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.

“Youth Knows No Pain”

“Like on 'Youth Knows No Pain' — we are the ones that should demonstrate, because we can take it,” Likke Li said. “We can pierce ourselves, take Ecstasy, dance all night and still go to work at our McDonald's jobs.” Despite the hedonistic sentiment in the song, the Swedish singer also admitted in hindsight her youth had repercussions. “I remember when I was 18-19 and feeling that I know it all,” Li said. “I always feel that I know it all. But that song is about realizing you don’t, and reflecting, ‘Boy, if I only knew what would follow.’”