A little while ago we got a taste of Dido's upcoming album, Safe Trip Home, when she was streaming a track off it, "Look No Further." I liked that one well enough, but I'm really digging this new tune, "Don't Believe in Love." There's something sultrier, almost jazzier than what you'd expect, though Dido's light, breathy voice is still at the heart of it all. It's actually a pretty cool combo: Read more

Way back in April we got a taste of "Oh No," one of the tracks that will be included on Andrew Bird's next album, Noble Beast, from a video of Bird playing the song live. Now that it's all produced and polished, I'm love-love-loving it. It is signature Andrew Bird — whistling, strings, dark lyrics accompanying a buoyant tune — but this one's got a fun little drumbeat and hand claps and I Read more

First of all, I love the name of this band. Woo-hoo, galaxy tour! Their song, "Around the Bend," is basically what you would listen to if you were, say, an asteroid rocketing around the galaxy. So I'm not surprised Apple is using it for the new iPod Touch commercial. The ad shows the fun of playing games on this iPod, and this fun, high-adrenaline song only adds to the "wheee!" factor. If you've Read more

Yay! New Decemberists stuff! And it's so fun! I know — lots of exclaiming here. I just can't get enough of this song, "Valerie Plame," because it makes me giggle a bit. According to a press release, the song is sung from "the point-of-view of one of Plame's inside contacts upon discovering her true identity, the song is an amorous tribute to the onetime CIA operative." "Valerie Plame" is a Read more

I try to keep an eye on the iTunes store top songs list and I've noticed that a duet by Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne called "Let it Rock" has been hovering around the top 12. For those of you who aren't familiar, Rudolf is a producer/guitar player-turned-singer (for this single) who's credited on an array of pop songs, like Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right." "Let It Rock" is super catchy and Read more

If you haven't seen the commercial for the new iPod Nano yet, you probably will soon (and probably over and over again, at that). And you might find yourself wondering, like I always seem to do these days with Apple ads, "Wow, who is singing that cute and catchy song?" Once upon a time, the Nano made Feist a star, and it feels like just yesterday I was downloading Yael Naim after seeing the Read more

If you're eager to hear Jenny Lewis's forthcoming album, then you — and I — are in good company. Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard's also ready for Acid Tongue to hit stores, and in a series of YouTube sketches over the past few days, he's been stalking Lewis around her house, demanding to hear some new songs. Lucky for us, it's hard to say no to Gibbard, so Lewis has rolled out the Read more

I first heard this song a few days ago, and I enjoyed it, so I played it a few more times. Then I was kinda addicted and couldn't stop playing it and now I wake up with it in my head. I had never heard Sonya Kitchell's stuff before recently, but I'm pretty sure I'll add her new album, This Storm, to my collection; it just hit stores this week. Kitchell's only 19 years old, but her voice and her Read more

Did you kinda forget about Dido like I did? Well, I was reminded of her today when I learned the following things: She's releasing a new album this November. A track from the new album is available for download here, and it's great. It's been five years since Dido released her last album and I'm really excited she's still out there, making pretty music for us to enjoy. This new track, "Look No Read more

A while ago a friend sent me the video for Marc Broussard's low-down soulful song "Home," and I fell in love instantly. The video is beautifully shot; a loving portrayal of Broussard's southern journey, well, home. It's a catchy, percussive song that's made more emotional by Broussard's passionate vocals. His next album, Keep Coming Back, is due to release Sept. 16 and I was able to get an early Read more