Donna The Buffalo - Positive Friction. Rockin' In the Weary Land - Positive Friction, Family Picture

Not your (grand)father's country. This is country-rock with smart lyrics.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

(Via Chris on Pandora.)  I can't escape the thought that this guy sounds like Radiohead, but I'm really impressed by this album.  The tracks are really varied, which I think is a mark of good musicians.  Oh, and watch out for the first track.  It's a doozy.

Figurines - Skeleton

I'll also recommend my second favorite Danish band, which I only discovered yesterday. So far, so good. Also, the opening track is in 3, which helps my lifelong quest to find the Top 5 Track 1s in 3 of all time. I have three spots pretty well shored up, but the other spots are open, as is the order overall.

Hey, I just noticed that the '1 in 3' thing could be a Trinitarian reference. Heh. I guess that qualifies this post as 'work' for me. No wonder it's my arbitrary musical lifelong quest.

The Raveonettes - Pretty In Black

Since I'm going to Denmark next week, I figured I should recommend my favorite Danish band. I saw them live at the Mets' AAA affiliate stadium at Coney Island in NY. They were an early band, and I could hear them all the way from the subway to the stadium. The first song I caught that way was their cover of "My Boyfriend's Back," which I thought was hilarious and curiously awesome.

Acid House Kings

So I found this Swedish indie band on last.fm. I have like 6 of their songs, and I like 'em, particularly This Heart Is a Stone. The ABBA influence is somewhat clear, and I suppose I like that too.

The Smiths - The Queen is Dead - Vicar in a Tutu

I can't believe it took me this long to find the theme song for my current year.

PJ Harvey - White Chalk - Grow, Grow, Grow

An artist with very good vocals, and this song brings it out.

Taizé - Venite Exultemus - Gott Ist Nur Liebe (Bog Jest Miloscia)

This is probably my favorite Taizé song ever. Among the amazingness is the application of the typical Taizé technique of altering lyrics across languages to make them meaningful and musically appropriate even if the words change. Compare, for instance, the

Lizzie West - Holy Road

I have a standing theory about the progression of how music sounds the more you listen to a given artist or album.  I've listened to Lizzie West a lot (comparatively), and the music still keeps getting better.

Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

This is an obvious / old one for me, but if you choose not to listen to Neko Case, I would be forced to conclude that you lack a soul. And she's magical (and funny) live.