"The Mother We Share" by CHVRCHES

Picture the Scottish. Those kilt-wearing pipers are known for shepherding their flocks through meadow and moor with a leg of mutton in one hand and a fifth of whisky in the other. For too long Scotland has played host to a one-dimensional culture whose people are only good at shearing sheep, drinking, and drunkenly shearing sheep. The narrow worldview and skill set of the Scots is being expanded to include synth pop music thanks to the hard work, diligence and musical talent of a group called CHVRCHES.

Lauren Mayberry, Martin Doherty and Iain Cook pose for

Interview Magazine.

 This Scottish electronic trio formed in 2011 and is, two years later, releasing their first full album, The Bones of What You Believe. Their wheelhouse is synthesizer work between Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, backing up frontwoman Lauren Mayberry's compelling melodies, but they don't restrict themselves. Iain plays guitar and bass, and both gents will get behind the mic to sing harmonies and occasionally lead vocals on tracks. This week's free single, "The Mother We Share", is the first track on the new album and typifies most of what you'll hear throughout.

"Pumpin Blood" by NONONO

Sometimes you take a bite of a fresh-baked cookie and the taste is so full and complete that you wonder if you'll ever taste anything so delicious ever again. This week's single is nothing like that. It's better compared to one of those green smoothie drinks filled with kale, spinach and celery. It tastes good initially, but you mull it over a bit longer and find the aftertaste doesn't sit quite right.

NONONO, rumored to be a very disagreeable band, is a trio from Sweden formed in 2012, and so is relatively new to the music scene. Chasing the coattails of Swedish pop a la Icona Pop, NONONO captures similar catchy riffs and synth pop sounds, but is less electronic/dance, more alt-pop. I really enjoy their sound, and I like the song, but I don't think I can listen to it. Play the video below and I'll explain.

"Little Games," by The Colourist

I tell you what, I'm really torn over this week's free single. Normally when the folks at iTunes tap an alt pop single I expect it to be a real gem, but "Little Games" is just not doing it for me. But I digress.

The group is The Colourist, a four person act out of California releasing their first EP, Lido. They laid some groundwork before producing any tracks - they performed with indie giant Grouplove and appeared at Coachella, as well as opening for Youngblood Hawke and Atlas Genius (both groups that have featured iTunes free singles in the past year).

It's an impressive resume for a group with one EP, but I don't see The Colourist rising up to their likes anytime soon based on their published work.

"Outta Time," by Natalia Kills

Well I'm gonna keep this short, because much like the title of this week's single, I am out of time to write this post.

I'm going to be blunt here. I don't like this song. I don't like this artist. I gave Natalia Kills a fair shot, listened to her new album, Trouble, and her debut album, Perfectionist, and I came up dry.

I don't like the slightly off-pitch vocal riff at the start of this song. I don't like the boring drum beat. I don't like her voice. I don't like the chord progression. I don't like the twangy guitar chords in the background. Not even the lyrics do anything special for me. There's nothing about this song that I hate, but there's nothing I like either. It just bores me to tears.

None of her other work floats my boat either. Her most popular tracks, "Problem," "Saturday Night," and "Wonderland" have her torn between sounding like a female Kanye West and a subpar British Lady Gaga. It's not that it's bad music - it's just not special. I can't tell what she's striving towards as an artist from what I've heard, and I don't care to listen to more to find out after what I've been exposed to. "Outta Time" was an awful pick from her new album for the free track. It's not at all representative of the rest of her album, and anyone who does investigate the album after listening to it will be left very, very confused. Frankly, I'm just hoping for a better track next week. I give "Outta Time" a...

2 out of 5.