by Paul V.

Singled Out

Snoop Dogg “Sensual Seduction” Interscope

The Doggfather of gangsta rap gets horny and glam-retro, dishing up keytars with a vocoder, and a breezy yet crotch-grabbing beat. It’s destined for dance floors and stripper poles for the next year. But it is all about the cheesy, pimped-out video, so go find it!

Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks (Interscope)

Finally seeing a release here in the United States, London’s Kate Nash gets her chance to impress us Yanks. Her story is quite cheeky and almost implausible: She was out of work, down in the dumps, fell down a flight of stairs, broke her foot and started writing songs to pass the time. Some MySpace demos later—and catching the ear of Lily Allen—Nash became a U.K. sensation. It’s lazy to simply compare her to Allen, but the similarities are strong: Both sing in a thick London accent while cramming everyday Brit musings in the lyrics, both have dealt with being burned by crap ex-lovers, and both craft clever ditties that get your hips shaking. While Allen’s producer, Mark Ronson, didn’t twiddle with her, she’s got her own retro, almost-Motown sheen in these grooves, too. And she doesn’t mince words (or titles). Do I need to explain what a song called “Dickhead” is about? Meanwhile, “Merry Happy” is the coin’s flipside, a bouncy, lovable number celebrating the end of a relationship while extolling the joys of “dancing in discos, eating cheese on toast.” Lead single “Foundations” is just about the most finger-snappin’, toe-tappin’ jam you’ll hear all year, and “Pumpkin Soup” is a plucky mix of James Bond horns and loping beats —not to mention a massive, “I just want your kiss, boy!” sing-along hook. All told, Nash lives up to her hype with a seriously diverse, fresh debut.

Sia -Some People Have Real Problems (Hear Music)

The glorious voice first heard on Zero 7’s best tracks returns with her second solo CD, after a near three-year hiatus. It’s telling that it’s being released on the Starbucks affiliated label, as the vibe here is most definitely on the adult, latte-sipping tip, barely breaking a sweat in tempo and energy. That would be a bit of a detriment if Sia’s voice wasn’t unique and entrancing enough to carry the weight. Here, she deploys an intriguingly jazzy purr, a la Eartha Kitt, with the more contemporary gloss of someone like Natasha Bedingfield or Feist. Her voice runs a range from the coy and flirtatiously feminine to growly and fierce, sometimes within the same song. “Academia” features Beck on backing vocals, and the track lives someplace between lullaby and quirky prose. She even tackles The Kinks’ “I Go to Sleep,” eliciting the same sensuality Chrissie Hynde gave it, but managing to make the song her own. Another highlight is “Death By Chocolate,” which hits some pained, but soulful Amy Winehouse territory, and while “The Girl You Lost to Cocaine” doesn’t have a particularly alluring title, it’s one of the best tracks here, a stomping brass-laden number that leaps with energy. If there are negatives with Sia’s latest, it’s that there’s nothing as mind blowingly amazing as “Breathe Me,” and that's what most people will be hoping for. Nonetheless, she’s crafted an alluring follow-up, perfect for Sunday morning coffee-brewings (pun intended).

The Glass Couples Therapy (Plant Music)

This is an EP I wanted to review back in September, but never found the space. Luckily, it’s one of those better-late-than-never moments, because I dig their sound. With their seven-song EP (recorded in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Woodstock, N.Y.), these guys lure you to the dance floor and the bedroom, and back again, with a unique blend of angular guitar jams, thundering bass-heaving bombs and trip-hop sensuality. They’re definitely a rock band that understands the groove (think the Rapture), and lead off track “Mad At You” is a chugging, stomping burst of fuzzed-out guitars, blippy synths and plucky cowbells—kind of like LCD Soundsystem and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club downing shots together. The first track I ever heard from them was “Come Alive,” which does a 360 from the fuzz rock, taking its cues from the ’90s electronic era meeting the current nu-rave sound. It’s a definite dance floor stomper, as is new single “Fourteen Again,” which brings back more grit. But when these guys get into swoon mode, they also score, such as the soul-stirring “iWonder,” which is a perfect marriage of mid-tempo beats and emotional, nearly chanted lyrics. It might remind you of early New Order, actually. Closing the disc is the hypnotic, psychedelic swirls of “4 Bytes,” which builds up slowly, gaining momentum like horny robots getting under the sheets and pulling down your pants. Hopefully this introduction to the Glass will lead to a full-fledged CD.

Check out DJ Paul V. spinning at Bootie L.A., the first Saturday monthly at Safari Sam’s, and on various Fridays at Miss Kitty’s Parlour. Tune in to Indie 103.1 FM on Fridays at 5:30 p.m. for the “Smash Mix” and on Saturdays midnight-3 a.m. for “Neon Noise.” More info at www.myspace.com/smashmix.