Jenny Owen Youngs returns next month with her latest LP, An Unwavering Band of Light, a Dan Romer-produced set said to explore more live sounds and “grittier percussion” than her previous estimable efforts. Our first taste, single “Your Apartment,” certainly offers a boost in raw energy — complete with drums present upfront in the mix, hummable hooks galore, and a melodic nod (intentional or otherwise) to Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” in the verses.
In short, this is some fine pop music that we’d imagine will bring a host of new Youngs fans into the fold. What’s more, the tune’s new official lyric video — with its shadowy still-life view of an ambiguous urban setting lit up like an “Open” sign with the song’s glowing words — fits the tone quite well. Get to know the latest cut from one of the more promising emerging singer-songwriters around with the clip below:
While we wait for the Avett Brothers’ 
YouTube mashup artist Baracksdubs may have gone viral this week by splicing together clips of President Obama to form an interpretation of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” but now some better source material has arrived: Speaking at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater in New York City, Obama honored Reverend Al Green with both a few words and a sung line from the iconic soul singer’s most famous hit, “Let’s Stay Together.”