Pretty much once a week, there’s an edition of Pick Your Poison that really hits it out of the park. I mean, every one is great in some form or another, but ten great songs is still better than eight great songs, y’know? Anyways, I can’t think of a better way to head into the weekend than with this collection of tracks. Briana Marela has a new record out this August titled Call It Love, and you won’t be able to “Quit” the ethereal and catchy first single below. There’s a great playfulness that oozes out of Dent May’s “Across the Multiverse” as it blends the sounds of ’70s MOR pop with squiggly synths for a very Of Montreal-meets-The Clientele sort of feel. Throw in some guest vocals from Frankie Cosmos and it’s an early summer delight. Fans of Broken Social Scene’s early, mostly instrumental recordings (think Feel Good Lost) will find a wonderful kinship with Public Service Broadcasting’s latest, which surges and sparkles with horns and glockenspiels. I don’t know about you, but I can’t ever recall Rivers Cuomo lending his vocals to any sort of electronic or dance track. Of course I’m not keeping that close of an eye on Rivers’ activities outside of Weezer, so maybe I’m wrong. But his collaboration with RAC actually works better than you might expect. Then again, given Weezer’s recent trend skewing even more pop than usual, this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Still worth a listen though, as are tracks in this set from Hayden Calnin, Holmsey, Jackal (ft. Josh Congress), The Kickback, Mutoid Man, Oumou Sangaré, Travis Scott and Young Thug.

Briana Marela – Quit

Dent May – Across the Multiverse (ft. Frankie Cosmos)

Public Service Broadcasting – They Gave Me A Lamp

RAC – I Still Wanna Know (ft. Rivers Cuomo)

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I’m not a huge fan of describing any music as angsty, primarily because it has come to denote a certain style of music that doesn’t always have positive connotations associated with it. Yet Great Grandpa’s latest track “Fade” kind of perfectly fits the angst label without succumbing to a lot of the red flags that might otherwise come to mind. It’s also a fantastic vocal showcase for Alex Menne, so give it a shot! If you’re in the mood for something a little funkier and more soulful, Kwaye has you covered with his new single “Little Ones”. You may be pleased to learn that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are putting out a new record this July. The first single from it is called “Anymore,” and it’s pretty much right on target with their throwback dream pop style, complete with fuzzed out guitars and keyboards. There’s a certain appreciation I have for slightly off-kilter, genuinely odd pop songs. The hooks might not grab you immediately and the obtuse melodies may make you want to shut it off initially, but sticking with it brings rewardds. Plus, who doesn’t like the excitement of not knowing where a song will go next? Palm tends to do a solid job in making that sort of music, and their latest “Shadow Expert” is a strange delight you need to hear. It’ll grow on you, I promise. Other tracks in this set come from Abhi//Dijon, Carneyval (ft. Hudson Thames), Doldrums, Jaymes Young, Steve Aoki’s remix of Mangchi, Mothica, No Vacation and Stillwave.

Great Grandpa – Fade

Kwaye – Little Ones

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Anymore

Palm – Shadow Expert

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In terms of fun dance tracks, Coucheron’s latest “High by the Riverside” is probably the best you’ll hear today. It definitely has enough pop sensibility to be a hit, the question is will it get enough attention to make that happen. There’s also something smooth, sexy and fun about JMR’s new track, which is a brighter and more buoyant R&B than you might be accustomed to. Fans of Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and Mitski will find plenty to love in the new Miya Folick song, as it really showcases her vocal versatility and killer guitar work. I’m also really enjoying the joyful synth pop of Slow Magic’s “Mind,” which gets an extra assist from Kate Boy. Other artists featured in this set include Bobby Saint, Chronixx, Gang of Youths, HIRA, Isaac Lee, Jarami, The Steoples and more!

Coucheron – High by the Riverside (ft. ARY)

JMR – Bound

Miya Folick – Trouble Adjusting

Slow Magic – Mind (ft. Kate Boy)

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There’s a very waltz-like quality to Hazel English’s new synth pop single “That Thing,” a song that also manages to worm its way into your head and stay there for awhile. David Bazan’s (Pedro the Lion) new band Lo Tom have finally released their first track, a pretty standard-sounding rock song. That’s not intended to be a bad thing, just a descriptor so you’ll know what to expect before hitting play. Fans of bratty and visceral punk should definitely give the new Single Mothers song a try, in all of its exhilarating glory. Then to mix it up, there’s a new Swet Shop Boys track for your enjoyment, which is the hip hop duo of Heems and actor Riz Ahmed. Other artists in this set include Ahadadream, D.Dan, Kent Jones, Little Simz, Lod, oddCouple, Teflon Tel Aviv and more!

Hazel English – That Thing

Lo Tom – Overboard

Single Mothers – Long Distance

Swet Shop Boys – Thas My Girl

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Chastity Belt skirt the line between dream pop and shoegaze with the latest teaser track from their forthcoming new album. The intensity giving way to pure noise and chaos is invigorating in the best way. Legendary avant-garde band The Monks have been gone for decades now, but somehow Jack White’s Third Man Records uncovered a few unreleased tracks and are planning to put them out this June. You can hear one of those below. Remember the TV show How I Met Your Mother? The lead character in that, Ted Mosby, was played by Josh Radnor. In addition to being an actor and sometimes screenwriter/director, it appears he’s now ventured into music by teaming up with his friend, musician Ben Lee. Together they are Radnor & Lee, and you can hear their first single below. I’d also like to mention the new See Through Dresses track below, which is gorgeous in all of its hazy, guitar-strewn glory. Other artists with songs in this set include Death Cab for Cutie’s Dave Depper (ft. Laura Gibson), Die Antwoord, Goodwood Atoms, Lost Balloons, Meek Mill (ft. A$AP Ferg), Michael Mayer, Mielo (ft. Danel) and Vera.

Chastity Belt – 5am

The Monks – I’m Watching You

Radnor & Lee – Be Like The Being

See Through Dresses – Pretty Police

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Really great collection of songs to stream today, spread across a wide variety of genres. Of course, that’s kind of the point behind Pick Your Poison in the first place. There’s a new record from Big Thief on the way soon, and the latest track from it keeps up the band’s streak of pairing the beautiful with the melancholy. You could say something very similar about “De-pression,” the new single from Jesse aka Jesse Jenkins, the bassist for Pure X. The way the beats, keyboards and bass guitar interact with one another makes for a markedly relaxed yet addictive melody. The piano and horns combo that punctuates the breezy “Through Your Fingers” from Pace gives it a very Motown vibe, which is quite enjoyable. Then there’s the fuzzy blend of garage and shoegaze that TOPS do so well, in yet another stunning preview of their forthcoming album. Don’t sleep on any of those, or the other tracks in this set from BOYBOY, Dirtyphonics, EMBRZ (ft. Meadowlark), RJ, Shine 2009 and more!

Big Thief – Shark Smile

Jesse – De-pression

Pace – Through Your Fingers

TOPS – Dayglow Bumbo

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If you’re a fan of bands like Bully, Speedy Ortiz and Palehound, you’ll find plenty to love about Adult Mom. Get a taste of their upcoming record with “Drive Me Home” below. It’s great to hear that Joywave are back with a catchy new tune that’ll probably wind up soundtracking some commercial or something. The guitar riff that forms the skeleton of the song is just the right amount of bouncy, and the chorus is just addictive enough. In terms of ironic song titles, it’s certainly not “Torture” to listen to the latest single from Chicago’s own Knox Fortune. You may recognize the singer/producer as the voice behind the hook of Chance the Rapper’s hit “All Night,” but his solo work is quite different and very dynamic. Speaking of Chicago artists, the duo of OHMME have super impressive harmonies and piercing guitar riffs that are more than worth your time and attention, so get on it. Other tracks in this set come from Carmen Villain, courtship., Gila, Jarami, Jason Loewenstein, Moglii, Sweet Spirit and more!

Adult Mom – Drive Me Home

Joywave – It’s A Trip!

Knox Fortune – Torture

OHMME – Woman

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Take a trip back to the 1950’s with a very retro-styled song from Hunx & His Punx. It’s the perfect soundtrack for your trip to the drive-in or sock hop. One of the more fascinating things you’ll hear in this set is the remix of Slowdive’s “Sugar For the Pill,” which takes the band’s signature shoegaze and strangely defangs it into something more ethereal and spacey. There’s something about Twinsmith’s “Matters” that reminds me of Fleetwood Mac. Maybe it’s the guitars, but there’s also some sparkling synths in there to pull things in a decidedly more ’80s pop direction. Despite the fact that it’s a demo, I appreciate the very sparse yet jangly guitar strums that dominate Ultimate Painting’s latest. Throw in some vocal harmonies and it’s just right for a sunset drive. Other tracks in this collection come from B.o.B. (ft. Young Thug), B Boys, Evi Jai, Hikes, iDA HAWK, Madou, The Magpie Salute and more!

Hunx & His Punx – Baby of the Band

Slowdive – Sugar For the Pill (Avalon Emerson’s Gilded Escalation)

Twinsmith – Matters

Ultimate Painting – Why Do You Please Me? (Demo)

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To my ears, just about every Allie X single I hear is going to be the one that pulls her into the jetstream of hugely popular artists. Her pop sensibilities are perfectly in line with so many massive hits, yet for whatever reason she hasn’t fully broken out yet. Maybe “Paper Love” will finally push her over the top? Of course if you’re looking for a truly monstrous pop single, Anna Lunoe’s “Godzilla” is pure club banger. Really this entire edition of Pick Your Poison is filled with hot dance tracks, including Cathedrals’ latest “Try to Fight,” which sparkles in just the right way. Of course if you’re more of a guitars and rock n’ roll kind of person, I’d suggest giving the new SLØTFACE song a try. Other artists in this set include DOT, Goldroom, Holy Oak, Juiceboxxx, Lafa Taylor, Sandro Cavazza, Tove Stryke and Two Another.

Allie X – Paper Love

Anna Lunoe – Godzilla

Cathedrals – Try to Fight

SLØTFACE – Magazine

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Fans of dark-tinged pop and R&B will find plenty to love about Brooke Aulani’s latest single, which falls in line with recent material from Banks and Tove Lo. The pulse of the dancefloor radiates heavily in Foreign Air’s new track, which also has a great hook that will be stuck in your head for awhile. There’s a charming and loose quality to Kane Strang’s “My Smile is Extinct” that I hope you’ll pay close attention to. He’s signed to Dead Oceans, which is a great label with great artists, so expectations are high. Rosie Carney is a lovely singer-songwriter with a folk/alt-country bent, and “Your Moon” is a pristine ballad worthy of your time. Other artists in this set include Azizi Gibson, Chloe, Emmit Fenn, Goodwood Atoms, Great Grandpa, Left Brain (ft. L-Dog), No Moon, and Porter Ricks.

Brooke Aulani – GAMES

Foreign Air – Call Off the Dogs

Kane Strang – My Smile is Extinct

Rosie Carney – Your Moon

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