MUSIC: Maroon 5 ... Arctic Monkeys

I missed Maroon 5. When their album Songs About Jane came out in 2002, I may not have heard it until 2004 like everybody else who jumped on the "Harder to Breathe" bandwagon. But once I did, I never bothered to listen to the 700 other songs on my iPod and simply reveled in their sultry album. Now after years of touring and a brand new drummer, they are releasing their new album It Won't Be Soon Before Long next Tuesday, May 22nd. Off that album, they've released "Makes me Wonder," which has already done its rounds on the stations and charts. It has a certain 80s Saturday Night Fever-vibe to it. But underneath it all, there's still the seductive, sometimes heart-broken Adam Levine at the helm. He's always had a Prince vibe about him and it is very prominently displayed in songs like "If I never see your face again." My favorite on the album so far just from a 30 second clip is "Nothing Lasts Forever." I'm sure I'll have more after the album is released--sometimes they've got to grow on you.

"Brianstorm" by Arctic Monkeys

If you happen to be in the market for a new favorite Brit band, go for some Arctic Monkeys, an indie rock band that the Queen would surely approve of--if she knew what awesome music sounded like. This may be sacrilegious to say, but they remind me of a more daring and barely discernable Jet (whose "Put your money where your mouth is" I recently can't stop replaying). The first 5 songs are gold, especially "Flourescent Adolescent."