes a tour stop in Atlanta some time soon.Be sure to get Little Hell, which is out now.
Death Cab For Cutie are certainly one of my favorite bands, and they have been for many years. I love lead singer Ben Gibbard’s voice, and their music is epically beautiful. I was more than excited when I saw that they would be releasing a new album at the end of May, so I marked it on my calendar. As always, they did not disappoint, and the album, Codes and Keys, is pretty amazing overall. I was extra excited, when I listened for the first time, and I found a few songs like this one, that harken to the side project Ben did several years ago called The Postal Service; whose only album was down right incredible. I am sure fans of both bands squealed with delight just as I did upon hearing the infusion of some Postal Service elements into this album. I am glad they gave the fans something as wonderful as this, and continue treating us to great music with each new release. Be sure to get Codes and Keys, which is out now. 
This is the new, very peppy track by Mat Kearney. It reminds me stylisitically a lot of Pete Yorn’s track Relator that he did with Scarlett Johanson a couple of years ago. That being said, Mat Kearney is one of those artists that I have followed for years, and consider myself to be a big fan of his work. I’ve seen him in concert a couple of times, and his voice has this amazing ability to make one weak in the knees. This is a much more peppy direction for him, but I think that it works quite well, and it might be his most radio-ready track to date. As always, I am looking forward to his next release, and if this is any indication as to what it might sound like, it seems that Mat is going to be a little more upbeat, and a lot lighter this time around. Maybe this song will help him get some much deserved airplay, and allow more people to find out about this amazing artist. 
I was watching the movie Morning Glory the other night, and this delightful song started playing, and I instantly recognized it as the Weepies. While I didn’t really get into their 2010 album Be My Thrill (perhaps because of being busy with nursing school…), I do enjoy the Weepies a lot, and really loved this song when I heard it. It’s very similar to other songs by the Weepies, but when the formula works, why mess with it? The movie was very sweet, and I ended up enjoying it a lot, and I had to download this track as soon as the movie ended. This is yet another example of how using a great song at a pivotal point in a movie can really draw you in and make the experience that much more enjoyable. In this case, it made me enjoy the movie that much more, and solidified a music purchase from me; what’s not to like about that? Do yourself and see this movie too; the previews did not do it justice. It is well written, very cute, and full of laughs and sweet moments. I really enjoyed it. 
I mentioned before that I have become a major fan of dubstep, and when you mix an amazing ballad with dubstep, well, you will probably have me on board. That’s exactly what this song does, and the lead singer’s voice is powerful to say the least. His voice reminds me a bit of David Gray, but with more raw soul behind it; he is giving some major vocals on this track. It looks like he’s got an album coming up soon, and I can’t wait to hear more from this guy. And did I mention that he’s quite the hottie? No? Oh well then, I just did. 
She’s tried to go solo before, but had less than successful results; which is a shame, because some of the songs she released were pretty brilliant. There is no doubt that this girl can really sing, and I can personally atest to it; I saw the Pussycat Dolls open for Britney Spears, and let’s just say that Nicole was incredible live. All of that being said, I have always been pulling for this girl to succeed as a solo artist all along, and if she has any chance, it is certainly with this song; this song is amazing. It looks like she’s doing pretty well with it overseas (it went to #1 in the UK), but not a blip, or even a release here. What gives record industry? Why no be multinational; and by that, I mean release the artist’s work in their own country!? Either way, I am hoping this fantastic track will be the continuation of more great things from this talented singer. 
I have thank my buddy Deb for turning me on to this one. It’s no secret that I love great pop music, and girl groups that make great pop music are the tops (see The Saturdays, Girls Aloud, Sugababes (well, they used to), etc.). Anytime some new group comes along, it’s a wonder if they have the goods, and in this case, Parade seem to be doing it pretty darn well. The jury has yet to be selected to decide on whether they have the overall brilliance of the Saturdays or Girls Aloud, but Louder is certainly a very, very good start. This is such a fun pop song; what’s not to love? Wow, this is shaping up to be a pretty UK-centered 5SS so far, isn’t it? 
There is something about an amazing, powerful chorus that makes a song irresistible; and that is exactly the case with My Body. This song is a stomping fast-paced rock track, but the power lies in the lead vocalist’s belting the insanely catchy chorus. I first heard this song way back in February, but I haven’t had a real chance to gush about it. It reminds me a lot of bands like White Lies and Glasvegas, and the vocals take it to the next level. It’s like happy emo-rock! I can’t believe I just said that. Either way, a great song all around. Beware though; this is such an earworm. You will be singing it long after you’ve heard it! 
I’ll admit that a lot of times a group or singer comes along and people heap loads of praise on them, and for whatever reason, I don’t feel the same way. It’s frustrating, because I do the same thing, and I get upset when people don’t see the brilliance that I am pointing out to them, so I definitely sympathize when it happens. My good friend John loves the Fleet Foxes, and tried several times to get me to listen to them, to no avail. Then their new single, Helplessness Blues came out, and I listened to it, and I fell immediately in love with it. This song is epically beautiful, and really shows that sometimes, the good ones find a way of getting the attention they deserve. It may not have happened when I first shown the light, but I definitely see it now. Queue the “told you so dance”! 
I was so excited when I saw a new single from one of my favorite divas waiting for me when I opened the iTunes store a couple of weeks ago. Incorrect grammar aside, this is another home-run for Jennifer, and has me very excited for her sophomore album I Remember Me, which will be out later this month on the 22nd. I for one, will be heading out to the store to pick up my copy, because if this is any indicator of what we can expect, it is going to be more amazing stuff from this amazing singer. Her debut made 
A big thanks is in order to a great blog I follow, 
A big thanks goes out to my buddy Deb for this one. She posted the video to her Facebook a couple of weeks ago, and I have been loving it ever since. It reminds me a bit of Sharleen Spiteri vocally, and the backing dance track just invokes a little taste of something Sophie Ellis Bextor would probably release. Overall, the song is almost tribal, and most certainly enchanting; I love it more and more with each listen. A great find for sure… thanks Deb! 
I saw the (quite violent) video for this one, and was struck by how much this song reminded me of the Ting Ting’s stylistically. It sounds a lot like Shut Up and Let Me Go; which is a personal favorite of mine (maybe that’s why I like this one so much?) and as such, I wanted to hear it more and more. That being said, while similar, it has its own flair, and I’m glad to have stumbled onto this track. Also, I can’t help but notice that the lead singer of the group is quite the hottie. Double bonus. 
I heard this one afternoon randomly on BBC Radio 1, and was blown away. This, ladies and gents (well, for those of you that don’t know what it is), is dubstep, the bass-centered electro straight out of South East London. Since discovering this track, I have been seeking out more and more dubstep, because I love the undulating lower bass range that is the hallmark of dubstep, which is essentially when the beat “drops”. Feel how deep that bass goes!! Overall, it is a great genre of music, and this is a great example of high energy dubstep; which has taken my attention by storm. Special request: any dubstep suggestions are more than welcome; I am craving it more and more!!