New Good Song: Warrior by Kimbra f/ Mark Foster & A-Trak

This is currently my favorite new good song -- "Warrior" by Kimbra featuring Mark Foster & A-Trak

How I found this song -- Wikipedia. Believe it or not, Wikipedia can be an awesome source to learn about new good songs. Having adored "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye f/ Kimbra, I went to each artist's discography to figure out what else they had released. This is how I discovered another of my favorite new good songs, "Easy Way Out" by Gotye, which has an incredible video, BTW. Kimbra's discography reveals that "Warrior" is a 2012 song; I looked it up on YouTube, and loved it.

What makes this song good? It's very '80s but also very today, and although I don't like '80s music particularly, that combination can be fantastic because it can yield songs that are punchy, emotional and fun, like this one. This has an incredibly catchy chorus, in-your-face instrumentals and production, and cute vocals by Kimbra. The video also isn't bad; it underlines the kind of "Pushin' me down" energy of the song. Kimbra reminds me of a cross between Katy Perry, Cathy Dennis and Cyndi Lauper.

Is Wikipedia a good source for good new songs? Wikipedia -- particularly the discography pages -- is a really nice way to find out whether a song is new, and to see if your favorite artists are releasing any new material. But this is a second or supporting step in the hunt for new good songs; it's not a first step or a destination. When I'm hunting through iTunes, YouTube or wherever, I usually have Wikipedia open on the side so I can figure out whether something is new, or to use to satisfy whatever stream-of-consciousness thoughts I may have. For example, because Kimbra reminds me of Katy Perry, I may think to look up Perry's discography and discover that her latest single is "Wide Awake," which I then can look up on YouTube. And as it turns out, "Wide Awake" is among the summer's best new good songs, which would not necessarily be obvious given that "Part Of Me," her previous release, isn't good at all.

New Good Song: Co-Sign by SWV

Here's a new good song -- "Co-Sign" by SWV. The video is pretty shitty, though, so don't watch it. Just listen to the song.

How I found this song -- Believe or not, FM radio. For about three months, I was renting a car to drive to and from a client site. This gave me 2 hours a day with FM radio. I actually ended up discovering a few new good songs this way, such as "The Motto" by Drake, which as far as I am aware is the only new good song in the hip-hop genre released in 2012. When I caught "Co-Sign" for the first time, my reaction was complete joy -- it was an actual R&B song with instruments and vocals, and I suspected it was new because if it had been old I would have recognized it. I used Shazam on my iPhone to identify the song as "Co-Sign" by SWV, and I was elated to learn SWV was back. They are not particularly talented, but it made me feel good to know that there was at least some existing effort to put out '90s-influenced R&B. As it turns out, a lot of new good songs are by slightly bygone R&B artists who were not necessarily putting out good songs in their heyday.

The best example is Ashanti, who has released what so far is the second-best new good song of 2012, "The Woman You Love." (The best has been "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye f/ Kimbra.) "The Woman You Love" is a truly amazing song. The commonly found version features Busta Rhymes, who I generally respect, although in this instance I prefer the Busta-free R&B mix, which is available on iTunes. However, Ashanti's 2012 feat comes 10 years after this woman was ruining my life with the worst songs I've ever heard (e.g., "Happy," "Baby," and her many duets with Ja Rule, who I wish hadn't wanted to record his own voice.) However, some R&B artists who are attempting a comeback of sorts are on their own labels, or small labels, and are not putting out out new songs that are as good as they should be (e.g., Toni Braxton's "I Heart You.")

What makes this song good? "Co-Sign" gets off to a fantastic start -- this odd horn sound that says to me, "Here is a new good song!" There's an actual bassline, and actual drums, and capable vocals. The lyrics are cute. The arrangement is crisp, creative, a lot of fun and, most importantly, has durability. By contrast, there was another new good song I adored called "Put It Down" by Brandy f/ Chris Brown. At first, I thought this new good song would be an ongoing favorite, but after about three weeks I was pretty sick of it. "Co-Sign," by contrast, has been on my radar for nearly three months and I remain excited each time it comes on. "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen has this enduring quality as well. So does "Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant.

Is FM radio a good source for new good songs? It can be, if you're really out of the loop on music and don't like to spend the effort to hunt for songs and click on a lot of preview buttons in iTunes. There are limitations to FM radio, of course. They play the same songs over and over again, so you're not getting a wide variety/exposure to lots of songs you might like. DJs these days are asleep at the wheel, so they almost never tell you what you're listening to, so you will need another source of information, like Shazam, or Wikipedia. If you hear a song on FM radio that you like, and you don't have access to Shazam, try to memorize a few lyrics and Google them later. This has worked for me several times. Finally, you can't be sure necessarily that a song on FM radio is new, but you can quickly find out. FM radio is a good way to find new good songs if you're multitasking.