Despite having one of the more unfortunate band names in recent memory, the Boston trio called Pants Yell! have been responsible in the past few years for some very fine indie pop that conjures up early Go-Betweens and mid-period Lucksmiths. The group’s 2007 record Allison Statton was a slept-on gem, their new album Received Pronunciation may get some more notice since it’s being released (next Tuesday) on hot label Slumberland. The video for “Somebody Loves You” is pleasantly DIY dorky and sweet, showing the band to be just regular joes with a knack for making near-perfect guitar pop.

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Not only are they the best emo-pop band around, Hellogoodbye are also aces at making videos that display all the rambunctious and awkward charm of their music. Whether it’s a lovingly recreated summer camp homage for “Here (In Your Arms),” good time beach antics on “Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn” or wistful high school hi-jinks on “Baby It’s Fact,” the group — and especially endearingly geeky singer Forrest Kline — knows how to make videos work for them. On their new single “When We First Met,” they match the buoyantly poppy tune with a super cute video that tells the story of a couple through the length of their hair. Okay, it’s twee and precious, but it’s also very, very sweet and if you don’t like it you’re a crankypants.

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Le Corps Mince de Francoise are three Finnish girls who like glittery eye junk, wacky headgear and riding their bicycles through the city at night. So far, so good, right? On their new single “Something Golden” they also set their sing-song, outer space voices next to some truly thick and unhinged synthesizers, a naggingly catchy processed guitar line and a skittish hip-hop beat to create a sound that fans of Yelle or Bjork might really get into. Something tribal, something goofy and something totally pop and fun.

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The Nightblooms don’t get a lot of mentions these days when people gush over the great shoegaze groups of yesteryear. Maybe it’s because the luckless Dutch quartet were stuck on the sad-sack Seed label. Maybe it’s because even though they were lumped in with the gauzy-pedal brigade they were more likely to rip the top of your head off than waste time gazing into their footwear. Check this video of “Blue Marbles,” a song from their eponymous 1992 album, for proof of that. They sound like Mudhoney with the girls from ABBA singing over the top. Really, they do! Add them to your list of ’90s bands to rediscover, and do your best to track the album down. You won’t be disappointed.

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You can’t argue this one. Kid ‘N Play are the jam! Forget Kid’s eraserhead (if you can), forget Play’s ill-advised moustache. Forget about how the “real” rappers thought they were too soft, too pop (as if such a thing is possible). Just remember how their songs never fail to rock the party. 1988’s 2 Hype is one of the great party rap albums of the golden age, full of straight up jams produced by Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor. The hooks are huge, the rhymes are tight and Kid had actually had some pretty impressive flow at times. And that first House Party movie is pretty hilarious too. Especially if you are as big a fan of “one crazy night” films as me. Let’s check out a couple of their finest video moments and get this day rolling….

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The XX are getting loads and loads of hype. All justified, truly. If you still aren’t sure, check this breathtaking (yeah, yeah…people are always using that word but I really, really mean it this time!!) version of “Islands” from their self-titled debut album. It’s live from Jools Holland’s TV program and it’s simply staggering how much raw soul they pour into the sparse and precise arrangement.

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When Aaliyah’s plane crashed into a Bahamanian swamp eight years ago this Tuesday, the world of music lost one of its biggest hit makers and most promising artists. It also lost, in the words of DMX (no softy) “an angel on earth.” With the songwriting and production skills of first R. Kelly, then the dynamic duo of Timbaland and Missy Elliott backing her, there was no doubt that she would succeed. Still, without her combination of smooth sweetness, unerring sense of style and a solid core of toughness that appealed to the hip hop faithful, she may have been just another R&B singer. Instead, she racked up a long string of hits that helped to re-define modern R&B and still stand up today as nothing short of amazing. Check this list: “Back & Forth”, “At Your Best (You Are Love)”, “If Your Girl Only Knew,” “Are You That Somebody?” “Try Again,” “One in a Million,” “Miss You,” I Care For You,” and tell me who did it better between 1994 and 2001.

While the best way to hear her music is in a packed club (for the jamz) or late at night over headphones (for the honey-sweet ballads), checking out some videos comes in a close second.

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It’s been way too long since the release of any new music by the Pastels. I’m sure they’ve been busy with trivial stuff like real life but that’s cold comfort for fans like me who have been feeling like there’s a giant hole in their lives that only a new Pastels record can fill. Thankfully the group has two (!) new projects ready for release. The first is an album made with Japanese twee-folk duo Tenniscoats called Two Sunsets; “Vivid Youth” is taken from the album and if it’s any indication of the quality of the rest of the record, it’s going to be really, really good.

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