Kevin Lo
Ambulance LTD
"LP"
The first time you play LP, skip track one. It's a wonderful track, but you won't realize it until later. Instead, float right into "Primitive," a woozy and atmospheric ride on '80s British shoegaze. Ambulance LTD is more accessible than its transatlantic influences though, mainly because it's making music in the NYC of now -- Brooklyn, to be exact. "Sugar Pill" can outright grab you with its haunting bass line, and "Michigan" sounds like Teenage Fanclub covering the Velvet Underground's Loaded.
Eugenia Salvo
Montell Jordan
"This Is How We Do It"
This song is the exact reason I should be on VH1. Granted I'm no Michael Ian Black, but if I had the chance I'd tell my story like this: "When I was in 6th grade, we went on a field trip to this skating rink. (This kid in our gifted class was the son of the owner.) So, they opened the rink just for us to skate, dance and hang. 'This Is How We Do It' was the first song I ever danced to in public." Then I would do an impression of 6th grade me doing the "butterfly," and don't pretend you don't know what that is. P.S. Are my editor's picks getting better or worse?
Kali Backer
Santana
"Oye Como Va"
My dad, who hails from Havana, loves nothing more than to dance. But, the man doesn't just dance to any music. While Celia Cruz and Tito Puente are dear to his heart, there's one song that is constantly on repeat in his stereo -- "Oye Como Va." Although I lack most of my dad's rhythm, I can't help but get my groove thing on every time I hear the energetic organ effortlessly blend into the Latin percussion. Play me any 50 Cent song, and people mistake my dance moves for a seizure. However, the second Santana hits the dance floor, I suddenly find myself rocking out like nobody's business. Three cheers for Santana!
