Everything is bare-bones, even the lyrics, and in “Enjoying Myself” Mr. McKeown and his ultratrebly guitar alongside the bassist Jamie McMorrow (another Fur alumnus) and the singing drummer Michael McGaughrin (formerly of V-Twin), who spend much of their time playing as little as possible. The debut 1990s album, “Cookies” (Rough Trade), puts Mr. He has a new band, 1990s, and a new approach: instead of delivering lyrics in a thick Scottish burr, he delivers them in his version of an American drawl, which still sounds pretty Scottish (at least in America). McKeown (known these days as Jackie) is getting a second chance. He never became a rock star, but a couple of his bandmates did, when they formed a group called Franz Ferdinand.

Ten years ago, John McKeown was a Glaswegian secret: leader of a clever, puckish post-punk band called the Yummy Fur. Everything seems fixable until the end, when Ms. The follow-up, “Foundations,” is even better, a disarmingly conversational account of a relationship on the rocks: “Thursday night, everything’s fine, except you’ve got that look in your eye/When I’m telling a story and you find it boring, you’re thinking of something to say.” At, you can watch the music video, directed by Kinga Burza, whose cute images (tangling socks, kissing toothbrushes) echo the incongruous cheer of the strummed guitar and peppy drum machine. Her first single, “Caroline’s a Victim,” matched that cryptic phrase to a bare-bones electro beat it sounded like a meanspirited daydream. But if that vague compliment helps people discover Ms. No doubt this emerging British singer is already sick of being called the next Lily Allen. But for now, there’s Hurricane Chris (/hurricane), a Shreveport, La., rapper with a diabolically addictive single called “A Bay Bay.” Perhaps he should explain, preferably over that streamlined beat (it consists of almost nothing but a downbeat) and those three pizzicato notes: “You wanna know what we say in the club? A Bay Bay/White folks, gangstas and the thugs? A Bay Bay.” It’s actually pronounced ay-bay-BAY, which might make the etymology clearer: it’s a new twist on an old way of asking for somebody’s attention. We’re living through a golden age of bold and propulsive hip-hop novelty songs even listeners who claim to hate “This Is Why I’m Hot” or “2 Step” may find themselves feeling nostalgic once those hits become old enough to be considered kitschy relics. Are you ready for the next club-conquering, catchphrase-popularizing, ring-tone-selling, purist-enraging hip-hop hit? No? Too bad.

Z ro music videos