Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

Damn you, Joe, it's all your fault. After his post last month about The Darkness, I gave current (U.K.) single "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" another spin, and you know what? Dammit, it's a fucking great pop-rock song in the truest sense - a rock song that makes for perfect, undeniable pop. It's got a hook as sticky as caramel and is so ridiculously over-the-top you can't help but raise your fist and scream along. I'm still not sold on the Darkness as a band-cum-concept - too many of their songs are a little too wink-wink for my taste - but "Thing Called Love" is pure sugar, in a "you've got the peaches, I've got the cream" sense. Find out for yourself; it's one of this week's downloads (to your right).

Of a similar ilk is the latest single by Detroit's Electric Six, "Dance Commander." The guitar work is reminiscent of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and the song's coda references "Danger! High Voltage!" For all the ink NYC bands like the Rapture are getting right now, Electric Six are making true rock-dance crossover - rock songs you can (and [should] want to) dance to. This is better by furlongs than "Gay Bar," and might even be better than the inimitable "Danger!" Get down, get down!