Quick heads up: most of these songs are from Indie bands, meaning, small record houses that don't have backing (and ties to Clear Channel - fie) like Sony, etc. BUY THEIR ALBUMS. This was from a CD sent to me to get public interest up, so I have no qualms sharing it. 'Kay. Disclaimer off. (And I don't care WHAT you like, I've got something in here for you. Promise.) Now for the groove:

Oh, Paste Magazine. How I love you. And mskakaako for getting me a subscription. *happy sigh* Broken down: Group - artist - who they sound like/style (all files ripped with WinAmp, mp4, uploaded to Sendspace, and if you have YSIGet, can use that to dl)

1. Built To Spill - Conventional Wisdom This could be on the Veronica Mars soundtrack. They've been around a bit, but this band isn't the best known. Fun pop sound.


2. Mates of State - Fraud in the 80s I love this! Very "Valley Girl" 80s pop/new wave blend. Very bouncy and fun.


3. Nicolai Dunger - Hunger If you like VanMorrison, you'll like this. It's as if Elvis Costello and Randy Newman made a baby.


4. Rhett Miller - Help Me, Suzanne Rhett is the frontman from the Old 97s. Good singing, GREAT lyrics, alt-country with a pop feel that hooks you.


5. The Golden Dogs - Yeah! Oh holy hell I LOVE this one! Kinda grungy/discordant in the beginning, but I dare you to not wiggle your butt and groove on the chorus. Whoo!


6. Richard Julian - Cheap Guitar Bayou blues with a NYC feel. Also known as "literate blues" which is a tad too offensive for me, as a Southerner. :)


7. Margot & The Nuclear So and Sos - Skeleton Key This is a singer I've been trying to find for EVER (Transmission was a single he cut back in '99 that I looooved.) Borderline emo in the beginning, then slips into a pop mellow groove and then peppy. Odd but nice.


8. The Little Willies - Roly Poly YES. MA'AM. Oh, but this is a fun song. Country/rockabilly vibe on Fender Telecasters. Could have been pulled from the 40s and fine tuned. GOOOOD. (Psst: Norah Jones is in the band. It's a Willie Nelson cover band.)


9. Donald Fagen - H Gang I don't care who you are, or what you listen to, if you see this man's name, you buy. He's the singer from Steely Dan, and if you like music and musicanship, that's all you need to know. Smokey jazz/rock. STEELY DAN. Come on.


10. Amy Lavere - Day Like Any Dark and quirky with a rolling slinky beat. Sounds like it came straight out of a David Lynch movie. Mmmm, good.


11. Mellowdrone - Oh My If you like Franz Ferdinand, you'll like this. Upbeat Brit-pop with a body moving groove.


12. Sonya Kitchell - Let Me Go She's from the Norah Jones school of sound. Nice and soothing.


13. Luke Doucet - Emily, Please Another David Lynchian groove. Smoke filled jazz room in the Bayou. Sex and goodness here.


14. Ellery - Anna If you're a fan of female singers/songwriters you'll dig this. Lovely, quiet and mellow.


15. Wrinkle Neck Mules - Liza Alt-country, rock and bluegrass tossed together. Not my personal fave, but I have a thing about voices. Gritty, but hardcore bluegrass for fans out there.


16. Guster - One Man Wrecking Machine One of their songs I like. I prefer their studio work to their live work, personally. Another good rock/pop song that could fit on a Veronica Mars soundtrack easily.


17. Garrison Starr - Let Me In Pleasant, singer makes me think she's related to Jewel and singing alt-country. Stripped down and simple and soothing. Background music you don't think about.


18. The Wood Brothers - One More Day YES. MA'AM. Straight up Nawlins Bayou Blues - the cool bar the locals hang out at that's outside of town. Stand-up bass, acoustic, and a good voice.


19. Umphrey's McGee - Liquid Jam band with Elton John. Yes, you read that correctly. And like all jam bands, (think: Widespread Panic, Phish, 'Dead) it's great up until the end when they can't figure out how to end the damn thing. So get up and get a veggie burrito or hemp anklette for the last 30 seconds.


20. Stone Jack Jones - Bread Ooooh, dark and creepy with Patty Griffiths on backup vocals. If it was in a movie, it's be a re-telling of Deliverance.


21. Teddy Thompson - I Should Get Up Alt-country/Folk singer from London. Nice sound, good lyrics.


22. Feathermerchants - Change my Night YES!!! This is another David Lynchian song. Imagine Portishead singing with a New Orleans feel. Sooo good. They do covers of The Church, for those that love the emo 80s, like me. They have three albums, all of which have just been ordered by me. Mmmmm.

All of these albums can be found at Paste Magazine's online website for purchase. Since some are from very small labels, you may have a hard time finding them in your local store. Which is another reason I loathe the big music houses.


And a huge thanks to spikendru for the cute Easter ecard! Em and I enjoyed watching it a few times this morning. So thoughtful and sweet!! *grins* And if you're downloading any songs - and that's the whole POINT, so it doesn't matter to me if you're a lurker or whatever - let me know so I can keep track and get uploads going in case they run out. Which they shouldn't, but you never know.

apologies to my RPG buddies - I didn't disappear completely - just caught in the upload wars... Be back in an hourish.