What I have been listening to lately:

I'll admit I've totally embraced this whole indie music-stuff for sure.  There will always be the constants, but why only listen to 30 year and older music?  Anyway.  Here, in order of favorite to not as favorite, is the "best of" what snaps has been listening to lately.

• Modest Mouse - "The Lonesome Crowded West"  stand-out tracks:  "Convenient Parking", "Trailer Trash" & "Long Distance Drunk"
• Andrew Bird - "The Mysterious Production Of Eggs" stand-outs include:  "Masterfade" & "Fake Palindromes"
• Blitzen Trapper - "Furr" I personally enjoy:  "Furr", "Not Your Lover" & "Black River Killer"
• Orgone - "The Killion Floor" there are too many to choose from - this whole damn album is mad-funky!
• Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - "Strings & Things" label-mate of our funky-friends in Orgone another album to put on and just let the mutha play!
• Coco Rosie - "La Maison de Mon Reve" beautiful weirdness includes:  "By Your Side", "Not For Sale" & "Haitian Love Songs"
• Mark Ronson - "Version" again, way too good to not just let it play from start to finish, bitches!  I gotta admit the "version" of "Toxic" is my personal favorite.
  

1990's Modest Mouse is some musically and lyrically catchy shit - and deep, again referring to the music and lyrics.  Who would have thought that "Float On" song would have sparked such loyalty in me?

Andrew Bird, he whistles.  His music is nice as background and "listen with the eyebrows" (as Uncle Frank would say) music at the same time.  I'll catch myself tuning-in to the weirdest parts of his songs - not the most memorable or catchy but they stick with you nonetheless.  Why do I like it so much?

To say that the boys in Blitzen Trapper "wear their influences on their collected sleeves" would be too easy.  I guess I just did.  Yikes!  Here's the B.T. formula:  take the "cool" parts of old 1970's AM radio, have some producer help put it together in a nice, easy to digest musical-homage capsule and let the masses lap-it-up, collectively.  Amen!

Well, the exact same formula can be applied to LA's Orgone - if you replace "AM radio" with R&B radio.  Wow, that was easy!

Shaw Lee makes music to make movies to.  Very nice stuff, very cinematic.  Must be heard, and undoubtedly is being heard in countless advertisements, TV shows and movies.  Who said "music for the masses" has to suck?  This stuff is not too ground-breaking but it still is fun to spend time consuming.

The Casady sisters are an acquired taste?  What?  I thought heart-felt vocals sung over beat-boxing-accompanied-by-the-off-time-drone-of-children's-toys was the definition of accessible.  This album is worth getting over the initial-obscurity of the alien music presentation.

If I was so inclined to be the type to join a health-club and "work-out" I would choose to bring any one of the albums I just reviewed - I'm convinced they all fit nicely in any modern-day MP3 player.  Bu-u-ut, if I wanted to "work-out-like-a-crazed-horn-fueled-calorie-burning-machine" I'd put on Mark Ronson's mash-up-masterpiece!  Nuff-said, bitches!

Find any one, or all, of the above-listed albums and introduce it/them to your existing CD collection - they will thank you for the tasteful company.

peace.