Ohrwurm

In German, it's called an ohrwurm, but in English we call it an earworm—or the-fucking-song-that-won't-get-out-of-your-head. The earworm tends to be an infuriatingly annoying tune that you probably enjoyed at your six-year-old birthday party but after enough weddings and bar mitzvahs you've learned to despise: the YMCA, the electric slide, the Macarena, Barbie Girl, etc. Or, if you've ever been to Disney World, the granddaddy purp of aural STDs, It's a Small World. Now, here at Muzjiks, we like to pride ourselves in bringing the best music (and, we admit, the occasional gimmicky bullshit YouTube mashup just to boost traffic) to you, so we're offering you an earworm today, but it's not one that makes your cochlea cringe, but rather it's a song with an infectiously catchy melody.

Titled "Pumped Up Kicks," this song comes to us from the Australian band, Foster the People. Aside from its melody that proves to be one of the catchiest in recent memory, the song is also notable for another reason: [rant] it's the only fucking song the band has. Hear me out: I support the blogosphere as much as the next guy (I'm a part of it), but come on. Really?!? Isn't it a bit premature to hype up a band as "the next MGMT" after one four-minute ditty? Granted, the four-minute ditty happens to be more addictive than a cocaine-coated Peep, but still, it's ONE SONG.

So, listen to "Pumped Up Kicks," but can we pump the breaks on the MGMT (or other similarly popular, successful, and generally consistent artists) comparisons at least until they put out an EP? [/rant]

BUT, I must say that the way Foster the People slides that one note in the word "pumped" during the chorus is indicative of an understanding of melodic nuance that could bode well for their future.

Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks [alt]

Jónsi Does MGMT

When this man opens his mouth, the angels speak. It's as simple as that. The fact that Jónsi can conjure his ethereal vocal timbre on command is a testament to the capabilities of the human voice. Especially in this age of AutoTune and lip-syncing, such a feat is even more remarkable. Entering the indie mainstream with "Boy Lilikoi" (see 1:01) this past winter, Jónsi has hit the festival and gigging circuits of late, playing all over the US and Europe. The Iceland native peddles his own take on dream pop, which has proven to be far more accessible to the average indie listener than the Vonlenska-laden post-rock of Sigur Rós. Aligning with the accessible bent of his solo effort, Jónsi covered MGMT's 2008 crossover hit "Time to Pretend" during a live performance on BBC Radio 1, reimagining the song entirely. The cover is rather sparse texturally, an airy piano accompanying Jónsi's otherworldly voice as the tempo is slowed and what originally was the indie equivalent of a club banger is transformed into to a thoughtfully melancholic look at the realities of pop stardom.

Time to Pretend (Live cover on BBC Radio 1)