Depeche Mode - "But Not Tonight"

Depeche Mode - "But Not Tonight": "I forget what 80s movie this was used in (there was even a video from the soundtrack), but this is just a great example of mid-80s synthpop. Simple and charming."

Helium - "XXX"

Helium - "XXX": "Darkly humorous, singer/guitarist Mary Timony leaves you to wonder how serious she is when she sings: 'I'm gonna go out on the street and make some money / that was just a joke about the money / you're gonna pay me with your life.' When this EP came out, I remember SPIN making this big (lame) point out of how 'radical' it was that men played in this band, what with Mary singing all of these threatening lyrics towards men (or something). Which is stupid, because the only thing dangerous about this band is the music, not Mary Timony."

Catherine Wheel - "The Nude"

Catherine Wheel - "The Nude": "A little Grade-A Britrock/shoegaze before the Thanksgiving weekend - enjoy!

(I'll return with more music after the holiday, so scroll through the archives and sit tight until then!)"

David Bowie - "Panic In Detroit"

David Bowie - "Panic In Detroit": "Awesomely gritty, Bowie takes his first real step towards the soul of Young Americans/Station To Station with the the full-throated backing singers, while still basking in the white hot lead guitar of Mick Ronson. The last minute or so is borderline religious as both melt down into each other while the percussion slams away. Ladies and gentlemen, this is rock and roll."

The Halo Benders - "Virginia Reel Around The Fountain"

The Halo Benders - "Virginia Reel Around The Fountain": "A few years ago, I got the chance to interview Halo Benders/Built to Spill frontman Doug Martsch. I asked him if he and co-HB frontman Calvin Johnson took songs and wrote lyrics completely independently of each other, then just slapped their results on top of each other in recording. Doug replied that I wasn't far off, which is partially why Built to Spill is able to perform this song without Calvin and it still holds together. But the magic here is that their separate takes on the same music interlock in mesmerizing ways, while the music is so strong it could hold its own as an instrumental track. Check it out, then try the live Built to Spill version, which is also strong, but shows how much more engaging the dueling Calvin/Doug vocals make the song."

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth"

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth": "I can't help but think that CYHSY takes the Talking Heads influence that people keep poorly shoehorning onto The Arcade Fire and actually bring it to fruition. Here, they add in a twist of Modest Mouse (mostly with the lead guitar intro) and, despite the obvious similarities to other bands, come up with a thoroughly enjoyable and awkwardly charming rock number."

The Roots - "Thought @ Work"

The Roots - "Thought @ Work": "This rapid-fire track just percolates - Black Thought's unrelenting flow over crisp percussion and horn samples teeters on the edge of being overwhelming but never falters, which is nothing short of impressive. The whole track just sounds dangerous, in the best of ways. If this is Philly funk, I'm down."

Autolux - "Turnstile Blues"

Autolux - "Turnstile Blues": "One of my most favorite songs from last year - from the crisp yet heavy drumming to the Lilys-esque breathy vocals to the feedback-tinged guitar swirls, this song pulls off being thunderously dirty and disorientatingly dreamy at the same time. Autolux also features a former member of L.A. greats Failure, which is a total bonus."

Goldfrapp - "Number 1"

Goldfrapp - "Number 1": "Just a really nice slice of synth-driven new wave from Goldfrapp - more mellow than 'Strict Machine' but more up-tempo than 'Black Cherry' - and infectiously upbeat."

Idlewild - "Quiet Crown"

Idlewild - "Quiet Crown": "Don't you love rediscovering music you kind of forgot about? I love Idlewild, but somehow I had overlooked this song in their musical cannon, until the other day. A subtle but engaging midtempo number from my Scottish rock heroes."

Robbers On High Street - "Hot Sluts (Say I Love You)"

Robbers On High Street - "Hot Sluts (Say I Love You)": "Man, this song shreds me with its rock. It kills me that Robbers on High Street could put out a great song like this, a song that makes me want to bounce around uncontrolably, then not play it live or pretend like it ever existed. So now it's my duty to share it with the world. Listen to it and let your body move..."

Six Finger Satellite - "Race Against Space"

Six Finger Satellite - "Race Against Space": "It's like two great songs in one! First it starts off like a Krautrock meets dub instrumental before it suddenly careens into a distorted Gang of Four-like thrasher about two minutes in. These guys were so twisted, it's no surprise that no one really got into them in their time...although hipsters, take note - this is the band that The Juan MacLean comes from, so represent!"

The American Analog Set - "You Own Me"

The American Analog Set - "You Own Me": "I'm moody today, so this song is working for me. It's quietly pretty, with a late-night kind of tempo and a hint of melancholy. Or maybe its happy submission - I think it's open for debate, so apply it to your own moods as you see fit."

Death From Above 1979 - "You're A Woman, I'm A Machine"

Death From Above 1979 - "You're A Woman, I'm A Machine": "Last night, at a Polish dance club in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Death From Above 1979 tore it up! You would think that a band on full-time opening duty for QOTSA/NIN would want to sleep on their night off, but they rocked out hard instead, especially with this song."

Spoon - "Telemon Bridge"

Spoon - "Telemon Bridge": "This one is in honor of the great Spoon show I saw last Saturday night. Even though the set list was not radically different from the previous Spoon shows I had seen, they kicked off their set with this track - and, as with any band who opens a show with a non-album track, they totally owned me for the whole night. And it's a great song in its own right, so it was a double pleasure to hear."

Giant Drag - "YFLMD"

Giant Drag - "YFLMD": "Dirty blues stomp, but in a PJ Harvey/Kim Gordon kind of way. Plus, if you read the song a certain way, it's also a totally skeevy kiss-off. Revel in it."

Lilys - "Ginger"

Lilys - "Ginger": "The Lilys are different on each record and, in their different guises, they've raided everything from `60s Brit-pop to shoegaze. This track shows them taking on fuzz-pop with the same ease.

My Morning Jacket - "Anytime"

My Morning Jacket - "Anytime": "This great song from the new MMJ record ('Z') sounds like the hero running to meet his love at the end of a movie, in a triumphant way...if that makes any sense."

New Order - "Ceremony"

New Order - "Ceremony": "I always think of this song as a mourning song - not because it is, per se, but it's a Joy Division song that they never got the chance to record with Ian Curtis - making it more of a tribute to him from his former bandmates than anything else. And maybe that's what makes it seem so timelessly heartbreaking."

Debut post!

I already have a Live365 station and all sorts of other ways to share music, but it seems like every day I find a new song to fall in love with or an old favorite that comes back to the fold. So I thought it was time to give myself an easy way to share this by creating a Blog (finally?), especially since I can post straight into the blog from Rhapsody. So here goes, welcome to my daily musical journey...