The Round Table

Tamar Kaprelian is poised to be Interscope’s next rising star at the tender age of twenty-two years old with her debut single “New Day.” And while the title might not ring a bell, the catchy tune sure will if you’re an avid viewer of MTV’s The Hills as it was featured in the Season 5 Finale. (guilty…I miss you LC!!)

The self-taught pianist began writing when she was fourteen years old and credits musicians ranging from Paul McCartney and Billy Joel to Alicia Keys and John Mayer for shaping her love of music. Though, after listening intently to the lyrics of “New Day,” I liken her to a more vulnerable Sara Bareilles. No shame in that, I LOVE Ms. Bareilles, so clearly Ms. Kaprelian is in great company.

The video for “New Day” is a nice introduction to Ms. Kaprelian as she takes her piano through the ultimate fairy-tale setting.  Check out the full video below — let us know what you think in the comment section.

“New Day” will appear on Ms. Kaprelian’s debut album, Sinner Or A Saint, due out later this summer.

Here to prove they’re more than a single-EP-yielding-One-Hit-Wonder, Passion Pit deliver on their full length debut. “Sleepyhead” is still very much the breakout hit, but that doesn’t mean the other 10 songs are filler (okay, maybe “Swimming in the Flood”). Oh, and it’s good to know that recent blog faves “Little Secrets”, “The Reeling” and “Moth’s Wings” sound better in the context of the album. Plus, I gotta give ‘em props for closer, “Seaweed Song” –with lyrics like these, it will be used on “The Hills”:

nobody knows you the way you know you
but I think I do
when I thought I knew
yeah, I thought I knew

Damn you, JustinBobby. I thought I knew you.

As a big fan of Los Campesinos! and having recently gotten into Empire of the Sun, I consider Passion Pit somewhere in between: some will consider the vocal range verging on intolerable where I find it endearing (LC!), but the electronic instrumentation is generally accessible enough to please the New Wave lover in all of us (a la EotS).

Stream the entire album at Spinner and let us know what you think. In stores and on iTunes now.