Time for some Cher! Now now, don’t be so quick to judge! Yes, Cher does not butter everyone’s crumpets (my crumpets remain quite unbuttered), but she writes catchy pop and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

I personally never liked Believe: something about the liberal use of auto-tune really got my gristle during its heyday, so I wasn’t expecting much when my friend Laura linked me to this cover. But here’s the thing: I have not been able to stop listening to this. It’s a beautifully stripped down, acoustic version of the song with incredibly sweet vocals. It’s an unbelievable transformation from it’s dance-pop origins to something that is genuinely heartfelt. It’s just… wow. Just listen to it already!

Like the cocky, stuck-up hipster that I am, I bemoaned the inordinate attention that Daft Punk’s admittedly catchy Get Lucky received upon release. Partly because I absolutely must hate anything that’s popular, but mostly because it was a derivative of 60s/70s funk that really didn’t do anything much except mirror the kind of stock-standard definition of the genre.

As such, it’s always a pleasure to go back in time and pull out some truly excellent funk – or rather, let my brother do it for me. Allow me to present Stretch, a group that was initially formed to replace the members of Fleetwood Mac during their crazy period of infighting during the 70s. Once that hoo-ha settled, Stretch was officially formed and this single was released. Despite having less chords than Get Lucky, this song seems to do a whole lot more with them. Funkalicious, baby!

You may or may not be surprised to find out that I put in next to no effort anytime I post on this here website. Yet, it’s still a difficult job! I mean, I have to find a song we haven’t posted about yet (we’ve done over 900 posts, which leaves only 2.5 billion potential song choices), and then I have to tell you about it! Sheer torture, I tell you. As such, sometimes I outsource the job of finding music to my minions. I mean friends.

Today’s song comes to us courtesy of my friend, Mani, and it is quite a stunning piece of music. Coeur De Pirate is the stage name of Canandian singer Béatrice Martin. While she’s yet to make a huge impact outside of her native country, it’s hard to see that becoming a tradition with this song, a cover of the Bon Iver track. Soaring, hauntingly beautiful, and elegantly simple.

Today is a very special day. My wonderful work ‘big sister’, Sarah, is going on maternity leave! So, I let her choose today’s song, and like any good big sister, she has decided to mess with me by torturing me with this incredibly terrible song!

I… I don’t know where to start with this. I mean, I grew up in the 90s, so this should all be nostalgic and awesome… but it isn’t. It’s awful! High-waisted denim! Open shirts casually draped across shoulders! Synchronised (and completely crappy) dance moves! A spoken-word section half-way through! High-pitched singing! I feel like I’m watching a Lonely Island video, except this song… oh good lord man, PUT ON A SHIRT YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’RE 15!

So anyway, congratulations Sarah! You’re the best! Now, excuse me while I go weep in a corner.

I usually don’t go for the techno-type stuff but I love the beat of this one. The violin parts make it a winner for me! – Dan

Hey, look at that: turns out not all my friends are women. Dan is the person I do serious writings with: world’s collide! Suitably, he’s picked music from a game I’ve never heard of, but what a tune it is. Something that’s always delightful about Japanese techno for video games is that they tend to throw in a lot of stringed instruments like violins, so you get a lovely, somewhat classical feel combined with a thumping electronic beat. Fans of Anamanaguchi, take note.

Not so new or exciting, but my iPhone has been broken for weeks and this was one of two songs that my phone didn’t delete, so they were on repeat for ages. And I still love them! – Mione

What a horrendous situation to be in: an iPhone with only two songs on it! I shudder at the thought. Bon Iver isn’t quite my cup of tea, but there are certainly far worse songs to be stuck with (kill me now).

Try this at 4am! – Nicola

I wasn’t able to take Nicola’s advice on this one (because, you know, work), but woo nelly. It has that kicking, messy, “underground and I don’t know what time it is” vibe to it, from the great days of early British punk. Sadly, the group dissolved after the suicide of lead singer, Ian Curtis; the remainder of the band went on to form New Order.

The former Idol has a new tale to tell. – Micaela

Ah, all those winners of Australian Idol have become super popular and respected musicians, haven’t they? Turns out, those reality talent shows have as much bearing on musical success as singing to yourself in the shower does.

Buffalo Tales is the new incarnation of Wes Carr, winner of Idol in 2008. Out of the very few artists that I can recall that came from that junk, Carr is one that I hoped would go beyond studio-mandated rubbish. And he has! This is a wonderful, striped-back tune, brimming with country/folk goodness; it’s beautifully heartfelt, and a total hoot at the same time.

This was love at first listen and it still makes me want to press repeat, everytime. – Megan

The last time I asked for a song off Megan, I got this, which I tastefully described as having a panting dog in the background. As it is, I’m rather relieved that this time Megan has a tune from an artist that I certainly don’t mind at all.

It is the kind of song that makes folks swoon for Mr. Mayer: it’s all tenderness and romance and acoustic guitars. I’m a little more partial to his more upbeat/bluesy stuff, but this is the kind of tune you can play to your sweetie as you snuggle up next to him/her. Unless they’re into death metal, or something.

Not a fan of the video clip but this song is great. – Kim

Once upon a time, I was not the biggest fan of rap and hip-hop. Well, I’m still not the biggest fan, but I’ve certainly found a whole bunch goodness in those genres over the years. Perhaps that will be the case with dubstep for me one day, because at the moment it mostly sounds like a microphone being dragged over concrete while a baby yells into it. I guess this one does have a bit of a melody and OMG THERE’S PUPPETS IN THE MUSIC VIDEO THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER.