Shock: a recent iTunes free download is actually quite good. I've never been one of those people who leaves angry messages about how awful all the free songs are, but there's a difference between "this doesn't sound bad so I might as well et it" and "this is going straight on my iPod." Most of the good free songs that I can remember have been ones I've already known, things like Robbie William's "Kiss Me," but I'd never heard of Jesse & Joy before. They're a brother and sister duo (Joy does the lead vocals) from Mexico who apparently released this song in 2006; they've got an album out as well, which I'm very tempted to buy, given how much I like this song.Espacio Sideral--do not be turned off by those opening acoustic strums--this is not that sort of dull singer-songwriter sound. Yes, it does use an acoustic guitar, but it's got a very cute pop melody that gets fuller and fuller as it goes along; you'll begin to hear that around the :40 mark and, by around 1:20, the song hits its true sunshiney, catchy cheeriness, which only grows as the song proceeds; the run-through of the chorus that final time is just about as good as pop gets. Sort of bouncey and definitely smile-inducing, it's also thrown in backing "ooo-ooo-ooo"'s for good measure--how can you argue with that? I really love it.
To buy Jesse & Joy's debut album Esta es mi vida, go here (physical) or here (digital); it's also available in all iTunes stores.
Next up: maybe something Icelandic or Russian.
