What to download, watch, play and where to go.
1. Flight of the Conchords, “Inner City Pressure” Sub PopProstitute flautists, coin-scrounging Muesli fiends and used-underwear purchasers abound in this absurd urban dispatch from the funniest New Zealanders since Gollum.
2. She & Him, “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” MergeIndie actress Zooey Deschanel teams with indie bard M. Ward for this shambling come-on.
3. Mariah Carey, “Touch My Body” Island Def JamThe genius production duo behind “Umbrella” sprinkles its R&B magic dust on Mariah, i
ah, iah, ay, ay, ay!4. The White Stripes, “Conquista” Warner Bros.Jack White shrieks his way through a Spanish redux of “Conquest,”
Icky Thump’s girl-hunts-boy tale.
5. Izza Kizza, “They’re Everywhere” Mosley MusicThis newly signed Timbaland protégé is from the tiny town of Valdosta, Georgia—but his beeping, buzzing breakout jam sounds like it was beamed straight down from Alpha Centauri.
6. The Hush Sound, “Honey” Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen“You’ve got a dark heart; you’ve got a cold kiss,” Greta Salpeter coos. Pure evil never sounded so sexy!
7. Eddie Vedder, “No More” SireInspired by the paralyzed Iraq vet in the new documentary
Body of War, it’s a ragged lament.
8. Vampire Weeken, “Walcott” XLA poignant fantasy … about slaying flesh-eating demons in a small town.
9. Jim Jones, “Love Me No More” KochDipset’s mushmouth-in-chief drowns his sorrows in drugs, money, women and guns over a sparkling synthscape.
10. The Last Shadow Puppets, “The Age of the Understatement” DominoThe Arctic Monkeys frontman teams with a buddy to serenade a feather-boa-clad femme fatale.
11. M.I.A., “Paper Planes” (DFA remix)
InterscopeMaya Arulpragasam’s anti–Lou Dobbs jam gets a beefy DFA overhaul—a little bit Blaxploitation, a little bit Italodisco, an awful lot awesome.
12. Usher, “Moving Mountains” JiveAn aching rush of unrequited Usher-love and Timbaland synths with a valuable message: Relationships are hard!
13. Yelle, “A Cause Des Garçons” CarolineSpunky French electro-rap chick slams manipulative magazines and hypocritical boys.
Fille power!
14. The Roots, “75 Bars”?uestlove and his Philly hip-hop squad return—sans hook, so you know they’re, like, raw.
15. Annuals, “Just Stay In”Exquisite ennui from a weepy North Carolina indie crew.
16. Erykah Badu, “Honey”Percolating R&B smooveness guaranteed to get Pooh Bear all hot and bothered.
17. No Age, “Eraser”The noise-worshiping L.A. weirdos get their jangle on with this bouncy ode to … vulcanized rubber?
18. The Veronicas, “This Is How It Feels”What’s better than a cute Australian girl singing a whooshing pop-rock kiss-off? Cute Australian
twins doing it!
19. Jaymay, “Gray or Blue”Breezy NYC coffeehouse pop about divided loyalties during the American Civil War. (Just kidding, it’s about breakups.)
20. Janet Jackson, “Rock With U”Janet purrs seductively—and pays titular homage to her big bro—on this slinky hookup jam.