The Psychedelic Furs - "Mr. Jones"

The Psychedelic Furs - "Mr. Jones": "The sandpaper vocals, the pummeling drums, the careening guitars, the squonky sax - it sounds like it could be some kind of KMFDM song, but it's not at all - it's post-punk gold in the hands of the Furs. All hail the Furs!"

Kaiser Chiefs - "Ruby"

Kaiser Chiefs - "Ruby": "I hate being sucked in by advertising, but over the last two days, I've caught the TV ad for the new Kaiser Chiefs album several times, featuring this track. (Not to be confused with traditional TV ads that feature band songs, this is really an ad for the band.) As a result, I keep hearing 'Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby, a Do Ya Do Ya Do Ya Do Ya' in my head...but it can't be a bad song, otherwise I would already hate it by now."

Peaches - "Boys Wanna Be Her"

Peaches - "Boys Wanna Be Her": "Possibly the stand-out track on her most recent CD, the song took full advantage of the expanded Peaches concert setup, featuring live drums, keytars and more. Of course, it helped that the crowd was freaking out and licking everything up...almost literally, for some people. Yipes! But at least I can say a good time was had by all. (3/16 @ Exodus)"

Turbonegro - "Wasted Again"

Turbonegro - "Wasted Again": "Rock somehow doesn't work as well in the afternoon hot sun as it does at 1am in a dark club, but Turbonegro sure tried anyway. This song stuck out in their set mainly on the strength of this lyric: 'My body is a temple / and tonight I'll tear it down!' (Friday 3/16 @ Vice Day Party)"

LCD Soundsystem - "Someone Great"

LCD Soundsystem - "Someone Great": "It's not the danciest track on the new LCD Soundsystem record - in fact, it's one of the more subtle ones - but it's been stuck in my head for days. Reminiscent of Pulsars and other retro-keyboard-pop bands, there's a low-key charm to this song."

Keane - "Is It Any Wonder?"

Keane - "Is It Any Wonder?": "After all the VH-1-type hoopla on the first Keane record, I started to ignore them and it was actually my partner who pointed this track out to me. He hit the nail on the head that the track has serious `90s/`00s U2 elements, but at least the vocals don't recall U2's Bono-aching-for-the-world-like-he-was-Jesus ickiness that he's recently devolved the band into. Honestly, I applaud what he's doing for Africa, but I have an easier time believing John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson representing the farmers with Farm Aid and other efforts more than I buy Bono's saving-the-world theatrics. Anyway...uh, enjoy this Keane track. (And, for the record, I still love U2 all the way through Zooropa.)"

Modest Mouse - "We've Got Everything"

Modest Mouse - "We've Got Everything": "Was fortunate enough to see a secret-ish Modest Mouse show and they confirmed for me that this song from the new record is indeed awesome. And, yes, it's very weird watching Johnny Marr play with Modest Mouse (but not in a bad way)."

Olivia Tremor Control - "No Growing (Exegesis)"

Olivia Tremor Control - "No Growing (Exegesis)": "Speaking of The Bill Doss, here's a song from his band, the Olivia Tremor Control, with pop perfectly fuzzed and harmonies on full display, guitars jangling and tambourines shaking the whole way down."

The Apples in Stereo - "What's The #?"

The Apples in Stereo - "What's The #?": "When I saw the Apples In Stereo in Austin last week, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard Olivia Tremor Control-er Bill Doss was with the band (he was) and that drummer Hilary Sidney was gone (she was), but in the end, it was still Robert Schneider's songs that made the night magic. At the end of their set, they busted out this song - one of my favorites from their catalog - and I couldn't help bouncing up and down screaming along with 'I'm different from you / it's alright, it's already / you're different from me / it's alright, it's alright.' Needless to say, a good time was had by all. (Friday 3/16 @ Dirty Dog)"

Mew - "Apocalypso"

Mew - "Apocalypso": "Even outdoors, in the heat, and faced with a St. Patrick's Day party blaring U2 nearby, Mew still blew the paint off the walls with this rocker. I still can't believe his voice is really that strong AND airy at the same time, but now that I've seen him pull it off live after mutiple days of playing shows, I'm a believer. (Saturday 3/17 @ Filter Party)"

Peter, Bjorn & John - "The Chills"

Peter, Bjorn & John - "The Chills": "I hate to be another blogger posting about PB&J, but they played our Rhapsody party in Austin last week and they were actually a very good, very rocking power trio! In other words, it wasn't the record, but it was still very enjoyable. Thanks to them and to all the bands who played the Rhapsody Rocks Austin party: The Broken West, Oxford Collapse, Loney Dear, Oakley Hall, Robyn Hitchcock & Peter Buck, and Peter, Bjorn & John. (Thursday 3/15 @ The Mohawk)"

Spoon - "Stay Don't Go"

Spoon - "Stay Don't Go": "Isn't it a given that I blog about Spoon every time I see them? That's because they're always great. Last night, they did some new songs (the first of which blew me away) and even earned bonus points for making their stage entrance to Prince's 'Let's Pretend We're Married'. They also did a new rock version of this tune with a more agressive edge but without losing any of the song's vibe. (Wednesday 3/14 @ Antone's)"

New Order - "Age of Consent"

New Order - "Age of Consent": "One of my favorite songs of all time. I love it so much that I don't think I could possibly find the words to do it justice. It's perfect in every way, in my book."

Tears for Fears - "Mothers Talk"

Tears for Fears - "Mothers Talk": "We can work it out!"

Albert Hammond Jr. - "Postal Blowfish"

Albert Hammond Jr. - "Postal Blowfish": "At first, I was surprised to hear the Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr. covering Guided by Voices, thinking that he might be revealing hidden indie passions. Of course, then I remembered the odd Strokes/GbV lovefest that went on for a few years, which even included GbV appearing in a Strokes video. In any case, it's still interesting to hear which GbV song he chose to cover."

Michael Jackson - "Working Day And Night"

Michael Jackson - "Working Day And Night": "This song pretty much sums up what's been going on lately and why I've been so bad at blogging...but I'll also add that this Off The Wall is probably my fave MJ record, even though I know that Thriller is technically better...this is still more fun.

And while I'm thinking about it, what is this "if I can't get sweet love to you" business? Is he trying to FedEx it?"

Loney, Dear - "Hard Days 1.2.3.4"

Loney, Dear - "Hard Days 1.2.3.4": "Canada used to be the new New York hotness, but Sweden is the new Canada. Follow me?"

Autolux - "Angry Candy"

Autolux - "Angry Candy": "Autolux rocked Noise Pop in SF last week, so they deserve a blog post in honor of their wall of sound, not to mention the vibrating bass-quake that they wrought on my internal organs...in a good way."

Arcade Fire - "Une Annee Sans Lumiere"

Arcade Fire - "Une Annee Sans Lumiere": "Quietly beguiling, then giddily upbeat, this song takes a full 180 and still makes the most of its two parts."