We Are A Bus Ride by Kathleen Quinn

This mix is about moving. Generic, I know. Unoriginal, maybe. But almost every one of my favorite songs is connected somehow to moving. From trips, to buses, to walking, I constantly feel like I'm drifting. These songs are about those moments, and not the standing still that happened inbetween.


1. Flume - Bon Iver
In the past year I have done more leaving then I ever cared to do. Retreating and abandoning my life and the people I loved for something new. My whole life it's all I ever planned for, and yet I found that went it came time to go I was completely unprepared for it. I can most certainly say that this is the result of the summer I graduated high school. I met someone before I left Arizona and moved to California, and it sort of changed the way I viewed everything about moving in life. In August they put Bon Iver on a mix of songs that reminded them of me. I fell in love with the sound and the way it seemed to say everything I was feeling in its melodies. Every trip since then, between all the plane flights and goodbyes, this is the song I listened to.





2. Matresses Underwater - Colour Revolt
That same summer before I moved I took a trip with my brother and boyfriend to Chicago for Lollapolooza. At some point during the trip we took a train in the city. It was towards the evening, and the sun was slanting through the windows. There was something beautiful about the rhythmic movement of the train, roaring and moving across the rooftops. This song started to play, and I drifted off as the trained rocked. We just kept drifting and drifting and everything was warm and hazy. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life.





3. Ghost Under Rocks - Ra Ra Riot
I have always been a fan of long car rides. There's something about watching the scenery pass by and listening to music as you drive that I love. One of my favorite road trips was the first one I took after I got my license. I drove an hour and a half to Tucson, Arizona to stay with my brother for the weekend. The drive home is what I remember the most. It was night time, and I was driving back through the desert and everything was empty. The desert was empty, the road was empty. The only things around were the occasional headlight, an entire sky of stars, and music. This was one of the songs on my mix that night.


4. Smoke In My Eyes - Early States
This is really nothing more than a song that reminds me how much I wanted to leave everything behind me. And how happy it made me to do so.





5. What Ever Happened? - The Strokes
Some politician in Phoenix at some point decided that we weren't cool or modern enough. That, as a measure to take us from cowboys to classy, we needed a mass transit system. And many, many years later, they built a quasi-useless light rail system. By quasi-useless I mean that for 80% of the people that live in Phoenix, there is no reason to use it. However, it just so happened that the light rail ran from my house straight to my high school. So most mornings I would take it to school instead of driving. In the winter these rides usually began in the dark and ended at sunrise. I think I rode it more to be able to listen to music and watch the sunrise than any other convenient reason. This song was on my early morning winter mixes.

6. Saintly Rows (Oh Oh) - Dear and the Headlights

My freshman year of college I took a road trip to Northern California with two of my best friends. On the drive back, we were all quiet and tired. We didn't really talk, we just sat and listened to music, had a picnic in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road, and just watched the fields roll by. This song came on at some point towards sunset as we were driving back to the city. It just felt like the perfect song to end the weekend with, there was something encompassing about it that I loved.


7. The Game Needed Me - Minus the Bear

The summer before my senior year I spent a month in Barcelona studying art. This month can be summed up with Kate Nash, The Cure, Flight of the Concords, and Minus the Bear. I listened to the first three constantly with my friends at night while we watched the people of the city out their window. But on days when I would walk through the alley ways and streets alone, I would play Minus the Bear. It made everything seem even more unreal and distant. It was nice to be able to walk around completely anonymous and just watch all the people move past me. This song made everything feel like it was somehow in slow motion.


8. The Procession - Manchester Orchestra
In 2009 I ended up living in San Francisco for college. Seeing as my car met an untimely demise a few months prior to going there and there is no possible chance of me finding free parking, I quickly became best friends with public transit. This, as well as the fact that I just really love sitting on a bus a watching the city and the people, led me to spend a lot of time riding around the city. Something about this song makes things beautiful and poetic in a way, and I loved listening to it while watching everything pass by on the street.


9. Tune Out - The Format

One of the most beautiful moments in my life happened the summer I was studying in England. One of my teachers told me about a tea shop built in a grove outside the city called The Orchard. One Sunday when I didn't have class I got a map and decided to try and walk there. It took about an hour to get there, but it was breath-taking. There were fields, weeping willows, and the most incredible wild flowers everywhere. It was the first summer I had an ipod (I felt really cool to not be carrying a shit ton of CD's around), and one of the only CD's of my own that I had loaded on it was the Format. I listened to this song at least ten times on that walk, and every time I hear it now all I can think of is The Orchard.


10. Memories On A Deck, Pt. 2 - Right Away, Great Captain
Right Away, Great Captain has this odd way of making me appreciate life. I know most people think it's eerie, and I will admit there is something haunting about it, but I really do find something calming and sweet about it. Which of course means I have designated it as my walking music. I decided one night that I wanted to be indie and walk to the beach toward sunset. (Bad choice, I only made it half way till I asked myself what the hell I was doing and got on a bus back to campus. This is mostly why I am not cool enough for half the people in this city). But for at least half the way this song made everything feel like it was okay in the world.


11. Pachuca Sunrise - Minus the Bear


The same summer I was studying in Spain we took a field trip to the Mediterranean Sea. We went to this little city called Calella. A few of my friends and I walked to the top of this hill that overlooked the whole city. We all had our music, and we just stood there for awhile and looked out over the city. As this was the summer of Minus the Bear I got a ridiculously unnecessary satisfaction from being next to the Mediterranean while listening to a song that had the lyrics "Midnight on the beach in the Mediterranean". (I'm obviously pleased easily).



12. Run - Snow Patrol
This song isn't really about a specific trip. It's not about a bus ride. And it's not about all the plane flights. This song is still about moving, about running away. It's about wanting to stand still. Wanting to be able to stay in one moment, in one life. It's about not having to leave. It's for all the times I felt like I was losing something constantly drifting. It's about everything, everyone, I did lose between all the moving. And at the same time it's about accepting it all. Apologizing for it all. It's about everything you can't change. It's about everything you want to change. It's about being happy again. It's about letting music say everything for you that you don't know how to.

Folly of Youth by Matt Klomp

I wanted my first mix to be an as-honest-as-musically-bearable look back on the music from the time of my life that really got me INTO music. The music that, for whatever reason, I really felt a connection with. That got me through the years when I was still trying to figure out: how to be cool, how girls work, how to unlock the San Francisco level in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, how to make and know when to lose friends, who I was as a person, and basically everything else you're supposed to know about life (still struggling with these, so please send over any insights you may have). This is the music that got me through the cruelest, most uncertain, most devious, and most revealing years I've known: Junior High School.

This was a really fun mix for me to make, as it forced me to dig up tons of songs (and repressed memories) that I hadn't heard in almost ten years. At the same time, some of these songs are still among my favorites today (Alkaline Trio, Jimmy Eat World). One brief confession - I've conveniently left out the worst of the embarrassing crap I used to listen to, mostly to prevent the listener from uncontrollably smashing in her car stereo with the claw end of a hammer and partly to save face. So, to come clean... yes, at one time, I DID have songs by Good Charlotte (pre-"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" only!) in my Napster library and on several mixes I would play through my Discman. And definitely that first Papa Roach single. Possibly Three Doors Down. And some other stuff that I'll just have to blame on 9/11.

I feel like I'm in good company here. I hope some of you might listen to some of these songs and have a similar sort of nostalgiattack. This goes out to everyone who's ever stolen anything from Hot Topic. Happy listening and be sure to keep right down memory lane.

1.   Blink 182 - Carousel

2.   Jimmy Eat World - No Sensitivity

3.   Lagwagon - May 16

4.   Saves the Day - Third Engine

5.   Alkaline Trio - Hell Yes

6.   Further Seems Forever - Just Until Sundown

7.   The Hippos - Forget the World

8.   Ataris - San Dimas High School Football Rules

9.   AFI - This Secret Ninja

10. Bad Religion - I Want to Conquer the World

11. Face to Face - Disconnected

12. Get Up Kids - Ten Minutes

Soundtracks and Instrumentals by Mike Billy

My goal when creating new mixes for this blog will be to introduce people to new kinds of music. The idea for this particular mix came to me shortly after hearing the idea for this blog. Any song on this mix has to meet one of two criteria. Either it must be an instrumental track or it must be a song from a movie soundtrack. Some songs fit both criteria, but each fits at least one. My original mix contained 17(!) songs, so it was a little difficult to pare it down to 12, but somehow I managed. Anyway, here is what I came up with.

Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell

This was the first song that came to my mind for this mix. Clint Mansell is one of my favorite composers and Lux Aeterna is my favorite song from any movie soundtrack ever. It first appeared on the soundtrack for Requiem For A Dream, but if you have not seen that drug addled movie and still recognize the creepy violin score there is good reason: The song has made its rounds. It has been featured in the trailers for Man on Fire, I am Legend, The Da Vinci Code, and Smokin' Aces among others. A version was also recreated for the trailer for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Picturesque Pit by Venetian Snares

This track comes from the album My Downfall (Original Soundtrack). Despite the name, this is not a movie soundtrack. Venetian Snares' frontman Aaron Funk chose the name because the songs represented the soundtrack to his own personal downfall. This is another song heavily influenced by classical music.

Crimin' & Dealin' by Clint Mansell

Here we have another track from the Requiem For A Dream Soundtrack. It is a more hip-hop influenced track, but it includes a special touch that only Mansell can bring. I think this track is important because it shows Clint Mansell's range. In the movie, the song (hence the name) is played during the gangs successful drug dealing phase.

Welcome to Bangkok by Brand New

Brand New has a few instrumental songs, all of which I would have loved to include on this mix. Besides The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me's Welcome to Bangkok, Daisy's Be Gone nearly made the cut (it was still on the mix when I had it dow to 13 songs!). Welcome to Bangkok, however, is a more emotionally charged track and it bears mentioning that is outstanding live.

Mad World by Gary Jules

Finally! A song with lyrics! This one is brought to you by the Donnie Darko Soundtrack. Again, this song has become so popular that it has been included in more than a few trailers for video games and movies. If I didn't know better, I would probably assume that this was an original song, but, in fact, it's a cover of a fairly popular Tears For Fears track by the same name.

Trilogy (The Final Chapter) by ATB

André Tanneberger is better known by his DJ name ATB. His music styling is usually more trance oriented, but the second disc of 2007's Trilogy features more ambient sounds. The title track, which made it on to this compilation, is no different. It is a beautiful piano and keyboard sound that begs to be listened to!

We're Going Home by Clint Mansell

Finishing off the Clint Mansell triplet (and coincidently the last of three piano-driven songs) is this ditty. It is part of the score for Moon, the best science fiction picture of 2009 (yes, it's better than District 9). Listen to the song, then watch the movie. Coincidently, critics disagree. Moon has a mere 90% on RottenTomatoes.com compared to District 9's 91%. But look, critics don't always get it right.

Spectrum of the Sky by Break of Reality

Break of Reality has an interesting sound. The instrumental band features four musicians: three cellists and a percussionist. Spectrum of the Sky, from the album of the same name, is a great sampling of what they can do.

White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane

Track number nine and it's only the second with lyrics! This is sort of the 'turn' for this mixtape, if you will. Most of the remaining tracks actually have lyrics. Jefferson Airplane's classic White Rabbit has made it into a few movies, but I am listing it here for its appearance on the soundtrack to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Watching Johnny Depp trip out on various drugs while this song is playing is just plain unforgettable.

Lust For Life by Iggy Pop

What is one thing this mixtape has taught us? Answer: Drug movies always have fantastic soundtracks! And Trainspotting, based on the Irvine Welsch novel of the same name, is no exception. Iggy Pop's Lust For Life opens the movie as we watch two of the main characters as they are chased by security guards.

U-Mass by The Pixies

Accepted wasn't that great of a movie. It was cliche and was unable to suspend my disbelief. Still, it had a fantastic soundtrack featuring artists like Weezer, Le Tigre, and Modest Mouse. The best song on the soundtrack, however, is the Pixies' U-Mass.

Loud Pipes by Ratatat

Its Ratatat. There's not much else to say. Except maybe they deserve to be on every mixtape featuring instrumental songs.

Bonus Track: White Knuckles (Piano Remix) by Yours Truly

Track 13 is an exclusive (not really) bonus for readers of this very blog! It is a remix of OKGO's White Knuckles for the website indabamusic.com. Check it out here. You can also vote for it (shameless plug) to give me a chance to win the competition. The prize? The song will be featured on the next iteration of Rock Band!

Romagical: A Gypsy Mix

Just a note to begin. I finished making my mix tape a week ago, and had it in my purse to take to the post office for a week. But with the current climate in Europe, and my deep love for the Roma “gypsy” culture and music, I decided that making this mix with my favorite gypsy-inspired tunes could be really cool. Gypsy music is a huge influence on popular music right now, and for good reason!!!

In college, I was a music history major studying classical music and playing viola too. After a few ethnomusicology courses (world music) and another couple cultural anthropology classes, I became very interested in the Roma people, commonly referred to as the gypsies, and how the stereotypes against them still endure today, while other stereotypes are considered taboo and not politically correct. People commonly say “what a gyp” when they feel ripped off, or warn others of “gypsies” in foreign countries. And now, with many European countries banning gypsies and restricting their rights, why aren’t more people enraged?

The Roma people originated not in Eastern-Europe, but rather in Northern India. Their music shares many similar characteristics with Indian music, like the fast scale patterns that are in very close intervals. Due to migration, their music also picked up styles from all over, including Slavic and Russian music, and now even some American rock! The Roma people are the largest group in Europe without a “home country” and have very little to no representation in any government. Because, by nature, this ethnic group is nomadic, they chose to live a life on the road. Many countries seem to feel threatened by this group, and therefore instill laws that are anti-gypsy, including outlawing certain instruments. This type of control is not new (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/11/AR2010101106428.html).

But now to the music:

What is commonly referred to as "Gypsy Rock" or "Gypsy Punk" I believe is a reciprocal relationship. Roma music today is influenced by many modern movements, including electronica and rock, while many Popular bands from the US are highly influenced by Eastern European music and Roma music. Accordion is a major player in this type of music, as is the guitar. I have several songs on this mix that sound uniquely French. One of the musicians on this mix is Django Reinhardt, prominent Jazz guitarist in the 1930s and 40s. Due to a serious fire, Django only played guitar with 2 of his fingers. The Quebecois band “The Lost Fingers” featured on this mix chose their name as a tribute to Django, as his music is one of their main influences. I hope this mix shows how fun and exciting gypsy and eastern-European music is.

1. Devotchka “Such a Lovely Thing”

2. Gogol Bordello “Pala Tute”

3. Django Reinhardt “Minor Swing”

4. The Lost Fingers “Pump Up The Jam”

5. Little Cow “A Vén Cigány"

6. Slavic Soul Party “Teknochek Collison”

7. Boulder Acoustic Society “So Confused”

8. Fishtank Ensemble “Samurai Over Serbia”

9. Balkan Beat Box “Balkumbia”

10. Caravan Palace “Jolie Coquine”

11. Beirut “Bratislava”

12. Tom Waits “Russian Dance”

BONUS TRACK:

13. The Lost Fingers “Belleville rendez-vous”

October Mixtape for Aaron

October Mixtape for Aaron - 45:36

I have been trying for two weeks to burn this CD, mail it, and post on this blog. I have realized three things: 1) I have very little patience for blogging, burning, and mailing things, 2) I can lose a CD several times in a small apartment, and 3) Blogger and my computer are not friends.

Don't worry Aaron I sent it the other day. Strangely, Ade, below, and I have very similar, excellent taste in music as we share several overlaps :). I wanted something that reminded me of this past summer, but hastening into fall as I take the train up the Hudson.

Track I – “Go Outside” – Cults. http://tinyurl.com/35bju3q

Cults have enjoyed quick success, and high praise given rather limited experience. That being said, their limited run on 7” pressed by Family Forest Records sold in the blink of an eye on the strength of “Go Outside.” Of course, having Gorilla vs. Bear as one of the stakeholders of Family Forest aided them in that respect.

Track II – “Summer” – Magic Kids. http://tinyurl.com/24scaq2

When I read that Aaron was a fan of Brian Wilson I instantly thought of “Summer” by Magic Kids. There is something nostalgic about the song, it is familiar and accessible in a modern sense, but inspires the Baroque-ness that is classic in Pet Sounds, which god only knows how many others have emulated that album since.

Track III – “Marathon” – Tennis. http://tinyurl.com/28or2qj

Like Cults, Tennis has enjoyed a similar uprising for a husband duo that has become common a la The Handsome Furs all the way back to Sonny and Cher. In NYC December 2 @ Terminal 5 w/ The Walkmen.

Track IV – “Revival” – Deerhunter. http://tinyurl.com/3585fom

Deerhunter’s last EP was underrated by most, but their fourth full length is earning the high praise it deserves (released September 28). When “Revival” was emailed out, it became an excellent example of how a band can reward their fans for supporting them.

I swear there is an ongoing band naming conspiracy to create popularity by having a similar sounding name; Deerhunter must be part of some sort musical amalgamation involving Deertick, The Dears, Dear and the Headlights. I wish they would become more creative with band and come up with something unique like Bear in Heaven, Minus the Bear, Grizzly Bear, Bear Hands, Bears of Manitou, or maybe Wolf Parade, Wolfmother, or We are Wolves. Or at least find a movie to name themselves after like Black Sabbath or Duran Duran.

Track V – “All Around and Away We Go” – Twin Sister. http://tinyurl.com/2354qyo

Track VI – “Taken Too Young” The Tough Alliance + Taken By Trees. http://tinyurl.com/2ataof7

What is not to love about a Swedish remix.

Track VII – “This is Real” – Best Coast. http://tinyurl.com/yascqmh

Bethany Cosentino has put out several excellent songs…look for them. She’ll be playing in LA in early November and December. Not bad for a former Fader intern.

Track VIII – “Gone to Sea” – A Classic Education. http://tinyurl.com/2b97n67

There is just something so fancy sounding about A Classic Education.

Track IX – “All to All” – Broken Social Scene. http://tinyurl.com/22wt69m

In terms of Canadian music most people have an instant thought of Brian Adams, Alanis Morrisette, and Sarah McLaughlin. Fortunately, there has been a plethora of excellent bands as of late including Holy Fuck, Fucked Up, Besnard Lakes and Great Lake Swimmers (There are some common Canadian themes, see above.). While Arcade Fire may draw most of the attention in the states, bands like The New Pornographers and Broken Social Scene (and their members’ solo projects) draw a pretty rabid following. Spending most of my formidable summers in Toronto, I have been a big fan of BSS and the Canadian scene. Perhaps in the future I will have to do a Canadian mix-tape, but for now I beg your forgiveness...rock...record.

Track X - “Boy” – Ra Ra Riot. via Stereogum

I really enjoy Ra Ra Riot both recorded and live, they have urgency in their music that is catchy over the excellent violin playing. Their albums are ripe for remix, and unlike many remixes it is often not a disservice to the band, see “Ghost Under Rocks (Passion Pit Remix).” Their show at the Greek Theatre in LA with Andrew Bird and Heartless Bastards was excellent last year, which was much better than Passion Pit a few months later in Phoenix. In Phoenix on October 22 @ the Clubhouse.

Track XI – “Beautiful People” – The Books. http://tinyurl.com/32t8pwt

The Books once again lend their unique sound and musical insight to a great single back in April that I am still listening to now.

Track XII – “Windstorm” – School of Seven Bells. via Rock It Out Blog.

Alpinisms was one of my favorite records released recently, so I was no doubt excited when singles started to release from Disconnect from Desire, I was excited. The melodic voices of the Deheza twins mixed with Benjamin Curtis’ mixing prove to be another excellent sample of SVIIB.

Track XIII – “King Night” – Salem. http://tinyurl.com/23f8j6v

I wanted to put a 13th track on the CD, I felt this was fitting as an outro and an intro to the next mixtape.

Chillwave, Bro. by Ade

Cash rules everything around me, duude.

Hey mannn! ... Coming up with this mix was pretty easy, I figured summer's coming to an end, so why not share some of the music that got me through it. Over the past year or so, I've been fully immersed in the whole "lo-fi" "chill-wave" surf movement. The whole point of this mix is to induce crazy shenanigans one last time before summer ends. Hell yea!

check out this little breakdown, dudes!

1) Wavves - Post Acid: I can't possibly think of a better track to start this mix with. The entire "King of the Beach" record pretty much sums up my summer. It's just raw, in-your-face surf punk. It's great music to drive to, complete with the top down (or windows down), blaring out from your speakers at the highest volume possible.

OMG gaiiisss, Snacks the cat is totally in this picture!

2) Tame Impala - Alter Ego: So after going crazy to Wavves, I figured it would be pretty great to just loose your mind in the Acid-infused hazy sound of Tame Impala. I rode my bike to "Innerspeaker" quite a bit this summer. It was so much fun riding my fixed super fast, with this record blaring through my ears, and just not giving a crap about anything around me. It's pure magic, try it out!

3) Surfer Blood - Swim: More surf-inspired jams, man! I saw this band play a few weeks ago, and it was amazing. Bubbles everywhere, my mind went numb with joy. It was everything I dreamt about.

4) Best Coast - Boyfriend: So floating into the mid-section of this mix, I figured I'd slow things down a little, but don't worry, the hazy, sun-washed sound is pretty much prevalent on all the tracks on this record. Best Coast definitely scored with her "Crazy For You" record, it's pretty much 60's lo-fi pop with lyrics about boys and pot, awesome!
Fun fact: She's dating Wavves. Hello, indie power couple.... Also, her cat "Snacks" is pretty badass! He's on twitter.

Dazed & Confused, bro.

5) Dom - Rude as Jude: I'll always have a soft spot for this band. I got to interview them a few weeks ago after they opened up for Ratatat at the Venue of Scottsdale. They were the nicest dudes ever! Dom (the main dude of the band/singer) was pretty rad to hang out with, I also got to interview him for my blog; Rundown Mill (check it out). I initially wanted to name this mix after one of their tracks, Bochicha (The song is named after Dom's cat), but I decided against it.

Photo credit: Lydo Le

6) Dum Dum Girls - Bhang, Bhang, I'm a Burnout: If you don't have "I Will Be" then I don't know what to tell ya man, get it! It's more lo-fi pop by an all-ladies band! They're pretty attractive gals also.



7) Girls - Morning Light: Oh man, thiiiiisss band! I've never fallen in love with a band as fast and as deep as i did with Girls, it's kinda crazy. I was lucky enough to see them at Coachella, and their set was absolutely amazing! "Album" has gotten so many superb reviews, it's just a stellar record of "lo-fi" Beach Boys/Elvis Costello inspired tunes. His voice sounds kinda like Elvis Costello's, It's crazy.



8) Miniature Tigers - Coyote Enchantment: I love these dudes! I got to kick it with Charlie & Alex, and they've become good buds. Seriously, "Fortress" is a great record, not only was it produced by Chris Chu (of the Morning Benders) who so happens to be a freaking genius, there's also a track (Gold Skull) produced by Alan Palomo (Neon Indian). Get it man, get it!

9) Tennis - Marathon: cutest husband and wive duo EVER! They are just to adorable, and their music is pretty amazing as well. The jams are super breezy and soft. Fun fact: They spent 8 months on a sail boat somewhere off of the east coast!

10) Twin Sister - All Around and Away We Go: I've watched this band grow for over a year now, and it's been so amazing to watch their well-deserved success. Not only do they create beautiful music, they're also the sweetest musicians I've ever met. They're super polite and just all around amazing people to be around. I got to chat with them last night when they opened for The Morning Benders @ The Clubhouse Music Venue. It was truly a joy to watch them gain a handful of new fans with their amazing performance. I'm very excited to see them continue to grow. Love love love!


visit their website! You can download their first EP for free on there as well!

11) Deerhunter - Revival: There's not much to say about this track. If you don't have "Halcyon Digest" by now, then you're missing out, man. In my opinion, it's the best record of 2010. That is all.

12) Toro Y Moi - Talamak: Oh man, this guy makes super funky R&B inspired lo-fi jams for dayyyyyssss. I got to see him this past summer when he opened for The Ruby Suns at The Rhythm Room, it was absolutely amazing, dance party all the way!



I guess that wraps it up mannn. I'll see ya next month... Mucho gracias to Ashley for putting this music-exchange thing together, it's amazing!
See you all on the chillwave, duuuuddeee. <3

Audio for Autumn

I’ve always like alliterations. Something kinda fun and lyrical about using words that all have the same first letter. With autumn well under way here in New York (cold winds, jackets, freezing rain), figure this mixtape would be a fitting away to embrace the season.

ATX-Alberta Cross – Ever since I first heard these guys, I dug ‘em. Just an expansive rock sound with flourishes of the blues and alternative rock. The live show is Alberta Cross’ strong point, but ATX gives a great indication of the potential the band has. Don’t be surprised to see them headlining arenas in the near future.

Electric Demons In Love – Electric Six. One of the first albums I really took to as a college DJ was Electric Six’s first album Fire. These Detroit jokesters combine goofy non-sequiturs with a pretty mean blend of rock, disco and glam. What makes it that much more amusing is how seriously they take trying to be funny. While the novelty wore off with each subsequent album, this album will always make me smile.

These Are Times – Fake Problems. Side One Dummy is a label I’ve been a fan of for years. While labels like Fat and Epitaph were (more or less) strictly punk labels, SideOne signed groups on the punk fringe (Flogging Molly, Gaslight Anthem, Gogol Bordello before they blew up). One of their more curious signings is Floridian crew Fake Problems. While the group certainly has a punk edge, they are primarily a rock band with a flair for the dramatic (akin to tourmates Say Anything). While their new album isn’t nearly as interesting, this track from their previous album shows why Fake Problems stands out of the pack.

Sounds Of The City – Lucero. Continuing along with punk bands that bring something different to the table, Memphis group Lucero puts a country twang on their sound. On their most recent album, they use horns on a majority of the tracks. Think a way more scruffier Hold Steady and you’re pretty close. I’ll always associate the line “I’m falling in love with the sounds of the city” with walking around New York and watching the skyline on my bus ride home from work.

Pacific Palisades – Ash. If you’re in need of an album where every song is a winner, check out Ash’s Free All Angels. Track by track, Ash’s catchy alt-rock tunes are expertly done. Shame this UK group never took off. In a perfect world, there would’ve been tons of singles all over the radio from this album.

Half Glass Full of Wine – Tame Impala. I first heard this track on a BBC new music show early last summer. I was floored the first time I heard it – just a GREAT groove that never quits. I’m thrilled to see this Aussie psych rock outfit has gotten big here in the States, as they deserve it. Just a killer track. FYI this song is not on the new album, but an import-only 5 song EP. Track it down!

Born On A Day The Sun Didn’t Rise – Black Moth Super Rainbow. For whatever reason, I ended up on their manager’s email list and he sent out a free 2 CD download of b-sides/rarities. For the price, I couldn’t say no. And soon, I was converted. This song is from their most recent album Eating Us. Total druggy, slow yet blissful psychedelic rock. I think the value-add for this album should be some sort of hallucinogen, as its quite trippy.

Frontier Psychiatrist – the Avalanches. Before the crackdown on sampling, this Aussie DJ collective made an entire album built out of samples. Since I Left You is just incredibly well done and made. Its almost been 10 years and we’re STILL waiting for a follow up! Check out the video for the song, as its very creative and stays true to the tune’s narrative.

The Proposition – the Budos Band. Like pretty much anything else on the Daptone label, this song is just badass.

Crazy Feeling – Lou Reed. Simply, Lou Reed is one of the coolest mofo’s on the planet. He gets a pass for the Velvet Underground, but also for sticking to his muse (and not licensing his music to Susan Boyle) makes him that much more awesome. While he’s primarily known for “Walk On The Wild Side” on his own, you’d do wise to check out Coney Island Baby. A surprisingly good pop record from a guy who makes anything but that.

Run Chicken Run – the Felice Brothers. A latter day version of the Band, upstate NY’s the Felice Brothers spin fantastical yarns. This is probably my favorite song from these guys. Fun live band to boot.

Don’t Walk Away Eileen – Sam Roberts. This is from one of my all-time favorite albums, We Were Born In A Flame. A mammoth-size, killer chorus that makes you want to pump your fist in the air in jubilation. Sam’s pretty big in his native Canada, but his music never translated south of the border. Truly a shame, as he can churn out pop-rock gems like no other (also check out his most recent album, Love At The End Of The World).