When excellence slips under the radar.

This morning I would like to turn you on to two songs only recently discovered by yours truly. While the deluge of year-end "Best Lists" can be overbearing, they do occasionaly unearth a gem or two that I completely overlooked in the previous twelve months.

Where the hell has this song been hiding all year and why am I only just now hearing it? Luckily for me DJ MonsterMo has been digging it and was kind enough to include it in his "My 69 Favorite Songs of 2006" list. The band is The Pipettes, and they are a girl group in the '50s mold updated for the new millenium after taking a healthy dose of '70s disco glitter to glam things up. You have to hear it to believe it.

MP3: The Pipettes "Pull Shapes"

Our other gem is courtesy Paul, whose list is always a treat for me since we have similar tastes, but he always manages to dig a little deeper than I do, so he's always got a few surprises up his sleeve. This year he introduced me to Katerine and his fine song "Apres Moi." The tune sounds like a French Lesson as taught the the kids backing Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2." Wonderfully weird.

Alos, I feel I should admit that the first time i heard this i hadn't the faintest clue it was a guy singing. Katerine has this really weird fey thing going on vocally, and I'm honestly not sure how to get a really proper read on him. The song comes from this year's Robots apres tout and while the disc as a whole feels a bit uneven to me, there's no denying this song's charm.

MP3: Katerine "Apres Moi"

Finally, I've decided to let you in on one of my recent guilty pleasures. I'm not partucularly proud of this one, but it sort of hits the same internal triggers that Deetah's "Relax" tripped a few years ago. Something about a simple backing track and winsome vocals gets me every time. Anyway, don't hate me nd try to enjoy this one for it's simple pleasures. Just so you know, this version of Paula DeAnda's "Walk Away" is the one without the cheesy rapping in the video. Yes, I've seen the video. It's no secret I tune into Fuse from time to time to get a grasp on what the mainstream kids are listening to, since I honestly can't stomach commercial radio any longer, even for research purposes.

MP3: Paula DeAnda "Walk Away"

Hmmm ... it's Friday and I've got this nagging feeling there's something else I should be telling you. Hmm. Hmm. Hm. Oh! Yeah! I got it!

How could I forget to remind you, just one more time, of where you should be tomorrow night!