Sonic Youth - The Diamond Sea

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a rock single in possession of a lo-fi aesthetic, must be in want of a stereo. Or headphones. Either. But basically, this sounds like drek unless the sound quality's smoking hot. You lose all the texture in those fuzzy chords. It's my blog bitch, I can be as pretentious and demanding as I like.

Edward Sharpe & The Magic Zeros - Home

Nice bit of whistling, steel-stringed guitar, and a chorus that occasionally sounds a bit like your gran swearing. Topped off with a super-saturated old-school Technicolor video.

That is what I've been playing on repeat this evening, and it's making a smile spread all over my face. Even though the video is definitely properly weird. It's pretty colours though, and nicely shot, so I'll forgive it being disturbing.

Big Boi ft Janelle Monae - Be Still

Here's some controversy to spice up Monday morning: rap interludes might not be that bad after all. I have been staunchly opposed to them. And in the interests of preserving what little integrity I have left, I would argue that this is about 30% soul, 20% Motown swing and 50% hip-hop.

So it's a fair mix, rather than just an embarrassing cameo by some rapper who should know better. Also, it's got Janelle Monae on the intro, and her voice melts my little hard heart, so by the time Big Boi starts trying to rhyme "orange" with, um, "urr-ange", I'm already in a little ecstasy of aural bliss.

Pubs P - No Idea

I am seriously considering designating my Sundays as Skweee Sundays. I could just play Skweee all day, and eat herring on rye bread (that being about as Nordic as I can get).

I think the fact that I would consider this an improvement in my life shows how much I like this, and how little I usually do on Sundays. Anything that's improved by herring was obviously not great to start with.

Anyway, enough herring. This has a lovely bassline that can only really be described as a funky groove (although that makes me sound like a 40-year-old man dancing in a pub). I defy you not to break out a little head-nodding in the chorus. And the lyrics are the best tounge-in-cheek fun since your last snog.

Pubs p - Panskweeeno Mixtape (Mixed By Kid Logic) - 10 10- No Idea (w-Miramichi) by mantequilla

Jean Grae - Love Song

And here's something a little more traditional, from the Slick Rick sample at the beginning, to the soul-sample violins and wronged-woman lyrics, it's got all the standard ingredients.

At first listen it doesn't stand out as anything more than a confessional, but it's darker and tighter than most cookie-cutter classics: she rhymes "pussy" with "fishy". And that line - "so tight it's like he moves when she stretches" - is straight out of Pablo Neruda (Sonnet XVII for the geeks: "so close that your hand on my chest is my hand//so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep").

Tabi Bonney - The Come Up

This is pretty minimalist, and if you don't like chant-rapping, you're not going to like it. But I love the spoken-word arpeggios in the chorus, and those clicky-ticky drums.

Also, the video is well fit: silhouettes are one of my favourite-things-that-I-can't-spell.

Big Nuz - Uyoysholo Wena (Moroka Remix)

This is lush party music: danceable, up-beat, fast and funky. The original is a kwaito classic, but the remix is less pounding four-to-the-floor, and just has a lighter touch. Even though it has whistles. And bells.

If you want to see the genius behind the remix, he's playing in London a week tomorrow... looks like fun.

Uyoysholo Wena (Moroka's version) - Big Nuz by Moroka

And Sesame Street was brought to you today by the letter A, the number 5 and the illustrious ghettobassquake.com. (So thank you to them for the hookup on the track. I'm sure Elmo likes this very much.)