After an 11-year hiatus, Lilith Fair is back with a refreshing roster of female performers. When the festival originally launched in 1997, my friends and I passed. It got a quick reputation as an earthy-crunchy, lesbian love parade and seemed more like a pity party than a way to empower women.

The new ladies of Lilith could change all of that. Truth be told, I am not rushing out to buy tickets this time either but that’s because I am not in love with the Chicago lineup. The newcomers, such as Sia and La Roux, are paired with performers whose music and style are, by comparison, a bit antiquated. And while I wish them the best of luck, I have to question whether anyone who wants to see Sia will stick around for Cheryl Crow? So I created my own mini Lilith playlist, featuring some of my favorite, lesser-known females in the festival this year.

Metric - Their most recent album, Fantasies, was released last year.  Download “Gold, Guns, Girls”, and  ”Help I’m Alive”.  itunes.com/metric

Janelle Monae - Her first album, The ArchAndroid, dropped this May. Download “Tightrope”, “Dance or Die”, and “Cold War”. itunes.com/janelle-monae

Marina & The Diamonds – The Family Jewels, their first album, was released May 2010.  Download   “Hollywood”, “Mowgli’s Road”, “Oh No!”, and “Are You Satisfied”. itunes.com/marina-and-the-diamonds

Anjulie - Her self-titled album was released last summer and she also contributed to the motion picture soundtrack for Fame. Download: “Boom”, “Crazy That Way”, “Addicted2Me”, and “Big Things” (from the Fame soundtrack). itunes.com/anjulie

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Rockin’ Grace and her nocturnals released their latest eponymous album this June. Download “Paris (Oh La La)”, “Tiny Light”, “Medicine”, and “Goodbye Kiss”. itunes.com/gracepotterandthenocturnals

Susan Justice – New to me, after hearing her first single (released this month) I think I may want more. Download “Wonder” and “Forbidden Fruits”. itunes.com/susanjustice

Now if these gals were playing together, I’d be there…

xoxo Melina

If you’ve been paying attention, you’d know that MKIA has an affinity for pop music. It’s no surprise – I grew up idolizing Madonna and, thanks to Lauren’s influence, have come to love the likes of Britney and Gaga. But our post today is about a lesser known and formerly less poppy musician, Sia. Taking a break from her more somber state of mind, “We Are Born” is all 80′s pop influence. And while I’ve been listening to Sia’s music for years, I would not have been so quick to mention it on MKIA due to its mostly melancholy demeanor. That is no longer the case, as this album does a great job at rounding out her lineup while still showcasing her intoxicating voice. Sia gives some credit for the new sound to her relationship with DJ JD Sampson of Le Tigre as well as her childhood icons, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.

These references are obvious throughout the album. She even covers Madonna’s “Oh Father”, which cannot replace the original but is interesting nonetheless. The beats, unique and not sampled, stand up to Sia’s strong, melodic vocals and the glorious combination sets her apart from her contemporaries. My favorite tracks are (no surprise here) the most danceable: “The Fight”, “Clap Your Hands“, “You’ve Changed”, and “Bring Night”. There is one ballad, however, that stands out as a testament to Sia’s original strengths and her last album, “Some People Have Real Problems”. More Fiona Apple than Madonna, “Be Good to Me” is a lingering, sultry adventure that should not be missed. I will no doubt be belting it out in the shower sometime soon.

Listen at myspace.com/siamusic and download at itunes.com/sia.

xoxo Melina

Happy Fourth of July! It was a gorgeous weekend and we spent it celebrating our country’s independence with fun jams by the pool and on the dance floor. Inspired by our own good time, we’re kicking off the start of MKIA’S Music Mondays with these fun pop songs that will keep you shakin’ it all summer long:

Higher, Taio Cruz. The British singer-songwriter who’s last single, Break Your Heart, climbed to number one in the US and the UK used to write and produce for Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and many other mainstream artists. His most recent album, Rokstarr, is jam-packed with adrenaline pumping tracks that are sure to be the stars of the clubs this summer. Among them, Dynamite and Dirty Picture are two of my other favorites. Listen at myspace.com/taiocruzmusic and download at itunes.com/taiocruz.

Pass Out, Chris Brown. Even though I’m not a huge fan of CB the man, nor did I buy his BET Awards’ stunt, this song is a dance party waiting to happen. Sampling Eric Prydz’s college anthem, Call on Me, Brown proclaims “I’m your battery here to charge you up” and he’s not lying. Listen at myspace.com/chrisbrown and download at itunes.com/chrisbrown.

Little Secrets, Passion Pit. This song got everyone jumping on the dance floor this weekend. And friends of mine went to their concert this past week and said it was a blast. Listen at myspace.com/passionpitjams and download at itunes.com/passionpit.

Don’t Let Me Fall, B.o.B. I listen to this song on my walk to work in the morning and it always puts me in a good mood. It’s also great for those summer drives while cruising with the windows down. The piano riff interlaid with B.o.B’s rhymes are a nice combination. Airplanes, listed on MKIA’s May playlist, as well as Magic are other tracks by B.o.B that definitely deserve a shout-out. Listen at myspace.com/bobatl and download at itunes.com/bob.

Your Love’s a Drug, Leighton Meester. Who knew Blair Waldorf was capable of making cool pop music? I first heard this song at a bar in NYC and was immediately addicted. Once you get to the chorus, you too will be belting “All I neeeeeeeeeeeeeed…” Listen at myspace.com/leightonmeester and download at itunes.com/leightonmeester.

Up Up & Away, Kid Cudi. The rapper who gave us Day ‘n Night does not disappoint with his entire album - Man On the Moon: The End of Day. Up Up & Away is just one of this artist’s gems along with Pursuit of Happiness and Make Her Say. Listen at myspace.com/kidcudi and download at itunes.com/kidcudi.

Hope you enjoy them! xoxo Lauren

Every so often music comes into your life that you weren’t expecting, that gives you goosebumps, and that makes you fall in love. This is what happened when I first met Angus and Julia Stone. Their first album, the critically acclaimed A Book Like This, is full of poetic lyrics, moving melodies, and songs that you just want to play over and over again. Their follow-up album, Down The Way, was released on March 30th of this year and is everything a great sophomore album should be – an evolution of fantastic new tracks and new sounds with all the best attributes of the first album.

Their chilled-out, beachside vibe is as infectious as their voices. The Australian brother and sister duo take turns singing lead vocals, giving them the unique combination of variety and depth that makes for a great album, start to finish. If I had to pick, below are my favorite songs from each album (listen at myspace.com/angusandjuliastone or download at itunes.com/angusandjuliastone):

A Book Like This: (1) Paper Aeroplane, (2) Just a Boy, (3) All the Colours, (4) Mango Tree, (5) Here We Go Again.

Down The Way: (1) Hold On, (2) Yellow Brick Road, (3) On the Road, (4) And the Boys, (5) Black Crow.

Now when is the last time you listened to an entire album? No need to create a “playlist”, just download, press play and enjoy.

xoxo Melina

It’s that time again.  Memorial Day weekend = the start of summer fun and where there is fun, there must be good music. Here are seven new songs to help you get things started…

Airplanes, B.o.B (featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore) – Released last month, you have no doubt heard this on the radio. But we want to make sure it’s on your radar screen. B.o.B’s retro rap style and lighthearted lyrics combined with Hayley Williams’ powerful vocal bridge make this a truly unique summer track. You will definitely put this one on repeat. Listen at myspace.com/bobatl or download at itunes.com/b.o.b..

Bulletproof, La Roux – Watch out bad boys, La Roux says: “This time baby, I’Il be bulletproof…” This very danceable track is the perfect summer girl anthem but wihout any of the cheese that turns the boys off. Ladies, you may have to grab a boy and take him out on the floor for this one. Listen at myspace.com/larouxuk or download at itunes.com/laroux.

Unthinkable, Alicia Keys – Released in December, this song has only recently started getting radio play. That’s too bad because it’s one of her better performances. The sexy beats and undulating vocals are sure to put you in the mood for some summer loving. And what is summer without love? Listen at myspace.com/aliciakeys or download at itunes.com/aliciakeys.

Heartbreaker, will.i.am – Ok so technically this song was released in 2007 BUT no one heard it until it was featured in this year’s lackluster rom-com, Valentine’s Day. When the gorgeous Eric Dane appeared shirtless with the song’s chorus – “I’m a heart, I’m a heartbreaker” – bumping in the background I was hooked. Turns out the song is super catchy and very danceable. I imagine myself taking a summer run in a cute workout ensemble with this blasting in my ears. Now that’s motivation! Listen and download at itunes.com/will.i.am.

OMG, Usher (featuring will.i.am) – The quintessential party track, this will be playing at all the clubs this summer. “Honey gotta booty like pow pow pow…” Ok, so it’s not poetry but who cares? Listen at myspace.com/usher or download at itunes.com/usher.

Can’t Touch It, Ricki Lee (SATC Soundtrack) – You have heard this song on every Sex and The City 2 movie trailer for the last month so why not just download it already? Once you see the movie, you will no doubt want it for your own personal soundtrack. What better way to boost your mood while you prep for your own glamorous summer nights? Listen and download on iTunes.

Heartbreak on Vinyl, Blake Lewis – Blake, thank you for taking what was so great about 80′s new-wave and making it your own. This is just good, happy music. Check out the rest of Blake’s October 2009 album, we know it will become one of your new favorites. Listen at myspace.com/blakelewis or download at itunes.com/blakelewis.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo Melina

With the weather getting warmer and summer right around the corner you are probably ready for some fun. What you need is a soundtrack to go with your mood and we think these girls are just the answer. Both are British, both are platinum blonde, and both just released their albums in March.

If you are like the MKIAs, when summer hits you want upbeat, pop tracks that get your spirits up and make you want to dance. (But nothing too cheesy please.) And while we love Rihanna and Gaga, there is more out there. So if you like your pop creatively synthesized, not mass produced, check out Goldfrapp’s latest album, Head First and Little Boots’ debut album, Hands. These two British imports are bringing us a fresh sound with influences from the 70s and 80s. Here are our favorite tracks:

Little Boots: (1) New In Town (from the Jennifer’s Body Soundtrack), (2) Earthquake, and (3) Click. You can hear the full tracks at myspace.com/littleboots or download them at itunes.com/littleboots.

Goldfrapp: (1) Rocket, (2) Dreaming, and (3) Believer. You can listen to the full tracks at myspace.com/goldfrapp or download them at itunes.com/goldfrapp.

We hope you appreciate both of them for their unique sounds. Their infectious beats and cool vocals are undeniable and sure to make you want to get outside and soak up some sun and fun!

Whether you are taking an exotic beach vacation or just chillin at home, you will want to add these ladies to your soundtrack. Both have relatively new albums: Sade’s Soldier of Love was released in February 2010 and Miss Jones’ The Fall in November 2009 .

Soldier of Love possesses the strong, sexy beats and gorgeous vocals that made Sade famous. My two favorite tracks are Soldier of Love and  The Moon and the Sky.  Go to iTunes.com/sade to download.

Norah never lets us down…her latest album has the depth and variety no other songstress can match these days. Try Light As a Feather and  Chasing Pirates as a start. Go to iTunes.com/norahjones to download.

This week we wanted to bring you a soundtrack that will get your summer started off right. Our only requirements for this list were happy beats and lighthearted lyrics so we combed the latest releases to find some great selections for your listening pleasure. The result is a super-fun roundup of female voices and electronic instruments that are sure keep you grooving all summer long. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Shiny Toy Guns – Major Tom

We’re taking you back to the 80s with this sparkling new cover of the classic “Major Tom” (originally recorded in the mid-80s by Peter Schilling, it was a retelling of David Bowie’s classic 1969 song “Space Oddity”.) The chorus and dance-worthy beats conjure up images of sublime space travel. itunes.com/shinytoyguns

Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream

This is summer in a song. The only male vocalists on our playlist, these two Aussies are a hypnotic duo, as displayed in this retro disco/futuristic pop track. Just listen, we promise you will enjoy.  itunes.com/empireofthesun

Tamar Kaprelian – A New Day

The requisite chic song, we first heard this one on the season finale of The Hills when LC drove off into the sunset and said goodbye (or so they claim) to reality TV and hello to a life with a little less paparazzi. Well, maybe. Like the show’s original theme song, this one’s got staying power.  itunes.com/tamarkaprelian

Santigold – Shove It

Not a new song, but Santigold is new to MKIA and we want to make sure we share the good stuff with all of you. Santigold is the poo so take a big whiff and check out her entire debut album (released last year) before her next one hits. (The proof ? She toured with Coldplay and Jay-Z sampled Shove It on his hit “Brooklyn Go Hard.”) Her punk/reggae style is so unique we want to make sure she’s on your radar. Get to know her…the tracks L.E.S Artistes and Starstruck are equally down-load worthy.  itunes.com/santigold

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero

Soaring, pulsating, and full of energy is the only way to describe the first single of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ synth-showered third album, Its Blitz! You won’t listen to this one sitting-down. itunes.com/yeahyeahyeahs

Vistoso Bosses – Delirious

After some serious sass we wanted to end with a little sweet. If you want to remember what it’s like to have a teenage crush (in the summer), turn on this song. A sleeper that will most likely be the bubbly jam of the summer…download it now before everyone’s playing it.  itunes.com/vistosobosses