by Florence and the Machine

(Iamsound)

Do you totally fucking love the Big '80s? Then this is for you—it's like the offspring of an ill-advised tryst between Jim Steinman and Kate Bush, set at a mountainside chalet with a suspiciously hunky servant and a blushing maid. What's weird is that I pretty much hate the Big '80s but find myself drawn to this. Go figure.

by Keyshia Cole ft. Monica

(Geffen)

This is also a total late-'80s throwback, only for R&B and with an obvious exception made for production technique. It's not unpleasant, nor is it the best advertisement for that era's pleasures—not that late-'80s R&B records were always their own best advertisements, either, mind.

by DJ Quik and Kurupt

(Mad Science)

Here's something reminiscent of something more recent—namely, Clipse's "Grindin'," the track that redefined hard-rap minimalism seven years ago. But while this is in the same lineage, it isn't remotely a rip-off: The stuttering kick and dank-sounding handclaps are arresting enough without producer Quik's fluttering female vocal snippets, and Kurupt snarls impressively. One of the singles of the summer—for me and, I hope, for you.

by the Love Language

(Bladen County)

I'd call this one of the summer's singles, too, if the video hadn't already come out in April. Better late than never, though: This is the kind of driving indie pop that fits the summer weather perfectly. The unexpected burst of guitar squall midway in gives extra tang to the sugary tune and its deliberately muffled production, but the best part comes at song's end, when Stuart McLamb shuffles off the aura of haze the record comes swaddled in and lets out, no kidding, the biggest and greatest scream I've heard in eons.

by Black Moth Super Rainbow

(Graveface)

The weirdo psychedelic unit from Pittsburgh reimagines Boards of Canada as soft rock with layers of synthesized textures as fuzzy-edged as a pillow factory. It makes me feel nostalgic, but I'm never sure exactly what I'm feeling nostalgic for.

by School of Seven Bells

(Ghostly International)

Brooklyn's S7B and Justin Broadrick of metalgazers Jesu both make music that could have come from Frostbite Falls, and the fade-up is so wintry you can practically see breath emanating from the musicians' mouths. But once twins Claudia and Alejandra Deheza's harmonies begin meshing with Broadrick's guitar and synth overlays, the whole thing thaws instantly.