WELL, IT *IS* ALMOST DECEMBER...

THE DECEMBERISTS

I had thought for sure that the Decemberists' Picaresque would make my Top 10 for 2005, but, at the moment, it ain't looking good.

Still, I very much enjoy four of the songs on the disc, and I am offering three of these for your listening enjoyment ("Eli, the Barrow Boy," alas, will have to be the odd man out).

[MP3] [left-click] "We Both Go Down Together"

[MP3] [left-click] "The Engine Driver"

[MP3] [left-click] "The Mariner's Revenge Song"

THE NON-POISONOUS VARIETY

IVY

Adam Schlesinger, who is one-half of Fountains of Wayne, makes up one-third of Ivy. He is not the focus of this latter group, however; that would have to be lead singer Dominique Durand, whose voice is as smooth and cool as her name. ("Ivy," by the way, should not be confused with ska-punkers "Operation Ivy" or folk-popsters "Ida.")

Ivy certainly aren't as in-your-face-catchy as Fountains of Wayne; their sound merges pop with St. Etienne-esque soundscapes. My favorite songs by them tend to lean a bit more to the "pop" side, as may be evident below....

[MP3] [left-click] "Corners of Your Mind" [from the LP In the Clear, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "Kite" [from the LP Guestroom, 2002]

[MP3] [left-click] "Edge of the Ocean" [from the LP Long Distance, 2001]

[MP3] [left-click] "The Best Thing" [from the LP Apartment Life, 1997]

#11?

BLOC PARTY

In reviewing some CDs for my upcoming (and inevitable) Top 10 Albums of 2005, I found myself re-grooving on five or so songs from Bloc Party's Silent Alarm.

I don't think the record's going to quite make the Top 10, but "Banquet" certainly deserves a place on my Top 20 Songs of 2005.

[MP3] [left-click] "Banquet"

[MP3] [left-click] "So Here We Are"

[MP3] [left-click] "Luno"

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BY THE NUMBERS

[MP3] [left-click] The Strokes/"12:51"

[MP3] [left-click] Rialto/"Monday Morning 5.19"

[MP3] [left-click] Rufus Wainwright/"11:11"

[MP3] [left-click] Deathray/"10:15"

[MP3] [left-click] Elastica/"2:1"

BLACK TUESDAY

BLACK BOX RECORDER

England's Black Box Recorder are often compared with St. Etienne, but that's crap. Most likely, that error is made because BBR singer Sarah Nixey's elegantly icy vocals do bear some resemblance to St. E's Sarah Cracknell's (though one might just as easily invoke Yaz's Alison Moyet).

Bottom line: while I've always found the bulk of St. Etienne's music to be airy to the point of pointlessness, Black Box Recorder's efforts have always had a tangible gravity and tang to them. Thus, I think it's much more accurate to insert them somewhere along the continuum between Pulp and Goldfrapp.

Arch lyrics... deadpan delivery... very, very British... sounds good to me....

[MP3] [left-click] "These Are the Things" [from the LP Passionoia, 2003]

[MP3] [left-click] "Goodnight Kiss" [from the LP The Facts of Life, 2000]

[MP3] [left-click] "Swinging" [from the LP England Made Me, 1998]

[MP3] [left-click] "Brutality" [from the LP The Worst of Black Box Recorder, 2001]

ALEX LLOYD

CRASH VEGAS

THE FRAMES

AHH, NOSTALGIA...

Every now and again, I like to pull an old mix CD off the shelf and see if it has held up with the passage of time. Invariably, certain songs fall flat, while others resonate and reward all over again. For me, at least, the three tunes below fit comfortably in the latter camp.

Alex Lloyd is an Australian singer-songwriter. "Green" is a lush little charmer with chiming guitars that reference mid-period R.E.M. more than the Smiths. There are also some happy-yet-melodramatic strings that might scare a few hardcore indie enthusiasts away, but screw those snobs. This one would give Kermit a peaceful, easy feeling.

Crash Vegas was a Canadian outfit featuring Michelle McAdorey on vocals and one or two members of Blue Rodeo. I heard the song "On and On (Lodestar)" in the summer of '95 or '96 on Canadian radio (just across the river from Detroit). I instantly fell in love with this haunting and autumnal tune. The mood? Think: "California Dreamin'."

The Frames are an Irish outfit that's been kicking around since 1991. I don't think they're particularly well-known in the States, but "Pavement Tune" deserves more than a little international attention. Blissfully simple, it's basically one big hook. Irresistible.

[MP3] [left-click] Alex Lloyd/"Green"

[MP3] [left-click] Crash Vegas/"On and On (Lodestar)"

[MP3] [left-click] The Frames/"Pavement Tune"

SINGLE-ARTIST SATURDAY

JOSH ROUSE

An Aquarium Drunkard reported the other day that Josh Rouse has a new EP, Bedroom Classics, Vol. 2, out on iTunes. As I'd already been planning to post a few of my favorite songs from this Nebraska singer-songwriter, the time seemed nigh.

Apparently, Mr. Rouse listened to a lot of the Smiths and the Cure in his youth, and you can certainly hear a bit of Morrissey & Marr in the chiming, rollicking "Winter in the Hamptons." Can't say that I hear much of Robert Smith in these particular tracks; "Flight Attendant," if anything, has more of a David Byrne thing going on. And the earlier "Directions" sounds like one of Matthew Ryan's better efforts.

Solid stuff, through and through.

[MP3] [left-click] "Winter in the Hamptons" [from the LP Nashville, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "Flight Attendant" [from the LP 1972, 2003]

[MP3] [left-click] "Directions" [from the LP Home, 2000]

IT'S JUST A STUPID SLED, DAMMIT!

THE ROSEBUDS

Yep, we're already going boy/girl again... this time with North Carolina's charmingly chimey the Rosebuds. Primary members Ivan & Kelly have been making music together since 2001 and should be around for quite some time to come. I have to say: I like these folks considerably more than the too-low-key-for-my-tastes Yo La Tengo.

Besides the ones I'm offering here, you can download many more Rosebuds MP3s from their site [left-click on band name above].

[MP3] [left-click] "Boxcar" [from the LP Birds Make Good Neighbors, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "Outnumbered" [from the LP Birds Make Good Neighbors, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "You Better Get Ready" [from the EP The Rosebuds Unwind, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "What Can I Do?" [from the LP The Rosebuds Make Out, 2003]

GUSTAV, AGAIN

Seems that my pre-sleep weariness this morning got in the way of the facts re: Gustav & the Seasick Sailors. The LP Vagabond's Polka is, in fact, the band's debut album, while the one coming out in March of 2006 is to be entitled SIRKUS. The first three MP3s below are from the debut, while "Angels Fable" will appear on the sophomore disc.

Gustav e-mailed me again to say that, while Vagabond's Polka was more of a "singer/songwriter" type of effort, SIRKUS will have a more "raw, gypsy kinda quality." The infectious "Angels Fable" would certainly suggest that that's true.

I should be able to offer up a couple more tracks from SIRKUS as the March release date approaches. In the meantime, scroll down and check out the back-catalogue.

GUSTAV