1. Modest Mouse - The Ocean Breathes Salty
   Another great track from Good News For People Who Love Bad News. This one’s a bit darker than “Float On”, but still pretty upbeat for Modest Mouse. Really strong vocal melodies and great instrumentation.
2. The Killers - Mr. Brightside
   Another great single from Hot Fuss, and this one sounds even more New Wave than the last. If you digitally inserted this song into an old John Hughes movie, it wouldn’t sound the least bit out of place.
3. The Cooper Temple Clause - Blind Pilots
   Cooper Temple Clause vocalist Ben Gautrey sounds a bit like Liam Gallagher, but you’d never mistake this band for Oasis. They’re a little “prog-rock” (think The Mars Volta) and a little bit Radiohead.
4. Keane - Bend and Break
   Like Coldplay, Keane started out on indie label Fierce Panda, and they’ll draw lots of comparisons to them. Substitute vocals closer to Thom Yorke’s than Chris Martin’s and piano riffs instead of guitars, and you’re pretty close.
5. Gomez - Silence
   Some more soaring three-part harmonies, grinding guitars and electronic noodling from the oddly named British quintet. A solid track that’ll get your head bobbing.
6. Jimmy Eat World - Pain
   I have some “more indie than you” friends who just despise Jimmy Eat World. I can’t say that I love them, but they keep putting out this sort of hooky, power-chord laden pop-rock that makes me want to sing along.
7. Pixies - Bam Thwok
   Kim Deal wrote this song, the first new track from the Pixies in many years. It’s not their best, but it’s a solid rock song that’s unmistakably Pixies.
8. Laguardia - Holy Ghost
   An upbeat, fast-moving rock song from Philadelphia’s own Laguardia. They’re a very good live band that I recently caught at The Black Cat in DC.
9. Simple Kid - Staring at the Sun
   I’ve heard Simple Kid compared to Beck, in an “experimental singer-songwritery” way. He’s definitely got a different sound, both in his interesting voice and in his (apparently laptop-produced) overall sound.
10. Faithless - Mass Destruction
    Really catchy breaks-based single with Maxi Jazz’s vocals layered over the bouncing instrumentation. Best line: “And you ain’t goin’ to nirvana/or far-vana/you’re comin’ right back here/to live out your karma”.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 31st, 2004 at 1:39 pm and is filed under Tracks. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.