1. 1 Giant Leap - My Culture
   Faithless co-founder Jamie Catto came up with 1 Giant Leap as a globe-spanning multimedia project, collaborating with artists such as Michael Stipe and Speech from Arrested Development. On this track he enlisted Robbie Williams and Faithless bandmate Maxi Jazz for some fantastic mellow electronica.
2. The Thrills - One Horse Town
   We all have a certain idea in mind of what a band should sound like. The Thrills are from Dublin yet sound like they’re actually from Southern California circa the 1960s, a mix of Brian Wilson and 70’s pop bands.
   
3. Air - Cherry Blossom Girl
   Every once in a while I forget how talented Air is. I’ll definitely put this on as Laura and I are driving with the top down, checking out the cherry blossoms in D.C. this spring.
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
   After listening to the rest of the album, I can’t say I expect to hear much more from Karen O. and her band in the future, but they certainly nailed it on this track. It’s been in my head for two weeks.
5. Cursive - Art is Hard
   A great track from another Saddle Creek artist. I haven’t seen Cursive live, but I saw vocalist Tim Kasher’s other band, The Good Life open up a show for one of their labelmates and they were excellent.
6. Death Cab for Cutie - The New Year
   I’d been somewhat into Death Cab for a couple of years (since hearing A Movie Script Ending off of 2001’s The Photo Album, but didn’t really get into them until I started loving The Postal Service, Ben Gibbard’s more popluar “side project.”
7. Interpol - Obstacle 1
   A great track from an absolutely fantastic debut album. People compare them to Joy Division, and while I’m not sure that’s appropriate they’ve certainly got a chance to be a great band for a long time.
8. Basement Jaxx - Cish Cash
   Problem: A great electronic act has a long string of great singles but can’t crack the radio charts in the U.S. Solution: Recruit Siouxsie Sioux on vocals? Not sure if that was the thought process, but I love this track.
9. Burden Brothers - Beautiful Night
   Remember Toadies? Apparently this band is the same singer/songwriter, but with a new band (including two members of Gwar!?). A good, dark pop song.
10. Old Hat - The Silver Line
    These guys are my sister’s friends and finally released their full length debut, A Poor Excuse for a Lack of Crime. This is the only song carried over from the Are We in Tiananmen EP and it happens to be my favorite track on both, getting a more up-tempo treatment here.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 31st, 2004 at 4:41 pm and is filed under Tracks. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.