Impossible Rush is Ours

Got three new songs that I've been listening to a lot.

#3 AKB48 - "Sugar Rush"

Wreck-It Ralph will probably be one of my top 20 favorite movies of the year. One of the reasons I love it so much is the wonderful score and soundtrack. "Sugar Rush" is the theme song for the fictional video game of the same name in the film. It's made to look like a dessert version of Mario Kart with anime-inspired kids as the racing characters. So, it was only appropriate that Disney got with Japanese pop sensation AKB48 to do a song. AKB48 is a Japanese girl pop group that has achieved such popularity in Japan that it has been characterized as a social phenomenon. Why? Well, the group has 91 members. Why, again? Well, producer Yasushi Akimoto wanted to create a girl group that, unlike a regular pop group, would have its own theatre and perform there on a daily basis. Kind of like Broadway musicals. Presently, AKB48 performs at the theatre every day, although, due to great demand, tickets are now distributed only via a lottery. The music video above is only a minute-long taste of what the song is like, but you'll get the gist of it.

#2 Figurine - "IMpossible"

Like Crazy was one of my top five favorite films of 2011 and it was recently put out on Netflix Watch Instantly. I've viewed it two more times and finally tracked down the song in the club. It turns out that it's from a band that I enjoy and already had their album. Figurine contributed "IMpossible" to the film's soundtrack, which, if you listen to the lyrics closely enough, fits quite well; although, yes, the characters are texting and calling more than they are instant messaging. One of the members of Figurine goes by James Figurine, which is really Jimmy Tamborello, aka Dntel, who does the music for The Postal Service. If you like electronica popish stuff, this might do it for you. Love the synth.

#1 The Joy Formidable - "This Ladder is Ours"

The Joy Formidable's The Big Roar was a successful release of rock with a female voalist in 2011. "Whirring" is still a song that I listen to today, and if you haven't seen the KEXP video of their performance of that song at SXSW, you are missing out. They really know how to rock out. They are a Welsh band currently located in London, England. The band's lead vocalist and guitarist is Ritzy Bryan who still reminds me of Chloe from Smallville. "This Ladder is Ours" is their first single from their new album Wolf's Law, which is due out in January next year. The song and band has already been used in a commercial for Big Jambox by Jawbone. It is their best song, so far. If the rest of the tracks are even close to this, I predict that this will be one of the best albums of the year.

What have you been listening to lately?