Polvo: “Beggars Bowl”
In 1997 Polvo were slackers. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina band’s records were charmingly sloppy and haphazard. But “Beggars Bowl, the groups first new material since reuniting last year, suggest that Polvo has gotten a little more professional in its approach to music making. There are thundering power chords, technical grooves, and if you were to only listen to the song’s first 30 second, you might swear you were listening to metal-FM. That said, Polvo doesn’t sound too bad shredding in earnest.

B.o.B: “My Sweet Baby”
B.o.B swipes some samples from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack–from “Love is Strange,” to be specific–but don’t be fooled, this is not a sensual romp with Patrick Swayze. Rather, it’s more like being belted with a radio station call sign for three minutes.

Real Estate: “Green River”
As far as music goes, New Jersey’s central export is blue-collar mythology. Which might put Real Estate, who hail from the Garden State, in some danger. From the sound of “Green River,” with it’s gentle melodies and sweetly chiming guitars, the band might not even be able to take The Four Seasons in a fight. Maybe Real Estate needs to relocate to a state that won’t squash its sweet but naive vibes.