Alicia Keys Sounds Great and Terrible at the Same Time

1. Alicia Keys, “Like You’ll Never See Me Again�
Alicia Keys channels the oddball minimalism of Prince on this slightly off-kilter slow jam from her new record, but still ends up sounding a bit like Mariah Carey once the back-up singers come in. [Pretty Much Amazing]

2. Interpol “Pioneer to the Falls (Orchestral Version)�
This grandiose, cinematic remix reveals this number from Interpol’s latest to be a pretty terrific song so long as you eliminate everything from the original version aside from the vocals. [Sous le Pave, la Plage]

3. Burial “Archangel�
This cut from the mysterious dubstep artist Burial’s new Pitchfork-approved album sounds kinda like a scratched Jamiroquai CD getting played in a wind tunnel, which turns out to be a fairly pleasurable thing. [Rock Sellout]

4. Le Loup, “We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!�
After a billion and a half indie bands with the word “wolf� in their name, it’s hard to come at a song with this title with an open mind, but this dreamy, slow-building tune is endearing enough to forgive this octet from Washington, D.C. for their lupine transgressions. Hey, at least they aren’t called Le Wolf. [Said the Gramophone]

5. Bollywood Brass Band, “Ishq Bina Ishq Bina�
This majestic yet extraordinarily funky track is the work of a ten-piece ensemble specializing in reworking old tunes from Bollywood flicks and Punjabi wedding songs. We’re not sure whether or not the weird growling at the end is part of a traditional arrangement. [Soulrocket]
—Matthew Perpetua