It has been a long time since I have been so excited about a new release the week that it is released. The norm for bands these days is to continue re-releasing their first album with a twist on their lyrics and the rhythm of each track. But fun. has clearly gone against the grain and decided to be ambitious with its second release, Some Nights (released Feb. 21 on Fueled by Ramen).

The first track, “Some Nights Intro,” does an unbelievable job setting the tone, building gradually with Freddie Mercury-style vocals. The song comes to a climactic ending with lead singer Nate Ruess confidently hitting notes that are no where near the register of most singers. This leads directly into what I presume will be the second single, “Some Nights.” An anthemic track layered with a plethora of vocal harmonies, “Some Nights” keeps the energy of the album at an incredible high.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtBMJfPRwGY

The lead single comes in the three spot (as on every other album that anyone’s ever made… ever) and features R&B singer Janelle Monae. Although the song has an undeniable hook, the cameo by Monae is very much unrecognizable and understated.  However, the chorus has been resonating over the airwaves for a couple of months now and there’s a reason for that.

Successful genre experimentation is one extremely unique quality of Some Nights. Stand out tracks include “Why Am I The One,” laced with clever lyricism and honesty that makes the listener believe the sincerity of Ruess’ heartbreak. It ends with a wonderful, fluttering string arrangement that gave me chills the first time I heard it. “All Alone” experiments with a hip-hop beat in the verses and “One Step” uses a big horn section to drive the song from start to end.

After several listens through Some Nights, I had difficulty picking out my favorite track because there were simply so many strong candidates. fun. has done something truly ambitious by experimenting with different genres and creating an album that is truly unique in an otherwise stale field of pop rock artists.

The future of music is blasting out of the sound system at Zizek Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. DJs and producers are mashing up cumbia (a popular Colombian genre), reggae, hip-hop, and electronic music, creating a space in which musicians can work with new ideas and giving them the chance to show what they’re doing in the current music scene.

Zizek Club — arguably the epicenter of the borderline avant-garde transformation of the Latin American sound of cumbia — has created a whirlwind of energy in just a few years, spawning the acclaimed record label ZZK Records.

Established in 2008 by producer Grant Dull, ZZK Records now manages 11 “new cumbia” groups. ZZK belongs to a new movement of rhythms born out of cities that are being reinterpreted using electronic music to create something new, fresh, and fun. Baile Funk from Brazil and Kuduro from Angola were popularized by M.I.A. and Buraka Som Sistema, respectively, evidencing the rise of this global movement of sonic reinterpretation.

The movement is exemplified by Tremor, an Argentine trio on ZZK Records. Tremor bridges generations, genres, and geography through technology to produce its signature style. The group’s sound is equal parts electronic music and native drum. It owes as much to anthropology as it does to popular music.

Today, ZZK is home to the psychedelic cumbia of Fauna, the experimental beats of Chancha Via Circuito, and the hard-hitting cumbia hypnotics of El Remolon, among other artists. To experience the ZZK sound, the best place to start is its newest release Amazonico Gravitante by Argentinian artist Mati Zundel.

The best cover songs put a new spin on a song without rendering it entirely unrecognizable. Sometimes they are better than the original, sometimes not — while covering a song invites comparison, why not enjoy both?Here’s a song for you to consider from angles both recognizable and unfamiliar.

Now hold up a minute. I know that to mention M.I.A. — especially on the wide world of the internet — is to provoke an immediate war of opinions  Her music and her public persona (ahem) are polarizing: She’s either avant-garde or an annoyance. However, I propose a compromise in the form of a cover song that replaces M.I.A.’s boldness with an otherworldly vibe.

Those who find M.I.A.’s music to be unpalatable are invited to skip the following video. The rest of you: For purposes of comparison, here is the track “Paper Planes” from her 2007 release Kala. It is highly likely that you have heard it before, as it received heavy airplay in addition to appearing in the film Slumdog Millionaire.  Classic rock fans haunted by a sense of familiarity might also identify the sample from The Clash’s song “Straight to Hell.”

As a part of the A.V. Club’s “Undercover” series, British band The Clientele opted to cover “Paper Planes.”  The ethereal, somewhat breathy music of The Clientele makes this an odd choice, and the diversity of styles produces a truly strange cover song. M.I.A.’s gunshot and cash register sound effects are replaced by tambourine and xylophone hits, while The Clash sample is transformed into a fluttering violin intro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMrlLt_taI0

In this reimagining of “Paper Planes,” what was formerly a gunshot-riddled, hip hop-inflected jam becomes sunny and slightly psychedelic. Whether you love the original or took pleasure in skipping it in the section above, The Clientele’s cover takes it in an unexpected direction. The best part is that instead of forcing you to choose between two like versions of the song, the cover builds upon the original to create an entirely new experience.