No new posts today

No new posts today. I spent most of the day filling out Christmas cards. I'm tired!

The Neverending Beginning Holiday Complilation

There are a lot of pretty holiday songs on this compilation. They give you the option of downloading the songs free-of-charge or with a donation.

Listen to Chimes of Freedom, the new compilation from Amnesty Internation

I get really annoyed when I have to "like" something on Facebook, or subscribe to an email list to hear something. Normally I don't. But dang it - you can hear all 70 + Dylan cover songs on Amnesty International's Chimes of Freedom compilation, if you like Amnesty International USA on Facebook. Whatevs - I'll do it. I like Amnesty International.

Sharon Van Etten, "Serpents"

Sharon Van Etten, "Serpents" (MP3 thanks to her label)

I posted Sharon Van Etten's song "One Day" from her album Epic a few years ago. That song became a part of my daily life. It was in my heavy-rotation playlist on my iPod, and I would find myself singing it both in my head and out loud. I related to it, even though I don't have a sister.

Hear her past two albums at her Soundcloud page
Website
Facebook
 

I think if you buy the album you get the picture that shows her face

Heartless Bastards, "Parted Ways"

I've loved Heartless Bastards for as long as I've written this blog. I know that because I remember being in my workplace 4 or 5 years ago and incessantly singing their songs. So I have a new song to incessantly sing. And more people to annoy with my incessant singing and always alliterating.

Heartless Bastards, "Parted Ways" (MP3 thanks to Rolling Stone)

Label
Facebook 

Why is the sunlight pushing us away from each other? What is it doing to our hair?

Dress Rehearsal

Sonicbids Facebook

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

We are very close to the release of the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole "speaking English with a Swedish accent" thing, but the audiobook's narrator spoke with a variety of British accents, so there's a history of accent incongruity. Point is: New version of Dragon Tattoo is coming out! And with it, a soundtrack created by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. You may hear the Trent Reznor and Karen O cover of "Immigrant Song" here. If you're feeling twitchy to hear more, then you may download a six-song sampler. Mute Records has the complete track list, and you may pre-order the soundtrack there.

The Jezabels, "Try Colour" (Thanks to AOL for the mp3)

Website
Youtube

 

Hospital Ships

Marketa Irglova

Cass McCombs, "The Same Thing"

Cass McCombs, "The Same Thing" (MP3 courtesy of KEXP)

More streaming songs available from his label,
Domino Records
Website
Youtube

Lisa Hannigan

Jens Lekman

Alexi Murdoch

Alexi tells the person to his right that "of course he'll be in the photo".

Alexi Murdoch is one of those musicians whose music makes me stop in my tracks. Even if I'm sitting down. Right now I'm listening to the title track from his new album Towards the Sun, and I can barely type. I just want to melt into a soft blanket or a cloud. Maybe that's just 'cause it's Saturday and I want to go back to sleep. You can listen to the song "Towards the Sun" in its entirety at his website.

Preview the album at Amazon
Facebook

Goliath Flores

Website
Blogger
Soundclick

Amanda Palmer, "Ukulele Anthem"

We Are Augustines

Big Deal, "Chair" (MP3 thanks to AOL Spinner)

Website
Facebook
Listen to more of their music on their Soundcloud page
 
"Chair"
"Distant Neighborhood"

Titus Andronicus, Way Too Plugged

I guess if you're gonna get hit with an electric shock and have to go to the hospital, you might as well get a cool song out of it!


Listen to Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus sing his new "Electric Man" song.  I would probably just cry and wet my pants if that happened to me.

Bleached, "Think of You"

BLEACHED "THINK OF YOU" from Lana Kim on Vimeo.

Tumblr
Facebook

Psychic Dancehall, "A Love That Kills"

Psychic Dancehall, "A Love That Kills" (MP3 thanks to AOL)

Listen to their record Dreamers at their Soundcloud page.
Bandcamp

Wait! I know this joke! An alien and a ballerina walk into a forest. The trees ask the ballerina to dance for them. She does, and the dance is so incandescent, it causes the entire forest to radiate with beautiful, bright light. The trees look at the alien and say "What the F do you do, man?" The alien uses the cover of the ballerina's light for his ship's tractor beam. The trees are never seen again. Yeah, I just made that up, beyotches.

Florence and the Machine, "Shake It Out"

Website
Myspace

Great song, great video, great performer. I think she looks a little like Siouxsie Sioux. Not the hair, obviously - just in the face. She looks like Siouxsie. This song also reminds me of something Siouxsie would have done - one of Siouxsie's more lively songs.

Valerie June

Valerie June is absolutely fantastic. I'd never heard of her before Thursday night - she opened for the band Balthrop, Alabama. I am so happy I got there in time to see her perform. She's one of the best musicians I've heard.

"Rain Drop" and "Twas Twined and Twisted" are available at her Sonicbids site.

Website
Facebook
Reverbnation

 

Laura Marling, Sophia

Website Facebook NME article

Emil and Friends, "Prescriptions"

Emil and Friends, "Prescriptions" (thanks to AOL for the mp3)

Facebook
The Wild Honey Pie article

Emil & Friends // Lo & Behold Teaser #1 from Cantora Records on Vimeo.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich, "Atlas Hands" (MP3 thanks to AOL Spinner)

Website
Facebook

Jose Gonzalez, "Teardrop"

I hadn't heard this in years, but they played it at the end of the Mike Doughty interview on WFUV. I'd forgotten how beautiful this version is!

Mike Doughty, "Strike the Motion" (mp3 from Minnesota Public Radio's The Current Song of the Day podcast)

Website
Live on WFUV
Last FM site




















Ever pro-active, Mike Doughty takes his own mug shot, for when he's finally arrested for violating Debbie Gibson's restraining order.  Tiffany will make bail for him.

Caroline Chocolate Groups

Eatin' beans and makin' love, as long as I am able...


I want to be their groupie. They won a Grammy, and I've never even heard of them. Shows you how much I pay attention to the Grammy awards.
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Listen to the band on NPR

EMA
Website
Facebook Download her Daytrotter session
EMA - California (Official Video) from Souterrain Transmissions on Vimeo.

Nikki Lane, "Gone, Gone, Gone"

Nikki Lane,"Gone, Gone, Gone" (Thanks to KEXP for the mp3)

Facebook
Website

Louise Burns, "Drop Names Not Bombs"

Louise Burns, "Drop Names Not Bombs" (Thanks to AOL Spinner for the mp3)

Website
Twitter

Pearl Jam 20

Pearl Jam 20, the soundtrack to the new Cameron Crowe documentary, can be streamed in its entirety (or song by song) at AOL Spinner.  20 years ago I used to make fun of his strained voice in "Alive". It didn't take long for me to see the Vedder appeal. Maybe it's because his name sounds so much like Vader.

Website (Download "Ole" directly - no signing up for mailing lists or anything!)

Watch the full episode. See more American Masters.

Sean Rowe

More videos at his website

Also watch his Tiny Desk concert at NPR.

Widowspeak, "Puritan"

Widowspeak, "Puritan" (MP3 thanks to KEXP)

Here more songs at their
Bandcamp page (including a nice cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game".

St. Vincent, Strange Mercy

Listen to St. Vincent's new album, Strange Mercy, via NPR.

Website
Pitchfork Article

Amanda Shires

This is very nice! Her voice reminds me a little of Tracy Chapman, though the style is a little folkier. She's won a new fan today :) (That's me).

Amanda Shires' website

I may not post much else this weekend - I'm moving *again*. I know. Third time in three years. What can I say? Circumstances, brothers and sisters. Circumstances.

Also I think the batteries in my wireless mouse are going...

Nice!

I was looking for AOL Spinner, so I went to AOL.com. I guess they just made Huffington Post be their music keeper. Anyway, I found a nice tribute to The Strokes. This is apparently the 10th anniversary of This Is It. It's hard to believe.

You can download the entire tribute album here. Listen to Morning Bender's version of "Last Night" here.

Spinner?

AOL Spinner is either gone or has been hacked. Don't try to look it up. All kinds of weird sites are coming up.

M.I.A. releases song dedicated to Amy Winehouse and other musicians

M.I.A. released an unreleased track called "27". It's dedicated to the musicians who died at age 27, including Amy Winehouse. I hadn't thought of it, but Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and a number of other musicians died at that age.


Download the song here


This is probably going to be all I post this week. I found out recently that my older cat is very sick, so I've been very stressed and preoccupied.

Josh Ritter, "Change of Time"

Josh Ritter, "Change of Time"

This song is a few years old. I remember when it came out - I knew I liked Josh Ritter, but for whatever reason (probably involving a personal crisis), I didn't get around to listening to it. Ok, better late than later.

More mp3s at his website
NPR, All Things Considered story on Josh Ritter and his new novel.


This is a video and song about a puppet mummy and curator. It made me cry.

The Vaccines, "Norgaard"

Wait- Debbie Harry's missing from this photo! Or is it supposed to be Chrissie Hynde...

Sigh...I'm trying to embed this video, but it wouldn't let me. Couldn't find it on Youtube.

Facebook

Live From Nowhere Near You

Live From Nowhere Near You, a compilation of songs from Portland's Greyday Records. Sales benefit an organization
called Outside In.

I would like to get this when it comes out. It includes a previously unreleased (and little-heard) Elliott Smith song. Filter Magazine has a nice article on it. The article says there's a rough version of the Elliott Smith song available for download, but I couldn't find it.

The Tallest Man on Earth, "Weather of a Killing Kind"

This should be available for download from Adult Swim on July 12th. Adult Swim is offering a free download each week for ten weeks. I must say I am super-impressed with the interfaces on the web page. Very pretty and simple to use.

The Tallest Man on Earth website
                                       Facebook

Planningtorock, "The Breaks"

Planningtorock, "The Breaks" (Thanks to AOL for the mp3)

I want to say that she reminds me of Jarboe, but it seems like lately a lot reminds me of Jarboe, so it could just be some internal thing on my part.

Facebook
LastFM

Goldmund, "Evelyn"

Goldmund, "Evelyn" (Thanks to KEXP for the link)

Per the article, this song is a few years old. It's a pretty song, though, so I posted it.

Stream the album at the label's site
The composer/performer behind Goldmund, Keith Kenniff, started his own record label. He offers some free songs.






This is a different song. It's taken from his compilation to aid Japan after the earthquakes and tsunamis.

Laura Stevenson and the Cans, "Master of Art"

Laura Stevenson and the Cans, "Master of Art" (From their Tumblr site)

Download their Daytrotter session

Facebook

Nico Muhly

My friend Koula posted this on her Facebook. I think it's absolutely gorgeous music, and you can stream his latest album at NPR.

Even his website is pretty.
His Twitter, on the other hand, is regular-looking.


Skip Town from Banner Gwin on Vimeo. Music by Nico Muhly.

Nat Baldwin, "A Little Lost"

Nat Baldwin, "A Little Lost" (Thanks to KEXP for the link)

Label site
Facebook

The gig just said they wanted me to play music. They didn't say anything about live music. I just pressed play. Easiest gig ever!

Ravenna Woods, "Graves"

Ravenna Woods, "Graves" (Thanks to KEXP for the link)

Website
Tour diary
Listen to several of their songs at Bandcamp

Benyaro

This band reminds me a little of old David Bowie...without the space references. Even without the space references, Bowie would still great.

Listen to their music on their Facebook and watch live videos. My favorite song is "Dogs". Their website leads to their CDBaby site.

I'm thinking the joke I concoct will have something to do with Old Spice commercials...or maybe those Dos Equis commercials...yessss...

"Ladies...when I'm not drinking Dos Equis, I'm listening to the smooth sounds of Benyaro."



**By the by - the Dos Equis guy has a fansite with quotes.

Dark Mean, "Happy Banjo"

Dark Mean, "Happy Banjo" (Thanks to their publicity company Team Clermont for the mp3)

Website
Bandcamp

The Milk Carton Kids

Their website has another song, "Retrospect" as a free zip download.
Facebook

The Wealthy West, "Love is Not Enough"

The Wealthy West, "Love is Not Enough" (Thanks to Paper Thin Media for the link).

Facebook
Twitter


(This is another song. The video keeps buffering me. That could be my connection.)

Release the Sunbird, "Always Like the Son"

Release the Sunbird, "Always Like the Son" (Thanks to AOL Spinner for the mp3)

This is the new side project from Rogue Wave's Zach Rogue. The album Come Back To Us will be out via Brushfire Records July 26th.

Facebook

I would link to the website they have on their FB, but it goes to a link farm. Busted!

SoKo

Fansite

Nouvelle Vague, "Blister in the Sun"

I've put this band on my blog before. Their version of "Blister in the Sun" is in the movie Bridesmaids (though I'm not sure that this version is the same as in the movie.

Jonathan Coulton on NPR's Planet Money

I've been listening to Planet Money since it started a few years ago. They cover a lot of subjects: most of them economic-related, some only somewhat related (their story on Myspace - to me, that's not a story about the economy, it's a story about one company's economy). One of their more recent episodes was about a musician I've been a fan of for several years, Jonathan Coulton

Jonathan Coulton on NPR's Planet Money

One of the commentators understood that Coulton is a rarity - an organic success. The others didn't seem to get it. One person said "show me how I can replicate his success. How do I get my own 'Code Monkey'?").

Uh...you don't.

Jonathan Coulton probably didn't know he had his own "Code Monkey". No one knows when they have a potential success. It just happens. That's why financial success is so hit and miss in the entertainment industry. He was probably as good a musician before "Code Monkey" hit big. He had the talent to start off with, but he also had the luck of recording a song that resonated with a lot of people (tech people with probably very good incomes), and he had the luck of doing so at the beginning of online marketing. This was way before Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black

He's also probably pretty smart with his money. I doubt he's wasting it on drugs and limos. He has an apartment in New York and probably spends his money on his kids.

He's been wildly successful at selling his own music online. It's a great inspiration to other artists, but no one should expect to get their own "Code Monkey".


Jonathan Coulton's website.
Zombie song!
Jonathan Coulton's Twitter

**Updated. Jonathon Coulton posted a reply to the article. I agree that calling his success a fluke was a sucky thing to say...kind of offensive, actually.

Beth Jeans Houghton, "Dodecahedron"

Beth Jeans Houghton, "Dodecahedron" (MP3 courtesy of AOL)

Wikipedia article
Facebook


Her song "Milk Bottles". The video keeps buffering for me. Hopefully you'll have better luck.

 Sometimes the caption you come up with is better than anything I can write

Made in Iceland

This is just cool--a compilation of Icelandic music. You can stream the album here.

Amanda Mair, "House"

Amanda Mair, "House" (MP3 courtesy of AOL)

(This is song about how upset she is about the "Huddy" story arc on House. No it's not. I'm just kidding).

Labrador Records
Indie Today article

I love Urban Spacemen

The Bewitched Hands, "Happy With You"

Sorry for the lack of postage. I've been sick :/

The World performance
Facebook
More songs for streaming on their Soundcloud

Neko Case, "Hold On, Hold On"

No post this weekend

I'm going to try to post some time during the week. I've spent most of this weekend trying to write a story. I can't keep in the same tense! I kept going back and forth.

A Camp

OMG this song "Love has left the room" is so pretty. I'm going to swoon down into oblivion. Just me and the frakkin' cracks in the earth.

Listen and download "Love has left the room" and other songs as part of their Daytrotter session.

OMG SO PRETTY.

You can also download it through RCRDLBL. I guess I forgot my username for that site, so tell me how that version is. Oh, but look! I re-registered.

I'm going to go fall down now.

Website
Facebook
Wikipedia entry

So pretty that I can't bare to degrade them by doing my standard Abba joke (because they're Swedish). No offense to Abba - I love Abba. I just make that joke way too much when Swedish bands are involved. Especially as much as I love Swedish music.

TV On The Radio bassist, Gerard Smith, dies from cancer.

I never got really into TV On The Radio, though there were a few songs I liked a lot (particularly "Staring at the Sun"). Very sad to hear that one of their members died. He was younger than I am.

Listen to his version of Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes"

Bell XI, "Hey Anna Lena"

Bell XI, "Hey Anna Lena"

Website
Stream their album Bloodless Coup here

I've never been bird watching, but I think you're supposed to look at the birds.

Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"

I'm listening to some of my old songs.

Yvonne Strahovski, "Three Pop Stars, One Song"

I don't like the Katy Perry part, but I love the Ke$ha and Gaga part. I smell like jack and vomit!

Imaginary Cities, "Where'd All The Living Go?"

This definitely fits my zombie obsession!

Website
Label site
Facebook

Kate Voegele, "Hallelujah"

Ego Likeness

I don't post much about darkwave. It's not that I don't like it, but I kind of branched away from it when I was in my early twenties. My darkwave was Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus (Oh how I love Bauhaus), Ministry, My Life With The Thrill Kill (I've got instant action, sweet satisfaction) and The Swans.

My knowledge of darkwave began and ended there, much like a baby dinosaur when the meteor hit. My darkwave is forever etched with the names Jarboe, Murphy and Sexplosion.  Not a bad way to remember darkwave. Definitely ending on a high note.

Anyway, I went to a club last night (Shock! Horror!) and I liked a band. I liked a darkwave band whose members weren't ready to apply for AARP.

I don't like comparing bands because it's an inaccurate and lazy way to make connections, but it's also a human way to describe something. When I was watching the lead singer/writer Donna Lynch, I was really struck by how much she reminded me of Jarboe from The Swans. The band reminded me a lot of The Swans, and I loved The Swans.

The music, though dark, was emotionally earnest. Each note was pulled from her throat, gasping for life, gasping to let go of its misery. The music was a living thing, and her voice was an honest, willing conduit. She wrapped her voice around the music: She was the Pilot to the music's Moya (Farscape reference).

I felt transfixed, despite my hurting feet, drunk head and uncoordinated body.

Website
MP3s are available here
Twitter


Ego Likeness, "Aviary"


The Swans' cover of "Love will Tell Us Apart" (oh yeah - if Joy Division counts as darkwave, then that was another darkwave band I liked). The Swans also did a beautiful cover of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home".

Shelby Earl, "A Sweetly Sour Sound"

Shelby Earl, "A Sweetly Sour Sound" (streaming)

Okay, this song is totally making me cry. I don't want to cry on a Saturday. I didn't have proper coffee this morning, and I didn't have any Eggos. I don't want to cry on top of all that!

But this song does make me cry.

Website
Twitter

She's so pretty. She looks like Pauley Perrette (Abby) from NCIS.

Wye Oak, "Fish"

I couldn't get the embed to work. Here's the link to NPR's host of the video (towards the bottom of the page).

Highlife, "Tuareg Dancehall"

Highlife, "Tuareg Dancehall" (Thanks to KEXP)

Label site
Facebook

Don't you hate it when a forest sprouts up around you?

J Mascis, "Is It Done"

J Mascis, "Is It Done" (Thanks to KEXP)

I know I just posted a song of his a few weeks ago, but this is a nice song too. So there.

Website
Facebook


J Mascis interviewed by Ted Leo

The Raveonettes, "Forget That You're Young"

The Raveonettes, "Forget That You're Young" (Thanks to KEXP for the link)

Website
Facebook


This is the video for a different song from their new album

NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Damien Jurado

This is the last NPR video for this weekend, I promise! I'm just playing catch-up. This is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. I love his voice.

NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Adele

I should have posted this last month! I'm behind on watching videos.

She's so pretty.

Wild Flag

I like! They sound like Talking Heads if Talking Heads were all female.

NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts go to SXSW...Emmylou Harris performs

Kasper Bjorke, "Young Again"

Thanks to Nick for this!

Hildur Victoria, "Bunny Valley"

Hildur Victoria, "Bunny Valley" (MP3 from Minnesota Public Radio's The Current Song of the Day)

Website
Facebook


Hildur Victoria - "Space Blanket" Music Video from Northern Outpost on Vimeo.
This is a different song. Equally good.

Lifeguards, "Paradise Is Not So Bad"

Lifeguards, "Paradise Is Not So Bad" (MP3 courtesy of their label site)

I was wondering why I liked this so much...turns out it's Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard of Guided By Voices.

Label site

You can listen to a plethora of Bob Pollard's music at his site.

J. Mascis, "Not Enough"

J. Mascis, "Not Enough" (Thanks to AOL spinner for the file)

Website
Twitter

Keegan DeWitt, "Tired of Love"

This was posted over a year ago, but I just found these videos :)

Wye Oak, "Civilian"

Wye Oak, "Civilian" (streaming)

Wye Oak has a new album out. This first song, "Civilian", is fantastic. If the rest of the album is as good as this song, then it's worth spending the $8.99 at Amazon or wherever.

Website
Facebook

Wye Oak spent too long on the stretching machine at their chiropractor.

Caitlin Rose album coming out

Caitlin Rose - Shanghai Cigarettes from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

I first posted this over a year ago, but her album, including this song, is coming out on the 15th.

Label site

Fleming and John, "I'm Not Afraid"

This is one of my favorite songs the 90's.

Will Kimbrough

I was thinking about a song I love called "Chimayo". I first heard it five years ago, and I put it on my blog back then. The song is from his 2000 album This. For being a self-professed "Queen of Media", I can be behind on some music. It's the nature of independent music - it takes time for word-of-webpage to come around.

I hadn't looked at his site in awhile, so I decided to find out what's going on with Mr. Kimbrough.

His website has a player on the splash page, along with Youtube, Facebook, and other social media links at the bottom and bio, tour information, and other links at the top.

Since I first heard him, he's had four full-length albums and an EP as a solo artist (per his Amazon listing), he's recorded as part of the band "DADDY", he's produced and written for several artists and he's toured extensively. He's also been fortunate enough to start a family, which I suspect is featured in the video below :) Or, perhaps they really are angels...

His website doesn't have much of his music streaming, so the best way to hear it is by going to his Youtube page, his LastFM page, Amazon and the "My band" section of his Facebook. His website has his blog, but you can also subscribe to it here.


From Will Kimbrough's 2010 album Wings

Admiral Fallow, "Sqealing Pig"

The Life Aquatic With Brother Louis

Despite the name of the song, this is pretty cool.

Stream it from their SXSW Page. They remind me *a lot* of Frightened Rabbit, which is cool, 'cause I luvs Frightened Rabbit. Admiral Fallow toured with them, so maybe they have the same admiration.

Myspace

Lou Barlow, "Take Advantage"

This is a nice song from Lou Barlow, of Folk Implosion and Dinosaur, Jr.

Domino Records site
Merge Records site

Blog lists semi-updated

I'm working on cleaning up my link lists. I deleted all of the broken links/outdated links on my download sites blog roll. I just have to add some of the newer links in. Then I have to work on the band page links. It's more work than it seems like!

Paste Magazine: Best Album Lead-Off Tracks

Paste has an article with their pick of the 14 best lead off tracks. I'm on the first one, Yo La Tango. I love the songs I've heard from Yo La Tango, but I haven't heard this one. It is epic, as the article suggests. It's not the kind of song I'd have on my iPod just to listen to (unless I'm doing a power-montage).

The Highs Highs, "Open Season"

Pitchfork has an mp3

The band has another mp3 for download on their bandcamp page

Website

The Wet Spots, "The Negotiation Song"

Hee! She's got a point.

Hugo, "99 Problems"

I think this is what you would get if you locked Jack White in a hip-hop club for a few days. Also, if Jack White kind of looked like Adrien Brody.

Still, nothing beats the Danger Mouse version.

Project Jenny, Project Jan, "Nadine"

Project Jenny, Project Jan "Nadine" (Thanks to AOL for the mp3)

I normally don't like such bass-heavy songs, but I'm liking this one!

Website
Facebook

These guys are way too jaunty. They must be really happy.

(Photo by Judith Levitt)

Devotchka, 100 Lovers

Devotchka, "100 Lovers" (MP3 courtesy of KEXP)

I have loved this band for 6 or so years. I remember listening to some of their songs on my tiny little Motorola MP3 player. It was the first MP3 player I ever owned. I loved that dang thing. It was the prettiest lemon yellow color. Too bad it died...and Motorola basically told me to suck it. Thanks Motorola!

Devotchka would never tell me to suck it. They're much too classy and romantic. Though they may show up on my front lawn and stalk me. Which would be totally fine.

Website
Label site

1, 2, 3, 4 Press

I love the Flaming Lips. I'm too tired to do any of that right now.

Here's an article from Paste on what The Flaming Lips are doing.

Nice song!

Easter Island, "Proud"

Easter Island, "Proud" (Thanks to Team Clermont for the mp3)

Band Camp

Soundies (videos of Athens bands)

Low-rent version of The Bachelor. (Hey, this is how we do everything in Georgia...)

Cowboy Junkies

Junkies in defiant mode

You know all that Folk/Americana type music I like? One of the first bands I listened to that had that country flair was Cowboy Junkies. It was a new concept to me: a rock band with a country overlay. Like salty and sweet, it worked. Until that revelation, my country music interest began and ended with Loretta, Dolly and that song "Take This Job and Shove It". Cowboy Junkies opened me up to more facets of "country" music. It can be sincere without being maudlin. It can be sexy and not rednecky.

Cowboy Junkies have recently released and are releasing new albums. You can stream "Demons" on their website ("Flirted With You All My Life" is excellent) and if you sign up for their mailing list, you can get that song and a few others free.

Cowboy Junkies' page on NPR
Videos ("Sweet Jane" is one of my favorites)

Then soon after I discovered Mazzy Star, and the top blew open for me.