The Unheard Monkey!

I’ve been reading Splotchy’s blog for more than a year. I’m a fan. It’s a weird blog. Has no center. Unconnected Tuesdays are just 2 pictures that have nothing in common. New Crayon Colors that Splotch invents or names.

And one thing that I have adored, as a musicaphile is The Green Monkey Project.

On occasion a blogger that is connected somehow to Splotch can come up with a theme set of songs. And the first x participants that join in can contribute 6 tracks to the listing, making up one great collected of 36 tracks. Like a themed box set.

This was my turn as you might have read. And, to my friends, my choices were no surprise, probably. But here they are and I will try to explain.

These are 6 representative tracks of 6 albums from the last half decade that you really should consider adding to your collection. Download these and all the others HERE.

01 – Jukebox The Ghost – Hold It In

This should come as no shocker. I love Jukebox the Ghost. I have extolled their virtues here and here. This is the first song that I hear of theirs. It was on a blog about a year ago. It caught me and has never, and I mean never, left heavy rotation in my house.

I think everyone should own Let Live and Let Ghost. Buy it here.

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02 – Elbow – Some Riot

I never head of Elbow before January. Thanks to another blog that I read, Paul Allen’s here, I came across his year end list. And I got almost all of the albums, because I trust Paul Allen.

When Seldom Seen Kid entered my life if it made everything that much better. Not as abstract as Radiohead. Not as cloyingly commercial as Coldplay. Elbow is the worst named, great band I know. And I’m hoping to get to see them backstage at some show since I learned that my trainer is friends with their manager.

03 – Against Me! – Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart

Oh, what can I say about Against Me!’s album. It’s called New Wave because they signed to Sire and recognized the significance that label had on punk and the coining of the term, “New Wave”? That, in just over 30 minutes, this record stays around long enough to make you want more and not too long to realize that you’ve had enough? I dig this tune, especially since Tegan from Tegan and Sara does the chick’s voice and is contrapuntally perfect against Gabel’s growl.

Against Me! – Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart video
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04 – The Thermals – Here’s Your Future

The Thermals new one doesn’t blow me away like this album did. And I think this might have been one that I heard first during my Soulseek days. (Long ago) There was a lot of chatter about this band and I got this album for dirt cheap at Amoeba. It might also be the last cd I’ve purchased. Doesn’t matter. This one holds you by the throat and doesn’t let go til it’s over.

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05 – The Fratellis – For The Girl

2006 was a great year for music. A bad year to bury dead children but, surprisingly, a lot of good stuff was released.

Once again, I heard about this band on Soulseek. I fel so completely head over heels in love that I began a one man crusade to get them noticed. I needn’t have worried. They were all over the place shortly after I found them. But I was happy to pay $18 for the import of Costello Music before it became available here in the states.

This is one of the best tracks off a great debut.

06 – Nightmare Of You – The Days Go By Oh So Slow

My trainer (he has great taste in music) used to manage a band that would play with my band on occasion. he once turned me on to this group. I think we were talking about The Killers and how the 80s were making a comeback only the music that was coming out was sub standard even by that terrible decade’s terms.

Then I heard Brooklyn’s Nightmare of You. You miss the 80s? Psychedelic Furs and the like? Get this record. You won’t be sorry.

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There ya go. I can’t wait to hear the others!