To Ella Karina, the world’s newest “Loveliest Creature.”

To steal a line from Rogue Wave, “The music I want is cheaper than therapy.” It’s no secret that we humans keep music around because it has the ability to make us feel. While, as anyone who has felt manipulated by a schlocky country song knows, that power can certainly be misused, thankfully sometimes songs exist simply to lift the mood.

So it is with “Loveliest Creature” by Brooklyn duo Savoir Adore (a.k.a. Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro), a song so heartening it should be kept within reach at all times, in case of a musical emergency.

As “Loveliest Creature” begins, its bass line gives way to synth and guitar before the vocals take over. Nothing soothes the raggedy edges of the soul like Muro’s voice, which boasts a wide range that adds a little substance to what would otherwise be a pure pop experience. On “Loveliest Creature” Muro’s ability to balance lightly voiced moments with the throatier sections is reminiscent of Florence Welch’s vocal gymnastics. Hammer’s backing falsetto forms the perfect counterpoint to Muro.

As the song draws to a close, “Loveliest Creature” is not afraid to show its tender side, slowing down the tempo, and gently returning its listener back to earth.

Savoir Adore hasn’t announced a follow-up to 2009’s In The Wooded Forest yet, but anyone going to SXSW can catch them live.

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March 2011 MP3 Rewind

Peter Bjorn & John “Second Chance (RAC mix)”

About thirty seconds into today’s featured song “Glowing Mouth” by Brooklyn-based Milagres, some of you might slap your forehead and claim that you’ve heard this song before, and you wouldn’t be completely wrong.

It’s that synth line, that sexy staccato slink that slides around the organ melody, slicker than satin sheets on a waterbed. It’ll tickle some memory of Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones” off of Purple Rain, and for good reason. I played the two songs side by side and felt relieved that I wasn’t making up the memory it conjured: that libidinous musical trigger that shimmies from the ears straight down the spine to your loins like only Prince can do.

When Milagres’ vocalist falls into the mix singing in falsetto, it seals the deal on the homage, and although the instant connection would generally be distracting and come off as derivative, Milagres avoid the potential for creating nothing more than a wink and a nod to The Purple One by playing it off as sexy as a purifying dip in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

“Glowing Mouth” simmers along like the finest of sex jams and is patient with its payoff, with those fleet synth lines building as sneakily as a hand working its way up your shirt and Kyle Wilson’s cooing falsetto pulling you deep into the mood. Milagres will be at SXSW later this month and their sophomore album will be released by Kill Rock Stars in September.

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March 2011 MP3 Rewind

“That Kind of Man” proves that genre-bending Brits The Heavy are more than just the one hit wonders who brought us “How You Like Me Now” (a.k.a. the song used in the Kia commercial with Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba and the sock monkey). After kicking off with a guitar sample so muffled it sounds like it was recorded under a bed sheet, Kevin Swaby’s vocals launch and the song is in full swagger as he sings, “I’ve been thinkin’ bout our love / sure means somethin’ / cause what you give is not enough.”

Refusing to adhere to a particular style keeps “That Kind of Man” sounding fresh, even if The Heavy relied on time-honored R&B tools like a horn section, falsetto, and emphasis on the downbeat to create it. Though “Apogee” may refer to the musical hardware used to create this version of the song, the word is also synonymous with “pinnacle” or “climax.” “That Kind of Man” reaches its own apogee at the bridge, when Swaby is suddenly supported by nothing more than a thumping bass line. His weightlessness is almost palpable.

Counter Records released The Heavy’s How You Like Me Now? EP, home to “That Kind of Man,” on October 19, 2010.

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December 2010 MP3 Rewind

Ed Vallance’s recently released Summer Fire EP closes with the sweeping and spacious tones of “Famous Last Words,” a five minute bit of dreamy pop that hearkens back to early ’1990s shoegaze and the more lush (and Lush) tendencies of Brit-pop of the middle of that decade. Such reference points make sense given that Vallance, despite currently calling Brooklyn home, was born and raised in London, making him no stranger to the resonant guitar notes of Ride’s best records or the extended length opuses of The Verve.

“Famous Last Words” begins on an almost molecular level, springing forth from an infinitesimal whisper before riling itself up into a crescendo of amorphous guitars, bass, and strident drums. Once the beachhead has been crested, Vallance pulls back, allowing his verses to luxuriate over a velvety, sparse bit of instrumentation. However, it’s choruses which are the kicker; Vallance busts out a winning falsetto as the guitars break against the drums, a tide against the rocky shore, everything feeling elegant and effortless.

Then, as subtly as the song sprung into life, it begins its slow march toward silence again, dissolving on itself amid the ghosts of long lingering notes. With “Famous Last Words,” Ed Vallance has recorded a track with beautifully smooth contours perfect for all of your daydreams.

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September 2010 MP3 Rewind

I Break Horses “Winter Beats”

The Albertans “The Wake”