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(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

Blue Skies For Black Hearts - Wishing You a Merry Xmas - XO for the Holidays Vol 2 :: free download!
The Orphaned Children - Silent Night - A PDXMAS :: free download!
Run On Sentence - Christmas Don’t Be Late - Another Grey Christmas, Vol. 2
Carolyn Sills - George Bailey :: digital single [video]
Erlend Øye - Last Christmas - Seasonal Greetings - A Compilation of 13 Christmas and Winter Songs
:: Wham! cover
Betty & the Cavaleros - Hey! I’m Your Gift Today
Belle & Sebastian - Are You Coming Over For Christmas?
Elizabeth & The Catapult - Xmas With The Jews [video]
My First Earthquake - Fa La Freezing
My First Earthquake - (Together in Our) Holiday Sweaters [video]
Sally Shapiro - Anorak Christmas - Disco Romance
A Weather - Winter Wonderland - Another Grey Christmas, Vol. 2
Jessie Baylin - Mrs. Christmas
Remy Zero - Someday At Christmas
Sufjan Stevens - Christmas In The Room - Songs for Christmas Vol. 8
Laura Gibson - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - Peace on Earth : A Charity Holiday Album Vol. II
The Raveonettes - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Wishing You A Rave Christmas
Glass Teeth - I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - A PDXMAS :: free download!
Julian Koster - Jingle Bells - The Singing Saw At Christmastime
Jared Mees and the Grown Children - Joy to the World - A PDXMAS :: free download!

mp3s:

Blue Skies for Black Hearts - Wishing You a Merry Xmas
The Orphaned Children - Silent Night
Run On Sentence - Christmas Don’t Be Late (via Local Cut)
Belle & Sebastian - Are You Coming Over for Christmas?
Elizabeth and the Catapult - Xmas with the Jews
My First Earthquake - Fa La Freezing
My First Earthquake - Holiday Sweaters
Sally Shapiro - Anorak Christmas
Jessie Baylin - Mrs. Christmas
Remy Zero - Someday at Christmas (via O+S)
Glass Teeth - I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

 

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Here’s the next volume, finishing my coverage of 2001, and taking us through part of 2003.Coming REAL soon, this year’s Christmas special!

Also, I have the world’s most annoying cold. I feel fine, but my voice is all gravel and no butter.

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

Barcelona - Fleeting Fame - Transhuman Revolution
Masters Of The Hemisphere - Anything, Anything - Protest a Dark Anniversary
Ladytron - I’m With the Pilots - 604
Fischerspooner - Emerge - #1
Röyksopp - Remind Me - Melody A.M.
:: Erlend Øye on vocals
Azure Ray - Displaced - Azure Ray
Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things - The Execution of All Things
Spoon - The Way We Get By - Kill the Moonlight
Tegan And Sara - Monday Monday Monday - If It Was You
Boards of Canada - 1969 - Geogaddi
DJ Shadow - Giving Up the Ghost - The Private Press
Sigur Ros - untitled #4 [Njosnavelin] - ( )
:: how DO you pronounce that?
Supergrass - Za - Life on Other Planets
Iron & Wine - Lion’s Mane - The Creek Drank the Cradle
The Notwist - One With the Freaks - Neon Golden
Doves - Pounding - The Last Broadcast
Aislers Set - Catherine Says - How I Learned to Write Backwards
Saturday Looks Good to Me - Meet Me by the Water - All Your Summer Songs
The Salteens - Damn You - Let Go of Your Bad Days
Manitoba [Caribou] - Hendrix with KO - Up in Flames
Menomena - Lose Yourself :: live, a cappella Eminem cover
Menomena - Cough Coughing - I Am the Fun Blame Monster!

 

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A whole decade come and gone. At the start of the decade, most of us (well, me anyway) were relying on word-of-mouth, calling the college radio DJ to ask what song they just played, a magazine subscription, or good luck at a record store listening station.

While those things are still part of our (or my) music discovery process, the Internet is predominantly the means by which I find new artists, and new albums from artists I’ve liked previously. Through the rise of mp3 blogs, podcasts & online radio, myspace and other social media, I personally find at least 20 times more music than I used to.

To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that. While it’s great to discover so much new music, it also crowds out the ability to really bond with the music I already have. And I can discover a ton of new bands in a week, but if someone asks me if I’ve heard of so-and-so, and I haven’t, I still can feel out of the loop. There’s got to be some equilibrium, but I just haven’t it yet.

This has also come into play as I’ve been putting together these Best of the Aughts shows. I found that it was actually easier to think of more songs from the earlier part of the decade, when I knew fewer bands, than the later years.

This is Volume 1, covering the year 2000 and most of 2001 (more in Volume 2). In all of these volumes, I’ve not always selected music that I considered the “best,” though I like all the songs, or “important,” as in, songs or artists that you’re supposed to like. It’s the music that’s most memorable and enjoyable to me, and/or was my first introduction to an artist I really like, and/or a song that sums up their work. I hope you enjoy them!

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

The New Pornographers - Letter From an Occupant - Mass Romantic
Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining - The Hour of Bewilderbeast
Elliott Smith - Color Bars - Figure 8
The Apples in Stereo - The Rainbow - The Discover of a World Inside the Moone
Dressy Bessy - I Saw Cinnamon - Sound Go Round
Ballboy - Public Park - Club Anthems
Björk - In the Musicals - Selmasongs
Billy Bragg & Wilco - Airline to Heaven - Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
Belle & Sebastian - I Fought in a War - Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
Jonathan Richman - Tonight - Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow
Superchunk - Late Century Dream - Here’s to Shutting Up
Built To Spill - Strange - Ancient Melodies of the Future
Death Cab for Cutie - A Movie Script Ending - The Photo Album
Figurine - [bonus untitled track] - The Heartfelt
Gary Jules & Michael Andrews - Mad World - Donnie Darko
Jurassic 5 - Quality Control  - Quality Control
The Beta Band - Squares - Hot Shots II
Air - Radio #1 - 10,000 Hz Legend
The Shins - Know Your Onion! - Oh, Inverted World
They Might Be Giants - Man, It’s So Loud in Here - Mink Car

 

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This is probably the last show of new, non-seasonal music I’ll be doing until after the new year. Because of that, I’ve included a lot of forthcoming releases. Still to come this month, we’ll have Christmas music, as well as best of both 2009, and the entire decade.

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

Two Hours Traffic - Territory - Territory
Laura Veirs - July Flame [making-of video] - July Flame :: out January 12
You Say Party! We Say Die! - Laura Palmer’s Prom - XXXX
Faded Paper Figures - New Medium - new album, title TBA
Surfer Blood - Swim - Astro Coast, out January 19
Hot Chip - Take it In - One Life Stand :: out February 8
Sally Seltmann - Harmony to my Heartbeat - Heart That’s Pounding :: formerly called New Buffalo, album out next spring
Yo La Tengo - Nothing to Hide - Popular Songs
The Sound of Arrows - Into the Clouds [video] - Into the Clouds single
Basia Bulat - Gold Rush [video] - Heart of My Own :: out Jan 25
Hayden - Let’s Break Up - The Place Where We Lived
Vampire Weekend - Horchata - Contra :: out January 12
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM [teaser video] - IRM :: out January 26, produced by Beck
Beach House - Norway - Teen Dream :: out January 26
Tycho - Coastal Brake - Coastal Brake single
The Shout Out Louds - Walls - Work, out February 23
Parlour Steps - Little Pieces - The Hidden Names
Orenda Fink - That Certain-Something Spring [video] - Ask the Night
Asobi Seksu - Transparence [video] - Hush & Transparance 10″
Au - Ida Walked Away - Versions

mp3s:

Two Hours Traffic - Territory
Laura Veirs - Two Free Tracks from July Flame
Faded Paper Figures - New Medium (.zip file)
Surfer Blood - Swim
Sally Seltmann - Harmony to my Heartbeat
Yo La Tengo - Nothing to Hide
The Sound of Arrows - Into the Clouds
Basia Bulat - Gold Rush
Hayden – Let’s Break Up (via AWmusic)
Vampire Weekend - Horchata (via their site)
Charlotte Gainsborg - IRM (via The Music Slut)
Beach House - Norway
Tycho - Coastal Brake (via Pitchfork)
The Shout Out Louds - Walls
Parlour Steps - Little Pieces
Orenda Fink - That Certain-Something Spring
Asobi Seksu - Transparence
Au - Ida Walked Away

 

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I am publishing this, then driving to Portland. This is normally a 5-6 hour drive, but being the biggest travel day of the year, it will be double that. Thank God for other people’s podcasts.

*Update 12:00 - Ok, somehow, the drive only took 6 hours. How? I’ve seriously done that drive, like, 10 times, on Thanksgiving Eve, and it’s been Hell on Earth, all the way through Washington. Did they fix Seattle? Or is unemployment so high that enough people had the freedom to do their traveling before today, leaving the roads unclogged for me?

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

The Dimes - Celia’s Garden - The King Can Drink The Harbour Dry
Ryan Trevor - Blue Mornings - Introducing Ryan Trevor
Hyperstory - Ascension - Hyperstory
Bat For Lashes - Daniel (Tara Bush remix) (watch behind-the-scenes) [Two Suns]
Headless Heroes - Hey, Who Really Cares (Jon Hopkins remix) - Remixes
Taken By Trees - Watch The Waves - East of Eden
The Lonely Forest - We Sing in Time - We Sing The Body Electric!
The Woodlands - Can We Stay - The Woodlands
Echo & The Bunnymen - Life of 1,000 Crimes - The Fountain
Mark Matmos & Os Beaches - Hired Hand - Words of the Knife
Real Estate -Beach Comber - Real Estate
Islands - No You Don’t - Vapours
Tape Deck Mountain - Ghost Colony - Ghost
RJD2 - The Horror - Dead Ringer
We All Have Hooks for Hands - Made Up of Tiny Lights - The Shape of Energy
Brown Bird - Danger & Dread - The Devil Dancing
Sally Shapiro - Dying in Africa - My Guilty Pleasure
Alex Arrowsmith - Ana Ng
mp3s:

The Dimes - Celia’s Garden
Ryan Trevor - Blue Mornings
Hyperstory - Ascension
Hyperstory - A Happening
Bat for Lashes - Daniel (Tara Busch remix) (via batforlashes.com)
Headless Heroes - Hey, Who Really Cares (Jon Hopkins remix) (via namesrecords.com)
Taken By Trees - Watch The Waves
The Lonely Forest - We Sing In Time
Echo & the Bunnymen - Life of 1,000 Crimes (via RCRD LBL)
Mark Matmos & Os Beaches - Hired Hand
Mark Matmos & Os Beaches - High Priest of the Mission
Real Estate - Beach Comber
Islands - No You Don’t
Tape Deck Mountain - Ghost Colony
RJD2 - The Horror
RJD2 - Find You Out
We All Have Hooks for Hands - Made Up of Tiny Lights
Brown Bird - Danger & Dread
Brown Bird - Muck and Mire
Sally Shapiro - Dying in Africa
Alex Arrowsmith - Ana Ng

 

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Hope you enjoyed the Halloween episodes! They were a bit more fun to make than the usual weekly episodes, though also a bit more work. I think I doubled my lifetime whispering by doing the “voices”for those.

Our two-year-old, Sydney, helped me do this one.

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

Shonen Knife - Super Group - Super Group
U.S.E. - K.I.S.S.I.N.G. - L.O.V.E.W.O.R.L.D.
Visqueen - Hand Me Down - Message To Garcia
Shelley Short - Time Machine/Submarine - A Cave, A Canoo
The Mary Onettes - Dare - Islands
The Raveonettes - Suicide - In and Out of Control
Amazing Baby - Supreme Being
Choir Of Young Believers - Next Summer - This Is for the White in Your Eyes
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp - Ambling Alp
Dead Leaf Echo - Half-Truth - Truth
Kaki King - 2 O’Clock - Dreaming of Revenge
Annie - I Don’t Like Your Band - Don’t Stop
Fredrik - Locked in the Basement - Trilogi [3 EPs] :: out November 17 (or so…?)
Grand Archives - Oslo Novelist - Keep in Mind Frankenstein
Music Go Music - Light of Love - Expressions
Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind - Declaration of Dependence
They Might Be Giants - I Am a Paleontologist - Here Comes Science :: vocals by Danny Weinkauf, TMBG bassist

mp3s:

Shonen Knife - Super Group
U.S.E. - K.I.S.S.I.N.G.
Visqueen - Hand Me Down
Shelley Short - Time Machine/Submarine
The Mary Onettes - Puzzles
The Raveonettes - Suicide
Amazing Baby - Supreme Being (via Green Label Sound)
Choir Of Young Believers - Next Summer
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
Dead Leaf Echo - Half-Truth
Kaki King - 2 O’Clock (via RCRD LBL)
Annie - I Don’t Like Your Band
Fredrik - Locked in the Basement
Grand Archives - Oslo Novelist
Music Go Music - Light of Love
Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind
They Might Be Giants - I Am A Paleontologist

 

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Help. Please.

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

Tegan and Sara - Hell - Sainthood
World’s Greatest Ghosts - Phantastes - No Magic, out November 10
Rhytm Police - Ghosttrain - Turbo Bells
Sea Wolf - Wicked Blood - White Water, White Bloom :: watch video
Peter Squires - Witch - Woe is Me (album free here!)
Sean Bones - Visions - Rings
The Whigs - In the Dark - In the Dark :: out TBA 2010
Saintseneca - God Bones -Saintseneca EP
The Pet Ghost Project - Wires from the Ceiling - Idiot Brain/Genius Heart (album free here!)
Bottle Up and Go - Day I Die - TBA 2010
Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles - Me And Your Ghost - The Stars Are Out
Dead Man’s Bones - In the Room Where You Sleep - Dead Man’s Bones
Tickley Feather - Don’t Call, Marilyn - Hors d’Oeuvres
The Gaslamp Killer - Anything Worse - My Troubled Mind - EP
Halloween, Alaska - Hot Pink - Champagne Downtown
TV Ghost - The Recluse - Cold Fish
Monsters of Folk - Say Please - Monsters Of Folk
They Might Be Giants - Hall of Heads - Apollo 18

Also, if you’re having an end-of-October party this weekend, make sure you have this one, and here’s a couple shows from previous years from this time of year: 2008, 2007

mp3s:

World’s Greatest Ghosts - Phantastes
Sea Wolf - Wicked Blood
Peter Squires - Witch
Sean Bones - Visions
The Whigs - In The Dark (via MAGNET)
Saintseneca - God Bones
The Pet Ghost Project - Wires from the Ceiling
Bottle Up and Go - Until the Day I Die
Dead Man’s Bones - In the Room Where You Sleep (via MBV)
Tickley Feather - Don’t Call, Marilyn
The Gaslamp Killer - Anything Worse (via RCRD LBL)
TV Ghost - The Recluse (via RCRD LBL)
Monsters Of Folk - Say Please
The Conet Project - New Star Broadcasting

 

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 I encountered a problem while recording this week’s show–there seemed to be voices leaking into the recording. It’s strange, because we don’t live anywhere near radio towers, which is usually the cause of that kind of interference. What’s also disconcerting, is that I’m not sure if I was hearing the voices coming from my headphones, or from somewhere else in the room.

I’m OK with recording equipment, but definitely not an expert. I’m going to look over my setup again, and make sure nothing’s changed since last time I did my show. Anyhow, I hope the interference isn’t too distracting to listen to!

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

Marshmallow Ghosts - Shrieks (excerpt)  - The Marshmallow Ghosts
Electric Tickle Machine - Bones - Blew It Again
CF Donohoe - She’s in the Kitchen - Still Space For Ghosts
Broadcast and The Focus Group - The Be Colony - Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age
Fela Kuti - Zombie - Zombie/Best of the Black President
Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy - Friendly Fires
Gejius - His Shadow Led Him to His Grave - The Last 46:08 of Your Life
Glass Ghost - The Same - Idol Omen
White Rabbits - The Lady Vanishes - It’s Frightening
Ra Ra Riot - Ghost Under Rocks - The Rhumb Line
Greg Laswell - Your Ghost - Covers EP :: Kristin Hersh cover
Dubious Ranger with Bhi Bhiman - The Killing Moon - Butchers Volume 1 (free here!) :: Echo & the Bunnymen cover
Loch Lomond - Ghost of an Earthworm - Night Bats
O+S - Haunts - O+S
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Stay Alive - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Phantogram - When I’m Small - Eyelid Movies :: out February 9
Goldfrapp - Monster Love - Seventh Tree
I’ll be putting up another one of these tomorrow. Also, if you’re having an end-of-October party this weekend, here’s a couple shows from previous years from this time of year: 2008, 2007

mp3s:

Marshmallow Ghosts - Shrieks
Broadcast and The Focus Group - The Be Colony (via The Daily Growl)
Fela Kuti - Zombie
Glass Ghost - The Same (via Stereogum)
Greg Laswell - Your Ghost (via The Music Slut)
Dubious Ranger - The Killing Moon

 

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Just saw Where the Wild Things Are today. I think I’ll have to see it again. Not because I loved it that much (though I did enjoy it), but because I think I might enjoy it more a second time. It dawned on me a couple hours later that it’s almost more a dream than a story, and that I should watch it that way.

Did you see it? What did you think?

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

The Flaming Lips - Silver Trembling Hands - Embryonic
Hidden Cameras - In the NA - Origin: Orphan
Built To Spill - Hindsight - There is No Enemy
Headlights - Get Going - Wildlife
Ah Holly Fam’ly - Young Veins - Reservoir
Logan Lynn - Feed Me to the Wolves - Pillar to Post :: out November 24
Alela Diane and Alina Hardin - Bowling Green - Alela & Alina EP
Loch Lomond - Wax and Wire - Night Bats EP
Mayer Hawthorne - Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’ - A Strange Arrangement
El Perro Del Mar - Change of Heart - Love Is Not Pop
Dead Man’s Bones - Pa Pa Power - Dead Man’s Bones
Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson - Relator - Break Up
Doveman - Breathing Out - The Conformist
Spiral Beach - Domino - The Only Really Thing
Langhorne Slim - I Love You, But Goodbye - Be Set Free
Moby - Pale Horses - Wait for Me
Throw Me The Statue - Hi-Fi Goon - Creaturesque
Flight of the Conchords - Hurt Feelings - I Told You I was Freaky
mp3s

The Flaming Lips - Silver Trembling Hands
The Hidden Cameras - In the NA
Headlights - Get Going
Ah Holly Family - Young Veins
Logan Lynn - Feed Me to the Wolves
Alela Diane feat Alina Hardin - Bowling Green
Loch Lomond - Wax & Wire
Mayer Hawthorne - Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’
El Perro Del Mar - Change of Heart
Dead Man’s Bones - Pa Pa Power
Doveman - Breathing Out
Spiral Beach - Domino
Langhorne Slim - I Love You But Goodbye
Moby - Pale Horses
Throw Me The Statue - Hi-fi Goon

 

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Almost a month into autumn, it’s time to start the fall season of That Sound. I hope this one finds you well, and that you enjoy these songs

(artist - song - album + purchase link :: extra info)

The Raveonettes - Last Dance - In & Out of Control
The Postmarks - My Lucky Charm - Memoirs at the End of the World (Dig)
The Swell Season - In These Arms - Strict Joy :: out October 27
I Was a King - Norman Bleik - I Was a King
Air - Do the Joy - Love 2
Daniel Johnston - Freedom - Is and Always Was
The Clientele - Harvest Time - Bonfires on the Heath
Laura Veirs - Wide-Eyed, Legless - July Flame
Orenda Fink (with Isaac Brock) - High Ground - Ask the Night
Modest Mouse - Autumn Beds - No One’s First, and You’re Next
Ramona Falls - I Say Fever - Intuit
Lackthereof - Safely in Jail - A Retrospective 1998-2008
Menomena - Evil Bee - Friend and Foe
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster - Know Better Learn Faster
The Mountain Goats - Genesis 3:23 - Life of the World to Come (Dig)
Islands - Vapours - Vapours
Yo La Tengo - Here to Fall - Popular Songs
The Shaky Hands - Allison and the Ancient Eyes - Let It Die

mp3s:

The Raveonettes - Last Dance
The Swell Season - In These Arms
I Was a King - Norman Bleik
Daniel Johnston - Freedom
The Clientele - Harvest Time
Laura Veirs - Wide Eyed, Legless (via Stereogum)
Orenda Fink - High Ground
Ramona Falls - I Say Fever (via Stereogum)
Lackthereof - Safely in Jail
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster
The Mountain Goats - Genesis 3:23
Islands - Vapours
Yo La Tengo - Here to Fall
The Shaky Hands - Allison and the Ancient Eyes (via Local Cut)