A few songs I've had in heavy rotation lately:

"Headline" Me'Shell Ndegeocello: Me'Shell Ndegeocello is my girl! And on her new album, "The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams" she weaves funk, jazz, rock and hip-hop (not to mention that silky voice) into a dreamy style that's all her own.

"Myth Takes" !!!: Speaking of acts with songs you'd like to buy if only you knew how to pronounce their names. This up-and-coming band (pronounced chk-chk-chk, for the record) reminds me of the groovier side of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult – you know, without all the kitschy occult references.

"Tasmanian Pain Coaster" El-P feat. the Mars Volta: In a down year for hip-hop, El-P's "I'll Sleep When You're Dead" is a likely addition to my best albums of 2007 list. I love the vocal that Mars Volta's Cedric Bixler adds to the end of this track.

"Navy Nurse" The Fiery Furnaces: Jarring mid-song tempo and style changes that recall ADD. Non-sequitur packed lyrics that are about – uh – what exactly? The Furnaces are weird in ways that parallel the Bay Area's Deerhoof. Except the Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger doesn't sing in the same little girl's falsetto as Deerhoof's Satomi Matsuzaki, which is a plus. Plus, as you can hear on this clip from the new album "Widow City," the Fiery Furnaces can rip off some monster riffs when they feel like it.