It’s easy to get caught up in busy schedules and irregular sleep cycles, but by the end of it all, it can make for some great music. Some artists this week do just that and transform their small mistakes into new windows of opportunity. The remainder of the mix brings the brightness. Take a peek into this week’s countdown to familiarize yourself with both sides of equation.
10. La Roux – “Let Me Down Gently”
Maybe it’s true that La Roux’s debut album from 2009, even though you can hear it echoing on blogs every day, didn’t indent pop so much that her lack of activity has been felt across the broad scheme of things. Still, Elly Jackson, how are you going to go five years before following up your first album? Thankfully, with “Let Me Down Gently”, the London singer has returned with another single that, while less catchy than a La Roux song like “Bulletproof”, more or less corresponds to her last name’s place in pop history. There’s laser-like precision at work, but the thing breathes. Trouble in Paradise, Jackson’s nine-song sophomore album, is out July 8th via Cherrytree/Interscope. –Michael Madden
