Alright people… are you ready for some great new hits, including spell-along pop, catchy alt-rock, and a healthy dose of consciousness-raising hip-hop?

Me too!

(1) “Words I Never Said” by Lupe Fiasco (featuring Skylar Grey)

It just debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, but for a while, it seemed like Lupe Fiasco’s new album Lasers would be lost forever. Fiasco’s debates with the label kept the material unreleased for so long that fans eventually staged a protest. Based on the results, they were cheering for something worthwhile. Like almost no other rapper who is currently popular, Fiasco focuses his wit and intelligence on large social issues instead of his ego, his wallet, or his sex life. His producers, however, make sure his beats are just as amazing as any club banger, which means we can go buckwild to his songs and savor their clever wordplay and ponder the universality of the struggles they describe.

I mean… damn. It’s just so nice to relate to music on that level. So much modern hip-hop is shallow and/or misogynistic and/or obsessed with the cult-of-personality, and I can only enjoy it at arm’s length. Fiasco, however, engages me more intimately. Even if I don’t personally relate to every story he tells, I connect with his overall urge to live well, improve the world, and call out hypocritical bullshit.

The songs on Lasers come in two flavors: Dark & Rebellious (With Hooks) and Bouncy & Inspirational (With Beats.) “Words I Never Said” epitomizes the former, with Grey’s insistent chorus and a massive beat supporting a screed against political doublespeak. Fiasco taps into frustrations that millions of people share, and this section of the first verse makes me want to holler support right here from my laptop:

If you turn on TV, all you see’s a bunch of What The Fucks
“Dude is dating so-and-so,” blabbering ’bout such-and-such
And that ain’t Jersey Shore
Homie, that’s the news
And these the same people
S’posed to be tellin’ us the truth
Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza Strip was getting bombed
Obama didn’t say shit
That’s why I ain’t for him
Next one either
I’m a part of the problem
My problem is I’m peaceful

(2) “All Black Everything” by Lupe Fiasco

Plenty of people have imagined a world rid of racism, but Fiasco makes the idea fresh by providing the exact details of that world. His vision is generous, pointing out how racism hurts the hater and the hated alike, and he leavens it with witty fantasies likes this:

Somalia’s a great place to relax in
Fred Astaire was the first to do a backspin
The Rat Pack was a cool group of black men
That inspired five white guys called the Jacksons

(3) “Coming Up” by Lupe Fiasco (featuring MDMA)

This one’s from the Bouncy & Inspirational corner, slapping a sweet-ass funk groove right up in your damn face. From what I can gather, it’s addressed to Fiasco’s daughters. I mean… maybe? At any rate, he seems to be telling young girls (and eventually the whole world) that we’re not alone and don’t have to do a damn thing that violates our sense of dignity. Bounce on!

(4) “Something Good Can Work” by Two Door Cinema Club

What fantastic alt-pop! This song puts me in SUCH a good mood, with its sassy guitars and super-fast delivery. It’s like the etheral vibe of The Postal Service got doused in Jolt Cola.

(5) “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.” by Noah and the Whale

Good god, I LOVE a song that spells things out, especially when that spelling lesson is affixed to a sultry backbeat. I just bought Last Night on Earth, the latest album from this British indie-folk group, and I’m looking forward to digging into the rest of their Tom Petty-inflected awesomeness.