• "Anyone Else But You" - The Moldy Peaches, The Moldy Peaches

"Anyone Else But You" is the signature song from Juno, which is possibly my favorite film of 2008. And like Juno, the song is the audio equivalent of a knowing wink, combining playful innocence with a smartass charm. It's a simple love song with rudimentary "toy" guitar, boy/girl vocals and a somewhat surreal vision of romance. What the final line of the song has to do with anything, I don't know, perhaps baby makes three... -MT

• "More Songs About Oven Mitts" - When Robots Rule..., No They Do

Robots once ruled the world, but have somehow been subdued by humans. One lowly robot, having gone from "glory on the battlefield" as a kill-bot (I love that word!) to a household drudge who "prepares and serves meals," recounts his humdrum existence. He can't help but sound depressed, but in the chorus of "Must kill, must kill the humanoidsÂ?" there is just the slightest electric twinge of hope. -MT

• "A Man Like Me" - Yoko, Beulah

This excellent local pop band broke up in 2004 after recording Yoko, probably their best record. Always stellar, Beulah's music included strings, horns and whatever instrument was necessary to make a pop song soar. Some members of Beulah actually made a Mix Tape for us when we first started this project back in way-ever-ago. Anyway, I always loved "A Man Like Me," and for some reason it resurfaced in my collection recently and I thought it would be a good time to share it. -MT

• "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives" - ...Sockets, Los Campesinos!

Keith Laidlaw wrote a piece about Los Campesinos! just after the release of their single, "International Tweexcore Underground." In that post, Keith explores the meaning of twee and whether or not the Campesinos fit the bill. The whole discussion whetted my appetite for a little twee, the developments of which I haven't followed since, (am I dating myself?), The Pastels, The Pooh Sticks, Beat Happening and The Vaselines. In any case, the answer is yes, they are twee, but definitely with an attitude that makes them a little harder edged than the kiddie bands of yore. "We Throw Parties" has it all, boy/girl vocals, crazy toy piano and then the weirdness in the crescendo, leaving us with the great image of the band standing in a driveway, "one of us dressed as a zombie, one of us dressed as a pirate, one of us dressed as a ninja, four of us dressed as schoolgirls." It doesn't get better. -MT

• "Gasolina" - With Lasers, Bonde Do Role

"Meet me after school and I'll beat you like gorilla!" Has anyone else noticed a marked rise in the downright bizarre imagery cropping up in pop? Equally as catchy and easily as surreal, "Gasolina" is reminiscent of Gwen Stafani's mega-hit "Hollaback Girl." I can't say that I know why I love "Gasolina," perhaps it's the pure joy in the lead singer's voice, perhaps it is the plain crazy catchiness of a tuba(?) bass line, perhaps it is the sheer insistence of the song, breaking glass, handclaps, Portuguese... -MT

• "Deathful" - Yell & Ice, Subtle

TV on the Radio singer Tunde Adebimpe has such a distinctive voice. There is something about his delivery that buries meaning, but winds it into the subconscious, until one finds the lyrics reappearing unexpectedly in small inexplicable snippets. Adebimpe's guest appearance on "Deathful" definitely distinguishes the song, its structure swiftly moving from an insistent rap to catchy chorus and then exploding into an asymmetrical beat across the bridge. It takes a couple of listens to catch, but once it does, "Deathful" mumbles itself insistently into repeated play. -MT

• "Doing It Right" - Proof of Youth, The Go! Team

This song sounds like the soundtrack to one of those '60s dance movies. You know, the one where a young girl with dreams of love and stardom snags Troy Donahue while the two travel the country promoting their latest dance craze. There is just enough nostalgia in the beats and horns, just enough youthful joy in the melody and vocals, and just enough distortion layered over the whole enterprise to make a shoegazer's ears prick. -MT

• "Tourist Trap" - Fort Nightly, White Rabbits

Follow the White Rabbits on this dreamlike jaunt to a languid village by the shore. The Rabbits make the place an escape from life's worries -- the money's already spent, responsibilities left behind and rules abandoned. In their place, the musical version of an island breeze -- a bright piano flutters like a butterfly above the bass line, horns and deep rainforest percussion emerge. Sighing calypso vocals, chirping birds, the rattle of shakers, some barely audible yelling and a jungle drum beat create a sound that echoes DeVotchKa, but more upbeat about the prospects of life and love. - JP

• "Mansard Roof" - Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend

"Mansard Roof" combines the Revolver-era Beatles' melodic and vocal sensibilities with a peppy, march-like rhythm. The track is named for a 17th century architectural element but, nonetheless, it doesn't quite fit into the pigeonhole of baroque pop, despite the harmonic layering, the rousing strings and the organ intro that recalls Phil Spector. The drums and vocals twirl lightheartedly at the front of the mix coaxing you into the band's architectural daydream. - JP

• "Click Click Click Click" - The Broken String, Bishop Allen

Bishop Allen plays pop the way pop should be Â? bright, interesting and not too self-serious. The Brooklyn quintet is consistently engaging and provocative, as evidenced by this captivating track, which, fittingly, has found its way to a Sony digital camera ad. It begins with an enticing ukelele melodic line, folds in a vocal and the light tinkle of a vibraphone, and eventually the onomatopoetic hook. Sliding in a little later, just below the melody, are an intermittent bass drum thump, the occasional hollow cluck of the percussion and a jaunty low-end guitar. It's a perfectly conceived and executed pop song. -JP