From the sound of new single, “Love Somebody,” Maroon 5 seems poised to go four for four. Co-written by Adam Levine with Nathaniel Motte (3OH!3) and producers Ryan Tedder and Noel Zancanella, “Love Somebody” is my favorite offering off of Overexposed thus far. And in a moment when so many music videos seem beside the point (if not outright disappointing), it’s hard to take your eyes off of the Rich Lee-directed clip for “Love Somebody”:

Purchase Maroon 5 – “Love Somebody” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.

I’m fascinated by the stories of these artists, many of whom I only had a passing familiarity with, and discovering more about the musicians with whom they’d worked and interacted over their career. After finishing an episode, I often have the urge to purchase whole albums, not greatest hits. There’s so much good music I missed or completely overlooked, which is the very point of Unsung.

Johnny Gill was the focus of the last episode of Unsung that I watched. I didn’t know much about his early career, which by 1985 had included two solo offerings and a duet album with childhood friend, Stacy Lattisaw (also an Unsung subject. Gill’s career really took off after joining New Edition in 1987, hitting big with Heart Break, an album primarily produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Taking advantage of New Edition’s hiatus in 1990, Gill rebooted his solo career by signing with Motown Records. Jam and Lewis were on board for the project, with Motown also recruiting another powerhouse production duo, L.A. Reid and Babyface. The resulting self-titled album scored the singer his biggest multi-format hits, “Rub You The Right Way” and “My My My.” (Somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten that the New Jack Swing of “Rub You The Right Way” was minted by the genius Minneapolis mind-meld of Jam and Lewis.)

Twenty-three years ago this week, “Rub You The Right Way” had just been at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, while the single was only in its third week on the Hot 100, sitting at #35. “Rub You The Right Way” would continue its rise that summer, finally peaking at #3 on the chart on August 8, 1990. Gill’s single sounds just as good today, still rubbing me the right way.

Purchase Johnny Gill – “Rub You The Right Way” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.

While I’m not above the occasional oversight, I do consider myself something of a grammar geek. So watching The Lonely Island‘s new lyric video for “Semicolon,” from the comedy rap trio’s The Wack Album (out June 11), had me questioning whether I was off the mark. Thankfully, hearing the fabulous Solange sing the track’s hook calmed me down until all was right with the world again.

Playing English teacher to The Lonely Island on “Semicolon” is the fellas’ fellow SNL alum Maya Rudolph.

Bonus points if you noted where I could have employed semicolons in the paragraphs above.

Purchase The Lonely Island feat. Solange – “Semicolon” via iTunes.

Though Eric Victorino and Giovanni Giusti had planned a January 2013 release for their sophomore album, entitled Hush, recording took longer than they’d anticipated, as did getting everything in order for a proper (and hopefully successful) promo push. Now, with everything mixed, mastered, and sorted to The Limousines’ satisfaction, Hush is on for a June 6 release.

The first single from Hush, “Love Is A Dog From Hell,” has made its official debut, a song the duo first previewed in demo form for Kickstarter backers back in August. With a fantastic New Order/OMD synthpop sparkle and sheen to “Love Is A Dog From Hell,” I’m so in love. Whoever is the new John Hughes, he or she should ring The Limousines up and arrange a sync stat.

Check out The Limousines’ preview trailer for Hush below, featuring snippets of all 13 tracks at a whiplash pace.

Pre-order The Limousines – Hush (on CD or vinyl) via their website.

I trumpeted “Only You” last summer specifically because it was the first Shapeshifters single to feature a female in quite some time. Little Boots seems to be less concerned about that, having pitched down the vocal track on her remix for something markedly more male-sounding. But the early ’80s dance vibe she brings to “Only You” transcends Victoria Hekseth’s sex change.

Little Boots’ remix of “Only You” appears as the digital B-side of The Shapeshifters’ new release, Analogue To Digital – Album Sampler Pt. 1. Here’s a bit of the A-side, “No Holds Barred,” a new acid house track from the UK duo.

Purchase The Shapeshifters – “Only You” (Little Boots Discotheque Remix) via iTunes, Amazon MP3.

Produced with TWIN iDoL, Charli XCX has revamped Lindstrøm’s “Fāār-i-kāāl,” from last year’s Smalhans. Taking the tempo down several notches and adding lyrics to the previously instrumental track, the pair’s new spin on “Fāār-i-kāāl” doesn’t feel wrong at all, contrary to what Charli XCX sings.

Purchase Lindstrøm -  “Fāār-i-kāāl” (Charli XCX vs. TWIN iDoL Remix) via iTunes.

I initially thought Belanger might have sampled some of Phil Collins’ driving classic, but instead he’s nicked a different selection from my (yet unpublished) tally of all-time perfect pop songs, Stevie Nicks’ brilliant 1983 single, “Stand Back.”

Listen and take home Belanger’s debut single for free below:

I’m seeing Fleetwood Mac for the first time tomorrow night (sans Christine McVie, of course). While I’ve made it a point to avoid reading setlists, I do hope “Stand Back” made the cut even though it’s solo Stevie.

Free download of Belanger – “Take Me Home” via SoundCloud.

It’s the Aussie-Bostonian’s second-ever clip, following January’s “Somebody Loves You,” and presents the rising popstar in a different, less effusive light as Betty Who and her male companion traverse various New York environs together and separately.

“My co-star is actually a really good friend of mine, Tyler, who happens to be a dashing man with great facial hair and big biceps,” Betty Who tells Popservations. (For the record, her description is entirely accurate). “He surprisingly agreed to star in the video with me, so we basically just hung out for a weekend like we usually do, except with lots more cameras and making out.”

She and Tyler probably covered a lot more ground than typical too, since Betty Who says the music video for “You’re In Love” took three days to film. “We spent a night in Chinatown, a day in Brooklyn, and a day in upstate New York.” Doesn’t look like they followed any old train tracks, though.

Free download of Betty Who – The Movement via her website.

The occasion for Vuvuvultures’ late-in-coming clip is that VVV has been released in Brazil, otherwise known as the Land of Very Good-Looking Humans. Fittingly, the music video for “Salt Skin” features plenty of naked flesh — including singer Harmony Boucher — making it a tad NSFW. There’s also a dose of gross imagery as seen in the preview image below, so it’s your call as to whether you find black liquid oozing from mouths in need of better dental care terribly upsetting. (I do not, for the record.)

James Copeman, who directed “I’ll Cut You” for the band, returns behind the lens.

Purchase Vuvuvultures – “Salt Skin” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.

Ekko, of course, was featured on Rihanna’s recent #3 ballad, “Stay,” which the Nashville-based singer-songwriter co-wrote and produced. “‘Stay’ shows a different side to Rihanna and it’s powerful,” Maddox-Jones tells Popservations.

So with Ekko on his mind, Maddox-Jones and his dark-pop brethren have covered “Stay.” Filling in the spaces of the stark original, [STRANGERS]‘ rounded-out revision rings more of deep devotion than naked desperation. And by showcasing a different side of the London trio, “Stay” proves powerful once more.

[STRANGERS]‘ single, “Something New,” was only released last week (coupled with the very spinworthy B-side, “Never Enough”), but Maddox-Jones says they’re currently deciding upon the follow-up. “We have some exciting ideas we are working on right now. We won’t be doing things the usual way.”

Free download of [STRANGERS] – “Stay” (Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko cover) via the player above.