"I will never get over you/I've still got a lock of your hair," sings Christopher Owens, sounding like someone put a cigarette out on his heart. Owens' ability to turn that kind of longing into killer psych-pop hooks made Girls' 2009 debut so lovable. This EP homes in on a narrow spectrum — songs about loss, loneliness and drug-induced apathy. But Girls build elaborately arranged cuts like "Alright," and they toss in pedal steel and mariachi horns without losing spazzy energy. As the second album looms, it's exciting to hear them sound so bold and articulate.

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“Is It True”

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."