Dear old Matthew Dear walks away from his signature glossy techno sound to deliver something funky, warm and strangely poppy. Like Prince in a psychedelic mood only kinda Kraftwerky. Lots of gr8, unusual sounds in this mid-tempo diversion. A sexy, intellectual little brain mint. I can feel it.

Matthew Dear
“I Can’t Feel” (mp3)
from “Black City”
(Ghostly International)

Need more!

In a city that’s dominated by big-room house and bass music in every imaginable sub-genre, the San Francisco team of White Girl Lust is producing house that takes The City’s house music lovers back to its dance music roots. Peeps WGL’s disco-slap remix of Prince’s 1979 hit “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” it’s sure to be a dance floor filler.

Listen to more WGL singles, EPs and get live dates over at their label, Solid Bump Records.

From their latest album, “Pop Cycle,” the single “It Will Never Slip” from Swedish duo Marching Band is a bittersweet pop gem. Recorded as it was during “the two most miserable winter months of the year in Stockholm,” it’s no surprise the tracks crackle with something beyond restlessness. There’s a certain claustrophobic beauty to it, if you can imagine that, an intimate quality like a small crew of Antarctic explorers singing to keep their morale up as they wait for the spring thaw. Better to light a candle than curse the darkness? This record does both, and the results are lovely.

Marching Band
“It Will Never Slip” (mp3)
from “Pop Cycle”
(U & L Records, Inc.)

Need more!

In the long strange trip of Berkeley, California ska pioneers The Uptones, three founding members spent some time playing clubs on the west coast as Stiff Richards, while the Uptones were on hiatus. During that time, they wrote some of the gr8 songs they now play with the re-formed Uptones. One of the standouts was “Not From Here” which I was thrilled to find is on the set list for their Warped Tour appearances this month. Here is the Stiff Richards original version, off the “E-Mail EP” recently re-released by Fun Fun Fun Recordings. A scorching ska punk number about post modern alienation, sung by The Rev. Paul Jackson himself. Rock it.

Stiff Richards
“Not From Here” (mp3)
from “E-Mail – EP”
(Fun Fun Fun Recordings)

Need more!

A funny thing happened to the Alkaline Trio on the way to being one in a bazillion obscure pop punk bands in the wastelands of the post-music business. They got famous. Through relentless touring and real fan appreciation and good songs and energetic live shows, by gosh, they’re gettin’ big the old way, and it’s a beautiful thing. On every stop at this summer’s Warped Tour, Alkaline Trio is one of the more eagerly anticipated acts. Here’s an early cut from their 2002 split with Hot Water Music. It rocks. To hear what they sound like now, after a decade of seasoning, check out their myspace and DL the iTunes 10 Song Warped Sampler. These guys are gr8.

Alkaline Trio
“Queen Of Pain” (mp3)
from “Split”
(Jade Tree)

Need more!

Here’s an acoustic guitar duet performance of the Beatles’ classic “And I Love Her,” by New Zealand’s steel string virtuoso Graham Wardrop. Eschewing production gimmickry, Wardrop has long focused his efforts on (gasp!) actual playing. He plays entirely with his hands, preferring the tonal possibilities of fingers on steel strings over the more limited range offered by plectrums. Graham’s devotion to his craft is evidenced by the fact that he builds his own instruments to get exactly the sound he wants. And his playing is quite beautiful. So here, I give you, one of the world’s greatest love ballads, played on a guitar built by the performer himself. That’s a lot of love in one mp3! If you like this, click here to find the whole album he made of Beatles covers. Enjoy.

Graham Wardrop
“And I Love Her” (mp3)
from “Beatles Project – Solo and Duet Guitar”
(LOOP)

Need more!

Impossible to think of pop radio in the 80′s without “I Melt With You” – which had simply one of the best hit choruses of that hopeful and fopp-haired era. The band behind that song was Modern English, and they have in the meantime made seven albums. Their latest, “Soundtrack” was produced by Hugh Jones who also produced “I Melt With You” and hit records by Simple Minds, Echo & The Bunnymen and more. “It’s Ok” is the single and I like it lots.

Modern English
“It’s Ok” (mp3)
from “Soundtrack”
(Darla)

Need more!

Best song evar. Well definitely best Cake song evar. And Cake is the best band evar. Well they’re the best band called Cake evar. Here from “Motorcade of Generosity,” their best record evar, is the best Rock and Roll Lifestyle satire evar since Spinal Tap. This is my best post evar. Evar!

Cake
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle” (mp3)
from “Motorcade of Generosity”
(Upbeat Records)
Need more!

Wow. This, I have to say, is one of those “this is why I do this” tracks. A unique gem from a band in Austria called Monk, “Santa Ana Murders And The Neonlights Of Love” is a lush, over-arching pop-scape, ambitious and inspired, and completely realized. Pure pop meets prog-rock classical glory with huge layered harmonies. Magnificent work. A gift.

Monk
“Santa Ana Murders And The Neonlights Of Love” (mp3)
from “The Man Who Sleeps On His Breath”
(sevenahalf records)

Need more!

Found this shweet power poppin’ ska rocker by the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, while taking in the tunez @ ska4u this morning. This is a gr8 little 3rd wave masher with a wicked tight horn section, lovely lyrics and vocals, and the Daddies’ famous northwest rude boy riddim section. Like any band, they’ve gone thru their “Hi and Lo” periods, and this ditty chronicles that ol’ roller coaster with charm and grace. This is how they skank it up in Eugene, Oregon, my kittins and pups! Click it and go nutz.

Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
“Hi and Lo” (mp3)
from “Skaboy JFk”
(Space Age Bachelor Pad)

Need more!