More Love, Please: Viva K

Four years ago I fell in love with the awe-inspiring Silverlake quartet Viva K, a band united by the discovery of a sitar which may or may not have belonged to the late Brian Jones. I stumble upon their music on shuffle and I forget how unbelievably underrated their music is. They released their first and only album so far, self-titled, in 2005 on a relatively unknown label called Stinky Records. The album was launched to quiet acclaim and has delved in obscurity, appreciated by too few. However, it gave us some seriously amazing songs like "No Better Time", "Dekoder" and "Does It Matter?" (video above) that continue to blow my mind to this day. Singer Ween Callas kicks so much ass and brings to mind classically awesome ladies like Siouxsie Sioux and Justine Frischmann. Please check this band out! I would love to see them come out and truly flourish.

Bump this, buy the CD, and thank me later.
Download: Viva K "No Better Time"

More Love, Please: Maps "It Will Find You"

This song is so arresting in every way. It's a well-written mix of contradictions: melancholy and hope-inspiring, soft and chaotic, paralyzing and almost dance-worthy-- it's a shame UK act Maps hasn't gotten more love, especially after being nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2007 (through which they helped fellow noms Bat for Lashes and Fionn Regan do a cover of Primal Scream's classic "Higher Than the Sun"). A song that truly stops me in my tracks with its quality is rare, so this is a song I keep coming back to on the dark nights it fits so well with. It's also awesome for driving on the rainiest of days. And I know that because I totes discovered this song through the Skins finale, in which characters drove in rain. Anyway.

Dear Earth: Give Maps more love. Start here.
Download: Maps "It Will Find You"