1
- The Shins (Portland, OR)
- "Simple Song"
- Simple Song Single (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Bandname
2
- Widowspeak (Brooklyn, NYC)
- "Fir Coat"
- Widowspeak (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- not this song, but the album is reminded me of: Mazzy Star
3
- Widowspeak (Brooklyn, NYC)
- "Wicked Game"
- Gun Shy EP (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- cover of: Chris Isaak
5
- Sad Day for Puppets (Stockholm, Sweden)
- "Anne Says"
- Just Like a Ghost EP (iTunes, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Belly or The History of Apple Pie
6
- The History of Apple Pie (London, UK)
- "You're So Cool"
- You're So Cool EP (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Sad Day for Puppets
7
- Spector (London, UK)
- "What You Wanted"
- What You Wanted Single (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Pete & The Pirates
8
- This Many Boyfriends (Leeds, UK)
- "Young Lovers Go Pop!"
- Young Lovers Go Pop! EP (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- little bit like the: The Vaccines
9
10
- Jose Gonzalez (Gothenburg, Sweden) & Yo La Tengo (Hoboken, NJ)
- "Hand On Your Heart" and "You Make Me Feel Good"
- Sweetheart (iTunes)
- covers of: Kylie Minogue and The Zombies
11
- Dirty Beaches (Vancouver, Canada)
- "Lord Knows Best"
- Badlands (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Frank LoCrasto meets The Magnetic Fields in a dark basement
ALSO ON THIS SHOW
This episode features clips from the series premier of Bill Moyers' new show Moyers & Company on PBS. The clips deal with income inequality in America (watch) and feature an interview with Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson about their new book Winner-Take-All Politics, as well as clips of amazing senate testimony by Amanda Greubel (watch).
1
- Sharon Van Etten (Brooklyn, NYC)
- "Mike McDermott"
- Serpent Single (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Lower Dens
2
3
4
- Lightning Love (Ypsilanti, MI)
- "Work Today", "Everyone I Know", and "I Think We're Alright"
- November Birthday (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
5
6
- The Bats (Christchurch, New Zealand)
- "Free All the Monsters" and "Getting Over You"
- Free All the Monsters (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: The Ladybug Transistor
7
8
- Violens (Brooklyn, NYC)
- "Are You Still in the Illusion?" and "Violent Sensation Descends"
- Amoral (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: The Lilys
9
- Pyyramids (Los Angeles, CA)
- "That Ain't Right"
- Human Beings Single (iTunes, Amazon MP3, bandcamp)
- they are: Ok Go's Tim Nordwind and singer Drea Smith
10
- The Vaccines (London, England, UK)
- "Tuck and Roll"
- Tiger Blood (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: The Ramones
11
12
- Shonen Knife (Osaka, Japan)
- "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and "Blitzkrieg Bop"
- Osaka Ramones: Tribute to The Ramones (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon)
- covers of: The Ramones
13
- Symphony of Science (Bellingham, WA)
- "Onward to the Edge" (watch the video)
- Symphony of Science Bundle v1.2 (bandcamp)
- samples: Neil Degrasse Tyson My Favorite Universe
14
- Tim Minchin (London, UK)
- "Thank You God" (read the lyrics while you listen!)
- Tim Minchin and The Heritage Orchestra Live at Manchester Arena (eMusic, Amazon MP3)
ALSO ON THIS SHOW
This episode features clips from The Onion's Today Now! about Applebee's new ad campaign (watch), and a video of Christopher Hitchens (watch).
1
- Surfer Blood (West Palm Beach, FL)
- "I'm Not Ready"
- Tarot Classics EP (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Smith Westerns, Girls
2
3
- Crystal Stilts (NYC)
- "Dark Eyes" and "Radiant Door"
- Radiant Door EP (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Crocodiles, Joy Division
4
5
- M83 (Antibes, France)
- "Midnight City" and "Splendor"
- Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Washed Out
6
7
- Javelin (Brooklyn, NYC)
- "Cowpoke" and "Estevez"
- Canyon Candy (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Blackbird Blackbird, Atlas Sound
8
9
- Atlas Sound (Athens, GA)
- "Te Amo" and "Lightsworks"
- Parallax (iTunes, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Javelin, Blackbird Blackbird
10
- Tennis (Denver, CO)
- "Origins"
- Origins Single (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Twin Sister, Best Coast
ALSO ON THIS SHOW
This episode features clips from Javelin's Kickstarter video pitch where they were trying to raise the funds to make their "Canyon Candy" album into a movie. The project was successfully funded, but from what I've seen of the movie, it's underwhelming.
1
- Lightning Love (Ypsilanti, MI)
- "A Town of Glass"
- Suburban Sprawl Holiday Sampler 2010 (free download)
2
3
- Lightning Love (Ypsilanti, MI) and Will Yates (Ferndale, MI)
- "Winter Once Again" and "The Snowpocalypse"
- Suburban Sprawl Holiday Sampler 2009 (free download)
4
5
8
9
- Apple Orchard (Richmond, CA) and Scattered Pearls (San Jose, CA)
- "One Christmas Catalogue" and "Christmas is All Around"
- Holly, Ivy and Mistletunes (free download)
10
11
- The Business and Bad Manners (London, UK)
- "Step Into Christmas" and "Christmas Time Again"
- Nevermind Christmas, Here's the Bollocks! (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon)
- "Step Into Christmas" is a cover of: Elton John
ALSO ON THIS SHOW
This episode features a clip from the season finale of Real Time with Bill Maher where his new rule tries to remind right-wingers that Scrooge was supposed to be the bad guy (watch it).
1
- Class Actress (NYC)
- "Weekend"
- Rapprocher (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- previously known as: Elizabeth Harper
2
- Dappled Cities (Sydney, Australia)
- "Don't Stop There"
- Zounds (iTunes, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Interpol
3
- Dappled Cities (Sydney, Australia)
- "Vision Bell"
- Granddance (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: The Brunettes
7
8
- Coldplay (London, UK)
- "Hurts Like Heaven" and "Paradise"
- Mylo Xyloto (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
9
10
11
- Laura Veirs (Portland, OR)
- "Little Lap-Dog Lullaby", "Jump Down Spin Around", and "Prairie Lullaby"
- Tumble Bee (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
ALSO ON THIS SHOW
I talked over "What'd I Say" and "Your Last Goodbye" (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon) by Floyd Cramer, as well as "Kinder Blumen" from Days (iTunes, Amazon MP3) by Real Estate.
1
- OK Go (Chicago, IL)
- "The Muppet Show Theme"
- The Green Album (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- cover of: The Muppets
2
3
- She & Him (Portland, OR) and Jon Brion & Fiona Apple (LA, CA)
- "Oh Boy!" and "Everyday"
- Rave On Buddy Holly (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- covers of: Buddy Holly
4
- The Ruby Suns (Auckland, NZ)
- "Kenya Dig It?"
- Still Smiling: A Tribute to the Genius of Brian Wilson (free download)
- inspired by: Brian Wilson
5
6
7
- Danger Mouse (UK) & Daniele Luppi (Italy) & Norah Jones (NYC)
- "Problem Queen", "The World (Interlude)", and "Black"
- Rome (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Ennio Morricone
8
- Seth MacFarlane (Los Angeles, CA)
- "The Night They Invented Champagne"
- Music is Better Than Words (iTunes, Amazon MP3)
10
- Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra (NYC)
- "Coquette"
- Blue River (you'll have to buy it at a live show it seems)
- similar: Squirrel Nut Zippers
11
12
13
- They Might Be Giants (Brooklyn, NYC)
- "Marty Beller Mask", "Now I Know", and "Mr. Me (feat. the Other Thing)"
- Album Raises New and Troubling Questions (buy online)
14
- Belle & Sebastian (Glasgow, Scotland, UK)
- "I Didn't See it Coming (Richard X Remix)"
- Come On Sister 12" (YouTube)
ALSO ON THIS SHOW
This episode features clips from Real Time with Bill Maher where he says the 99% movement could be caused by a "College Bubble", and from This American Life with Malcolm Gladwell telling a story about working at The Washington Post.
1
- Stevie Jackson (Glasgow, Scotland)
- "Dead Man's Fall"
- (I Can't Get No) Stevie Jackson (iTunes)
- similar: Belle & Sebastian
2
3
- Foster the People (Los Angeles, CA)
- "Pumped Up Kicks" and "Waste"
- Torches (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: MGMT
4
5
- A Hawk and a Hacksaw (Albuquerque, NM)
- "Mana Thelo Enan Andra" and "Espanola Kolo"
- Cervantine (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
- similar: Beirut
7
- Neutral Milk Hotel (Athens, GA)
- "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"
- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (iTunes, Amazon MP3)
8
9
- Ben Folds (Winston-Salem, NC)
- "Landed (strings version)" and "Such Great Heights"
- The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon)
- cover of: The Postal Service
10
- Cat Stevens (London, England, UK)
- "Tea for the Tillerman"
- Tea for the Tillerman (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3)
11
- The Beatles (Liverpool, England, UK)
- "Lovely Rita"
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (iTunes)
ALSO ON THIS SHOW
This episode features clips from the EPK Video Ben Folds made for The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective (watch). As well as the audio from the Steve Jobs narration version of the original Apple Think Different ad (watch) and the 2007 Macworld keynote by Steve Jobs where he showed the world the iPhone for the first time, and changed everything yet again.
