So much music, so little time to blog. I’ve got a backlog of tunes to highlight, so here are two off the top of the stack. Both of these young bands created buzz for themselves by introducing their music via MySpace.

Black Kids – “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”
Imagine Robert Smith of The Cure, circa ’83 or ’84, skipping down the street, hand-in-glove with Morrissey. Add in some female backing vocals for balance and that’s Black Kids (or the equation that computes for me, anyway).

The indie quintet may be the best thing to come out of Jacksonville, Florida, since, well, anything. Black Kids’ debut EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, was released online last August as a free download on MySpace. Their days of giving it away are likely over, as the band’s earned next-big-thing status from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and NME on the basis of those four tracks.

Black Kids are working on their full-length debut with Bernard Butler (Suede, The Tears). The first single is a re-recorded “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You” (a demo version appears on Wizard of Ahhhs). If ever there was a song in search of a John Hughes soundtrack, this is the one. Lead singer Reggie Youngblood would totally be slow-dancing with Molly Ringwald by movie’s end (or stepping aside, Duckie-like):

For the B-side to their “Teach” single, Black Kids have covered Sophie B. Hawkins’ “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover.” My pre-order has been placed, but April’s a long time to wait. If you like what you’ve heard here, go listen to Wizard of Ahhhs in its entirety.

Ghosthustler – “Only Me To Trust”
In late January (which gives you an idea of how long it sometimes takes to get to these things), I stumbled upon something called “Blog Radio” on Sirius’ Left of Center channel. That night’s broadcast was hosted by bloggers Gorilla Vs. Bear, and I hung around long enough to discover a few interesting artists, like Ghosthustler.

The Denton, Texas trio has an obvious affinity for proto-’80s synths, leading me to wonder if their songs are being crafted on a still-functioning Atari 2600. Read the local take on these ‘ghosts in the machine’ and their musical forbearers (I recommend skipping the reporter’s self-indulgent rant that comprises the article’s first half, however).