First up, Los Angeles' old-timey infused Ditty Bops did their song "Sister Kate" from their super good self-titled 2004 album (iTunes, Amazon). Next was San Francisco's Mates of State doing "Starman" from their All Day EP which also came out last year, and is some of their best I've heard (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Then we go back in time for a great track by Nancy Sinatra... well, it's by Lee Hazlewood, it's performed by Nancy Sinatra, but regardless it is awesome. The song is "Sugar Town," and I pulled it off her Greatest Hits album, but is also on other releases (Amazon, Other Music). She also has a new self-titled album which you can check out in iTunes. And finally from the shadow of Belle & Sebastian come Scotland's Camera Obscura with their song "Happy New Year" from their not-as-heard-as-Underachievers Please Try Harder-album Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). They have a new EP called I Love My Jean coming out next week (Amazon), so watch for that, it's quality.This week's episode features an edited clip from the February 18th, On the Media from NPR. In it, co-host Brook Gladstone interviews Renita Coleman who conducted a large-scale study of people in various profession's ethics and found surprising results. Download the whole show as an MP3 and check it out.

First up Germany's Stereo Total did "Mars Rendez-Vous" from their solid new album Do the Bambi (iTunes, Other Music, Amazon). Next was Portland's The Decemberists with part IV of their new V part, 18 minute, song "The Tain" from a new one track single by the same name (Amazon, Other Music). Then Manchester, England's 80's underrated group Stockholm Monsters did their great song "Terror" which can be found on their 2003 re-release Alma Mater (Amazon, Other Music). And finally Norway's classic-rock-wannabes The Jessica Fletchers did their appropriately titled "Bloody Seventies Love" from their 2003 album What Happened to The? (iTunes, Amazon). This week show features a clip from the Cohen Brothers' awesome film Fargo. Why? How about: Why not?

First up New York City's The Ladybug Transistor treats us to some of the finest 60's inspired indie pop this side of the Atlantic, with their song "Today Knows" from their 1999 album The Albemarle Sound (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Next was king of convenience Erlend Øye and his song "The Talk" from his quality album Unrest (Amazon, Other Music). Then we heard They Might Be Giants with their brand new song's "Alphabet of Nations" and "Flying V" from their new children's CD/DVD Here Come the ABCs (see videos listen to other samples) which isn't as good as one of their non-children's releases, but still has gems, like these (theymightbegiants.com (their own little iTunes but better quality files), Amazon, iTunes). And finally, and I mean finally The Postal Service has released more material, albeit not much, so we heard the unreleased b-side "Be Still My Heart" from their new We Will Become Silhouettes single (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Be sure to check out the new music video for this song, which you can see along with some of their other videos here.

First up New York City's youthful multi-talent Nellie McKay with her song "Ding Dong" from her debut 2004 album Get Away from Me (iTunes, Amazon). Then rocking straight out of the UK and into your ears, The Futureheads did "Hounds of Love" from their self-titled 2004 debut (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Next was Momus with his song "Adam Green" (named for the ex-Moldy Peach) from his 1999 album Stars Forever (Other Music (he wrote about them too!), Amazon). As long as we're talking about Adam Green, I figured it'd be a good time to play The Moldy Peaches his ex-band which was he and fellow now-solo-artist Kimya Dawson's band. This is their song "Jorge Regula" from their self-titled 2001 debut (iTunes, Other Music, Amazon). And finally, because trying to get a sense of what Nellie McKay's Get Away from Me is like by only hearing one song is like trying to fully understand what's going on in the world by watching TV news, we also heard "Waiter" which sounds little like "Ding Dong," but is also a favorite song of mine off her stellar album.

First up we heard Sweden's awesome rock outfit Caesars with their song "(I'm Gonna) Kick You Out" from their 2003 album 39 Minutes of Bliss (In an Otherwise Meaningless World) (iTunes, Amazon). They have a new album coming out soon, so watch for that. Then Norway's Kaizers Orchestra did "Kontroll på kontinentet" (in english "Control on the Continent") from their 2001 album Ompa til du dør (Farmen). They too have an album coming out soon, and it will be more readily available in the US and elsewhere, so watch for that if you liked this song. Next was NYC's The Bravery with their song "No Brakes" from their ep Unconditional (iTunes, Amazon). Then Minnesota'sLow did "Laser Beam" from their 2001 album Things We Lost in the Fire (Amazon, Other Music). They have a new album that just came out called The Great Destroyer, and you can sample it in iTunes. And finally, because I like their album so much, and I think the commercial is one of the best iPod spots yet, I included the song "Jerk it Out" from the same Caesars album, as heard in Apple's iPod Shuffle commercial.

First up we hear the UK's Psapp with the song "Rear Moth" from their new album Tiger, My Friend (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Then we heard one of my favorite surf rock bands out of Nashville The Los Straightjackets with their version of Skeeter Davis' song "It's the End of the World" (with vocals provided by Sixpence None the Richer's Leigh Nash) from their album Sing Along With (iTunes, Amazon). Next was California's The Lookyloos with the song "Spanish Castles" from their album — you ready for this? — Perhaps the Most Satisfying Joy Left to Us in an Age so Limited and Vulgar as Our Own (Amazon). And finally, we end with the very theatrical sounds of Boston's The Dresden Dolls and their song "Coin-Operated Boy" from their self titled 2004 record (iTunes, Amazon).This week show features a clip from The Majority Report with Sam Seder & Janeane Garofalo from Air America Radio, which you can download each day in full from Air America Place.

(SPECIAL COVERS EPISODE!) This week we hear a few of my favorite cover songs, new and old. These songs I like both the original song AND the cover version. Some are novel, but I think they all hold up on their own as well. Fist French model-turned-actress-turned-singer Vanessa Paradis cover's Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" from her 1990 album Variations sur le meme t'aime (Amazon). Then French/British effort Nouvelle Vague covered Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" from their album of 80's covers which is also called Nouvelle Vague (Amazon, Other Music, you can get this track in iTunes). Next was Seu Jorge covering David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" from the soundtrack to the new Wes Anderson movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (iTunes, Amazon, Other Music). Then we heard Portland Oregon's The Decemberists covering Björk (don't miss her new video directed by Spike Jonze) with their awesome version of "Human Behavior" from a new compilation of bands covering her songs called Read - Interpreting Björk (iTunes, Amazon), and because I couldn't decide which song to put on the show, as a bonus song, also from Portland the band Noise for Pretend cover Björk's "It's Oh So Quiet" from the same record. (If you like covers as much as I do, you should check out Coverville. It's another podcast that is worth listening to.    )