KNAK 25

Clearly, I have more time on my hands because it’s been less than a month since my last playlist. I hope you find a couple gems in here that you might not have otherwise sampled (please let me know!). I’m always looking for new stuff to checkout, so please keep sending me suggestions (directly, or via blog comments).

For your convenience, you can get this playlist on iTunes or listen to full song streaming on lala.

I’ve also figured out how you can sample/buy the MP3s directly from Amazon:

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1. Jager Yoga; CSS; Donkey
This electro-rock group from Sao Paulo, Brazil, just released their sophomore album on Sub Pop. Here’s the opening track from Donkey

2. Vanished; Crystal Castles; Crystal Castles
These guys from Toronto sound like they pulled their samples from Atari video games for a lot of their songs. I picked this track purely because I love the main synth melody.

3. Market Girl; Headlights; Some Racing, Some Stopping
Here’s a light-hearted indie pop track from the 2nd full-length LP from this band out of Champaign, Illinois.

4. Hummingbird; Born Ruffians; Red, Yellow & Blue
When I heard the opening of this song, I assumed it was by Vampire Weekend. But it’s actually a band from Toronto that released their first LP in March.

5. Lolita; Throw Me The Statue; Moonbeams
Here’s another upbeat pop track from this fun Seattle band.

6. The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life; Sunset Rubdown; Random Spirit Lover
Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug fronts this Montreal group, and his vocals are distinctive as ever. I somehow passed over this late 2007, but I’m catching up now.

7. Time To Pretend; MGMT; Time To Pretend
How much do I love Brooklyn’s MGMT? I can put “Time to Pretend”, “Electric Feel”, and “Kids” on repeat and be happy.

8. The Story I Heard; Blind Pilot; 3 Rounds and a Sound
This Portland, OR, duo just released their debut album, and this spare acoustic track has really grown on me…. An honest vocal over a strumming guitar.

9. Inside a Boy; My Brightest Diamond; A Thousand Shark’s Teeth
I still have “Golden Star” from 2006 stuck in my head (see KNAK 14). NYC-based Shara Worden drives this new song with her haunting voice

10. Shut Up And Let Me Go; Ting Tings; We Started Nothing
There’s a good chance you’ve seen/heard the Ting Tings in one of the ubiquitous iTunes TV commercials. But I’m not going to hold it against them. This UK duo formed as an impromptu house party band, and I bet they blew the roof off.

11. Gila; Beach House; Devotion
Let’s slow it down with a dream pop track from Baltimore-based Beach House’s sophomore album.

12. Vampires With Gold Teeth; The Fashion; The Fashion
I must like these guys, because this is the 3rd track I’ve featured from this Danish group’s latest album.

13. Oxford Comma; Vampire Weekend; Vampire Weekend
More nerd-pop! Here’s another song from NYC’s super hot Vampire Weekend.

14. The Arm; Islands; Arm’s Way
Check out the strings, piano, and much more on this track from Montreal-based Islands’s 2nd album.

15. ChemTrails; Beck; Modern Guilt
Beck has decided to take us on a bit of a psychadelic trip on the first single from the latest addition to his amazing body of work.

16. Seeing and Believing; Wild Sweet Orange; We Have Cause To Be Uneasy
We don’t get too many indie rock bands out of Alabama, but this is one to look out for. Several tracks to choose from in their debut album… this one starts out with clear vocals over a sweet guitar melody that eventually builds to a controlled climax.

17. Against The Grain; UNKLE; End Titles…Stories For Film
Time to wrap up KNAK 25 with UNKLE, a UK group nominally categorized as trip hop. I love the strings that weave through the melody on this closing number.