If you’re like us, you were pretty bummed when December rolled around and the recording industry decided to go on a mini-break. Fortunately, it’s already February and plenty of impressive albums have dropped. Over thirty of them are in high rotation at WTSR, and here are the biggest highlights to listen for this month:

Vampire Weekend- “White Sky”
Vampy Wknd has been working on this one awhile. Debuted at Pitchfork Festival two summers ago, “White Sky” continues the band’s tradition of witty, idiosyncratic indie pop. Ezra Koenig’s vocal delivery in the chorus- essentially a series of yelps- doesn’t sound all that good in theory, but gives this charming little song much of its appeal.

Yeasayer- “Ambling Alp”
What’s that? Yeasayer are the new Animal Collective? If it turns out to be true, it will have a lot to do with this single. “Alp” almost overdoses on electronic blips, but retains just enough pop edge amongst the weirdness. Basically, if you like silly noises, this is your new favorite song.

Beach House-”Norway”
So, Beach House are 2010′s first indie band to officially blow up. We love all of “Teen Dream” at WTSR, but this lovely song has been our absolute favorite. If you focus too long on how the duo layers gentle vocals, shimmering guitar, and keyboard strokes you just might find yourself drifting away to a much happier place.

Surfer Blood- “Swim”
Bridging the gap between surf rock and blogosphere buzz bands are Surfer Blood, who actually write songs that relate to their name! The best of them is their debut single, which takes some Weezer-esque guitars and cool vocal tricks to make an utterly satisfying bit of crunchy guitar rock.

Motion City Soundtrack- “Pulp Fiction”
The standout track on the new Motion City Soundtrack record is “Pulp Fiction”, which reels the listener in with an insistent, irresistible hook. Listen closely, and you”ll hear shades of Eve 6′s 90′s hit, “Inside Out” in the chorus. And in true MCS tradition, singer Justin Pierre spends most of the track geeking out with pop culture references.

Editors- “Papillon”
When Editors announced their new album would be “completely guitar free”, my stomach turned a bit. Fortunately, the UK four-piece was crafty enough with the keyboard to write “Papillon”, a absolutely dominant Depeche Mode-style jam.

V.V. Brown- “Shark in the Water”
You’re probably used to TSR bringing you great alternative music, but we know what we’re talking about when it comes to pop as well. Ms. Brown is our favorite new pop singer of 2010, and her top song does an exquisite job of melding classic R&B with a contemporary vibe. “Shark” was recently made an iTunes Free Single of the Week, but you can say you heard her here first!

Los Campesinos!- “There Are Listed Buildings”
Okay, so you could say that Los Campesinos! have a few too many members. But when they put them all to good use, look out! On the highlight of their new record The Farmers! put it all together and craft catchy, delightfully off-kilter punk.