MP3: PONY UP! "The Truth about Cats and Dogs (is That They Die)" (Dim Mak) The ladies of Montreal's Pony Up! first lasooed me in with their cutesy humor and smart pop last year when I heard their single "Shut and Kiss Me." This track from their first full-length Make Love to the Judges with Your Eyes (out next month) is just as catchy, but may signal that the band's added a bit of an indie guitar rock edge. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: CAMERA OBSCURA "Let's Get Out of This Country" (Toolshed) Scottish twee-pop band Camera Obscura are back with their follow-up to their acclaimed 2004 album Underachievers Please Try Harder. Hopefully, we will find out that the new CD Let's Get Out of This Country is as lush and sunshiny as its title track when the album is released on Merge on June 6. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: HUMAN TELEVISION "I Laughed" (Gigantic) Gainesville, Florida-based band Human Television release their latest album Look at Who You're Talking To on May 2. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: ELEVENTH DREAM DAY "For Martha" (Thrill Jockey) Eleventh Day Dream has been around since 1983, but this is the first time I've heard their male-female vocal harmonies and happy-go-lucky guitar pop. Their newest album Zeroes and Ones is in stores this Tuesday. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Sunday, April 23, 2006 | [permalink] STREAM: GNARLS BARKLEY St. Elsewhere (Myspace) Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse may go down in history as one of the most ingenious combinations of artists to ever collaborate on an album. You can stream their entire album before it comes out on May 9. tags: music | stream | soul | electronica posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: BRIGHTBLACK MORNING LIGHT "Everybody Daylight" (Matador) This psychedelic southern-flavored chillout song may be perfect for potheads, but for the rest of us, we can at least be amazed at how Brightblack Morning Light develops a mood so insuppressible it could bring out the hippie Donald Rumseld. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | psychedelica posted on Friday, April 21, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: THE FUTUREHEADS "Skip to the End" (Insound) As their recent EP Area foreshadowed, The Futureheads -- judging from this track -- have broken from their formula of robo-garage rock and opted for a more genuine vintage sound. However, those of you like me who quite liked the sound of their self-titled debut, don't worry. Their signature staccato beats and harmonies are still there. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 | [permalink] STREAM: THE STREETS The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (Myspace) Hear The Streets' new album in its entirety. See also: MP3: THE STREETS: "When You Wasn't Famous" tags: music | stream | hip-hop posted on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: THINK ABOUT LIFE "Paul Cries" (Alien8) "Serious Chords" (Alien8) Montreal band Think About Life has been enjoying a lot of buzz in the blog world since touring with Wolf Parade last fall. Here are two staticky indie dance post-punk tracks from their self-titled debut, in stores May 2. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie dance posted on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: HOT IQS "Firecracker" (Toolshed) Granted the Hot IQs album An Argument Between the Brain and The Feet was originally released in 2004 (SpinArt is re-releasing the CD this week), but the band is perhaps a perfect example of too little, too late. Drawing comparisons to big time acts like Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys and, to a lesser extent, Interpol, this Denver band's single "Firecracker" may never receive a greater review other than being a solid copycat. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock posted on Sunday, April 16, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: ELF POWER "An Old Familiar Scene" (Toolshed) Elephant 6 band Elf Power gives us a sample of their talent for hypnotic layered melodies on this track from their forthcoming CD Back to the Web. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Sunday, April 16, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: MISSION OF BURMA "2wice" (Insound) As they achieved on their comeback album ONoffON, Mission of Burma flashes back to their original 70s punk sound on their latest album The Obliterati, in stores May 23. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | punk posted on Sunday, April 16, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: HOWE GELB "But I Did Not" (Thrill Jockey) Former Giant Sand frontman Howe Gelb's latest CD 'Sno Angel like You features vocals from a full gospel choir. The choral voices add a soulful touch to Gelb's garagelike jam band sound. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock posted on Sunday, April 16, 2006 | [permalink] STREAM: JASON COLLETT Idols of Exile (Arts & Crafts) Click the 'Music' tab and stream every track from this Canadian singer/songwriter's upcoming album, due in stores June 14. tags: music | mp3 | indie folk posted on Sunday, April 16, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: THE STREETS "When You Wasn't Famous" (Vice) I always look forward to the latest music from UK hip-hop renegade Mike Skinner. This track from his upcoming album The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living satisfies with its cartoony beat and Skinner's signature humor and lyricism. tags: music | mp3 | hip-hop posted on Friday, April 14, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: PETER WALKER "What Do I Know" "39 Stars" "Young Gravity" (All tracks from PeterWalkerMusic.com) Available this week on Dangerbird Records is Young Gravity from Peter Walker, whose roots-anchored indie pop isn't startlingly unique but is absorbing nonetheless. tags: music | mp3 | alt country | indie pop posted on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: GRANDADDY "Jeez Louise" (Insound) Admittedly, Grandaddy's formula for smashing together genres into pulpy pop melodies hasn't evolved much since they rose to popularity in the late 90s, but this familiarly quirky track from Grandaddy's Just Like the Fambly Cat is the kind of comfort food that's always a welcome treat. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Thursday, April 06, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW "Larva" (Stones Throw) At some point during the rock and roll era - perhaps even some time during Motown's peak - the R&B adlib lost everything improvisational about it and became downright predictable. Georgia Anne Muldrow's freestyle vocals are the most refreshing twist I've heard in R&B in years, pulling from two genres that have always valued musical improv -- jazz and hip-hop. tags: music | mp3 | R&B | indie jazz posted on Thursday, April 06, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: JOLIE HOLLAND "Springtime Can Kill You" (Anti-) Drawing similarities to other non-traditional female vocalists like Nellie McKay and Joanna Newsom, Jolie Holland treats us to her own unique interpretations of folk and jazz and all the genres she throws in on her upcoming album Springtime Can Kill You. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Thursday, April 06, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: FIERY FURNACES "Benton Harbor Blues" (Insound) It was hard to find anyone who really loved The Fiery Furnaces' 2005 bizarre concept album Rehearsing My Choir. This sweet, enjoyable track from their upcoming album Bitter Tea signals that the true follow-up of to their name-making CD Blueberry Boat is finally here. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | avant rock posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: SHAPES AND SIZES "Island's Gone Bad" (Asthmatic Kitty) The self-titled debut (out July 25) from the latest band to make Asthmatic Kitty's official roster features this glowing opening track. The accessibly experimental band begins the song in a playful yet melancholy atmospheric mood, then halfway through takes the tune into a pleasantly unexpected direction. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | avant rock posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: THE FEVER "Redhead" (Kemado) This carnival of classic punk and electro glitches comes from The Fever's upcoming album In the City of Sleep. The NYC band revives garage rock with a distinctive (but not overwhelming) modern edge. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie dance posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: LAMBCHOP "The Distance From Her to There" (Toolshed) "Mr. Crabby" (Toolshed) The most common and prominent thread in Lambchop's music may be their alt-country core, but the band has never shied away from incorporating other styles and bringing them to the forefront. The Decline of Country & Western Civilization, Part II collects singles and rarities from their 12-year career. For those unfamiliar, these two tracks will give you a sense of what great genre-mashers they are. tags: music | mp3 | alt country | indie rock posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: IMAAD WASIF "Out in the Black" (Kill Rock Stars) Member of the band alaska! and a current touring guitarist for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Imaad Wasif releases his first solo CD next week. From his resume, you might be surprised that this track from the album could be described as singer/songwritery psychedelica. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 | [permalink]