1. Rihanna, “Vogue†(Madonna cover)
The current queen of pop walked the catwalk at the fifth annual Fashion Rocks show and turned in a pretty excellent cover of this track from some person named Madonna. [Pretty Much Amazing]
2. Jenny Lewis feat. Elvis Costello, “Carpetbaggerâ€
Costello adds some backing vocals to this twangy track, which turns Lewis’s favorite topic — bad loving — into a fable of the reconstruction. The best part is that the whole album just leaked, so you can feel free to swoop in and steal it, then head back up north. [Mix Tape Podcast]
3. Vic Chestnutt, Elf Power, and the Amorphous Strums, “And Howâ€
We’re guessing that the frenzy of election news is driving Athens legends Elf Power and Chestnutt to journalism, as this track features the chorus “Who? What? Why? When? And how?†[Electronic Voice Phenomenon]
4. Jadakiss feat. Jay-Z, “We Run Thisâ€
Jadakiss wants to tell you he’s in charge, but this track is from his debut on Roc-a-Fella (hilariously titled Kiss My Ass), and we all know who runs things around there. [Jump the Turnstyle]
5. Marnie Stern, “Rulerâ€
Imagine taking a Pat Benetar song and playing it both at 45 rpm and backward, and you’ll come close to this new track from Marnie Stern, which is going to rule our iPod for the next 24 hours, at least. [Fluxblog]