Not Too Much Thinking

Electrelane “To The East” – Electrelane’s Verity Susman has a fairly limited vocal range, but she has a wonderful knack for communicating a specific sort of restrained, self-possessed yearning that is an ideal complement to the controlled tension of her band’s compositions. The best Electrelane songs walk up to edge of huge emotional revelations without diving into them, as though simply admitting to potent feelings is the same as freely expressing them. Susman’s voice is level and rational even as she peers over that edge, but she’s never lacking a certain warmth and humanity. (Click here to buy it from Insound.)

Montag “Mechanical Kids” – It’s very difficult not to hear this song as being much more than a peevish slap on the conformity of young people, but there’s an optimistic tone to the music that keeps the composition from feeling too mean-spirited, smug, or judgmental. The song conveys a strong sense of naive wonder and a cheerful disconnection from reality, especially as the live drums kick in halfway through the cut and the tune drifts off into a merry reverie. (Click here to pre-order it from Amazon.)

Elsewhere: Here’s an essay I wrote for ArtistDirect about why I totally despise the expanded “Deluxe” version of Beyonce’s B’Day.