Foals -- "Inhaler"

Some say rock 'n' roll is only truly great when seen live, and even though I don't totally agree with this statement, there is a truth to it.  But this isn't the case with the newest release from Foals, the first single from the British rocker boys upcoming third album, "Holy Fire." Dubbed "Inhaler," the rambunctious tune is wild enough to get you up and feverishly jumping around, but it's not the level of out of control madness that will cause you to hurt your eardrums from blasting the volume while wearing headphones.  Plus the track features a subtle rhythmic beat that reminds me of something off the Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead soundtrack, but has moments that are totally reminiscent of Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction). In short, it's weird and wild, but really, really awesome.—ALI HOFFMAN

Eddi Front - "Gigantic"

The Brooklyn music venue Death By Audio has made a tradition out of throwing a covers-only Halloween show. Bands go all out, from the songs to the onstage banter to the outfits, and this year was no different. There was an all-male version of the Go-Gos and a female-fronted Joy Division, but the track that left the biggest impression on was Sleepies' version of the Pixies' "Gigantic." Now, this track from Brooklyn's Eddi Front is very different from the alt-rock one, but it's the second song with that title that has caught my ear all week. It's sad and haunting and pretty all at the same time--and not in the way that makes you roll your eyes and think, God get over it! Instead, it's a striking piano ballad with Front's forceful-but-delicate voice lamenting the end of a relationship with lines like, "I'll crawl out of this hole soon enough." The sparse orchestration is hardly gigantic, and yet it somehow fills a room. And there's nothing scary about that.—REBECCA WILLA DAVIS

MS MR - "Dark Doo Wop" (Chet Faker Remix)

We're not sure if they're going to be the next Gossip or the next Florence + the Machine, but either way New York duo MS MR are definitely going to be huge. Having released their debut EP Candy Bar Creep Show (via Tumblr, by the way) and gone on their very first American tour opening for Marina and the Diamonds, they've now gotten music blog star Chet Faker to give "Dark Doo Wop" the electro treatment. The song, which pretty much lives up to its name--dark, beat-skipping doo-wop--is now filled in with synths and glitches and echoes and somehow manages to be even darker than the original. Dim the lights and then blast it.—RWD

Doldrums-"She is the Wave"

I had to laugh when I saw the first scene in Doldrum's video for his newest single—not because he's playing with a laptop in the middle of the desert—but because it reminded me of when he smashed his own computer on stage at Piano's last year. I'm not sure if he was raging against the machine or if that's what modern musicians are doing as an alternative to electric guitar destruction these days. What wasn't funny at all though, was how good this song is. I love how the digi-beat is briefly paused by—dare I say—an almost dubstep-like drop. Who is the "she" that is the wave? My guess: His female electro-pop counterpart, Grimes. —RAY SIEGEL

Kate Boy-"Northern Lights"

I'm not gonna lie, I was first attracted to this album cover because I love a girl in a baseball cap. But then I really liked the Swedish band's first single, probably because the female lyricist reminds me of what was good about every single Bangles song (or any girly '80s song for that matter). During the chorus she belts out, "Everything we touch turns to gold." I don't think they're too far off the mark. Move over all of you other electro-pop-ers—there's some very fresh talent in town by way of Sweden.—RS

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