musical chameleon like david bowie

daft punk - human after all

get on the dance floor. no, seriously. with vocoder harmonies and riffs this good a robotic dance move is not only going to look good, it's required. the titular track of the new album, this song zones alien headquarters into stereos. hopefully this one gets a video on par with digital love.


decemberists - sporting life

coming from the 05 release picaresque, this ranks among the strongest pop track tracks these pirates have released. up there with billy liar, lost angelos i'm yours, and of course july july. if new to the decemberists, it may take some time to wrap your head around colin meloy's vocabulary. did i mention that live shows have crazy accordion solos?

update your grey matter cause one day it may matter

Psapp - Electricity in Pine Boxes

labpop with some great textures and background ambient noises which sounds like a less aggressive notwist or a less spaced out mum. off the latest release, tiger my friend, this london based team lets out some charming hooks and on another song beats on with a killah monkey sample.


Girls Are Short - Contact Kiss

Another mooged out blissed out popfest, this time from toronto. a 2001 release according to the label's website (http://www.upperclass.to/uc2/index.html, also home to the cansecos and the russian futurists), some of the other songs have some wacked out samples. this one's a driver.

precise like brain surgery

new digs: switched the options up so anyone can post a comment. holla back young'n


Chris Richards - Is there anybody else?

chris richards is an energetic power popper who is almost as tight as marshall crenshaw was back in the day. this song barrels through riffs and a killer chorus madly while envoking all the golden sounds of a classic pop song.


Headlights - Centuries

headlights is a champaign band who creates a more relaxed and mooged out brand of pop, similar to koufax and sharing a sound a wee bit like the rentals. the use of female and male vocalists adds to the group's dynamics. no diggity!!!


Kano ft. Demon and Wiley - Mic Fight

this is off a grime compilation. i'm feeling a little bit of a middle eastern vibe, like MIA could kill on this, with the high and piercing slide and a bass that jumps in and out and will rumble your trousers off. wiley's always been a king to me, producing some of dizzee rascal's best joints and also killing on his own album, especially the song pies. it's good to get exposure to other artists in this genre, especially with songs like this.

welcome to the working week

Darren Hanlon - Operator...Get me Sweden

this is one of my favorite songs of australian boy darren's 2002 hello stranger album. naive yet charming indie pop produced by a former portishead producer includes highlights hiccups and punk's not dead. before setting out on his own darren held a brief stint as the lucksmith's fourth recording and touring member.


Caribou - Pelican Narrows

from the forthcoming milk of human kindness album due out in april, the man behind manitoba before a painful legal exchange puts it back to start breaking my heart style with this number. i can even hear a little bit of prefuse in this one, although it still remains entirely vital and unique. one of the few instrumentals on the new albulum, this track stands out to my little ears because of the faint and delicate melody combined with dan snaith's signature sometimes tribal like drum sounds which i'd love to be able to produce.

shadow journal

Jim O'Rourke - All Downhill from Here

this is my favorite jim o'rourke song. the man fools with everything from harsh severe noise attacks to graceful acoustic improvisation and is still capable of producing this super riff pop gem. insignificance, the album which jumps off with this track, is not even jim at his most straight-forward pop. the 99 album eureka would claim that title, tilting its head towards 60's sunshine pop with songs like something big. all downhill from here and other songs from insignificance have a rougher edge and darker textures. big ups for chi-town.

Claude Debussy - Claire de Lune

when we put out a new album bitches is like open sesame

Count Bass D - Art For Sale

support this man! these beats are so smooooth i want to throw a dance party in my pants. but seriously, when you dip i dip we dip with this. i'm always a fan of the talented folks, and this guy lays down these grooves live in the nashville studio with the keyboard, bass, and drums. his first album, pre-life crisis, was almost as soulful as teh art for sale ep available on his website at http://www.countbassd.com/v3/. if it's still up, make sure to yank the fat girl song as well.



Diplomats - I wanna be your lady

dipset! yea so today is all about some rnb and who knew the heatmakers could come up with such hits in this genre. seriously this bassline just goes and goes and goes while i set my robotic hips to sway=max.

run if you sell drugs in a school zone run if you gettin chased with no shoes on

The Choir - It's Cold Outside

damyo hard to believe this was penned by a 16 year old from Cleveland around 1966. the choir originally started as a beatles, zombies, the who, troggs, and moody blues cover band playing at roller rinks around their area. definitely fits in with the mersey scene which was imported from liverpool and has stuck around til today because of its memorable bits. can't deny it this one's a thrillah.



Wagon Christ - Saddic Gladdic

sorry i make you lush, a ninja tune release, opens up with this feel good sci-fi burner. heads up for 1:02 from then on it's gooooold. Luke Vibert, the man waxing the boards, throws all his camp samples into the mix but nothing can distract from this song's ability to make you go mmmmm.

that guitar sound real mellow just like catnip


james knight and the butlers - save me

james knight and the butlers - funky cat

today we got the freshness from some old soul, miami style. james knight and the butlers are being greatly rediscovered and revaluated thanks to some soulful cratediggers and the compilation miami sound - rare funk and soul from miami, florida 1967-1974 put out by soul jazz records. pay careful attention to james knight's requests at the start of funky cat, but only after you hit these songs up repeat and grow weary from shaking and bobbin to the masterful beat.

this is some flavah son

i'm a nike head and I wear chains that incite the feds and ain't a damn thing gonna change

Mantronix - bassline

this song is silly fresh from 1985's self titled debut from dj Mantronik and MC Tee. the beat is clever, the drums is 80s, the bass line is glue holding together the skeleton of funk, and the synth line is so necessary. not too many heads including synth solo breakdowns when cracking beats nowadays. play this at your next dance party....word.



Shugo Tokumaru - Sleet

the japanese are crazy fellas, and this song is pure bliss. this is off shugo's night piece album which is gaining some steam on this side of the globe for good reason. "sleet" starts off serenely but then spreads out into some serious head bumping. it strides the fine line of hitting organic and robotic with a melody straight out metal gear of your old nintendo system. the rest of night piece is more acoustic guitar and folk but always charming. oh yea, the picture above is of some random japanese students that might be named shugo and not of the esteemed artist.

i was thinking about putting up some top whatever lists for the year 04 but now...nahyo maybe laters.