Lana Del Ray, real name Lizzy Grant, describes her style as a "gangsta Nancy Sinatra". That should have been an instant turn-off.

But, after listening to her two singles "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans", you know what? She's right!

Her melancholy retro-blues sound, her puffy hairdo, her grainy self-directed music videos and her smoky Stevie Nicks voice, this 24-year-old singer is the musical equivalent of The Virgin Suicides and Valley of the Dolls. She's my new obsession

Denmark band When Saints Go Machine have been getting positive press for their latest album Konkylie. The brooding synths paired lead singer’s Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild’s haunting falsetto voice make for some great music to chill out to.

They’ve just released their third video, “Kelly”, a song about a girl’s first kiss. The video is simple, but so cute. It focuses on a young dancer who is clearly smitten with her very intense dance instructor.

I’ll admit, it made me feel a little uncomfortable watching it for the first time, just because I wasn’t sure how controversial the video would get. I mean, where is his hand going?!?!?

Thankfully, the video keeps it very innocent. Her flirting glances cut with her fantasy of performing a big routine with her instructor perfectly captures young puppy love.

I mean, haven’t we all been there? Young and naïve, crushing on someone way older and way out of our league. In my case, it was Ms. Hughes, my Grade 11 English teacher. She was hot.

The world has been imploring Justin Timberlake to make new music. He stubbornly refuses, to focus on his acting career. 

But, we have some good news! He has signed a pop/soul group FreeSol to his label and he's featured heavily on their first single "Hoodies On, Hats Low"! YES! Let's take a listen.

.........

What the hell? THAT'S what you're going to unleash on us after a musical silence of 6 years??? 

I mean, it got off to a very promising start. It sounded like trademark Timberlake. Until the horrible opening line. And the realization that the first verse rhymes the word "myself" with itself 4 times in a row. It's then, I realize, that this song is horrible. Even Justin's half-rapping vocals aren't good.

Justin, if this is all you can give us, fine, go act.

Proving there must be something in the Swedish water, here comes another band from the Scandanavian country that is definitely worth checking out.

Icona Pop, a female electro-pop duo, has been getting a lot of buzz for their distinct fusion of dubstep and bright poppy vocals. 

This isn't the dubstep that comes from douchey DJs or random Britney Spears re-appropriation. This music isn't so much about tweaking on the dancefloor as it is about just having fun.

Their debut video for "Manners" is all black lights and glowing body paints, and is only a preview of what we can expect from their upcoming debut album, which Attitude magazine calls "one of the most anticipated albums of the year."

Dubstep has only just hit the mainstream and, in my opinion, it's already overblown. I mean, when Britney uses it, it's not exactly an underground sound anymore.

But, some artists are able to make it interesting, like James Blake and, now, SBTRKT. The London-based DJ - real name Aaron Jerome - has been making his mark for the last two years on the dubstep scene, but has just released his debut eponymous album. 

And, judging by the lead single, "Wildfire", this album is definitely worth checking out. And bonus points for the creepy video that features a possessed woman, contorting all The Exorcist like. 

My only question is, is the ceiling fan the devil?

iPhones are amazing. But, they're even more amazing when they're humanized. 

Gay Australian singer Brett Every's single "Man Walks Into a Bar", from his latest album, Menu, is a ballad about a hypothetical scenario where a 40-year-old encounters his 20-year-old self in a bar.

What grabs your attention is that the video is a stop-motion animated video uses iPhones as the two main characters, in a bar populated by other cell phones. Points for using the older model iPhone as the older man. 

But, my favourite has got to be the stripper phone at 1:15. Hilarious!

The Sound of Arrows continues the trend that amazing music comes from Sweden.

The synthpop duo have released 2 EPs since 2008, but it's the epic video for their 2009 single "Magic" that has put them on a lot of music nerds radars. Even though the single is 2 years old, the video has prompted a re-release of the song. 

In addition to their own music, they've also proved their musical chops by remixing for The Naked and Famous, Natalia Kills and Lady Gaga.

The video for "Magic", which is more like a mini-movie, finds two siblings waking up to a world where everyone has seemingly disappeared. This leads to the two doing anything unattended kids would do, while also referencing The Lord of the Flies, Where The Wild Things Are and Pan's Labyrinth. Yeah, it's amazing.

It's one thing to discover a band who is clearly very talented, but it's another to find a band who so obviously has fun with what they are doing.

And that's where Givers comes in.

The quintet from Louisiana have developed a knack for making joyous indie pop music, based on Afro-pop and their Cajun roots. I mean, how can you like like a band that has a member who plays saxophone AND flute? Basically, they're like a less pretentious Vampire Weekend. 

And it seems that they're happy brand of music is striking a chord with fans and critics alike. They performed to rave reviews at this years SXSW and were named by Time Magazine as one of the Ten Acts That Rocked SXSW.

Not bad for a band who only recently released their first full-length album In Light. 

Check out their great video for "Up Up Up" for a taste of the band's postive energy and some cool animation and tilt shift videography.

I don't think it bares repeating that I love artists who blend two genres of music together.

While Example, from England, isn't the first to fuse rap with dance music, the way he does it is pretty unique. Not only is he rapping over top very European beats, but he also starts singing with a very 80s baritone that reminds me of New Order. That's amazing in my books.

Check out the lead single "Changed The Way You Kissed Me", from his upcoming third album, Playing In The Shadows.

When it comes to alternative pop music from London, there is a certain niche of music that blends electronic sounds with melodic indie guitars. See Elbow, Keane... even Coldplay. 

But, even if it is a predictable musical route, it's one that for me continually sounds fresh. Enter Clock Opera, a band who somehow manages to sound just like the above bands, but completely unique at the same time. 

Take a listen to their lead title single off their upcoming album,  Belongings. It's a beautiful song about a man who's transient life finds a home in his love. It starts off quiet and quirky before unfolding into an anthemic climax. 

And the video is pretty amazing, too. They use a cool kaleidoscopic effect fro some of the landscapes that is pretty mesmerizing.