(SPECIAL EXTRA-LONG, GUEST-HOST, BONUS EPISODE) One of my bestest friends Andy picks up my slack and hosts this special bonus show during my break. First he played us two tracks from the Violent Femmes; "Old Mother Reagan" from their less-than-hit record The Blind Leading the Naked (iTunes, Amazon), then their cover of the song "Epp Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You)" (from the cartoon The Jetsons) from the compilation Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits (Amazon). Next The Burning Sensations did "Pablo Picasso" from the 1984 soundtrack to the film Repo Man (Amazon). The he went all edutainment on us with a trip back to English 2 and Bob Telson and Lee Breuer's "Fair Colonus" and "Lift Him Up", both from Gospel at Colonus (Amazon) an adaptation of Oedipus at Colonus into gospel music. Next was 80's classic, Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based pop band Let's Active with "Flags for Everything" from their 1984 Cypress EP (Amazon). Then it was back to the gospel with The Blind Boys of Alabama doing "Amazing Grace" from their 2000 album Spirit of the Century (iTunes, Amazon). Then Tom Jones paired up with Portishead for the classic "Motherless Child" from Tom Jones: Reload (iTunes, Amazon). Next was Philip Glass featuring vocals by Bernard Fowler with "Changing Opinion" from the 1986 album Songs from Liquid Days (Amazon). And finally a band you're sure to never again hear on The Sounds in My Head, smooth-jazz sensation, the smooth operator herself, Sade with "Immigrant" from her 2000 Lovers Rock (iTunes, Amazon) record.Note: The Blind Boys of Alabama were also featured on The Sounds in My Head last year at this time, with the very same song no less. You can find that episode here.
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

(Last episode of season two!) First up, Canada's legendary jewish, hip/hop, mix-master Socalled did "Cowboy Song" from his upcoming album (due next year) Ghettoblaster (in the interim, you can download this song from his site). Then Los Angeles' power pop outfit (that are as much Space Hog as anything people call them) The 88 did "Nobody Cares" from their new album Over and Over (iTunes, Amazon). Then the lovely and talented Nellie McKay paired up with k. d. lang for "We Had it Right" which is on her brand new record Pretty Little Head (which comes out next week, iTunes, Amazon). Next was California's Goldspot with "Cusp" from their new album Tally of the Yes Man (iTunes, Amazon). And we end this season of The Sounds in My Head with Belle & Sebastian doing a live rendition of "Seeing Other People" from their recently released (espcially in the US) iTunes exclusive If You’re Feeling Sinister (Live) album (iTunes).

(extremely special, extremely weird, extremely long, all-talking episode called: 30 hours in prospect park) In this highly unusual episode of The Sounds in My Head, I tell the story of why I spent 30 hours in Prospect Park this Fall. It involves me and my girlfriend's cat, Senator Pink Ears, a poodle, the police, some firemen, a super hero, blood, and oh so much more. You don't want to miss it! But be prepared to pay attention for about an hour for this episode of The Sounds in My Head which is far more like This American Life. The video Kelli references can be seen here. The Music I talk over is as follows, in this order: "Cat Scratch Fever" by Moog Cookbook, "An Evening in Park Slope" (iTunes) by 33.3, "The Pink Panther Theme" (iTunes) by Henry Mancini, "Fuzzy" (iTunes) by The Incredible Moses Leroy, "Kitty's Waltz" by Caleb Sampson, "Fall Two" (iTunes) by Matt Pond PA, "Wild Cats of Kilkenny" by The Pogues, "Up a Tree Again (import version)" by Looper, "Climb the Ladder" (iTunes) by Of Montreal, "Cat O'Nine Tails" (iTunes) by Combustible Edison, "Dick Tracy" (iTunes) by The Ventures, "Kitty" (iTunes) by The Presidents of the USA, "Big Green Tree" (iTunes) by The Essex Green, "Running Meredith" by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, "Sleeping Pill" by Luna, "Sparkplug Minuet" by Mark Mothersbaugh, "Good Morning Good Morning" by The Beatles, "Kitty's Waltz" by Caleb Sampson, "Impossible Mission" (iTunes) by Danny Elfman, "Main Titles (The Dick Tracy Theme)" (iTunes) by Danny Elfman, "Wild Cats of Kilkenny" by The Pogues, "Christmas Time is Here (instrumental version)" (iTunes) by Vince Guaraldi

(SPECIAL EXTRA-LONG CHRISTMAS MUSIC EPISODE) First up New York City's I Am the World Trade Center with "The Rockefeller Tree" from the Christmas Two compilation from indie-label Kindercore (Amazon). Then the UK's Joy Zipper did "Christmas Song" from their recent album American Whip (iTunes, Amazon, SoundFix). Then sibling duo Blondfire did "Underneath the Mistletoe" from their brand new Holiday EP which was released exclusively through iTunes. Next was Boston's twee-goodness The Specific Heats with "Winter Fashions" from the Total Gaylord Records compilation Christmas Twee (online store). Then the increasingly ubiquitous Sufjan Stevens did "Put the Lights On the Tree" which can be downloaded along with 23 other xmas songs, for free, from here. Next was Michigan's Wally Pleasant with "Merry Christmas Time Again" from his essential album Welcome to Pleasantville (online store). Then we heard Rudolph & the Gang with "Here Comes Fatty Claus" a song you probably haven't heard on NPR or anywhere else where John Waters has been interviewed talking about the recently released John Waters Christmas album (iTunes, Amazon). Next was the best Tom Waits cover I know of, The New Pornographers' Neko Case doing "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" from the Tom Waits tribute album: New Coat of Paint: Songs of Tom Waits (iTunes, Amazon). Then we heard a clip of French/Norwegian husband and wife duo from Brooklyn Mi And L'au's and "Christmas Soul" from their self-titled album (iTunes, Amazon, SoundFix). And we finished up this special extra-long episode with another Blondfire song, from the same new EP (iTunes), "It's Been Christmas Here" is my favorite new xmas song of the year. This week's episode has 2 clips from The Daily Show with John Stewart you can see the full clips at One Good Move, here and here. Need more great xmas music? Links to last year's three xmas episodes:
Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3

Sweden's Jens Lekman get's us off to a great start with "Black Cab" from his new album Oh You're So Silent Jens (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music), an album that's almost as much Magnetic Fields as it is Kings of Convenience. Then Ontario's The Most Serene Republic did "Content was Always My Favorite Colour" from their 2005 debut album Underwater Cinematographer (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Next was Omaha's Azure Ray and their song "If You Fall" from their 2003 album Hold On Love (iTunes, Amazon). And finally the Australia's electronic/pop group Glovebox did "In the End" from their self-titled album (iTunes, Amazon). This episode features a clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart about the security of the U.S. homeland in the years after 9/11.

First up the UK's Sing-Sing with the exceptionally unfitting (given the weather where I live) "Feels Like Summer" from their 2004 album The Joy of Sing-Sing (iTunes, Amazon). "Feels Like Summer" was actually released in 2000 as a single. It sounds like an awesome Saint Etienne song, but isn't. Then Baltimore's Page France did "Chariot" from their new (and second of the year) album Hello, Dear Wind (Amazon). Next Brooklyn's Musical Ambassadors of Love They Might Be Giants offered up a few short songs from their new Venue Songs CD/DVD release (order online). First "Columbia," then "Asheville," followed by "Los Angeles." And finally The American Analog Set offers up "Born on the Cusp" from their most recent album Set Free (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). This week's episode has three clips from They Might Be Giants' DVD included with their Venue Songs CD featuring author John Hodgman.

First up indie-standards the Silver Jews did "How Can I Love You If You Won't Lie Down" from their new album Tanglewood Numbers (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Then part of The Apple's in Stereo, in particular the Robert Schneider part, and his solo project Marbles did "Hello Sun" from his album Expo (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music) which came out earlier this year. Next was Melbourne, Australia's The Triangles with their song "Let's Replace the Cityscapes" from their recent release Magic Johnson (Amazon, import). Then Austin's Asylum Street Spankers did "Brazil" from their 1996 album Spanks for the Memories (iTunes, Amazon). (Check out this NPR interview with two members of the band.) And finally, a bonus Silver Jews song, my favorite of theirs, "Tennessee" from their 2001 album Bright Flight (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music).This week's episode has a clip from Air America Radio's The Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder featuring Patton Oswalt.

First up Brighton, England's 60's throwback greatness The Pipettes did their song "Dirty Mind" from their EP by the same name (iTunes, Amazon). Next was France's Domotic with the song "I Hate You for Ever" from his most recent album Ask for Tiger (import). Then Portland's Blanket Music frontman and Hush Records president Chad Crouch, who when solo is known as Toothfairy, did "Stephanie, My First Crush" from his EP Formative (Amazon). And finally Seattle's The Long Winters did "Ultimatum" from their most recent EP by the same name (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music).This episode features of clip from (my personal hero) MacGyver.

First up Brooklyn's not-terribly-original-but-pretty-good-nevertheless Stellastar* did "Stay Entertained" from their new album Harmonies for the Haunted (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Next Sweden's Future Bible Heros aka Suburban Kids with Biblical Names did two cuts from their new album #3 (import online). First "Funeral Face" (which was also on their last EP #2) then "Noodles". Next was Montreal's young'ns The Sunday Sinners with "A Sinner's Prayer" from their new Demo EP (Contaminated Records sells it). And finally the one-man-music-machine that is Ontario's Matthew Adam Hart's The Russian Futurists with "Our Pen's Out of Ink" from this years' album Our Thickness (Amazon, Other Music).This week's episode has a clip from Air America Radio's The Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder featuring Patton Oswalt.

First up, Sweden's awesome The Shout Out Louds with "A Track and a Train" from their recently released in the U.S. Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Next was a song I just can't hear enough from Sounds in My Head favorites The Essex Green called "By the Sea" from their 2003 album The Long Goodbye (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Next was Argentina's Juana Molina with "Amigo" from her only-available-at-live-shows album Juana Molina OO Alejandro Franov (sorry, there's no link to buy, but you can check out her album Segundo at Amazon). Then Koufax did "Isabelle" from their most recent album Hard Times Are in Fashion (iTunes, Amazon). And finally another favorite band of mine of recent time, Helsinki's Husky Rescue did "Rainbow Flows" from their recent album Country Falls (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). This episode features of clip from Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman and Jaun Gonzalez with a description of how disruptive Bush's presence was during his recent, failed trip Argentina.