Brooklyn singer-songwriter Jarrod Gorbel got his start moaning about heartache with dour indie-rock band the Honorary Title. Gorbel has shed his old group for the folky Devil's Made a New Friend, but his mood remains as dark as ever. "The less extraordinary life gets/The more my love starts losing effect," he sighs in the solemn opener, "Extraordinary." In the hands of lesser musicians, the consistent cynicism could become a drag, but Gorbel leavens his world-weary outlook with sparkling arrangements: a string section in "I'll Do Better," bleary church organ in "Devilish Ways." And while his voice — a somber, gravelly baritone — is perfectly suited to his sentiment, it's just as effective when Gorbel lightens up. "Wherever you will be/That's where I call home," he sings on the rocketing "Each Breath," proving even the grouchiest bard is a softy underneath.

“Ambling Alp”

The "Ambling Alp" was the nickname of the six-and-a-half-foot-tall Primo Carnera. Though the song is named after the Italian-born 1930s heavyweight champion, Yeasayer are actually paying tribute to boxing legend Joe Louis with this first-person psychedelic dance-rock tune. “I was always interested in writing a song that had boxing mythology in it,” Yeasayer’s Chris Keating said. “It’s pretty fascinating: There were so many amazing characters, and it was so closely entwined with 20th century history.” Yeaseyer also invokes German champ Max Schmeling and hints at the historical significance placed on the historic bouts between the Nazi-era boxer and the African-American Louis.