Long Range Lover, Deep Under Cover

Maxi Geil! & Playcolt “Here Comes Maxi” – Maxi Geil! & Playcolt were originally created as an imaginary pop band complete with its own soap operatic group dynamic, but have since evolved into a real band which acts out the fiction both live and on record. “Here Comes Maxi” introduces the listener to the star of the band, the eponymous Mr. Geil. After nearly half of the song is spent repeating a chorus heralding his arrival, Geil finally takes to the mic and immediately tells us of his amazing accomplishments and remarkable sexual prowess. It’s all rather reminiscent of Jarvis Cocker at his most over the top (see: Relaxed Muscle, at least half of This Is Hardcore), particularly when Geil sings that he’s come “to fuck you where you’re tenderest.” (Click here to buy it directly from the band.)

M.I.A. “Sun Shawa” – At last, we have the follow-up to “Galang,” one of the best debut singles in recent memory. Though this is rhythmically quite similar, this time around we get a sweetly melodic chorus instead of an insistent staccato vocal hook. The chorus smoothes out the harsh beats a bit and manages to warm up the icy toasting, yielding a major contender for Summer Anthem ’04.