Top Ten Best New Music Released in the Past 60 Days

1) “Heartless” -- The Fray [4-7-09]. Denver-based band churns out a more dramatic alt-indie cover of Kanye Wests’s pop hip-hop smash hit from last summer.

2) “Fences” – Phoenix [5-26-09]. Original alternative sound from French indie-rock band who recently gained pop cred a la recent SNL appearance.

3) “The Best Revenge” – Fischerspooner [4-21-09]. A danceable track with driving beats and vocals from the innovative New York electronica duo’s latest album.

4) “69 Faces of Love” – King Khan and the Shrines [4-21-09]. A retro-sounding band that rocks a psychedelic R&B sound.

5) “Major Tom” – Shiny Toy Guns [5-5-09]. A contemporary, sythn-pop electro-clash version of the David Bowie original from alternative group out of California.

6) “Panic Switch” – Silversun PickUps [4-14-09]. A heavy-rocker with a boomin’ bass line featuring Brian Aubert’s vocals from the Los Angeles-based rock quartet.

7) “Aint No Rest for the Wicked” – Cage the Elephant [4-13-09]. With initial chart success in England, this indie-alt rock band is actually from Bowling Green, Kentucky, and this is the lead track from their self-titled debut album.

8) “When I Grow Up” – Fever Ray [3-31-09]. An astonishing new experimental solo project debut by young Swedish artist filled with icy electronica atmosphere.

9) “I’ve Got Friends” – Manchester Orchestra [4-21-09]. A harder indie-rock sound from young band out of Atlanta.

10) a“French Navy” – Camera Obscura [4-20-09]. A retro-sounding alternative track with a pop sensibility from the sextet from Glasgow, Scotland.

11) “Goodbye” – Kristinia deBarge [4-7-09]. Her own mid-groove soul circles back to the all-too-familiar stadium chant of na,na,na,na – hey,hey,hey -- good-bye.

12) “All I Really Want” – Rick Ross feat. The-Dream [4-21-09]. Ross is still rough but here he’s got flow as his hip-hop flows over a re-synthed disco sample.

13) “Don’t Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)” – Noisettes (un-released). A disco-flavored track by UK pop-rock band from their forthcoming sophomore album to be released this summer.

14) “Hey You” -- 311 [4-12-09]. The first track off forthcoming album extols virtue of music-as-friend from band out of Omaha, Nebraska, who traditionally mixes reggae with rap-metal.

15) “Help, I’m a Alive” – Metric [4-14-09]. A pop-rock, new-wave sounding lead track from the Canadian quartet’s latest album with new wave, Blondie-like vocals a la Emily Haines from Broken Social Scene.

16) “Chillin’” – Wale featuring Lady Gaga [4-18-09]. From the self-proclaimed “Ambassador of Rap for The Capital” (pronounced Wall-ay) teams up with a very-M.I.A.-sounding Lady GaGa for a hip-hop track plastered over na,na,na,na, hey-hey, good-bye.

17) “Life is Good” – DJ Deckstream feat. Mos Def [MySpace] – A positive message from Japan’s infamous DJ featuring easy duet hip-hop harmonies on top of melancholy jazz piano.

18) “Bang” – Rye Rye feat. M.I.A [3-31-09]. Spare percussion and vocal dissonance from M.I.A protégé.

19) “Boom Boom Pow” – Black Eyed Peas [3-30-09]. The lead single from their forthcoming album is eerily spare, clubby and synthed-R&B featuring Will.i.Am and Fergie vocals in ways you’ve never heard before.

20) “Virtual Diva” – Don Omar [4-28-09]. On this cross-over smash hit, the Puerto Rican king of Urban Latino radio does it all, combining reggaeton, dance, hip hop and pop.

21) “Daniel” – Bat for Lashes [4-7-09]. Kate-Bush like female British singer-songwriter, Natasha Khan, applies lovely voice to streaming indie-rock track.

22) “Now We Can See” – The Thermals [4-7-09]. An indie-rock track with a punk twist from rockers out of Portland.

23) “Jetstream” – Doves [4-6-09]. Twin brothers churn out big, pumping guitar and drum beats that couple with rock band vocals to make for alt-rock track from epic pop trio out of Manchester, England.

24) “Mercy Angel” – Brian Blade [4-21-09]. Jazz musicina from Louisiana – drummer, singer-songwriter and bandleader – is behind beautiful, soulful mellow track from his latest album.

25) “All In” – Gift of Gab [3-31-09]. On this pop hip-hop lead track from their forthcoming album, it’s all about being all in – all or nothin’, baby -- with toe-tappin’ synth-background and a team effort at lyrics, especially on the harmonious refrain.

26) “War/No More Trouble” – Playing for Change [4-28-09]. A cover of the great Bob Marley track, done with a combination of fluid voices, simple guitar scales, bongos and even violin.

27) “So Fine” – Sean Paul (leaked). Latest hit from Jamaican dancehall superstar features big, danceable beats and Paul’s signature vocals.

28) “Shadows” – Au Revoir Simone [5-19-09]. Contemporary-sounding track from Brooklyn indie-pop outfit features dreamy-sweet, female vocals.

29) “Sea of Tears” – Eilen Jewell [4-21-09]. Rising Boston singer-songwriter blends rootsy folk rock and blues on the title track of her newest album.

30) “Love is a First” – The Tragically Hip [4-7-09]. An alt-rocker iterating and re-iterating that “love is a curse” off latest album from Canadian indie group from Kingston, Ontario.

31) “Dancin’ On Me” – Jim Jones and Webstar [4-28-09]. Spare beat with simple synth, filled in with plain duo raps, ready for the grind.

32) “Paranoid Freak” – The Trews [4-7-09]. Off their third album this track by Canadian quartet is a hard-stomping rocker with big energy.