For me the best thing in music right now is a few leaked tracks from Iron and Wine’s new album, The Shepherd’s Dog, which comes out in September. I don’t know how people find the entire leaked album, but hypemachine has delivered a few gems. Here are some of the other things I have been listening to lately:

We Can Create, by Maps
This is a pretty great album by a band called Maps. Check out the track I posted a copule months ago if you are curious.

The Mix-Up, by the Beastie Boys
The second instrumental album by the Beastie Boys, the first being The In Sounds from Way Out. If you liked In Sounds then you will like this one. Pretty decent, but can get monotonous.

Icky Thump, by the White Stripes
It seems like the same thing happens when I get a White Stripes album. For the first week it is the greatest thing. Then it starts getting annoying and except for a few tracks I don’t listen to it again. Hopefully this one will have some staying power.

Other recommendations:

New Moon, by Elliott Smith

Boxer, by The National

The Boy With No Name, by Travis

I am already dreading a summer without the hit show on NBC, Heroes. For the past couple weeks I have found myself listening to my iPod and thinking, “Man, that would be a great song for Heroes.” There probably isn’t an official Heroes soundtrack, so I decided to make a mixtape of “heroish” songs. These are actually all really great songs, so don’t feel like you need to watch Heroes’ to appreciate them. Here’s the playlist and the lyrics that seemed appropriate. Hopefully it will help get you through to next season…

1. Now. Now., by St. Vincent
“I’m not your mother’s favorite dog. I’m not the carpet you walk on. I’m not one small atomic bomb. I’m not anything at all.” (With lyrics like that, it makes me wonder if St. Vincent was watching Heroes when she penned this great song.)

2. Eyes, by Rogue Wave
This is the only song on my list that was actually used on the show. A great song by one of my favorite bands.

3. Start A War, by The National
“Walk away now, and you’re gonna start a war.”

4. To the Sky, by Maps
“These things I know… They get into your mind. I guess you know the signs. Can only feel this way when silence comes.”

5. Last Stop: This Town, by the Eels
“Why don’t we take a ride way up high through the neighborhood, up over the billboards and the factories and smoke. I’m gonna fly on down for the last stop to this town.”

6. Strange Powers, by The Magnetic Fields
“In Las Vegas where the electric bills are staggering, the decor hog wild and the entertainment sachrin. What a golden age. What a time or right and reason… cause you got strange powers.”

7. Phenomena, by the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
“Something like a phenomena.”

8. I Believe, by Simian Mobile Disco
“I believe you can be what I need to believe.”

9. When it Flows, by Great Lake Swimmers
“When it flows from the fingers and turns to stone it shatters with the touch… Looked into your eyes and into your mind. You were laughing like a statue called to life.

10. Waitin’ For Superman, by The Flaming Lips
“Tell everybody waiting for Superman that they should try do hold on the best they can.”

11. The Greatest, by Cat Power
“Once I wanted to be the greatest.”

12. Nothing At All, by The Shins
“You gotta know what you want to be, but there’s no number to call… You cut your eyes so you can finally see, but there’s nothing at all. There must be a flaw in this fatal eye.”

13. Race For the Prize, by The Flaming Lips
“Two scientists were racing for the good of all mankind… They’re just humans with wives and children.”

14. The Sun is Burning, by Simon & Garfunkel
“Now the sun has come to dissappeared. All is darkness anger pain and fear. Twisted, sightless wrecks of men go groping on their knees and cry in pain.”

15. We Will Become Silhouettes, by The Postal Service
“And that’s when we’ll explode and it won’t be a pretty sight. And we’ll become silhouettes when our bodies finally go.”

For your convenience I bundled the entire playlist into a .zip file that you can download here. I hope you like it!

Here is a list of music that I really enjoyed in 2006:

Begin to Hope, by Regina Spektor

Wincing the Night Away, by the Shins

Magic Potion, by The Black Keys

Ben Kweller, by Ben Kweller

The Information, by Beck

Wolfmother

Sunlandic Twins, by Of Montreal

Electric President

Gulag Orkestar, by Beirut

Garden Ruin, by Calexico

End of Love, by Clem Snide

i, by The Magnetic Fields

Deep Cuts, by The Knife

Of all the genres that are continually invented to quarantine artists into new classifications, the one that I just don’t understand is “Americana.” Apparently Pinetop Seven falls into that category, but don’t ask me what that means. The Night’s Bloom is the fourth album from this band that you probably haven’t heard of. If you are like me, then you will be searching out their back catalog after you are introduced to this wonderful album. The ambitious arrangements and vocal style immediately brings to mind Calexico (another Americana group). While this officially came out in 2005, look for it on the best of lists in 2006.

Full of Light and Full of Fire is my introduction to the Mendoza Line although this recording is several albums into their career. The lead vocals bounce back and forth from Shannon McArdle to Timothy Bracy. Both singers do an admirable job and unlike other bands that try to pull this off, I don’t prever one voice over the other. Timothy sometimes adds a little Bob Dylanish whine, that I could do without, but it is bearable. Shannon reminds me of Neko Case’s vocal contributions to The New Pornographers, something I wish there had been more of. The New Pornographers is probably a good comparison for this band. If you are hesitant about buying this album, there are two free mp3′s available on Amazon that you should check out first. Overall, I really enjoyed this album and am looking forward to exploring The Mendoza Line’s back catalog more in the future.

Maybe it is my imagination, but it seems like this album has been making a comeback lately. Although it didn’t make my top ten of 2004, it was definitely in the running, and it has weathered my rotation better than several albums on that list. The Go! Team sounds like the theme song to the best television show that you never saw. I meant that to be more flattering than it sounds. They are almost completely instrumental except for some high energy chearleading sounding samples on a few of the tracks. Flute, harmonica, horns, piano, and guitar are all layered on top of some big beats. Not electronic beats, but a real drummer. There has to be some heavy studio work to this album, but it sounds like a real performance. I think that “realness” is what really allows this album to pull it off. Definitely a fun album you should check out if you haven’t already.

The Fruit Bats opened for Rogue Wave a couple months ago, and I was impressed enough to pick up this album. Considering SupPop’s roster of great bands, I probably should have given them a chance sooner. Their music isn’t really ground breaking, but that is ok. Sometimes you just need a fun, easy to listen to album. If you are a fan of The Shins and Rogue Wave, check out The Fruit Bats. I don’t really know what else to say…

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Iron and Wine, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone to hear me give a warm review to Iron and Wine’s collaboration with Calexico on In the Reins. It is a hybrid to be sure, but the influence of both groups is evident, and fans of both will most likely enjoy this album. On first listen, it seemed much different from Iron and Wine’s other albums. After a few days in continuous rotation though, the songs are really Iron and Wine, just with a Calexico arrangement. I am relatively new to Calexico, but I am already a fan after picking up Feast of Wire a couple months ago. I would have trouble classifying their sound, but Amazon calls it a “blend of mariachi horns, soaring strident pedal steel, and jangly ’60s-era reverb guitars.” That is pretty close, and it makes for a nice complement to Iron and Wine’s poetry.

I am going to see Iron and Wine on Wednesday in Denver, and I would be surprised if we didn’t hear any tracks off of this album. Although Calexico isn’t ticketed to join Iron and Wine, I think it would be great if they made a surprise appearance.

Most of the music I listen to fills the background of my day with rhythm, energy, and inspiration. I love my music, but it is rare that music touches me or resonate with my soul. On rare occasions, an album like Cripple Crow, breaks free of the background and forces you to engage it. You wrestle with it, you dance with it, you are transformed by it, and it becomes a part of you.

When I heard Devendra Banhart’s newest album, Cripple Crow, I felt something that I couldn’t pin down. I wanted to save the music for a time when I could be alone with it. I took it home and stayed up late being mesmerized and hypnotized. As I started to absorb this music, I remembered the last time I had this feeling. I closed my eyes and remembered my boyhood hiding place. I remember crawling in there, putting my headphones on and being transported to a different place. There alone in that little womb I really connected with the music. It became a part of me. Perhaps it is fitting that Devendra Banhart chose a “Sergeant Pepper” style cover for this album. No doubt, many children retreated to their secret place and wrestled with that album. Like that Beatle’s masterpiece, I think this album has the power to engage its listeners and really connect with people.

Last Friday I got to see Rogue Wave in concert. I saw them about a year ago, and am happy to report that they sound even better than before. A year of touring has really tightened up their set. In fact, all the songs seem to have a new energy that makes me wish they would rerecord their first album, Out of the Shadow which was made before there was really a band. I guess that might have been part of the reason for their iTunes Exclusive.

As a teaser to their new album that comes out October 25, you can pick up their latest single, 10:1. It is only 4 songs, but it does what a good teaser should: it gets you excited for the full length album. And as an added bonus, if you buy the single, you get to enjoy the album art of Jeff Kleinsmith. Good stuff…