Recent music rotation

The Drones - "Baby 2" (yousendit)
I picked this one up on a whim. I didn't really know what to expect, and it's been a pleasant surprise to have a little harder rocker in my library. This cut is a little more rollicking than some of their others, and I enjoy the upbeat tempo here. I think it works because the band plays somewhat sloppily, which often spills over well into the garage rock style.

Giant Sand - "Valley of Rain" (yousendit)
Giant Sand - "Wearing the Robes of the Bible Black" (yousendit)
Honestly, Giant Sand and Howe Gelb have been two of my favorite recent finds. It's a mixture of rock, punk, and country-n-western out of Tucson, AZ. I love the feel of the music--it feels organic and without the usual studio gloss. I also enjoy, especially in the early Giant Sand tracks, the intersection of 80s jangle-pop with a sort of Country edge. "Valley of Rain" demonstrates this jangly sound, while the second is a much more fractured offering. Fascinating stuff.

Palace Music - "Ohio River Boat Song" (yousendit)
Palace Music - "Valentine's Day" (yousendit)
Kicking a little lo-fi knowledge in your ears here. I just have gotten into this CD also, and really need to get me some Bonnie "Prince" Billy, another Todd Oldham creation. Again, I am a sucker for the music that feels like its held together by a string and some scotch tape, so obviously this is right up my alley.

Quasi - "The Poisoned Well" (yousendit)
Quasi - "You Fucked Yourself" (yousendit)
Rising from the ashes of Heatmiser (E. Smith's first band) and encompassing the drummer from Sleater-Kinney, Quasi is an interesting fusion of fuzzy keyboards, sullen lyrics, and energetic drumming. I enjoy it very much. The story is that "The Poisoned Well" is about Elliott Smith himself, which would not be entirely surprising.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - "The Big Guns" (yousendit)
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - "Rise up with Fists!!" (yousendit)
And in honor of, hopefully, a little change around this country. This is a great album, much better than any Rilo Kily album. I really didn't like that band. But Jenny Lewis is quite the consummate songwriter. And she has quite a nice voice.

NB: If any of the links run out of downloads (there's like 7 total), let me know in the comments and I'll take care of it.