The Heavy - Great Vengeance and Furious Fire

- AMAZING funky rock. I didn't like the entire album, but "Coleen" is a mandatory listen (it's on their myspace, too!) I'm also pretty sure the album name is a homage to Pulp Fiction, but it could just be un-related biblical stuff.

Myspace
Purchase album

Love Kills Theory - Happy Suicide Jim

- Most of this album was a little too far-out for me, but "Found" was pleasing to me, because the vocals are very clean and real, and the melodies easy to the ear. Pretty wild stuff, all said.

iTunes
Band Website

Dead Meadow - Dead Meadow

- These guys are totally off the internet's radar, as far as I can tell. Which makes sense, because it's reaaaallly crazy stuff. The song I played was "Rocky Mountain High" in case anybody can dig up some info on them.

The Evening Rig - Never Been'er

- These guys are awesome! We just got this CD, and I think it was fresh into the database when it got handed to me. Country-inspired rock, can't be beat. I recommend "All the Stars"

iTunes
Myspace

Spitvalves - Fine Print at the Bottom

- Cool ska band I found on iTunes while digging through a sea of thousands of other iTunes suggestions (which I do every now and then; honestly, will they ever learn what I like?). It's good stuff, but I recommend against the newer CD in favor of this one.

iTunes
Myspace

The Kooks - Inside In Inside Out

- These guys aren't exactly fresh on the scene, but they're new enough. Very good stuff, pretty much any of it is a decent listen.

Band Website

Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea

- One of Billy Corgan's (of Smashing Pumpkins) projects. Just this album, but I really really like one song in particular, and if you like Billy Corgan's voice (I do), the rest is worth a listen.

Band Website

In Parentheses - Sidenotes EP

- A band my friend drums for (O hai thar, fig). Good stuff, kinda mellowed out rock with some non-standard instrumentation (ie. a viola). They're all students, so they don't exactly have a lot of time for music, but the songs are $0.99 apiece, and worth it.

Myspace

Maxeen - Hello Echo

- The very first track on this album has a xylophone. The novelty of this slays me. Plus, it's pretty catchy.

Band Website

Blindside - Silence

- I hadn't even realized how long I've been listening to these guys, but the CD I have is actually pretty old. I never got the album itself, but I have the 2 song demo, which features "Pitiful" and "Caught a Glimpse" from Silence.

Band Website