This song got me dancing the second it exploded in my face, which is a plus in my book. I pretty much couldn’t stop moving some body part while sitting in my chair at my desk. It’s definitely got a very catchy and feel-good vibe to it. I can just imagine a large group of sweaty bodies dancing along to this at a club, all singing to the chorus of “We can’t ever be alone again.”

Chris Glover, better known as Penguin Prison (not sure why), is definitely onto something with this track and the previously PMA highlighted “Animal, Animal.” For a one man show, he’s got some well rounded music worth checking out.

Penguin Prision – A Funny Thing

Buy the double A-side single at Neon Gold now. It’s only $5.

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To promote his newly released solo debut, Phrazes Of The Young, the Strokes frontman is playing a string of LA shows. We have a pair of tickets for his show at the Downtown Palace Theatre on Nov 13th at 8pm, if you’re interested.

If you’re in the area and want to go with a friend, leave a comment with your name and valid email address. The winner will be contacted Friday morning.

Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension
Julian Casablancas – River of Breaklights

Buy Phrazes of the Young at InSound.

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How do you remix a nearly 10-minute epic journey in high-life pop? Remix master Fred Falke seems to think he knows how. Silly Fred. I don’t think I can honestly tell anyone that Falke’s remix of Music Go Music’s “Warm In The Shadows” improved upon the song or its dance appeal.

Music Go Music – Warm In The Shadows (Fred Falke Remix)

But it’s okay Freddie, we still heart you. More so than before because you jeopardized your cool indie cred and remixed our favorite party girl guilty pleasure dirty pop song of 2009.

Ke$ha – Tik Tok (Fred Falke Remix)

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New Spoon! “The Mystery Zone” is another taste of Spoon’s forthcoming album, Transference. Indie superstar and Spoon ringleader, Britt Daniel, has announced that Transference is a “pure” Spoon album, being the first album the band self produced.

“The Mystery Zone” will be third track found on the hotly anticipated LP. “Got Nuffin’,” the lead track off the band’s last release, the Got Nuffin’ EP, will also appear on Transference (track 10).

Using “The Mystery Zone” and “Got Nuffin’” as judging points, the likelihood of Transference besting Spoon’s last three LPs is quickly diminishing. But Spoon is known for throwing us curve balls, and with numerous modern classics under their wings, who am I to doubt them?

Transference will be out January 26th via Merge. Another January release to put on your calendar. Listen to “The Mystery Zone” here:

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I’ve been listening to a lot of happy music this month. That’s a trend I don’t want to end just yet, and it’s a trend that Wolf Gang perpetuates with excellent single “The King And All Of His Men.”

Think the glitzy pop of The Killers without the self-seriousness, or MGMT minus the heavy beats (maybe even a little bit of Empire of the Sun?),  “King And All Of His Men” rocks out with pounding piano chords, swirling synths, and epic “oohs.”  The sound is unique, catchy, and just BIG.

This is full, expansive, music, building towards an ending complete with tribal drums, hand-claps, choral harmonies, and layers and layers of sound. “King” will surely be filling arenas, and should be filling your iPod headphones for the rest of the day, if not the year.

Wolf Gang – The King And All Of His Men

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“Highrises In Brooklyn” is a nice coffeehouse lounger that will surely please those disappointed with Regina Spektor’s latest album- or at least fill the gap until her next. Up-and-comer Kelley McRae is one of those likable, smart pop-folksters who is easy on the ears and makes for a very pleasant listen. She played at Barnes and Noble the other night in New York City, and I can’t think of a more perfect environment for her kind of music.

Sit back, relax, and let McRae’s calm voice and soothing melodies chill you out. And if “Highrises In Brooklyn” isn’t chill enough, head over to McRae’s MySpace and listen to the brilliant “Johnny Cash,” in many ways a superior song, a perfect addition to your bedtime playlist.

Kelley McRae – Highrises In Brooklyn

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Basement Jaxx make quirky house music, and the bass bumping throughout new track “My Turn” certainly won’t challenge the assumption. That said, “My Turn” isn’t just a banger to drop on the late night. Although Basement Jaxx tracks can sometimes feel like the guest vocalist is there just to be there, Devonte Hynes (a.k.a. Lightspeed Champion) really touches the heart strings with his vocals, and they never feel extraneous or cheesy.

Straightforward pop song structure, catchy hooks, 4/4 beat, and vocal harmonies make this about as radio friendly as house gets; I bet your girlfriend will like this one. Notwithstanding, it is still a Basement Jaxx track, so there is the aforementioned banging bass, the acoustic guitar, the weird little sample snippets, squeaks and squawks running through the track.Compared to previous Jaxx pop-boppers like “Romeo” and “Hot N Cold,” “My Turn” sounds a bit calmer, smoothed out almost.

Ultimately, “My Turn” may sacrifice some of Basement Jaxx’s idiosyncratic groove-making ways for the sake of broader appeal (it’s not obvious that this is a Jaxx track on first, or even second listen), but if you like well crafted pop you can dance to, you won’t be disappointed. Check out the video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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You know that we at PMA love almost any grandiose, orchestral, too-fun-for-its-own-good pop song. Especially if that song has an “ooo” or an “ahh” in it somewhere.

That said, it’s pretty obvious that we love Fred’s “Damn You Hollywood,” a dynamic, epic track from a band that seems to have quietly garnered tons of attention and acclaim over the past year. Most of this praise has come from the band’s homeland of Ireland, as the album Go God Go has been named best album of 2008 by multiple Irish publications.

But with tracks like “Damn You Hollywood,” it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Fred blew up in the US.

The song, which soundtracked a few minutes of Gossip Girl this week, is filled with the best stuff on earth: not Snapple, but instead blaring horns, soulful piano, clever lyrics, and of course, a memorable, hummable “ooo” as a wordless chorus of sorts. Its Broadway flair recalls the flamboyance of Fun., its hooks and melodies recall the joy of the Wombats, and its thrilling horn section recall “big bands” of another era.

“Damn You Hollywood” is an exceptional song, and the band’s other offerings on its MySpace page (check out the fantastic “Running”) suggest that Fred has nowhere to go but up.

Fred – Damn You Hollywood

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New tour dates have been announced for La Roux, Miike Snow, Cold War Kids, Hot Chip, The xx, Julian Casablancas and U2.Full dates after the jump:

LA ROUX

01-31 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
02-01 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
02-03 Quebec City, Quebec – Imperial
02-05 Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis
02-06 Ottawa, Ontario – Capital
02-09 Philadelphia, PA – Voyeurs
02-10 Washington, DC – 9:30
02-11 New York City, NY – Webster Hall
04-26 Reading, England – Hexagon
04-28 Brighton, England – Concert Hall
04-29 Cambridge, England – Corn Exchange
04-30 Bournemouth, England- O2 Academy
05-02 Glasgow, England – Academy
05-03 Sheffield, England – O2 Academy
05-04 Manchester, England – Academy
05-06 Cardiff, Wales – Cardiff University
05-07 London, England – Brixton Academy

MIIKE SNOW

3/22/10 ATLANTA, GA- Masquerade (Hell Stage)
3/24/10 WASHINGTON, D.C. 9:30 Club
3/25/10 PHILADELPHIA, PA Theater of Living Arts
3/26/10 BROOKLYN, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
3/27/10 NEW YORK, NY Webster Hall
3/31/10 BOSTON, MA Paradise
4/02/10 MONTREAL, PQ Club Soda
4/03/10 TORONTO, ON Phoenix Theatre
4/05/10 CHICAGO, IL Metro
4/06/10 MINNEAPOLIS, MN Varsity Theater
4/09/10 DENVER, CO Bluebird Theater
4/10/10 SALT LAKE CITY, UT Urban Lounge
4/12/10 VANCOUVER, BC Commodore Ballroom
4/13/10 SEATTLE, WA Showbox at the Market
4/14/10 PORTLAND, OR Hawthorne Theater
4/15/10 SAN FRANCISCO, CA The Independent

COLD WAR KIDS

01-22 Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theatre *
01-23 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *
01-29 New York City, NY – Terminal 5 *
01-30 Chicago, IL – Vic Theater *

* with Flashy Python

HOT CHIP (UK)

02-12 Glasgow, Scotland – Academy
02-13 Edinburgh, Scotland – Picture House
02-15 Nottingham, England – Academy
02-16 Leeds, England – Academy
02-18 Newcastle, England – O2 Academy
02-19 Manchester, England – Academy
02-20 Birmingham, England – O2 Academy
02-22 Bournemouth, England – O2 Academy
02-23 Bristol, England – O2 Academy
02-24 Norwich, England – O2 Academy
02-26 London, England – O2 Brixton Academy
02-27 London, England – O2 Brixton Academy

THE XX

11-11 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
11-13 Philadelphia, PA – Making Time at Pure
11-15 Washington, DC – DC 9
11-16 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
11-17 Atlanta, GA – 529
11-19 Austin, TX – The Mohawk #
11-20 San Diego, CA – Casbah #
11-23 San Francisco, CA – The Independent #
11-24 Sacramento, CA – Sacramento State University #
11-25 Portland, OR – Doug Fir #
11-26 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom #
11-27 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s #
11-30 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club #
12-01 Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge #
12-02 Toronto, Ontario – Phoenix #
12-03 Montreal, Quebec – Le National #
12-05 New York, NY – Webster Hall #
12-15 Belfast, Ireland – The Speakeasy
12-16 Galway, Ireland – Roisin Dubh
12-17 Cork, Ireland – The Pavilion
12-19 Dublin, Ireland – The Button Factory
01-15 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega
01-16 Aarhus, Denmark – Vox Hall
01-18 Oslo, Norway – Garage
01-19 Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser Slussen
01-20 Gothenburg, Sweden – Pusterviksbaren
01-21 Malmo, Sweden – Debaser
01-22 Berlin, Germany – Astra
02-16 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
02-17 Brussels, Belgium – AB
02-18 Paris, France – Cigale
03-01 Brighton, England – Komedia
03-03 London, England – Shepherds Bush Empire
03-05 Birmingham, England – Birmingham Academy 2
03-06 Manchester, England – Manchester Academy 2
03-08 Leeds, England – Cockpit
03-09 Edinburgh, Scotland – Studio 24
03-10 Liverpool, England – Kazimer

# with Friendly Fires

JULIAN CASABLANCAS

11-06 Los Angeles, CA – Downtown Palace Theatre
11-13 Los Angeles, CA – Downtown Palace Theatre
11-17 San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
11-20 Los Angeles, CA – Downtown Palace Theatre
11-27 Los Angeles, CA – Downtown Palace Theatre11-30 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega
12-01 Stockholm, Sweden – Gota Kallare
12-03 Berlin, Germany – Maria am Ostbahnof
12-05 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
12-08 Paris, France – Le Bataclan
12-12 Glasgow, Scotland – ABC
12-14 Dublin, Ireland – The Academy
12-16 London, England – Forum

U2

06-06 Anahelm, CA – Angel Stadium
06-12 Denver, CO – Invesco Field
06-16 Oakland, CA – Oakland Coliseum
06-20 Seattle, WA – Qwest Field
06-23 Edmonton, Alberta – Commonwealth Stadium
06-30 East Lansing, MI – Spartan Stadium
07-03 Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Centre
07-06 Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
07-09 Miami, FL – Land Shark Stadium
07-12 Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field
07-16 Montreal, Quebec – TBA
07-19 New York, NY – New Meadowlands Stadium
08-10 Frankfurt, Germany – Commerzbank Arena
08-12 Hanover, Germany – AWD Stadium
08-15 Horsens, Denmark – Casa Arena
08-16 Horsens, Denmark – Casa Arena
08-20 Helsinki, Finland – Olympic Stadium
08-21 Helsinki, Finland – Olympic Stadium
08-25 Moscow, Russia – Luzhniki
08-30 Vienna, Austria – Ernst Happel Stadium
09-03 Athens, Greece – Olympic Stadium
09-06 Istanbul, Turkey – Ataturk Olympic Stadium
09-15 Munich, Germany – Olympic Stadium
09-18 Paris, France – Stade de France
09-22 Brussels, Belgium – Stade Roi Boudoin
09-23 Brussels, Belgium – Stade Roi Boudoin
09-29 Seville, Spain – Olympic Stadium
10-02 Coimbra, Portugal – Estadio Cidade Coimbra
10-03 Coimbra, Portugal – Estadio Cidade Coimbra

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I’ve had about a week or so to let the shock of “Russian Roulette” to settle, and you know what? I bought it on iTunes just yesterday. Why the sudden change of heart? Letting go of dreams of more Umbrella’s and Disturbia’s, I listened to this new side of Rihanna. Muumuse coins it best, “Rihan-noir.”

Rihan-noir sounds exactly how you imaged it would. It’s dark, moody, dramatic and a lot more fierce than Beyonce’s last album. In a sense, Rated R is going to be Rihanna’s 808s and Heartbreak. I’m officially on board.

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