The Grey Eyes, The Gentle Kiss

Hercules and Love Affair “Athene” – Even without lyrics and vocals, “Athene” would feel like a wish for inspiration, and for escape from dreariness, complication, and tedium. Lyrically and musically, the song looks wistfully to a magical past, but whether it’s Greek Classics or late 70s New York disco, Andrew Butler desires to invest the present tense with the power of mythology. Kim Ann Foxman may be singing to the Goddess of Wisdom, but with this track, Butler may as well be beseeching the wisdom of Larry Levan or Arthur Russell. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

The Cool Kids “What It Is” – The Cool Kids are undeniably retro, but unlike a majority of artists who lean hard on the sound of 80s hip hop, they are neither aggravating or boring. The music is entirely matter of fact — they come across like a couple of guys who are so in love with a particular tradition that they would dismiss anyone who might tell them that their style died out around the time they were born. And they’re right — fashion may have moved on a few times over in the past two decades, but just the same with classic rock or Motown soul, the appeal of old school hip hop is evergreen, and comes down to a brilliant, primal simplicity crossed with loud charisma and largely invisible craftsmanship. The Cool Kids make it work because they are just as interested in craft as affect, and can effortlessly kick into the perfect contrast of crisp, dynamic beats and playful party-dude vocals. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Elsewhere: My early impressions of some songs from Of Montreal’s forthcoming album Skeletal Lamping.