Tilly and the Wall - O - Blood Flower

So I've been listening to the same random playlist for almost a month, and finally I was inspired to cull from it a disc's worth of awesomeness so I could hear these sweet tunes in my car etc. See my last.fm/user/atengwall for the whole list, but I figure I need to recommend a few of the songs that snuck up on me, in the good way.

Starting with this song. I think it's sweet. Annoyingly, though, it's mislabeled on yahoo music unlimited, the title switched with a somewhat less-awesome song called "Poor Man's Ice Cream." Excellent use of the tap-dancing-as-percussion in this tune, which I guess is kind of their thing.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Saw these guys a while ago, opening for Blitzen Trapper, and holy cats were they good. 

http://pitchfork.tv/videos/fleet-foxes-white-winter-hymnal

Bearded folky dudes singing in a style more old-school than you'd expect. This is the kind of music you have going on in the background, and when the cd is over, you immediately start wondering why everything seems bleaker. 

They put on a great show, and they make you believe.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - Intervention

That organ! I'm working on absorbing the lyrics. There's something rather dark here.

Mirah - Joyride: Remixes - La Familia

So the central question posed by this song comes to my mind from time to time, of late particularly at roller derby after parties. I bitterly love the question's inevitable answer: no.

Okkervil River

I think Peter put me onto this band a while back. I didn't pay a huge amount of attention, but of late when their songs come up on my exquisitely crafted random playlists, I tend to get really excited and think "Hey, what is this?" and it's always them, and I think it's great. I need to actually sit and listen to an entire album and see what the deal is. Unless someone can just tell me what the deal is, in which case I'll probably listen to the album anyway.

POS - Audition

I saw POS a few years ago when he opened for Atmosphere.  At the time, I thought, "This guy is really pretty good."

Then he released Audition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLMHPeibm2g

A punkrock drummer becomes an M.C.  He's part of Doomtree in Minneapolis, which mainly means you'll never know if he'll secretly show up and play as part of some random show.

From the 4th track, "Stand Up (Let's Get Murdered")
I ain't white, and there’s laws for that,
so I use color safe bleach at the laundrymat.
and deal with it, you see how my squad react,
we keep our hands warm with the damn patriot act.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

The Hold Steady is my current Favorite Rock Band of All Time.  Their previous album (Boys and Girls in America) is one of my favorite albums of all time, and this one is right up there with it.

Stuck Between Stations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cem1ME-OvQ (from Boys and Girls in America)

Mobius Band - Heaven

I realized I loved Mobius Band about a week after they were in town. Synth + guitar indie rock.  The song "Secret Language" is among my current favorites. (It kind of sounds like if Interpol had looked out the window and decided it was really a beautiful day.)

Various Artists - I'm Not There Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

So I had been meaning to see this show, and then I heard about the soundtrack. It's for the most part a bunch of artists I'd normally listen to, except now they're covering Bob Dylan. I've been on a Bob Dylan kick the past couple of weeks, and I suspect this will carry it even further.

Weezer - Red Album

I loved Weezer's first album. Loved it.  Pinkerton didn't do it for me.  The Green album made me a little sad.  I've been sad about Weezer ever since.

The first track on Red made me believe again. The video for "Pork and Beans" is really nice.  This cd is solid; Weezer is back.