“Is Happiness Just a Word” — an electro/hip-hop single by androgynous, Icelandic, Brooklyn based chanteuse Yes Alexander and emcee Vinny Paz — re-treads Dido/Eminem territory, minus the forced kinship. She sings full-bodied and optimistically; he wrestles fatalism in earnest lines like: “I don’t wanna be dead/Dead don’t work.” Elsewhere, Alexander leans heavily Bjork-like, especially on "Kyanite," her unreleased EP currently making the NYC club rounds. Check out single "Fooled" from last year’s release, and see her live at Pianos’ upstairs lounge on 09.17, within The Deli’s official CMJ electronic stage. – Brian Chidester
