Music Under Fire

This week we're celebrating our 300th post! Considering 75% of all blogs don't make it past 3 months (we had 85 posts back then), we think this is a pretty big acomplishment to be where we're at - 300 posts in nine months (that's a little more than a post a day if you're doing the math).

For this small milestone, we compiled the list of ear-catching songs below. This is no ordinary list. Many of the songs below come from groups we've been following for quite some time and a few may be found on our 'best of' lists at the end of the year - the remainder are songs we've stubled upon in our searches for great music, new and old. We hope you enjoy our list below and are even more thankful for all of the visitors and people who have supported our site over the course of the last 9 months!

MP3: Fujiya & Miyagi - Knickerbocker (buy)
MP3: Delta Spirit - People C'Mon (buy) (MUF)
MP3: Low Vs Diamond - This Is Your Life (buy)
MP3: Greg Laswell - Comes and Goes (In Waves) (buy)
MP3: I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - When You Go Out (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: The Walkmen - In The New Year (buy)
MP3: The Stills - Being Here (buy)
MP3: Athlete - Flying Over Bus Stops (acoustic) (buy)
MP3: Kings of Leon - Manhattan (buy)
MP3: CSS - Beautiful Song (buy)
MP3: Does It Offend You Yeah - Whip it (Devo Cover) (buy)
MP3: Anthem In - Down (buy) (Official)
MP3: Arizona - Thimble (buy)
MP3: Black Kids - I'm not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance (buy)
MP3: El Ten Eleven - I Like Van Halen Because My Sister Says They Are Cool (buy)
MP3: Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell Me (buy) (Official)
MP3: The Bravery - Swollen Summer (buy)
MP3: Daniel Gray - In the Morning (readme) (MySpace)
MP3: The Honorary Title - Stay Away (buy)
MP3: The Kooks - Kids (MGMT cover) (buy)
MP3: Radiohead - Down Is The New Up (buy)
MP3: Panda Riot - Paper Planes (live on WOXY) (buy) (Official)
MP3: The New Year - The Company I Get (buy)
MP3: The Uglysuit - Chicago (buy)
MP3: Ladyhawke - Back of the Van (Van She Tech Remix) (Official)

This week's folk artists have dominated the listings below, and really, they have captured many a heart with their works as well. Despite having a smaller amount of content for this week, Mogwai and of Montreal also have a few treats in store.

Emiliana Torrini's Me and Armini album should add some flair as her seemingly funk-inspired breakouts lie quietly behind the harmony she has created. Also, Portland's Horse Feathers bring a catchy touch due to the unique vocal span of songer Justin Ringle. Along with these two artists, the unfailing work of Catie Curtis and Joan Baez could add a more down-tempo appeal.

More on the indie rock side, The New Year and a couple of smaller works by of Montreal and Mogwai lifted our eyebrows. The New Year was started back in 1999 by brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane, who previously masterminded Bedhead. Since then, they added on a slew of talented friends and have continued to improve their sound. Their newest album is the self titled, The New Year. The track below is from their 2004 release of The End Is Near.

So the list this week had a ton of artists and we only did a few writeups and posted just a couple of mp3s, so if there is someone you didn't hear us mention, please leave a comment. Enjoy.

MP3: The New Year - The End's Not Near (buy)
MP3: Calexico - Two Silver Trees (buy)
MP3: Emiliana Torrini - Birds (buy)
MP3: Mogwai - The Sun Smells Too Loud
MP3: of Montreal - Id Engager (buy)

Aids Wolf - Cities of Glass (Official) (MySpace)
Angela Desveaux - The Mighty Ship (Official) (MySpace)
Bound Stems - The Family Afloat (Official) (MySpace)
Broken West - Now or Heaven (Official) (MySpace)
Calexico - Carried to Dust (Official) (MySpace)
Callers - Fortune (MySpace)
Catie Curtis - Sweet Life (Official) (MySpace)
Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane (MySpace)
D+ - What is Doubt For? (Official) (MySpace)
Damien Jurado - Caught in the Trees (Official) (MySpace)
Dar Williams - Promised Land (Official) (MySpace)
Don Chambers - Zebulon (Official) (MySpace)
Donkeys - Living on the Other Side (MySpace)
Emiliana Torrini - Me and Armini (Official) (MySpace)
Fujiya & Miyagi - Lightbulbs (MySpace)
Gennero - There's Something About Thursdays (MySpace)
Growing - All The Way (Official) (MySpace)
Gym Class Heroes - The Quilt (Official) (MySpace)
Hollywood Undead - Swan Songs (Official) (MySpace)
Horse Feathers - House With No Home (Official) (MySpace)
I'm Not Jim - You Are All My People (Official)
Joan Baez - Day After Tomorrow (Official) (MySpace)
Joan Osborne - Little Wild One (Official) (MySpace)
Karrigan - My Conscience Got The Best of Me (MySpace)
Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez - Why Is Bear Billowing (Official) (MySpace)
Little Teeth - Child Bearing Man (Official) (MySpace)
Liz Durrett - Outside Our Gates (Official) (MySpace)
Locksley - Don't Make Me Wait (Official) (MySpace)
Magic Slim & the Teardrops - Midnight Blues (Official) (MySpace)
Maserati - Inventions Remixes (Official) (MySpace)
Meiko - Meiko (Official) (MySpace)
Michael Franti & Spearhead - All Rebel Rockers (Official) (MySpace)
Mogwai - Batcat 12" (Official) (MySpace)
The New Year - The New Year (MySpace)
Of Great & Mortal Men - 43 Songs For 43 U.S. (Official) (MySpace)
Of Montreal - Id Engager Alter Eagle 7" (Official) (MySpace)
Okkervil River - The Stand Ins (Official) (MySpace)
oRSo - Ask Your Neighbor (Official) (MySpace)
Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements (Official)
Patty Loveless - Sleepless Nights (Official) (MySpace)
Pontiak - Sun on Sun (Official) (MySpace)
Rafter - Sweaty Magic EP (Official) (MySpace)
Rahim - Laughter (Official) (MySpace)
Shaky Hands - Lunglight (Official) (MySpace)
The Dark Romantics - Heartbreaker (Official) (MySpace)
The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Ocean and the Sun (Official) (MySpace)
The Years Gone By - Forever Comes To Soon (MySpace)
TK Webb & The Visions - Ancestor (Official) (MySpace)
Underoath - Lost In The Sound of Separation (Official) (MySpace)
Unspoken - Jim Brickman (MySpace)
Viarosa - Send for the Sea (Official) (MySpace)
Wholehearted - Reclaim (Official) (MySpace)
Willoughby - I Know What You're Up To (Official) (MySpace)
Wovenhand - Ten Stones (Official) (MySpace)
Young Widows - Old Wounds (Official) (MySpace)