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Listen Up! The Singles Roundup - April 6, 2007

The album might be on its way to becoming a dinosaur of the past, but singles shall live forever. We're tagging up our favorites yet again this week, with a range that's as eclectic as an emergency room. Read on for club bangers, tracks from relative indie unknowns, and a slew of great remixes...

The Notorious B.I.G. - "Party & Bullshit (Ratatat remix)"
The boys of Ratatat have already leaked three fabulous tracks (available here) from their forthcoming volume two remixes album. Here, the addition of some rapid-fire drumbeats and the 'tat's signature slammin' rawk guitar riffs make this Biggie cut a new dancefloor classic for both the skinny and baggy jean sets.

Amy Winehouse - "Rehab (Pharoahe Monch remix)"
Just when you thought you'd had enough remixes of Winehouse's soulful and surly hit single "Rehab," Pharoahe Monch takes it one step further. Adding a savvy and excoriating rap over top, Monch mocks the celebutante rehab trend with US Weekly-informed lyrics like "12-step program, Lindsay Lohan / call dem bitchie, Nicole Ritchie."

The National - "Fake Empire"
The gorgeous first single off the National's forthcoming Boxer, "Fake Empire," expands at a perfect pace—layering guitar, drums, bass, and eventually an army of horns, on top of a simple piano part and Matt Berninger's haunting Springsteen-meets-Joy Division vocals.

Kat DeLuna - "Whine Up" feat. Elephant Man
Taking a kitchen sink approach that mixes rap, pop, R&B, and reggae, this summer-ready single with big clubby beats has unstoppably broad appeal. DeLuna's come-hither vocals amp the temperature up immediately, building quickly to an instant-gratification chorus, and finally Elephant Man's gravelly cameo and a cascading English-Spanish call and response.

Rick Ross - "We All In (Remix)" feat. Dre, Money Malc & DJ Khaled
This basketball brag track is arena-ready in every way, cutting up the hooky pitch-knobbing that stood out on "Get Your Freak On," with crowd noise, clapped beats, and guest spots that perform well under pressure.

Emily Wells - "Mt. Washington"
Emily Wells' blues-folk vocal style falls somewhere between Joanna Newsom and Karen Dalton—though it's fortunately less of an acquired taste than either. Simply written and lushly orchestrated, this loping pop song is a glimpse at an undeniable (but still little known) talent.

Sean Kingston - "Colors" feat the Game
The dark pulse-slowing cut from this Jamaica-born up-and-comer feels like a bipolar odyssey with its menacing beats and Kingston's aggro flow contrasted with its urgent and breathless (and indefatigably pop) chorus, "Colors! Colors! Colors!"

Patrick Wolf - "The Magic Position"
The affected vocal style of precocious singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf isn't for everyone, but if you can roll with a little knowing bombast (à la Antony or Neil Hannon), this is a lovely pop specimen. Ever-swelling, "The Magic Position" melds violin, cello, hand-claps, and driving drums to create a major-key paean to the redemptive power of love.

David Banner - "K.O. Remix" feat. Nyce
Mississippi rapper David Banner don't play. His raps are foul and to the point, and this fight song ends in an explosion of raging expletives that closes with "hip-hop is dead because I killed it motherf*cker." But anything that gets your blood up can also make an awesome dirty club grind song, and you can be sure this is one.

Gym Class Heroes - "Good Vibrations"
Covering a Beach Boys classic takes some balls, but the Gym Class Heroes pull it off with panache. Forgoing the classic's harmonized prettiness, GCH re-engineer the chorus into a kind of hey-yay disco-funk dance party that's, well, groovy.

- Jocelyn K. Glei
04.06.07

Click here to read last week's installment of Listen Up!