PALE YOUNG GENTLEMEN

Madison, Wisconsin's PALE YOUNG GENTLEMEN bring a little of the"gypsy" thing to their indie mix. Piano and cello, as well. And, honestly, that's about all I have on them.

[MP3] "Clap Your Hands"

[MP3] "Fraulein"

THE KILLERS

Many of you are no doubt already aware that THE KILLERS have released a b-sides collection called SAWDUST. Some of you no doubt couldn't give a flying fig, fart, or f*ck about this. Fair enough. I'm well aware that these guys inspire much venom and vitriol in the indie kingdom. But, if it's true they're only poseurs or pretenders-to-the-throne or glitter-and-stardust flashes-in-the-pan, that only seems apt. They are based in Vegas, after all. To thine own self be true. F*ck 'em if they can't take a joke.

("Change Your Mind" -- one of the band's better efforts, IMO -- appears on SAWDUST, as well as on the U.S. version of HOT FUSS. It appears here for those non-U.S. consumers who could give a fig, fart, or f*ck.)

THE KILLERS on MySPACE.

[MP3] "All the Pretty Faces"

[MP3] "The Ballad of Michael Valentine"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Change Your Mind"

JAMES HUNTER

I can't stand Jay Leno. His show makes my skin crawl. But, in switching to NBC one night to catch the beginning of Conan O'Brien, I caught the tail end of a musical performance by Londoner JAMES HUNTER and his band. To say that they had the joint jumpin' would be an understatement.

That was many, many months ago, but I'm finally getting around to posting a couple tracks from his last album -- 2006's PEOPLE GONNA TALK. Neither song captures the infectious energy and sense of just plain fun that permeated the live TV performance, but they're nice enough little ditties and deserve to be heard.

(Today's bonus tracks have nothing whatsoever to do with the Hunter selections. Other than, maybe, a sense of infectious energy and just plain fun.)

JAMES HUNTER on MySPACE.

JAMES HUNTER makin' joints jump >>>

Nov 29 2007 12:00P/RiverFeast/Sheraton Colonial Ballroom/Wakefield, Massachusetts
Dec 1 2007 12:00P/The Turning Point/Piermont, New York

[MP3] "Mollena"

[MP3] "Talking 'Bout My Love"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] ROSEMARY CLOONEY/"Mambo Italiano"

[MP3] CLAUDIO VILLA/"Tic Ti, Tic Ta"

[MP3] LOS FABULOSOS CADILLACS/"El Matador"

[MP3] LOS LOBOS/"Good Morning Aztlan"

MOBIUS BAND

A four-course, electronic-pop-rock sampler, courtesy of East Coast trio MOBIUS BAND....

MOBIUS BAND on MySPACE.

MOBIUS BAND on the run >>>

Nov 29 2007 8:00P/The Bowery Ballroom/New York, New York
Nov 30 2007 8:00P/Iron Horse/Northampton, Massachusetts
Dec 2 2007 8:00P/Middle East Downstairs/Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dec 4 2007 8:00P/The Drunken Unicorn/Atlanta, Georgia
Dec 6 2007 8:00P/Backbooth/Orlando, Florida
Dec 7 2007 8:00P/The Crow Bar/Tampa, Florida
Dec 8 2007 8:00P/Respectable Street/West Palm Beach, Florida
Dec 9 2007 8:00P/Jackrabbits/Jacksonville, Florida

From the LP HEAVEN, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Hallie"
[MP3] "Tie a Tie"

From the LP THE LOVING SOUNDS OF STATIC, 2005 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "The Loving Sounds of Static"

From the EP CITY VS. COUNTRY, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Starts Off With a Bang"

MINIPOP

A couple dollops of dream-pop, courtesy of the female-fronted, San Fran band MINIPOP....

MINIPOP on MySPACE.

From the LP A NEW HOPE, 2007 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "Like I Do"
[MP3] "Untitled"

JIM CROCE

A voice and sound from my very early youth -- 1972-1975 (or thereabouts). JIM CROCE was a working-class singer-songwriter whose compositions benefited from a dichotomy of earthy acoustic guitar and lush backing strings.

Croce's legacy -- like James Dean's -- would be deeply impacted by the nature and timing of his death. While Dean was killed in a car crash at age 24 less than a month before the release of his second film, "Rebel Without a Cause," Croce perished in a plane crash on January 20, 1973 -- less than a month before the release of his album, I GOT A NAME. He was 30 years old.

(The tracks "I Got a Name" and "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" appear on the aforementioned posthumous album.)

[MP3] "I Got a Name"

[MP3] "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)"

[MP3] "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song"

[MP3] "Time in a Bottle"

[MP3] "These Dreams"

[MP3] "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown"

ONETWO

[For no particular purpose, this post is dedicated to all the boring mill operators and certifiable teachers out there. And to Greta.]

ONETWO are a German/English hybrid. Sort of like if you took a Mercedes and mated it with a Mini Cooper (which, come to think of it, would probably result in a Saab).

The German half is singer CLAUDIA BRUCKEN (formerly of PROPAGANDA); the English half is PAUL HUMPHREYS (formerly of ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK). They come together to create smooth, retro-'90s-styled electro-pop. (As such, Brucken's vocals may remind you of EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL's TRACEY THORN and/or SHIRLEY BASSEY in "History Repeating" mode.)

[P.S. The bonus track is the only other song I could find in my archives featuring Ms. Brucken. ANDY BELL, of course, comprises one-half of the synth-pop duo ERASURE. The song, however, is from his 2005 solo album, ELECTRIC BLUE.]

[P.S.S. So often, it's the little things in life that cause me to snicker, giggle, or guffaw. The ones that sort of sneak in sideways, present themselves sans fanfare, and have the great good sense not to overstay their welcome. For instance: a recent want ad in a local paper expressing a need for a "boring mill operator." Or another looking to enlist the services of experienced teachers who "must be certifiable." And then there's this honey of a subject-line from an e-mail I received just this morning: "Tremendous phallus for Greta." There's something about the... um... "diction" here that sets it apart from the typical spam-porn... er... "header." "Tremendous phallus" is so elevated, so neo-Greek-classical. By comparison, "big dick" or "monster cock" -- while descriptive and praiseworthy for the assuredness of their assonance -- seem trite, even brutish. And who, exactly, is this mysterious "Greta"? Garbo? Scacchi? Van Susteren? The mind positively boggles at the possibilities....]

ONETWO on MySPACE.

ONETWO getting their groove on >>>

Nov 25 2007 7:00P/Alban Arena/St. Albans
Nov 26 2007 7:00P/Bristol Academy/Bristol
Nov 27 2007 7:00P/Royal Concert Hall/Nottingham
Nov 29 2007 7:00P/Engine Shed/Lincoln
Nov 30 2007 7:00P/Apollo/Manchester
Dec 1 2007 7:00P/Grand Cru Club/Szczecin
Dec 3 2007 7:00P/Hard Rock Café/Warszawa
Dec 4 2007 7:00P/Civic Hall/Wolverhampton

[MP3] "Sequential"

[MP3] "Have a Cigar" [PINK FLOYD cover]

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] ANDY BELL & CLAUDIA BRUCKEN/"Delicious"

DURAN DURAN

DURAN DURAN began in 1978, three years before JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE was born. Their "regular" five-member line-up (SIMON LE BON, NICK RHODES, ANDY TAYLOR, JOHN TAYLOR, and ROGER TAYLOR) came together in May of 1980 (the same month that Mr. and Mrs. Timberlake came together and made the sexy-back-with-two-beasts). Since their early-to-mid-'80s heyday, things in the Duran Duran camp have been consistently up-and-down/off-and-on. Yet -- periodic band-member defections not withstanding -- they seem steadfast in refusing to give up the ghost for good. Call it plucky perseverance (what wherewithal! what sticktoitiveness! rock on, you loveable duffers!) or stubborn self-delusion (get off the stage, you graceless geezers!).

Whatever you call it, four of the five guys have managed to drag themselves from their gilded crypts, trowel on half-a-gallon of concealer and eyeliner, set their reconditioned Arriflex lenses to "soft focus," and release their latest LP, RED CARPET MASSACRE. Young bucks JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE [see above] and TIMBALAND show up to dispense some Meals on Wheels-styled musical mercy. Call it "respecting your elders" ("Your walker, Mr. Le Bon") or just having a laugh at your addled grandpa (It's true, Mr. Taylor, POWER STATION really has been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame").

Whatever you call it, it is what it is. And it goes on and on.

DURAN DURAN on MySPACE.

DURAN DURAN, encore! encore! >>>

Nov 24 2007 8:00P/Minella Arena/Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires
Dec 5 2007 8:00P/The Phoenix Park/Dublin
Dec 9 2007 8:00P/San Diego Sports Arena (Star 94.1 Jingle Ball)/San Diego, California
Dec 12 2007 8:00P/Nokia Theater/Grand Prairie, Texas
Dec 14 2007 8:00P/Chicago Theatre/Chicago, Illinois

[MP3] "The Valley"

[MP3] "Zoom In"

SAMBASSADEUR

Swedish pop via Swedish popsters SAMBASSADEUR.... They had the good taste to name themselves after a SERGE GAINSBOURG song. They are "Internet-friendly" aka "Internet-savvy" aka "they know which side their bread is buttered on while not looking a gift-horse in the mouth." They speak twee with a shoegaze chaser. (I mix metaphors with wild, abandon-all-hope-ye-who-enter indiscretion.) Sometimes, their singer is a girl named ANNA. Sometimes, their singer is a boy named DANIEL P., DANIEL T., or JOACHIM. Sometimes, Anna and whichever boy it is that sings sing simultaneously. Simultaneously, they sing the pretty songs they sing prettily. (Okay, enough of this hop-on-Swedish-pop nonsense. I just woke up, but I am already in need of a nap....)

SAMBASSADEUR on MySPACE.

SAMBASSADEUR live >>>

Nov 29 2007 10:00P/John Doe @ Herrgår’n/Linköping
Nov 30 2007 10:00P/Bigmouth @ K6/Karlstad
Dec 1 2007 10:00P/Debaser Medis/Stockholm
Dec 14 2007 10:00P/Bättre än igår @ Trädgårn/Borås
Dec 15 2007 10:00P/Velvet @ V-dala Nation/Uppsala

From the LP MIGRATION, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "That Town"
[MP3] "Migration"

From the EP COASTAL AFFAIRS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Kate"
[MP3] "Claudine" [THE BATS cover]

From their self-titled LP, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "New Moon"
[MP3] "Ice & Snow"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "La Chanson de Prevert" [SERGE GAINSBOURG cover]

JENS LEKMAN

"I love you... like a friend."

Oh, what a cruel, soul-crushing kiss-off. In my life, I've always been more karmically-inclined to be on the receiving end of that line. But not today. My apologies, JENS LEKMAN, but a hearty handshake is about all I have to offer. Beyond that... you no touchy-touchy me; I no touchy-touchy you.

Which is a shame, really. Because I DO have something of a crush on Mr. Lekman. Those rich, Aqua-Velva vocals. That lonely-hearted, hip-cat stance. Indie-pop that smells of cigarettes & lounge-leather; tastes of morning-after scotch & cigarettes; sounds like SCOTT WALKER (circa the late-'60s) & STEPHIN MERRRITT (circa 69 LOVE SONGS) & the scratch and hiss of cigarette matches struck in dark, humid rooms by lonelyhearts too hip to do anything but cast a cool shadow.

Ah, the bittersweet ennui... I am powerless to resist it. And I am at a loss to explain my rather detached attachment to Jens Lekman. Methinks it is the songwriting. Mesuspects there is not enough there there. An empty box, attractively wrapped. Nothing more, nothing less. No great shame, but no great shakes. My like but not my love. My hand but not my heart.

From the LP NIGHT FALLS OVER KORTEDALA, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo"

From the LP OH YOU'RE SO SILENT JENS, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Black Cab"
[MP3] "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl"

From the LP WHEN I SAID I WANTED TO BE YOUR DOG, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "You Are the Light"

SCOUTING FOR GIRLS

London's SCOUTING FOR GIRLS might as well be called The Peter Pan Band -- they don't wanna grow up. Well, who the hell does?

What does this music sound like? Ah hell, I don't know... I seem to be drawing a blank tonight. ASH by way of GOO GOO DOLLS? Best I can do in this weary state....

SCOUTING FOR GIRLS on MySPACE.

SCOUTING FOR GIRLS scouting for girls (& boys) 14+ >>>

Nov 15 2007 8:00P/Leicester Uni/16+/Leicester
Nov 16 2007 8:00P/Cardiff - The Point/14+/Cardiff
Nov 30 2007 8:00P/Warwick Uni/14+/Coventry
Dec 1 2007 8:00P/Keele Uni/14+/Keele, Staffordshire
Dec 17 2007 5:00P/Rapture Records/Witney, Oxfordshire

[MP3] "Keep on Walking"

[MP3] "I Need a Holiday"

HEFNER (1996-2002)

A partial post-mortem of the "dead" British band HEFNER. Urban-folk. Indie-pop. Lo-fi. Likeable. Smart. Funny, in a "dark" sort of way. However you parse it: Worth remembering and celebrating.

HEFNER on MySPACE.

From the LP MAIDA VALE, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "The Day That Thatcher Dies" [live]
[MP3] "The Sad Witch" [live]

From the LP DEAD MEDIA, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "When the Angels Play Their Drum Machines"

From the LP WE LOVE THE CITY, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Hold Me Closer"
[MP3] "The Greedy Ugly People"

From the LP THE FIDELITY WARS, 1999 >>>
[MP3] "The Hymn for the Cigarettes"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] [VID] "Christian Girls"

[MP3] "The Cure for Evil" [live]

CATHY DAVEY

Dublin lass CATHY DAVEY would no doubt be tickled pink & pleased as punch if you were to check out her second record, TALES OF SILVERSLEEVE. It's available @ iTUNES, as well as [HERE].

Ms. Davey's voice has a breathy, little-girl quality to it that evokes SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER's LEIGH NASH (and, therefore, by extension, THE SUNDAYS' HARRIET WHEELER). That fact alone ought to draw her some attention. But it also helps that "Can't Help It" rides an EMINEM/"Lose Yourself" bassline to a lush, gorgeous chorus and that "Sing for Your Supper" builds effortlessly from a trot to a gallop. Erin go Bragh!

CATHY DAVEY on MySPACE.

CATHY DAVEY on the Emerald Isle >>>

Nov 14 2007 8:00P/National Concert Hall/Dublin
Dec 10 2007 8:00P/Cyprus Avenue/Cork
Dec 11 2007 8:00P/Dolans/Limerick
Dec 12 2007 8:00P/The Button Factory/Dublin
Dec 13 2007 8:00P/Roisin Dubh/Galway

[MP3] "Sing for Your Supper"

[MP3] "Can't Help It"

FRISKA VILJOR

FRISKA VILJOR are two merry music-makers from the enchanted land of Stockholm-in-Sweden. According to a free-and-convenient online translation service I spent many seconds seeking, their name means "Fresh Wills" in English. This was a disappointment to me. I wanted their name to mean "Frisky Villains." Is that asking so much? (Regardless, "Fresh Wills" is preferable to the translation provided by a rival free-and-convenient service -- "Freshen Want" -- which I believe was actually the title of a popular, Nazi-era breath-mint jingle composed by GUSTAV MAHLER.) (I could be wrong about this, but I don't think so.)

The men of Friska Viljor have pledged to never compose sober. (A noble notion, but somebody needs to tell them that PETE DOHERTY and AMY WINEHOUSE have already blazed that trail, thank you very much.)

Non-Swedes can order Friska Viljor's debut LP, BRAVO!, by clicking [HERE].

FRISKA VILJOR on MySPACE.

FRISKA VILJOR on the road >>>

Nov 12 2007 7:00P/London - Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen/London
Nov 21 2007 9:00P/Amsterdam - Studio Desmet/Amsterdam
Nov 22 2007 9:00P/Groeningen - Vera/Groeningen
Nov 23 2007 9:00P/Utrecht - Ekko/Utrecht
Nov 24 2007 9:00P/Nijmegen - Merleyn/Nijmegen

[MP3] "Four Points"

[MP3] "Gold"

THE 5TH DIMENSION

THE 5TH DIMENSION seems a fairly ideal outfit to help us transition these Sunday mixes from the '60s to the '70s. For one thing, their hit-making years spanned from 1967 to 1972. For another, their 1969 medley of "Aquarius" and "Let the Sunshine In" from the musical "Hair" still serves as a touchstone of the flower-power era. That their subsequent singles went a more adult-contemporary route mirrored what was going on in American popular music in the early '70s. Backlash against those big, bad, scary '60s, I guess.

[MP3] "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"

[MP3] "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All"

[MP3] "Wedding Bell Blues"

[MP3] "If I Could Reach You"

[MP3] "One Less Bell to Answer"

[MP3] "Worst That Could Happen"

[MP3] "Up, Up and Away"

THE '80s, V. 4

Left-click [HERE] to download the fourth and final (for now) '80s mix.

Portal to previous '80s compilations [HERE].

THE '80s, V. 4 TRACKLIST >>>

01) THE CULT/She Sells Sanctuary
02) A-HA/Take on Me
03) THE SMITHS/Panic
04) EURYTHMICS/Here Comes the Rain Again
05) PET SHOP BOYS/It's a Sin
06) THE VIOLENT FEMMES/Blister in the Sun
07) THE B-52's/Rock Lobster
08) DURAN DURAN/All She Wants Is
09) BIG COUNTRY/In a Big Country
10) ERASURE/A Little Respect
11) TEARS FOR FEARS/Head Over Heels
12) MEN AT WORK/Down Under
13) THE CARS/Tonight She Comes
14) R.E.M./It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
15) THE MOTELS/Suddenly Last Summer
16) U2/New Year's Day
17) THE GO GO's/Vacation
18) THE POLICE/King of Pain
19) PHIL COLLINS/In the Air Tonight

JUDAH JOHNSON

JUDAH JOHNSON is a band, not a man. From the Great Lakes State. Led by DANIEL JOHNSON. Others have come and gone. Compositionally-speaking, simplicity and directness tend to get frowned upon. Even the most straightforward songs circle and swirl. Melodies DO reveal themselves, but bashfully -- geisha girl giggling, batting lashes, behind a fluttering fan. But this is more opium den than whorehouse. More ether than adrenaline.

From the LP KISSES AND INTERROGATION, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "The Great Humanitarian"
[MP3] "The Ruse"

From the LP BE WHERE I BE, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Little Sounds"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Game"

GHOSTS

Another TORR-inspired post....

Band: GHOSTS. Home base: London. Album: THE WORLD IS OUTSIDE. Genre: More outright "pop" than "indie pop" -- buffed to a shiny sheen. "Stay the Night" sounds like '80s Britpop, complete with brass (synth-brass?) accents.

[Note: Ghosts' "Stay the Night" is NOT a cover version of either the CHICAGO Top 20 hit of 1984 or the BENJAMIN ORR Top 40 hit of 1986. Additional note: Benjamin Orr was the bass player for THE CARS and also sang lead on a number of their best-known songs -- "Just What I Needed," "Let's Go," "Drive," etc.]

GHOSTS on MySPACE.

[MP3] [VID] "Stay the Night"

[MP3] "Musical Chairs"

VAGUELY-RELATED BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] [VID] CHICAGO/"Stay the Night"

[MP3] BENJAMIN ORR/"Stay the Night"

AIR TRAFFIC

If you don't like today's tuneage, don't blame me -- blame TORR. He was the one who got me listening to some recent first-releases by British bands.

AIR TRAFFIC is a four-piece from Bournemouth, which apparently is a city in England, not a pensive Matt Damon facial expression. Their first-release is FRACTURED LIFE. "Charlotte" is a spiky little pop-rocker -- not life-changing, by any means, but enough to keep you entertained for two-and-some minutes. "No More Running Away" starts off with some nice, thumping drums before piano & synthesizer overswarm them. Think mellow, latter-day MANIC STREET PREACHERS (with maybe just a touch of SPRINGSTEEN's "Secret Garden").

AIR TRAFFIC on MySPACE.

AIR TRAFFIC in performance >>>

Nov 13 2007 7:00P/Leeds Met Uni/Leeds
Nov 14 2007 7:00P/Newcastle Academy 2/Newcastle
Nov 16 2007 8:00P/The High Rocks/Tunbridge Wells
Dec 23 2007 8:00P/Newport Centre/Newport

[MP3] "Charlotte"

[MP3] "No More Running Away"

SORT SOL

Sort Sol ("Black Sun") is a natural phenomenon endemic to Denmark:

"Black Sun... (is) experienced in spring and autumn, when enormous flocks of black starlings, sometimes hundreds of thousands, create fascinating patterns in the sky, virtually blocking out the sun. The aerial ballet can be seen at sunset, when the birds leave their feeding places and take flight before they settle in for the night. The scene becomes even more spectacular when birds of prey are drawn to the marsh, eager to hunt the starlings. Their arrival causes the starlings to fly in ever-changing wavelike formations in the sky."

SORT SOL was also a rock group from Denmark. Originally known as SODS, they are often cited as being that country's first punk band. Their change of name in the early '80s also heralded a change in sound to a more post-punk, JOY DIVISION/early CURE sort of vibe. Occasionally, a heavy-metal element creeps in -- be it by way of JUDAS PRIEST or METALLICA ("Dog Star Man"). STEEN JORGENSEN's deep, rather theatrical voice is a perfect fit here. Like an actor with a tendency toward scenery-chewing, he seems to be having a growly good time....

[MP3] "Holler High"

[MP3] "Rhinestone"

[MP3] "Marguerita"

[MP3] "Dog Star Man"

[MP3] "I'll Take Care of You"

SHE WANTS REVENGE

It's virtually impossible to take SHE WANTS REVENGE seriously as an artistic enterprise. As a JOY DIVISION or DEPECHE MODE covers band? Absolutely. Either one. They've got the drone, the faux Brit accents, the general sense of doom 'n' gloom. But what they don't have is a single ounce or iota of originality.

Maybe, just maybe, that's their schtick. Maybe the whole act's meant to be an ironic, too-cool-for-school carnivale of karaoke-styled post-modernism. Maybe low-art is the new high-art.

Or maybe they're just lazy, talentless hacks who make INTERPOL sound cutting-edge by comparison.

SHE WANTS REVENGE on MySPACE.

From the LP THIS IS FOREVER, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Walking Away"
[MP3] "What I Want"

From their self-titled LP, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Spend the Night"
[MP3] "Out of Control"

A SMILE AND A RIBBON

Yep, more boy/girl Swedish pop. Too much of a good thing? Bite your tongue. Kiss my grits.

A SMILE AND A RIBBON are REBECCA MEHLMAN and MARTIN LINDQVIST, specializers in "sanguine bubblegum pop" that draws from '50s girl groups and '90s twee. Their debut LP, THE BOY I WISH I NEVER MET, is currently available from SHELFLIFE RECORDS.

A SMILE AND A RIBBON on MySPACE.

[MP3] "A Little Late to Be Polite"

[MP3] "Bobby Pin"

THE LA'S

THE LA'S are an odd animal. A curious lot. Their self-titled 1990 album seemed to portend great things for the Liverpool lads, but their promise was never fulfilled. In fact, they never even released a follow-up to that semi-seminal LP. Which, of course, is ONE way to avoid the ever-dreaded sophomore slump.

Let's place the blame on infamously persnickety/insecure ringleader LEE MAVERS. To put it mildly, the man has a problem with "letting go." His obsessive-compulsive studio habits have effectively paralyzed the band, plunging them into a 17-year coma.

But perhaps not an irreversible one. For years now, rumor has had it that a new La's album is in the works. Of course, that doesn't do anybody any good at all if they can't muster the requisite testicular fortitude to release the effin' thing. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Mr. Mavers. Your excuses are your own.

[MP3] [VID] "There She Goes"

[MP3] [VID] "Timeless Melody"

[MP3] "Freedom Song"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] [VID] SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER/"There She Goes"

LACROSSE

Stockholm sextet LACROSSE categorize their music as "pop," "indie," and... um... "tropical." Of course, that last one may be nothing more than wishful thinking, what with the Scandinavian winter about to set in and all.

But "pop" and "indie"? You bet your ass. And let's go ahead and add: "Swedish." Oh yes... very, very "Swedish." To take "No More Lovesongs" as one example: a "We Got the Beat"-beat leads us to jangly guitars, sunny, multi-tracked boy/girl vocals, and what sounds like an honest-to-god theremin outro. Slightly kooky? Sure. Utterly charming? You bet your ass.

Lacrosse's album, THIS NEW YEAR WILL BE FOR YOU AND ME, is out this month.

LACROSSE on MySPACE.

LACROSSE across Europe >>>

Nov 9 2007 7:00P/Debaser Medis, plan 2/Stockholm
Dec 6 2007 8:00P/d:quliq/Luxembourg
Dec 7 2007 8:00P/Raststätte/Aachen
Dec 8 2007 8:00P/Swamp/Freiburg
Dec 9 2007 8:00P/Mariaberg/Rorschach
Dec 10 2007 8:00P/Arena/Wien
Dec 11 2007 8:00P/Franzis/Wetzlar
Dec 12 2007 8:00P/Wohnzimmer/Lüneburg
Dec 13 2007 8:00P/Bang Bang Club/Berlin

[MP3] "No More Lovesongs"

[MP3] "Sunshiner"

BOND GIRLS

It occurred to me that I'd posted two James Bond themes amongst the other Sunday morning selections these past few weeks [DUSTY SPRINGFIELD's "The Look of Love" (from "Casino Royale," 1967) and NANCY SINATRA's "You Only Live Twice" (1967).]

A few more seemed in order....

[MP3] CARLY SIMON/"Nobody Does It Better" [from "The Spy Who Loved Me," 1977]

[MP3] SHIRLEY BASSEY/"Moonraker" [1979]

[MP3] SHEENA EASTON/"For Your Eyes Only" [1981]

[MP3] SHIRLEY BASSEY/"Diamonds Are Forever" [1971]

[MP3] LULU/"The Man With the Golden Gun" [1974]

[MP3] SHIRLEY BASSEY/"Goldfinger" [1964]

[MP3] RITA COOLIDGE/"All Time High" [from "Octopussy," 1983]

ALPINESTARS

I just recently re-discovered ALPINESTARS while combing through some old mix CDs. Today's tunes all appear on their 2002 album WHITE NOISE. To the best of my knowledge, they haven't released any new material since then.

These guys (GLYN THOMAS & RICHARD WOOLGAR -- though Thomas is now going by LUCIEN CAINE) took crap from some quarters for being so deeply indebted to AIR and NEW ORDER. Even so, this stuff makes for some graceful, chilled-out pop-electronica.

[Come back 'round later today/tonight for the Best of October mix. And have a graceful, chilled-out weekend.]

[MP3] "Snow Patrol, Pt. 2"

[MP3] "Crystalnight"

[MP3] "Burning Up"

MILBURN

Sheffield's MILBURN go all retro-'60s on their sophomore full-length THESE ARE THE FACTS. You'll hear echoes of THE ANIMALS and THE ZOMBIES here, as well as present-day Swedish rockers MANDO DIAO.

MILBURN on MySPACE.

MILBURN doin' it for the students >>>

Nov 12 2007 8:00P/Liverpool Guild of Students - Stanley Theatre/Liverpool
Nov 13 2007 8:00P/Leeds University Union - Mine (NUS Only)/Leeds
Nov 15 2007 8:00P/Reading Students Union - 3Sixty/Reading
Nov 16 2007 8:00P/Warwick Students Union/Coventry
Nov 17 2007 8:00P/Loughborough Students Union/Loughborough
Nov 18 2007 8:00P/Norwich Waterfront/Norwich
Nov 20 2007 8:00P/Manchester Met SU - K2 (NUS Only)/Manchester
Nov 21 2007 8:00P/Preston 53 Degrees/Preston
Nov 22 2007 8:00P/Strathclyde (Glasgow) Students Union/Glasgow

From the LP THESE ARE THE FACTS, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "What Will You Do (When the Money Goes)?"
[MP3] "Genius and the Tramp"

From the LP WELL WELL WELL, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Lipstick Licking"

A-HA

Screw the Viagra; these tunes are guaranteed to to give you Norwegian wood. A little blast of audio/visual nostalgia -- complete with high-flying falsetto -- to help you welcome in November....

A-HA on MySPACE.

[MP3] [VID] "Take on Me"

[MP3] [VID] "The Sun Always Shines on TV"

[MP3] [VID] "Stay on These Roads"