The Perishers - Nothing Like You and I

Link.

Fav lyrics: As our hearts started beating faster, I recalled your laughter.

A very sweet song, Nothing Like You and I makes you fall in love with the love in it. Everything about this song is sugary, from the smooth voice to the beautifully nostalgic lyrics, but it also has a really heavyhearted tenderness to it that makes it very memorable.

Reminds us of: No One's Gonna Love You by Band of Horses
Listen to: while sitting on a rooftop and drinking a cup of tea
Glitter Pox rating: 78% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Mouthful of Diamonds - Phantogram

Link.

Fav lyrics - the world is not around because of you

This song has a very mysterious, offbeat underlining that makes you question the history behind the words. The idea of speaking diamonds but keeping secrets is a pretty image-tastic chorus, reminiscent of The Pierces "Secret," and instead of answering anything for you, the song ends with "I wish I could believe," which makes you wonder even more. There's a kind of acceptive and strong-willed desperation behind the voice, like the singer's letting go but wishing she didn't have to. It's definitely a song that tells a story, and it's one four minutes can't even begin to cover. It's like the youthful bedtime story you asked to be reread again and again when you were a kid - it's too short and it leaves your head whirring. But the song does a beautiful job of making you feel something for those four straight minutes.

Reminds us of: the new Shiny Toy Guns singer
Listen to: while you're sleeping, because your dreams will be crazy
Glitter Pox rating: 70% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Lost in the Trees - Walk Around the Lake

Link.

Fav lyrics: Late at night
I'll stay up and write
a book about my life...
...so no one would ever make
all of my mistakes

The hardcore Star-Wars-like intro opens up for some pretty stellar, soft vocals. It's like the song is troubling your mind on purpose, assaulting it with a harder sound, and then easing it with acoustics and soothing singing. Lost in the Trees is an insanely talented group of musicians; music seems to come as easily to them as a walk around the lake, but you can tell a lot of work went into the perfection of a song as composed and challenging as Walk Around the Lake, which ends in an easy tapering into the drumbeats, like steps. It makes you crave summer sun and spirit, as well as another listen.

Reminds us of: Ra Ra Riot
Listen to: while walking around a lake. Or when you need to cheer the hell up.
Glitter Pox rating: 85% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Evaline - Hours

Link.

Fav lyrics: its all in the lies
you used to fall asleep
its all in the way ya tear your hair out

We saw Evaline when they opened for Neon Trees, and we were hooked to the energy they had onstage. We bought their EPs after the show and played them for months. They have a UK punk vibe, mixed with a kind of indie rock, and a way of adding an inspiriting flare to all their music. The vocalist, Richard Perry, uses his bold voice to match lyrics to melody, and when met with the ease of the guitar and fast paced drumming from the band, create a heart pumping, fist pounding jolt of authenticity. They work really well together, and it shows. Definitely a band to keep your eye on.

Reminds us of: Anarbor and Far Less
Listen to: while staring at a clock. It makes you want to get the hell away from it as fast as you can.
Glitter Pox rating: 83% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Justin Nozuka - Be Back Soon

Fav lyrics: Over and over I hear you in my head
Over and over I wake up with you not in my bed

The intro to this song puts you in a southern desert, listening to some kind of devil's soul-selling jam-session. Nozuka's voice has a very unique quality, but also a kind of familiarity, which makes it both comforting and fresh. The contrast in this song - the pleading lyrics mixed with the southern seductive style of the vocals, is unsettling in a way that makes you want to listen again. And again. And whoever he's singing to is one lucky...

Reminds us of: a grittier Jack Johnson or Jason Mraz
Listen to: in the dark. Wearing cowboy boots.
Glitter Pox rating: 71% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Stolen - Civil Twilight

Link.

Fav lyrics: I will search the land and sea
To find this girl who stole from me
And when I do I'll tell her she
can keep that old heart of mine

Civil Twilight is a band we've loved for a long time. We've seen them play twice, and we're heading for a third time in Columbus for CD101 day. The vocals are brilliant, the band well-practiced, and the elegance in their lyrics tangible. They're originally from South Africa, and you can hear a slight cultural influence in the way they play, which gives a different flavor. And we love different. They're well-known for their song Letters in the Sky, but all of their music leaves an impact. On the Surface, which we just put up on a playlist for 8tracks (you can listen to the playlist here), is another favorite. The idea that love can literally be stolen from you, though, isn't a conventional "love song," which is why we featured Stolen today. Their entire self-titled CD is worth several listens.

Reminds us of: Radiohead and Muse
Listen to: on a quiet weekend, on repeat
Glitter Pox rating: 90% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Little Bird - The Weepies

Link.

Fav lyrics: Open your window and look upon all the kinds of alive you can be.

The dark, almost monotone voice in Little Bird is so unique that you have to stop and listen to the story it sings. There's definitely an edge behind the words, and despite how quiet the song is, it leaves behind something very loud.

Reminds us of: The Moldy Peaches
Listen to: when looking out your window
Glitter Pox rating: 75% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Grouplove - Colours

Link.

Fav lyrics: You don't need to explain
If everything's changed
Just know that you don't know.

This song is so freaking refreshing when you need a slap of reality. It's easy to get caught up in everything and nothing that's going on..."we call it life." And, really, sometimes you just need to hear that it "really ain't that bad." And at least "you've still got your hands [head?]."* This song just says a lot, in a way that's beautiful and endearing and calming. The shakiness of the singer's voice sounds so vulnerable and honest and raw, it would be hard not to believe everything he's singing, even if he were singing about nothing. But these lyrics actually hit something, and the result is gorgeous.

*Really hoping these lyrics are right. Because the subtle randomness of them, and the impact they have, kind of makes me want to eat my own heart. In a good way.

Reminds us of: Modest Mouse
Listen to: when you're thinking about that "life" thing too much.
Glitter Pox rating: 87% contagious.

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Fun - All the Pretty Girls

Link.

Fav lyrics: "Their friends talk music, I say I never heard the tune. But I have. I just hate the band because they remind me of you."

Fun is just freaking fun. You literally can't not dance when you're listening to them. Which is funny, because not all their lyrics are fun-worthy. In All the Pretty Girls, it's like the singer wants to be distracted, but nothing can measure up to that one girl. It's a sad and desperate story, but it's sung with a kind of humor and irony, so it's something you can dance to with a smile on your face. It has an older generation feel to it, but also has a more modern twist.

Reminds us of: a modern Queen and nevershoutnever
Listen to: while playing hopscotch
Glitter Pox rating: 91% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox

Ambulance - Eisley

Link.

Fav lyrics: Thought you were made for me, and we shared our history. And in time you'll tear your eyes far away.

Eisley has some of the best female vocals in modern music. They turn simple lyrics into something far greater, making you want to fall into the words because of the energy and commitment they're sung with. It's hard to put sorrow and hope into the same song, but Eisley does it with Ambulance. What really makes Eisley a one-of-a-kind band, though, is that they're a family: all five members are related and very, very talented. Definitely a group to watch.

Reminds us of: sixpence none the richer - the new wave version
Listen to: when you have a cold. It equates a hot cup of tea.
Glitter Pox rating: 93% contagious

Hope you catch it,
The Glitter Pox