Ellington

"Jim," Jamie Lidell—Try to pin down what genre Jamie Lidell falls into, and you'll find it doesn't matter. You'll notice your head is bopping, your toes are tapping, and you're having such a good time with his soul-filled vocals that you don't care if he's classified as polka; you'll keep the album on repeat.

"Guns, Babes, Lemonade," Muscles—This Australian act's CD may have been released last October, but the music was made for summertime. To borrow from the track "Ice Cream," these songs make you "just wanna dance with [your] shirt off."

"My," Okay (from Huggable Dust)—I first heard this song on the NPR podcast "All Songs Considered" and immediately fell in love with its shy sentiment. The sound resembles a combination of Bright Eyes, the Postal Service and, to some degree, Modest Mouse.

"The Slip," Nine Inch Nails—The free 10-track, digital release holds the same energy and pace as their last few albums, but still has the feel of the older NIN albums.

"Live in Liverpool," The Gossip—True, the set list for this concert is primarily comprised of songs from their previous albums, but hearing Beth Ditto's raw, sometimes-strained-but-always-gut-wrenching vocals, as well as Brace's and Hannah's rump-shaking rhythms and beats, the songs are new again. And you love them for it.