Delays - "Hey Girl"

Delays - "Hey Girl": "One of the songs that gets this band compared to the La's - it's just a pretty, strummy pop-rock song with soaring vocals."

Frumpies - "Whatshisname Hearts The Frumpies"

Frumpies - "Whatshisname Hearts The Frumpies": "Even though I know it's really not, I group this in as one of my favorite 'riot grrrl' songs, mainly just because of the vocal delivery. That plus I always liked the idea of her screaming out 'IT'S MY BOYFRIEND!!!' over and over, even though she was really screaming 'East Bay Boyfriend!' Still, it's as much fun as you can have in 72 seconds."

Grace Jones - "Love Is The Drug (Long Version)"

Grace Jones - "Love Is The Drug (Long Version)": "There's something in this long version that ups the ante on both the 'short version' Jones cover as well as the original original by Roxy Music. A lot of it comes from the great keyboards and a lot of it is the magic of Grace herself."

Team Dresch - "Fagetarian And Dyke"

Team Dresch - "Fagetarian And Dyke": "Another song I'm glad we have in Rhapsody now - a fave of mine from the `90s. Classic indie rock/pop versus colliding into a screamed chorus - sweet and sour together in one."

Kiss Offs - "Dream Date"

Kiss Offs - "Dream Date": "Yay! So happy this album is in Rhapsody now... This is like the punk B-52s - male/female vocal tradeoffs over dirty guitar/organ riffs...but definitely more naughty and at least as fun."

Metric - "Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix)"

Metric - "Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix)": "'SXSW Week' continues, as it were -I saw Metric do an acoustic set at SXSW and I was very impressed - I didn't think they could do it and they totally pulled it off! This is a great electro/disco remix of one of their songs by MSTRKRFT, who includes half of Death From Above 1979."

The Magic Numbers - "Love Me Like You"

The Magic Numbers - "Love Me Like You": "I like this band better live because it's a little rougher, a little less polished 60s pop - but either way, the chorus of this song still gets stuck in my head like crazy. (I'm still picking bands I saw last week at SXSW, can you tell?)"

Giant Drag - "My Dick Sux"

Giant Drag - "My Dick Sux": "I featured their track 'YFLMD' shortly after I launched the blog, but after seeing them at SXSW, I felt the need to show off another hot and dirty track of theirs...and here it is."

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - "According To Plan"

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - "According To Plan": "I know I just blogged them the other week, but I love this album so much I had to share another song from them! (Plus they were amazing live at SXSW!)"

The Replacements - "Can't Hardly Wait (The Tim Version)"

The Replacements - "Can't Hardly Wait (The Tim Version)": "This is the version I love, the rough, raw and true version over the slick version that made the record. It's a rockin' dose of heartbreak."

Michael Nesmith - "Cruisin'"

Michael Nesmith - "Cruisin'": "After recently watching Tapeheads, I thought I should check out another Michael Nesmith-related video project, Elephant Parts. It was a freakshow, but for some reason, this 70s faux-funk-rock tune and its bodybuilder/rollerskate girls video has definitely cheesy appeal. And Mike always was my favorite Monkee..."

The Presets - "Girl And The Sea"

The Presets - "Girl And The Sea": "...and if you liked Cut Copy, here are their darker brothers - labelmates and fellow (Australian) countrymen, The Presets."

Cut Copy - "The Twighlight"

Cut Copy - "The Twighlight": "The breakdown in the 3rd minute of the song - all bass and guitar jabs - leading into the guitar breakout around 4:15 is post-punk brilliance."

N.E.R.D. - "Lapdance "

N.E.R.D. - "Lapdance ": "Rock-styled stripper pole action! It's all about the chorus (seriously) and the the white rapper interlude from Lee Harvey about 'the cockpit' (not seriously). Bangin'."

Peter Gabriel - "Growing Up"

Peter Gabriel - "Growing Up": "Gabriel almost kills this song with the kind of over-production and heft that he slathered on the entire Up record, but this song has a great driving energy to it that even its slickness doesn't matter. I would love it if there was an instrumental remix of this track too..."

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - "The Ghost"

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - "The Ghost": "I love their Britt Daniel-produced debut EP, but this new album blows even that out of the water. This just came out this week, so it's brand new to me...and WOW! This is the kick-off track on the album and if you dig it, it's worth it to listen to the whole thing."

Kahimi Karie - "What Are You Wearing? (Shinco remix)"

Kahimi Karie - "What Are You Wearing? (Shinco remix)": "This song is essentially a looped groove, but the way this remix transforms the fluff-pop of the original into a swingin' Beck 'Odelay' tune is an acheivement in of itself. Just goes to show how changing up the tune can change everything - in this remix, Kahimi's 'rhymes' go straight up Shibuya street, instead of the teenager's bedroom mumbling it sounds like in the original version."

The Juan Maclean - "Shining Skinned Friend"

The Juan Maclean - "Shining Skinned Friend": "This track harkens back to "Juan"'s time in Six Finger Satellite, except now in the new context of his DFA association (LCD Soundsystem, etc.). Strange and groovy.

Also, here's a Six Finger Satellite track post from the past.

Morrissey - "You Have Killed Me"

Morrissey - "You Have Killed Me": "I know Morrissey is a jerk. And I know that I should hold it against him...but how can I when he makes songs like this? This is a preview from the new album, btw...as is "I Will See You In Far Off Places" - also great."

Elastica - "I Want You"

Elastica - "I Want You": "The best Elastica song to ever slip through the cracks...as far as I know, this is a lost song recorded during the long slow period between the first and second albums - but which never made it to the second record. (I think because it feels like a Donna song and she bailed on the band sometime after this session was recorded.) It simmers and you can damn well bet that if the second album sounded like this, a lot more people would have cared about it."

Curtis Mayfield - "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go"

Curtis Mayfield - "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go": "I guess I'm in a 70s soul mode this week, eh? This song is so bold - musically and lyrically - that it blows me away, especially when I think of how long ago Curtis put it out. I could listen to that intro section with the fuzz bass and the girl talking about the bible on a loop. If that bass line hasn't been sampled somewhere, then all the sample-happy fools out there have truly missed out on a gem. (And if it has been used, someone should drop me a line and let me know where to look.) It doesn't even matter that he's gone now - Curtis is still brilliant and more people need to hear his music."