ROCK
The Way It Is
The Sheepdogs, from the forthcoming The Sheepdogs; streaming here.
Black Keys drummer and producer Patrick Carney shows the shaggy Saskatooners the way it is, which is the strutting blues-rock/Black Keys way. It is what it is.
POP
Enemies
Hannah Georgas, from the forthcoming Hannah Georgas; free download here.
It's a shark-eat-shark world, sings the Vancouver singer-songwriter, with "all of us lost, and ready to kill." An electro-tinged ballad bubbles softly at first, before breaking into something more soaring. Lovely passion here.
POP/ROCK
Runaways
Killers, from the forthcoming Battle Born; streaming here.
A relationship has gone fireless, causing singer Brandon Flowers's urgent, twinkling, eighties-anthem-style plea to flee – "We can't wait till tomorrow." Galloping drums increase the drama – do they even have time to pack their suitcases?! – toward a crashing, tension-releasing chorus.
ROCK
Knock Knock
Band of Horses, from the forthcoming Mirage Rock; streaming here.
Who's there? Steve. Steve who? It's Steve Miller, and I want my Swingtown-intro vocals back. A new tune from the bearded American indie band starts with a brief nod to a classic-FM staple before moving on to a tautly rocking, tightly chugging single about opportunity knocking.
VIDEO: ROCK
Freedom at 21
Jack White, directed by Hype Williams. (Video not available in Canada.)
A he-man drives a lime-green muscle car and gets pulled over by a hot-panted lady cop who throws him in a co-ed country jail with a sexy cell mate. With this grindhouse-style clip, the myth that rocker White is the coolest man alive remains blemish-free.