Sound Off | September offers surprising delights

The Songs of September are, no matter how you slice it, kind of a bummer. The balmy fare of summer is a hell of a tough act to follow; this holds especially true this year, considering what an exceptional season it was. While the raunchy slo-jam "Motivation" by Destiny's Child alumna Kelly Rowland was the pinnacle of the pack, a bevy of solid singles were in hot pursuit. Bon Iver's "Beth/Rest" capped a poignant sophomore album with a gorgeous ode to '80s adult contemporary. Pusha T's "Trouble on My Mind," a collaboration with hip-hop starlet Tyler the Creator, killed it with a stone-cold beat and the rhymes to match. The Handsome Furs' "Repatriated" pulsed with all the energy of a European synth-pop anthem. So all LMFAO aside, the summer of 2011 had it going on.

Granted that early autumnal offerings will inherently come off as the denouement to summer's sizzle, this fall has nevertheless held its own. Here are three burgeoning singles that have already emerged as winners in the crisp and colorful season-to-be.

"Weekend," by Class Actress

Did you catch this up-and-coming Brooklyn act at the Vassar College Entertainment post-Serenading concert? I most certainly did not, but have since discovered their pop-genre panache on the web; now I spend my days steeped in utter self-loathing for having missed them.

Their standout "Weekend" is the best dance hall fare since Robyn's slice of Swedish pop heaven "Dancing on My Own" made a splash in 2010. This '80s-inspired stomp is similar to "Dancing on My Own" with a surprisingly bittersweet tone. When Elizabeth Harper sings of her distress and self-pity stemming from unrequited love—"What am I ever going to do to make it easy on me?"—it is a lament most palpable. But what ultimately defines the track is its production, with pumping synth and crisp percussion that inspires you to say it along with Harper: "Bring it on—bring on the weekend!"

"Marvin's Room," by Drake

Drake has been pushing the hip-hop and R&B envelope since 2009, and he continues the trend with his new single "Marvin's Room." The track instantly immerses itself in minimalist hip hop aesthetic, a light beat with airy strands of electronic embellishment. But this lush soundscape is soon overshadowed by the absurd skeeziness of Drake's verses. Wasted off of "cups of the rosé," he calls up an old fling who has found happiness in a monogamous relationship, and tells her in no unclear terms to leave her man—"I'm just sayin' you can do better"—and be Drake's booty call. He may be clubbing and drinking posh liquor à la every other top-40 charting artist under the sun, but unlike the rest of the crowd, his position is not to be idolized: Here, Drake is a pathetic loser who has hit a new low. The conflation of the beat's beauty with the narrator's ugliness is an utterly fascinating experiment that somehow pays off big time.

"Someone Like You," by Adele

From a certain perspective, it makes total sense that Adele hit it big this summer with two number-one Billboard singles. Her powerful pipes resonate with a culture obsessed with soulful female vocalists: Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Cristina Aguilera and oy vey, how the list goes on. The talented Brit was bound from the get-go to inspire a tidal wave of YouTube video covers from American Idol wannabes.

Nevertheless, it feels strange to consider that a chart-topping song like "Someone Like You" could be so…good. The simple four-chord piano ballad resonates because of Adele's voice, but also because of its lyrics. When she addresses her ex, there is no vitriol, calling him "old friend"; it saliently lacks the vengeful fire of "Rolling in the Deep." Consider the heartbreak imbued in the opening lyrics: "I heard that you're settled down, that you found a girl and you're married now. I heard that your dreams came true; guess she gave you things I couldn't give to you." When paired with Adele's overwhelming vocal presence, this makes for an emotional experience that rarely graces the mainstream.