TLC - "The Vic-E Interpretation" / "Silly Ho"

TLC - "The Vic-E Interpretation" / "Silly Ho": "Sometimes you need a computer to do your talking and rapping for you...and, in this case, yes, it is awesome."

Dot Allison - "You Can Be Replaced"

Dot Allison - "You Can Be Replaced": "I had the pleasure of meeting Dot several times around the Afterglow album and found her charming every time, partially because of her wonderful Scottish accent. Here, on this low-key electronic track from 2002's We Are Science, she is equally beguilling, especially when purring "danger, danger, danger" towards the end of the song."

Quasi - "All The Same"

Quasi - "All The Same": "I got to see Quasi play live on Friday (opening for Pavement) for the first time in five plus years. They did a lot of songs I didn't know - I kind of missed their last few albums - but they did me proud by playing this tune, my absolute favorite of theirs. After hearing this, I was golden for their whole set. It's a majestic song about giving up..."

Robyn - "Dancing On My Own"

Robyn - "Dancing On My Own": "This is such straight-forward pop, it could be a song for anyone from Kelly Clarkson to Christina Aguilera, but Robyn's earnest delivery and new-wave pulsing synths make it a crisp cut above the obvious that it could have been."

Pavement - "Easily Fooled"

Pavement - "Easily Fooled": "I don't why I've had this semi-random Pavement song stuck in my head the last few days (it's a non-album track from the Rattled By The Rush EP), but it's probably because I'm getting amped up for seeing them live tomorrow night! (It's also a great song, despite being a non-album track - Malkmus' swagger and wordplay are in full effect and the song has a nice, mellow groove to it.)"

The Psychedelic Furs - "India"

The Psychedelic Furs - "India": "I just saw the Psychedelic Furs last night and it's nice to see a band still retaining its fire, some 33 years on. Singer Richard Butler is still a giddy showman and tunes like this one retain their punch, easily as aggressive sounding - if not more - than the original when they used it to close their set. When bassist Tim Butler aimed his bass like a machine gun during the closing drumbeat fire, it was the right visual to end the show with.
(On record, this track often causes speaker destruction - if you turn up the volume enough to hear the intro section, you'll get your speakers blown out when the song really kicks in. Kind of a messed up thing to do on the first track of your first album, but it speaks volumes for the Furs.)"

Bettie Serveert - "Semaphore"

Bettie Serveert - "Semaphore": "Classic Betty S, but just as sharp as ever. Rhapsody just posted a feature on Bettie Serveert giving a tour of Amsterdam, which shows a different side of the town, check it out: http://blog.rhapsody.com/2010/06/rock-star-guide-to-the-galaxy-bettie-serveert-amsterdam-1.html."

Crowded House - "Saturday Sun"

Crowded House - "Saturday Sun": "A new tune, but classic wistful pop from Crowded House, with light psychedelic touches."

Fischerspooner - "Cloud"

Fischerspooner - "Cloud": "Because I'm so sick of hearing about The Cloud in the tech world...Maybe we will soon have synergy with the cloud..."

Jennifer Trynin - "If I Had Anything To Say"

Jennifer Trynin - "If I Had Anything To Say": "A little sweet, a little salty, this is an economic mid-90s rocker from a great album that never quite connected with an audience, largely due to misguided promotion."

Chavez - "Nailed To The Blank Spot"

Chavez - "Nailed To The Blank Spot": "I have not been able to get this song out of my head lately! So much of this song is probably challenging to most - from the abrasive verse vocals to the thundering bass - but then it surges into this anthemic (if brief) chorus moment and that's the part I can't get out of my head. Another classic, aggressive rock moment from Chavez."

Spoon - "Small Stakes"

Spoon - "Small Stakes": "Once one of my least favorite Spoon songs, hearing it live (where they kick out the ending into a full-band rockfest) has really brought me around to it. Today I'm using it as a kickstart to get me amped up for all I need to do."

Grandaddy - "Hewlett's Daughter"

Grandaddy - "Hewlett's Daughter": "A song that's essentially about how you should be someone's son-in-law (not to mention stolen guns) should be creepy, but somehow Grandaddy make it sweet and sad instead. In Grandaddy's off-kilter world, it all makes sense. I remember seeing them live a ton on this record and it was magic every time - magic that I miss."

Yo La Tengo - "A Sudden Organ"

Yo La Tengo - "A Sudden Organ": "One of my favorite songs of all time. The beat is almost tribal in its pounding, punctured at dramatic moments by cymbal hits that feel like crashing waves. Like an ocean storm building, the organ part starts out minimal, but becomes increasingly frantic, the hard wind pushing the waves. Frontman Ira Kaplan's vocals are the calm in the middle of that storm, restrained but yearning. Pure YLT magic."

The Damnwells - "H.C.E."

The Damnwells - "H.C.E.": "Nashville, for lots of different reasons, this one's going out to you."