Because I think everybody has a place somewhere in their week for these cats. The music is exceedingly simple: just two dudes with acoustic guitars. Two suuuper mellow Norwegians that sound lovely together and probably share a love for Nick Drake, parks, and monogamy. One album cover has them sitting on a carpet floor, politely playing chess. Kinda silly, but sometimes, that's what the doctor ordered, right?

Their new album, Declaration of Dependence (remember that monogamy joke?), is more of the consistent same. Pretty little acoustic ditties embellished only by the occasional string instrument and the sound of their own finger work.

On a side note, DB and I saw them a few years back at Spaceland, an intimate venue in Silver Lake known for its tastemaker prowess. And they had this crowd absolutely mesmerized, silenced. You could hear an ironic messenger bag pin drop. Very impressive.

I was just told that you have to log in to LaLa in order to listen to the songs embedded on my page. I did a little experimenting, and I think what you have to do is: create a LaLa account and log in - annoying but free and easy - and then you should be able to stay logged in even after you close your browser, restart your computer, etc. Worst case scenario, you have to sign in occasionally from my site. It's an imperfect solution, but I figure it's not the end of the world. I will be looking for a more conducive option.

Oh, and you can only listen to a full song once; after that, you're limited to :30 samples.

I would love any feedback from the folks I am pretending actually read this. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Thx to JN for the heads up.

“She moved from Long Beach down to LA
Right now she’s sellin oranges by the freeway

I wanna know:
Ramona, am I the only one? Tell me

And she said
You’re not the only one, but you’re the best, Bradley
Boh! Boh!”

'Waiting for my Ruca'

When spring arrives on the East Coast, my first thought, always, is sitting in the back of DB's truck with a Bud Light and a chicken cypriana, shredding his speakers with 40 Oz to Freedom. This jam, the first on the album, just puts me in that happy place. It is the sound of anticipating good times ahead.

Deerhunter opened for Spoon at the 9:30 Club twice this week, and I wasn't able to go to either. I've never seen Deerhunter, so as a consolation to myself, I went through most of the Bradford Cox catalog. (Cox is the formidable lead singer / mastermind of Deerhunter and authors the solo side project Atlas Sound, which is probably even better. He is one of the golden boys of the indie rock world right now.)

When their debut, Cryptograms, came out, I liked it ok. I thought it was a little monotonous and dissonant, not a great combination. But it's been on the shelf for a while, and having fallen in love with everything since, I figured I was probably missing something the first time around. And for once, I was right.

It's amazing how you acclimate to new sounds - how your ears are trained to hear different things upon repeated listens or a couple years of continually redefining your tastes. The dreaminess of Cox' voice, the inventiveness of the layers of liquid, digital wash. It's so obvious to me now, while the pulsating beats and simple Sonic Youth guitar riffs that distracted me before are just a framework, a canvas, for the artist to do his work.

If you're not tuned in yet, I'd recommend working backward, starting with the Atlas Sound Logos album, Deerhunter's Microcastle, Atlas Sound's Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Not Feel, and then this one. The DH Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP is outstanding, too.

Ohhh, yeah. This lovely young lady put out a gem 2 years ago, called 'Phylactory Factory,' with quirky, jazzy little singer-songwriter numbers best suited for carefree spring afternoons.

Improbably, she's come back with a beat-driven stunner that's perfectly timed to fill in the newfound void of xx-like, minimalist cool. This one's more synth-y than The xx, and she’s retained the expressiveness of her prior vocal work, but the form and feel are very similar. For me, it’s a winning formula: icy, bass heavy, hip-hop inspired electronic beats, with dreamy, echoing female vox on top. Yes, please.

Definitely cold weather music, but with the sun making a sudden entrance here in DC, it’ll work almost as well lying on a blanket in the shade.

I really didn't see this coming, but the new Gorillaz is legit. Super fun, eclectic, well-produced, and laced with A-list cameos (Lou Reed singing with a cartoon band!?!?). Rarely does cheeky music sound this good. The lesson, as always: never doubt Damon Albarn.

This one put a little bounce in my step this a.m.

Courtesy of Babs. Mmm. Not bad, not great, a little lighter than their last two albums. Black Thought breaks out a serviceable (yet hilarious) croon. Let's hope they have something else to prop this one up a bit.

Dark industrial-ish/post-punk band that KCRW pimped all summer but took me a while to acclimate to. Reminds me of the feeling I got when I first started listening to Turn on the Bright Lights. Different sound, but similar effect.

Everybody knows the Shins, but I dug this gorgeous, haunting little number out of the So Says I 7” for your listening pleasure (there’s also a nice acoustic version of ‘Gone for Good’ on the release). Perfect for another pensive, conflicted day of planes, trains, and automobiles.

"Will you lose a bit of yourself?"

'Written in Reverse'

For some reason, I've always thought of these guys as a modern, indie incarnation of those young Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (seriously, go listen to 'American Girl' or imagine Petty singing 'Don't You Evah'). Deliberate, unmistakably American, summer afternoon rock n roll, with a twist of mystery.

But where the latter never shied away from a hook, Spoon have always kept themselves at a distance. For me, they were too cool, impenetrable. While writing one flawless song after another and sounding just right on record and in person, they somehow never let me have exactly what I wanted (two arguable exceptions being 'I Turn My Camera On' and 'You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,' which in related news, were legit summer bangers). Britt Daniel's voice sounded too affected for me to believe it was genuine (until I saw them live and realized - sigh - it is), and their musical precision conveyed pure professionalism. Almost elitism. Don't get me wrong; these backhanded compliments are definitely compliments, and I wore the hell out of the last two albums.

But the new album, Transference, shows me some cracks in the armor. And I like it! Taking some queues from the last LP, it is decidedly darker and weirder. It feels more personal and raw. For once, Daniel openly questions himself. They took some missteps, but I think that's because they got out of their comfort zone.

Case in point: although occasionally stretching his voice in the past, you never before heard Daniel rip a yell like the one at the 2:10 minute mark of this jam. It almost sounds angry, like the guy actually lost his cool for a minute. Probably my favorite Spoon moment yet.