Singles: Sept. 14/21, 2012

Will.I.Am, ”Reach for the Stars”

In 1938, Orson Welles went on the radio to warn Americans of a hostile invasion from Mars. It was a hoax, but hindsight is 20/20: Thiaas Auto-Tuned transmission from the Red Planet is orchestrally overwrought and — its true crime — not even danceable. Space-jam fail! C- —Ray Rahman

Ben Gibbard, ”Teardrop Windows”

We’d say that people looking for clues about the Death Cab for Cutie frontman’s breakup with Zooey Deschanel should look elsewhere, but then they’d miss out on a great song. In this wistful ode to a Seattle skyscraper, Gibbard’s sincere songwriting and pop sensibility are the sharpest they’ve been in years. A- —Ray Rahman