Kristine Flaherty isn't the first musician to find herself fed up with record industry shenanigans and machinations. Instead of fuming and stomping her feet about it, however, Flaherty, a San Francisco-based rapper and producer (with psychology and sociology degrees from Stanford University! ), extricated herself from the mess and started again. With Life as a Dog she has delivered a fine, feisty and hugely promising debut album. Her whipsmart lyrical observations result in both canny, eloquent pop (Fever) and darker, more personal fare (Wishing It Was You, Bad Things). Throughout, Flaherty makes plenty of neatly judged musical decisions, with ear-catching guitar glides dominating the grooves. Here's an artist with her eye very much on what's to come. kflay.com

Download: Wishing It Was You, Bad Things