10 Tunes to Listen to This Month

(SPOT.ph) We’re bringing you an eclectic list of tracks to listen to this month: Chris Brown’s new club anthem; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Karen O’s kick-ass Led Zeppelin cover; K’NAAN and Nelly Furtado’s inspiring collab; Of Monsters and Men’s catchy indie-folk hit; and R. Kelly’s sexy, soulful single. Plus, listen to Zia Quizon’s rocking new track, Markki Stroem and Hidden Nikki’s jazz tunes, and Techy Romantics and Taken By Cars’ dance-y ditties.

Song: "Turn Up the Music"

Artist: Chris Brown

The first single off R&B star Chris Brown’s forthcoming album titled Fortune is bound to be a club hit. The electro-pop-dance tune combines superb synths, killer bass, and Breezy’s spotless vocals. Really, you have to turn it up.

Fun fact: The single will be available for online purchase starting February 14, and the album will be released in March.

Song: "Dear Lonely"

Artist: Zia Quizon

Zia Quizon wowed us with her smooth, jazzy vocals in "Ako Na Lang." In her second single "Dear Lonely," Quizon releases more edge in her voice. Backed by a band, with a winning violin sound to boot, Quizon croons about struggling with loneliness.

Fun fact: The youngest daughter of Dolphy and Zsa Zsa Padilla is majoring in English Literature at De La Salle University (DLSU).

Song: "Immigrant Song"

Artist: Karen O, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross

Talk about kick-ass. Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, along with his usual writing partner Atticus Ross and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, have delivered a dark, disturbing, and eargasmic take on a Led Zeppelin original. This rendition is for director David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Fun fact: Reznor and Ross won an Oscar for scoring The Social Network, which is also a Fincher film.

Song: "Escape"

Artist: Techy Romantics

The dancetronica trio is out with an official video for the title track of their latest album Escape. The feel-good, dance-y, trippy, and dreamy tune is perfect for your next road trip.

Fun fact: The music video was directed by King Palisoc and shot in Republiq, Resorts World Manila.

Song: "Is Anybody Out There?"

Artist: K’NAAN featuring Nelly Furtado

From his More Beautiful Than Silence EP, K’NAAN drops this track featuring Nelly Furtado. After a hiatus of sorts, it’s refreshing to hear Furtado’s signature vocals again. The inspiring anthem combines catchy keyboards and drums. And K’NAAN’s rap skills? Two thumbs up.

Fun fact: K’NAAN is the grandson of one of Somalia’s most famous poets, Haji Mohamed.

Song: "Steal Your Soul"

Artist: Markki Stroem featuring Zia Quizon

The Filipino-Norwegian Pilipinas Got Talent finalist will steal your heart and soul, what with his pretty-boy looks and sexy, jazzy voice. Just take a look at this video for his song "Steal Your Soul" featuring Zia Quizon, which he composed, arranged, wrote, and produced himself.

Fun fact: Markki Stroem played Henry in the local staging of the rock musical Next to Normal.

Song: "Little Talks"

Artist: Of Monsters and Men

The song dates back to 2010, when the Icelandic indie-folk group was just starting to make noise in their homeland. It was in December last year that the LSS-inducing track came out as part of their Into the Woods EP. It will be hard to get the playful melody out of your head. And if you listen closely to the words, you’ll realize it’s all about loneliness.

Fun fact: The group gained popularity after winning in Músiktilraunir (2010), an annual battle of the bands in Iceland. Their full-length debut album My Head is an Animal is set to come out worldwide this year.

Song: "Aminin Mo Naman"

Artist: Hidden Nikki

The jazz-pop quartet has just released their album titled Found. For this month, we recommend the track "Aminin Mo Naman," which features an extra-edgy jazz sound.

Fun fact: The band was formed in 2004 and showcased a strong Silverchair influence.

Song: "Share My Love"

Artist: R. Kelly

R. Kelly has released a sexy soul track for his fans. The old-school-sounding ditty is far from his earlier dirty-talk R&B hits. Just take a listen to the light, seductive beats.

Fun fact: His album Write Me Back will be released in March.

Song: "Unidentified"

Artist: Taken By Cars

Off Taken By Cars’ Dualist album is this danceable, indie-rock track. The electronic touch adds more zing to the tune topped by Sarah Marco’s dreamy vocals.

Fun fact: Taken By Cars will perform in the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas this coming March.

Artwork by Warren Espejo