Victor- Go On Do It (Radio Version)

Morgan Geist’s Unclassics was one of 2004’s best DJ mixes, and “Go On Do It,” despite veering from the minimal Italodisco that serves as the template for much of the album, is the clear highlight. Victor, who according to Geist is gay, narrates the raunchy tale of a female conquest of his in a seethingly precise growl reminiscent of Blowfly’s raps; having never laid eyes on either performer, I keep imagining a cartoon pimp, with a fedora and glittering teeth, like a character from Grand Theft Auto. Of course, the track’s sleek 1980s electro-funk, all 808 hits and crawling synth-bass, does little to alter this impression. But I’m also drawn to the interplay between Victor and his female backup singers, who blithely coo “we all need love” in ironic counterpoint to Victor’s graphic exploits, and then engage in a grammatically dizzying call-and-response (you’ll see what I mean). (NB: Because it’s from a continuous mix, the song does end rather abruptly.)

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Teedra Moses- Be Your Girl

From the slinky sophistication she shows off on her album cover and in this song’s video, I suppose Teedra Moses can be classified as neo-soul–although unlike someone like Alicia Keys (whose “You Don’t Know My Name” mines similar swooning-from-afar terrain), she seems less interested in Aretha-style diva acrobatics and more in casual come-ons. Which suits me better. Plus, maybe I’m just nostalgic for my R&B youth, but I like that her sense of retro isn’t limited to some “golden age” of soul; production-wise, “Be Your Girl” feels like it could slip into an early ’90s radio playlist. (I get the same feeling from Natalie’s coolly understated “Goin’ Crazy.”) Or at least as long as nobody made a big deal out of the “sometimes I even touch myself” line: as is, it retains a really nice balance of nonchalance and, when the bottom falls out, a “yeah, I said it” coyness. None of that campy Divinyls business.

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Life Without Buildings- PS Exclusive

Before I ever heard this now-defunct Scottish indie outfit, a friend had described their sound as Pavement crossed with the Sugarcubes. Usually I’m skeptical of goofy X-meets-Y comparisons, but within the first few bars of this song, which opens their lone full-length, Any Other City, I could kinda see it. There were angular yet shambling guitar riffs, and then there was a female singer who took center stage, shouting like a hyperactive kid. But that connection only goes so far in describing Sue Tompkins’ vocals, which are unlike almost anyone’s. Typically she focuses on a single phrase (here, “the right stuff”) and repeats it several times, sometimes eagerly, sometimes stretching it out, until the words become just words. Against the song’s jumpy rhythm, it sounds playful and spontaneous: she’s both in sync with her bandmates and irresistibly sliding around them wherever she can.

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