Todd Snider

You just have to give a listen to Todd Snider's latest, Live: The Storyteller. I just finished listening to it on Napster and it is really the funniest record I have heard in ages. His patter between songs is more hilarious than practically any comic going, and most of his songs are works of genius. Here's a Todd Snider cut from the very good (and unfortunately no longer free) yep roc records sampler:

Don't Tempt Me

Ballad Of The Kingsman

The Cave Singers

The Cave Singers put out one of my favorite singles that I heard in 2009 (Seeds of Night, actually from 2007's Invitation Songs) and they are back at with a new release called No Witch. This album from this Seattle area folk rock trio is carrying on the tradition of complex folk-y sounds with some darker images than is normally associated with the sound.

Seeds Of Night
Black Leaf

The Cave Singers on Hype Machine

Dancing on our Graves

The Cave Singers "Dancing on our Graves" from Small Form Films on Vimeo.

Lali Puna

It doesn't get much more esoteric than this (well, maybe I'll post a couple Tyondai Braxton next!), but the sound of Lali Puna is just so cool. A duo from Germany, they do some kind of electro-pop, with strange vocals and sounds. This song, from their 2005 compilation I Thought I Was Over That, blew me away, with its strange rhythms and catchy beat:

Fast Forward (Flowchart Remix)

And here's a stream of their latest CD, Scary World Theory:

Latest tracks by lalipuna

And finally, a truly bizarre video for a bizarre song, but man I loved it!

That Day

Maserati

Maserati is an Athens GA prog rock group that reminds me very much of Holy Fuck and even Citay, but with an even more driving guitar sound. Their drummer tragically lost his life in a fall down an elevator shaft(!) in 2009, but they are still putting out some great music. Here's a couple of cuts to whet your appetite. Be sure to check out their label's site for some more MP3s.

Who Can Find the Beast?
Monoliths

Light 'n' Poppy

Here's another 8tracks.com mix I whipped up. I thought of it after yesterday's post on The Submarines, who are of course, in this mix. Let's lighten up our cold day with some sunny pop.

The Submarines

The Submarines actually started out here in Boston, but moved to the sunny climes of Los Angeles a few years back. They have that bright sunny sound that I am so adicted to, like Tennis, The Soundcarriers, Allo Darlin', Shrag, etc, etc. They have released an MP3 from their upcoming album over at Filter and yes, I love it.

Birds

The Submarines » The Beatles from The Voice Project on Vimeo.

Dum Dum Girls

The Dum Dum Girls have a new EP coming out on Sub Pop called He Gets Me High and they've tossed out an MP3 from the album, after what they called a "shitty version" leaked on the 'nets. A solid rocker!

He Gets Me High

You can also grab a free Dum Dum Girls MP3 here, from the pretty solid Zoo Music sampler. Zoo Music was formed by Dee Dee of the Dum Dum Girls.

Mercury Mary

Alltop

My little music blog here "made" the Alltop Music page, which is pretty cool. I've added a few Alltop widgets to the side bar, including a badge, a link to my Alltop page, wherein I highlight some of the best indie music blogs, as well as a list of top music stories from Alltop.

In the coming days, I'll also be posting about some other interesting music sites and web apps I use. It's a great time to be a music fan!

To celebrate, here's a couple Top songs:

Randy Newman - Lonely At The Top (Live)
The Smithereens - Top Of The Pops

Not Your Father's Cover Tunes

Another mix I made on 8Tracks.com. This one is a collection of some offbeat cover tunes that perhaps you haven't heard before, featuring artists like Amanda Palmer, Taken By Trees and Johnny Cash. Check it out and join me on 8tracks.com:

Jeff Pianki

Jeff Pianki is, I think, from Missouri and does some nice folky/pop piano songs. I particularly enjoyed On Forgetting.

Oregon Bike Trails

Oregon Bike Trails is a singer / songwriter from Santa Monica, CA, Zach Yudin. He does some real nice lo-fi, summery sounds. Grab a free download from his Bandcamp site.

Deep Sea Diver

High School Lover

oregon bike trails :: high school lover from Dino Rossi on Vimeo.

8Tracks

Found a pretty fun site called 8Tracks. It lets you build your own mixes and play them. Seems to be pretty free about letting you upload your own MP3s and building mixtapes with them, which is pretty cool. Probably only a matter of time before the hammer comes down tho. Anyway, here's a mixtape I put together with a collection of Swedish sirens:

Lonely Hearts Valentine's Day Sampler

Another pretty solid sampler from Amazon MP3, just in time for Valentine's day. Featuring songs from The Old '97s and Alejandro Escovedo, I really enjoyed this country-fied filled song fest.

I Told Her Lies - Robbie Fulks
Sparks Fly Out - Paul Burch

The New Pornographers

This video is just too funny. The New Pornographers have a new video for their song Moves from one of my favorite releases of 2010, Together. Plenty of recognizable faces play TNP as they "rise and rise", telling the story of band having its dream realized then broken, in one over the top scene after another.

Written And Directed By Tom Scharpling
Producers: Robert Hatch-Miller & Puloma Basu

Cast: Jon Wurster, Julie Klausner, Kevin Corrigan, Wyatt Cenac, Horatio Sanz, Ted Leo, John Hodgman, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Todd Barry, Donald Glover, Esther Crowe, Michael Lisk, Gabe Delahaye, Max Silvestri, Jay Norton, David Rosenblatt, Terre T., Anna Copacabana, Rob Cuthill, Brian Turner, Alex Scordelis, Jonathan Fernandez, Therese Mahler, Candace Mills, Christina Stanley, Christine Tadler, Owinema Biu, Chris Spooner, Jacob Wolk

Director Of Photography: Paul Yee
Editor: Joaquin Perez
Production Designers: Alex Brook Lynn & Elizabeth Ralston
Motion Graphics: Joe Posner
Hair & Makeup: Jess Coppa
Gaffer: Richard Giannotti
Colorist: Ben Murray
Sound Design: Matt Lewkowicz
Key PA: Paul Morse
Production Assistants: Greg Needham, Jacob Wolk, David Clarke
Additional Camera: Nick Wilson

Shot On Location At: Other Music, Seaside Lounge, Death By Audio

Robyn

Speaking of Swedish pop stars, let's add Robyn, who just announced that she is going to be on tour with Katy Perry, which sounds like the big time to me. Her disco beat is, of course, much like Lykke Li's, but there's even more persistence to it. Her Body Talk album made plenty of end of the year lists for 2010.


Konichiwa Bitches

Indestructible from Robyn on Vimeo.

Puro Instinct

One of SPIN's 5 Best New Artists for February, Puro Instinct is a couple of young LA sisters doing some great lo-fi / shoegaze sound. Their full length debut is due soon, but you can listen to an early cut here:

Stilyagi (with Ariel Pink)

And you can buy their EP from last year on Bandcamp:

Niki & The Dove

Another group I enjoyed from SPIN's 5 Best New Artists for February was Niki & The Dove, where my seeming obsession with all female Swedish artists continues unabated! More electro than others like Anna Ternheim, El Perro del Mar, Lykke Li or even Fever Ray, with a nice goth touch to the sound.

Mother Protect

DJ Ease My Mind

The Soundcarriers

I have been listening to The Hype Machine a lot recently, and uncovering some good sounds. The Soundcarriers came up today and were one of those bands I just had to look into more. This English band has a real nice sound, with an intricate sound. Very nice.

Last Broadcast

I Had A Girl

The American Analog Set

Listening to Breathless reminded me of The American Analog Set, especially their transcendent The Fun Of Watching Fireworks album.

Diana Slowburner II
On The Run's Where I'm From

American Analog Set "Hard To Find" Music Video (2005) from Ray Roman on Vimeo.

Dumbo Gets Mad

The Italian group Dumbo Gets Mad has released their debut CD online fer free. Well, almost for free - just tweet or Facebook a link and you get it free. Some pretty solid power pop. Go here for more info. Here's a couple of cuts to get you interested:

Plumy Tale
Marmelade Kids (removed by request)

Glasser

Cool "live" video for one of my Singles Of The Year, Glasser's Apply:

         

The Radio Dept

Several of the DJs on my favorite radio station, Boston College's WZBC, having been playing a lot of The Radio Dept, as a recent compilation called Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 has come out, so I took a listen. Some pretty good stuff, with lots of live bootlegs available on their web site. Have a listen:

Talk
David

And here's my favorite from the album:

The New Improve Hypocrisy