2. Lenno, “The Best” feat. Dragonette [Casablanca Records]
A pulsing, synth pop jam complete with hand claps, booming drums, builds, drops, synths, trumpets, and guitar dabbles – Lenno takes the best parts of every pop song post-Thriller to create “The Best.” Add onto all of that a sprinkling of the bittersweet vocal tinge of Martina Sorbara, frontwoman of Dragonette, and lyrics about a newfound flame that can’t be put out – “I’m feeling all of your side effects / From the body buzz to the loss of breath / I’ve got a thumpin’ up inside my chest / You got me lookin’ like a hot mess” – and you’ll be singing along before the song even ends. Despite the layers, there’s no weak spot here. The song has feeling in a way that the synthetic, Max Martin-by-the-numbers, big pop affairs don’t. Lenno, a Finnish producer hungry to cut his teeth, has concocted a dance-party earworm of Fenway Park walk-out proportions, and it sounds the fuckin’ best.