5. Coco Rosie - "Lemonade"
My wife first introduced me to Coco Rosie, one of the most unique music acts in indie music today. They're a sisterly duo who successfully mixes elements of mood rock/shoegaze with hip hop through a voice in which one is instantly given the image of Olive Oil from Popeye. They have several standout tracks, such as "Werewolf" and "Rainbow Warriors," but they're best track from 2010's Grey Oceans is the uniquely beautiful "Lemonade." Imagine Portishead turned less creepy for prettier melodies, ala "It's a Fire" from their Dummy album. Tracks ollowing closely behind "Lemonade" on Grey Oceans is "The Moon Asked the Crow," which sounds like what you'd get if Olive Oil sang/rapped on a Dr. Dre-produced track.
Also very unique, Sleigh Bells sounds like what you'd get if MIA joined Joan Jett on the stage at a high school pep rally, the backup singers consisting entirely of cheerleaders. The duo Alexis Krauss and ex-Poison the Well guitarist, Derek Miller, uses almost reggeton influenced beats and mixes them well with the keyboard and fuzzy guitars on this particular track, and many others on the album as well. "Infinity Guitars" is the best track on their debut album, Treats, which was released on none other than MIA's record label. I can see why she'd like them.
He's not just hype. Sure, he's super popular and deemed the best thing since sliced bread, but he backs every inch of that up. He raps with flames shooting from his mouth. He croons with a real ache in his heart that forces you to feel whatever pain he's experiencing at the time. He does both with such ease that you can't help but tout him one of the most talented singer-songwriters to emerge in recent years. Of course, I'm talking about Drake here, and he graces this particular Jamie Foxx track to make it something truly beautiful. We all know the extent of Jamie Foxx's talents, so when you put that together with Drake, well...need I say more?
2. Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
It's crazy that such a strange band (not in their music, but in their personalities) can write such great songs. I saw them perform "Sprawl II" on SNL and was sold from that very moment. This track is actually sung by Regine Chassagne, one of the two singers for the band. This song has such a great melody, very original and stick-in-your-head-all-day worthy.
If I had to name my all-time favorite band, it'd probably be Deftones. They're a rarity in heavy music in that they mix crunching, driving guitars with intricately-sung melodies that force you to take into account the soft side often hidden by the b-boy. "Diamond Eyes" is the best track on their 2010 album of the same title, but by a slim margin. Tracks like "Beauty School" and "Rocket Skates" also contribute heavily to an overall successful album. Deftones have lots of longevity in this game of rock, and that in itself is music to my ears - no pun intended.
Honorable Mention: Eminem feat. Lil Wayne - "No Love"
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