This week’s track is †elepa†hy (Telepathy) by †††  (Crosses) off of their EP †† (EP #2). Crosses is Chino Moreno’s side project from the Deftones. If you love rock, and you love America, you’ll love Crosses. The track, Telepathy, has a jamming bass and guitar line with a bit of synth thrown it and soaring, strained vocals. I haven’t heard rock that rocked this hard in a long time, it’s a sound that I’d forgotten. It’s so poppy, so 90s, yet so original.

This week’s track is One (Know Your Name) featuring Pharrell, off of Until One, by the Swedish House Mafia. It’s gloomy as all get out in the Bay Area, but ultimately this mood enhancing track by the mega-group Swedish House Mafia fits the bill. An old song, from mid-2010, but it still feels super fresh and features a huge, epic, sound that’s become the group’s signature (you can also find them on Tinie Tempah’s Miami 2 Ibiza). The track is best listened to loud, as loud as possible. Trivia bonus: apparently, Pharrell’s vocals were never intended for the track; they intended for another song, and layered in after production.

This week’s track is Feels Like The First Time by Corinne Bailey Rae, off of her sophomore album The Sea. I’ll admit, I’d heard of CBR for a while, but had never heard any of her music. This song came up on KCRW one morning and it absolutely stood out on the playlist, so I picked up the song and the album, and have loved it since. It starts with a discordant/minor (no idea if those are the right words, but it sure sounds like that) piano riff which disappears as the song enters a jazzy, upbeat melody and returns to the theme during the chorus. CBR’s lyrics and delivery enchant through the whole track, moving from sticking right to the beat to sliding just behind in classic jazz vocalist style.

This week’s track of Highschool Reunion by Pigeon John, off of Pigeon John is Dating Your Sister. Originally a part of LA Symphony (the hip hop act, natch), Pigeon John’s Pigeon John is Dating Your Sister is full of laid back early 2000s raps, casual lyrics over flowing beats, sounds that were before big time production was available to everybody. What I love about indie hip hop of this era (like early Jurassic 5, LA Symp, 4th Avenue Jones, and the like) was the lyrical quality. Each song tells a story, and thins song is exactly like that.

This week’s track is Flip Flop Rock (f. Killer Mike & Jay-Z) by OutKast, off of Speakerboxx/The Love Below. After seeing the Watch the Throne tour last week, I went through my entire music collection listening to every Jay-Z song I had, and this little gem turned up the Speakerboxx side of this album. The product is classic OutKast, turntables screeching, thumping synth-laden organic beats, and Big Boi’s signature quick-clip flow. Jay-Z does the hook on the song, as well as the closing verse. I don’t remember the song from when the album came out (I was always partial to GhettoMusik on Speakerboxx and My Favorite Things on The Love Below), but in relistening to the album it’s a great track and Jay-Z’s hook is fantastic.

This week’s track is Overture 1928 by Dream Theater off of their 1999 concept album Scenes from a Memory. There was a period in the late 90s and early 2000s where I was a total progressive rock nerd and Dream Theater was at the center of my obsession. For a long while I bought every album of theirs, bootlegs, went to shows and the whole bit. Thankfully I’ve grown up a bit, but every once in a while one of their songs comes up on shuffle and takes me back to self-indulgent guitar riffs, 20 minute drum solos, and other prog rock goodies. Today’s track is the overture from my second favorite Dream Theater album (first being Images and Words, natch). Listening to Mike Portnoy kill on the drums while John Petrucci shred on the guitar with crazy complex melodies is technical rock bliss. The best part of the song is it’s an overture for the album, giving you a hint at all the sounds, melodies and rhythms the album will take you through.

This week’s track is Whatever You Like by Anya Marina, off of the Whatever You Like digital 45 (whatever a “digital 45” means). And yes, this is a cover of TI’s Whatever Your Like. And yes, it’s a folk-y remix much like Dynamic Hack’s cover of Boyz in the Hood. Now, after listening to a few other Anya Marina tracks she seems like a talented singer/songwriter in the indie-folk vein who I’m sure has oodles of musical talent of her own, but this cover was too good to pass up.

If you can believe, it’s been about six weeks since the last Track of the Week. Let’s see if we can make up for lost time with this week’s track, Finally Moving by Pretty Lights, off of Taking Up Your Precious Time. Sampling Etta James’ Something’s Got a Hold on Me has become in vogue recently, with covers coming from the electronica camp by Avicii to the radio-hip-hop version by Flo Ria. This week’s track is a bit older, from Pretty Light’s debut album in 2006. It’s a laid back track, unassuming and wraps Etta James’ vocals on a classic hip-hop beat with a little bit of elecronica styling throwing in for good measure. It’s a fun song, worth listening to on repeat.