Alesana is a six-piece band from North Carolina who released their sophomore album Where Myth Fades to Legend in late 2008. Led by the vocals of Tony Dekker, Great Lake Swimmers is a folk band who debuted their fourth album Lost Channels just this past March. Obi Best is the project of Alex Lilly, originally a back-up singer for The Bird and the Bee, who released the album Capades this past February before heading on a tour alongside her original band. Originally from Toronto, Melanie Fiona dropped debut album The Bridge after opening for Kayne West on his last European tour in 2008. Christina K. is an up and coming artist new to the music scene.

Alesana

“Seduction”

Well not only do these boys seem to have the inability to pick a sound but they all need haircuts too. There’s some sort of punk/post-hardcore thing going on here? Maybe? Whatever the case, there’s a lot of screaming. And cheerleaders? I think the video is attempting a kind of mockery towards “popularity” (the culture of sports, etc.) but it’s poorly executed. No. I don’t like this.

Christina K. featuring Modjo

“Tonight”

This video was fun for me to watch because I live in New York City. (You can actually see where I work.) Other than that, no. Unfortunately Christina’s voice has a whiny quality to it that I find grating, rather than interesting or unusual. It doesn’t make for a pleasant listening experience.

Great Lake Swimmers

“Pulling On A Line”

Did anyone else think of Where the Wild Things Are when they watched this video or I am just too hyped up for the movie release? I’d like to think that the little children dressed as creatures and running through the trees is a tribute to the much beloved story. Other than that, eh. This song is pretty but there’s nothing that really makes it stand-out or grab my attention, which is what I am looking for in music nowadays. I would put it on as background music but probably not often.

Melanie Fiona

“Give It To Me Right”

Melanie is a gorgeous girl there’s no doubt about it. And she has a pretty decent set of pipes. That being said, she deserves more than a song that’s mostly repetitive chorus with a sampled background track set to “Season of Love.” Nothing amazing about the video either. I think there is real potential here, but everything needs to be stepped up: song quality, video quality, and perhaps the styling quality as well. I don’t even want to know how she made it into those pants.

Obi Best

“It’s Because Of People Like You”

This song is cute. It could be the theme song for when you’re having a bad day. Or have zero patience. Either one. The video is quirky in that awkward hipster way, but you could tell it was going to be strange off the bat by the wide-eyed intense stares everyone was throwing towards the camera. And the girls’ voices, high-pitched and slightly off-key, do have a technological feel to them- almost mimicking the noise an old computer would make especially when combined with the synth. So the sudden switch to aliens and robots is bizarre… but it works. Not too shabby.

This week I think it is kind of a toss up between Obi Best and Great Lake Swimmers, leaning more towards Obi Best though. Out of all of these, I would probably listen to Obi Best on a consistent basis. Alright all, let me know what you think in the comments section below and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.