MP3: OXFORD COLLAPSE "Please Visit Your National Parks" (Sub Pop) This sugar rush of a song appears on Brooklyn power indie pop band Oxford Collapse's upcoming Remember the Night, available in stores on Oct. 10. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Thursday, September 28, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: JAY BENNETT "Replace You" (Insound) On his solo CD The Magnificent Defeat, Bennett smokes up a Southern-fried version of alt country that out-funks his work with Wilco. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | alt country posted on Thursday, September 28, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: SOMEONE STILL LOVES BORIS YELTSIN "Oregon Girl" (Polyvinyl) Someone Still Loves Boris Yeltsin is one of those bands whose sound is so warm and irresistable that it's hard to believe they haven't quite yet joined popular indie elites like The Shins and Bright Eyes. But they do get another chance to climb the indie ladder; their 2005 album Broom will be re-released on Polyvinyl next month. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Monday, September 25, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: THE POSTMARKS "Goodbye" (World's Fair) The Postmarks introduce themselves with this brilliantly-crafted, French-inspired pop song from their self-titled debut album, which disappointingly won't be released until January. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Sunday, September 24, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: FRIDA HYVONEN "You Never Got Me Right" (Secretly Canadian) On this track from the upcoming Until Death Comes, Swedish artist Frida Hyvonen showcases the vocal circus acrobatics and the sweet, playful attitude that have made her so popular in her home country. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Sunday, September 24, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: MAKE BELIEVE "A Song about Camping" "Pat Tillman, Emmitt Till" (Flameshovel) Chicago's Make Believe take punk rock fundamentals and conjure up abstract rhythms and guitars riffs, creating a perfect balance between the familiar and the experimental. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | avant rock posted on Sunday, September 24, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: THE HIDDEN CAMERAS "Death of a Tune" (Arts & Crafts) Another download from The Hidden Camera's recently released album Awoo. See also: MP3: THE HIDDEN CAMERAS: "Awoo" tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Saturday, September 23, 2006 | [permalink] TOP 100 ROCK & ROLL SINGLES OF ALL TIME: #40 - #21 Here are the next 20 songs on my all-time singles list. Check out spots #100 through #41 first, if you haven't already. #100 - #81 #80 - #61 #60 - #41 40. "Blue Monday" / New Order 39. "White Rabbit" / Jefferson Airplane 38. "Fire and Rain" / James Taylor 37. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" / Joy Division 36. "Young Americans" / David Bowie 35. "A Day in the Life" / The Beatles 34. "Papa was Rolling Stone" / The Temptations 33. "Train in Vain" / The Clash 32. "Son of a Preacher Man" / Dusty Springfield 31. "Our Lips are Sealed" / The Go-Gos 30. "The Weight" / The Band 29. "Monkey Gone to Heaven" / The Pixies 28. "Suspicious Minds" / Elvis Presley 27. "Ghost Town" / The Specials 26. "Kashmir" / Led Zeppelin 25. "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" / Aretha Franklin 24. "Common People" / Pulp 23. "Your Song" / Elton John 22. "There She Goes" / The La's 21. "Layla" / Derek and the Dominoes tags: music | best of | rock and roll posted on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: +/- "Steal the Blueprints" (Absolutely Kosher) Merging pop punk and electronic music, +/- (plus/minus) formulates a distinctly upbeat sound. Let's Build a Fire, their latest CD, features this track and is on sale Oct. 24. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: EMILY HAINES AND THE SOFT SKELETON "Doctor Blind" (Filter) The vixen who leads indie dance band Metric goes out on her own and does it just-a-girl-and-her-piano style. And if her vocals weren't impressive enough on dance tracks like "Poster of Girl," here it stands out even more. Emily Haines' Knives Don't Have Your Back is in stores next Tuesday. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: TOM WAITS "Bottom of the World" (Anti) Fans who are anxious to hear the gravel-voiced legend's 3-disc set of new material and rarities Orphans can enjoy the drunken misery of this roots rock dirge. The 54-track box releases on Oct. 21. tags: music | mp3 | rock | singer/songwriter posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: 120 DAYS "Come Out (Come Down, Fade Out, Be Gone)" (Vice) "Get Away" (Insound) I'm starting to believe that we've now moved on enough from the 90s that we can now legitimately call the era "retro". Norwegian band 120 Days may be the latest evidence. Their driving, atmospheric beats may give you Trainspotting-esque flashbacks, but somehow they avoid sounding stale. I welcome it as an early attempt at electronica revival. tags: music | mp3 | indie dance | electronic posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: CHAVEZ "The Guard Attacks/Unreal is Here" "You Faded" (Matador) Better Days Will Haunt You is a retrospective of mildly memorable alternative 90s band Chavez. You can rediscover a time when power chords and whiny vocals ruled the indie underground on Oct. 10, when the collection is available in stores. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | alternative posted on Sunday, September 17, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: BRIGHT EYES "Amy in the White Coat" "I Will Be Grateful for this Day" (Saddle Creek) No, Conor Oberst isn't releasing a new album just yet. New Bright Eyes material will sprout in the spring. In the meantime, he's releasing a collection of singles and rarities called Noise Floor, which spans recordings between 1998 and 2005. The CD is out on Oct. 24. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Friday, September 15, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: DAMIEN JURADO "What Were The Chances" (Secretly Canadian) Damien Jurado really knows how to put a damper on things. Check out this misery maker about a desperate and depressed adulterer reflecting on his doomed relationship. His newest album And Now That I'm in Your Shadow is in stores on Oct. 10. tags: music | mp3 | indie+rock | singer/songwriter posted on Thursday, September 14, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: GOLDENBOY "Second Day of the Year" "Underneath the Radio" "Summer of the Evening" (Eenie Meenie) Three selections from Goldenboy's Underneath the Radio (available Oct. 3) that showcase frontman Shon Sullivan's love for sparking up meloncholy pop songs. tags: music | mp3 | indie+rock | indie+pop posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: ISOBEL CAMPBELL "O Love Is Teasin" (Pitchfork) Former Belle and Sebastian member Isobel Campbell, who received many accollades for her work with Mark Lanegan last year, puts out a solo album in November. It features folk-inspired songs like this one, which is like a haunting twist on a celtic-style ballad. tags: music | mp3 | indie+rock | folk posted on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: CHRISTOPHER WILLITS "Yellow Spring" (Ghostly) Experimental multi-instrumentalist Christopher Willits creates a densely-textured, complex sound experience on this track from Surf Boundaries, released on Oct. 17. tags: music | mp3 | experimental | avant rock posted on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: BENJY FERRE "In the Countryside" (Domino) D.C.-based Benjy Ferree is absolutely gleeful on this playful cornfield work song from his upcoming CD Leaving the Nest, in stores in November. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: OOIOO "UMA" (Thrill Jockey) This track from the follow-up to the Japanese all-girl group's Gold and Green is, well, a little bit obnoxious. I think the ladies got a little carried away with the screechy chants and random noisemakers this time around. If you have a high tolerance for music that strives to sound unpleasant, the full album, Taiga, is in stores today. tags: music | mp3 | experimental | indie pop posted on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: ROBERT POLLARD "Supernatural Car Lover" (Toolshed) Former Guided by Voices member Robert Pollard just released the acclaimed From a Compound Eye earlier this year and is already following it up with Normal Happiness (out Oct. 10). Here's a fun pop track off the new album. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Sunday, September 10, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: WOLF EYES "The Driller" (Sub Pop) From Wolf Eyes' upcoming album Human Animal comes this nightmarish noise track that may be the perfect soundtrack for that Halloween haunted house you've been working on in your garage. tags: music | mp3 | avant rock | experimental posted on Sunday, September 10, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: THE CAPITOL YEARS "You Can Stay There" "Mirage" (CapitolYears.com) Dance Away the Terror, the newest album from Philly retro rock pop indie band The Capitol Years, features these two sunshiny songs that will make you sad that summer's coming to a close. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Friday, September 08, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: RAFTER "Bicycle" "My Friend Crow" (Toolshed) Asthmatic Kitty newest artist Rafter Roberts crafts atypical indie folk songs with electronic blips and unexpected tempo shifts. These two songs appear on 10 Song, which will be available in stores next week. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | eclectic posted on Thursday, September 07, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: THE HIDDEN CAMERAS "AWOO" (Outside Music) Canadian twee pop band The Hidden Cameras helm another whimsical joyride on the title track from their upcoming third release. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Thursday, September 07, 2006 | [permalink] MP3: GRIZZLY BEAR "Knife" (Insound) Grizzly Bear's captivating harmonic movements drift gorgeously throughout this track from their recently released Warp debut Yellow House. tags: music | mp3 | indie rock | indie pop posted on Thursday, September 07, 2006 | [permalink]