LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
Time now for our music project Heavy Rotation. Each month, NPR Music asks public radio hosts and DJs to name a favorite new tune. They then post the list at NPR.org, and we feature one of those picks on this program. Today we'll hear from DJ Anne Litt, of member station KCRW in Los Angeles.
ANNE LITT, BYLINE: By far and away, my favorite new discovery of 2013 was the band from Sidney, Australia, called Jagwar Ma. What drew me to Jagwar Ma is a really wonderful combination of guitars and rock, and also dance and pop.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COME SAVE ME")
JAGWAR MA: (Singing) I don't think you want me like I want you. I don't think you want me like I want you...
LITT: It's rock that is really melody driven. I think my favorite song by Jagwar Ma is really the single that introduced me to the band, originally. It's called "Come Save Me."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COME SAVE ME")
JAGWAR MA: (Singing) Always know what you want. Always know what you want...
LITT: Guitars and guitar rock, '60s pop vocals and, you know, vintage beats - somehow, they've managed to put together all of these elements to create something that harkens to other eras, but it also is something totally new-sounding.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COME SAVE ME")
JAGWAR MA: (Singing) Come and save me. Come and save me...
LITT: I think the song is about a guy who really wants this girl. The girl doesn't want him, and he's trying to make peace with that. And then the music plays completely against that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COME SAVE ME")
JAGWAR MA: (Singing) I don't think you want me like I want you. I don't think you want me like I want you. So what have we got to do to get around it? What have I got to do to get around it? I don't want ...
LITT: I like the juxtaposition of the not-so-happy lyric with the excitement and exuberance of the song. It makes it more dynamic, to
(SOUNDBITE OF JAGWAR MA SONG)
WERTHEIMER: That's KCRW DJ Anne Litt, talking about "Come Save Me," by Jagwar Ma. You can stream the songs public radio's been loving all year, at nprmusic.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF JAGWAR MA SONG) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.