Asobi Seksu - Me & Mary

Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy

Telepathe - So Fine

Nous Non Plus - Loli

Vulture Whale - Sugar

WOXY.com Lounge Act: Passion Pit

Passion Pit is one of my favorite bands around right now and in my opinion Chunk Of Change was the best EP in 2008. The band is currently working on their full-length with the amazing Chris Zane and a preview of that can be heard today on WOXY.com. Don't miss out on Passion Pit's Lounge Act performance at 1:30 pm ET.

Passion Pit on MySpace
Passion Pit on The Hype Machine

Lilofee

San Francisco, CA
The Only Years is one record I can't stop listening to these days. Highly highly recommended for all fans of great electro pop.

"Lock And Key"
Lilofee on MySpace
Lilofee on The Hype Machine

You, You're Awesome

Cincinnati, OH
I'm amazed with yet another Cincinnati act.

"Two Muffins"
You, You're Awesome on MySpace
You, You're Awesome on The Hype Machine

Larytta

Switzerland
Difficult Fun is out now, and I love every second of it.

"Bauch Amp"
Larytta on MySpace
Larytta on The Hype Machine

This Is Pop

Paris, France
Fun, fun, fun!

"Ashes"
This Is Pop on MySpace
This Is Pop on The Hype Machine

Hockey

Portland, OR
These guys were just recently signed to Virgin. Good luck with that!

"3 AM Spanish"
Hockey on MySpace
Hockey on The Hype Machine

Loney Dear - Airport Surroundings

Flosstradamus/Caroline Polachek - Big Bills

Antony And The Johnsons - Epilepsy Is Dancing

Animal Collective - My Girls

The BPA - He's Frank

Fever Ray - If I Had A Heart

Metronomy - A Thing For Me

Ladyhawke - My Delirium

Q-Tip - Manwomanboogie

Morrissey - I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris

WOXY.com Lounge Act: Peasant

Make sure to tune in to WOXY.com today at 3:00 pm ET for Peasant, the first Lounge Act performance of the new year.

Peasant on MySpace
Peasant on The Hype Machine

tonight at DC9: Anya Marina

Anya Marina is the latest addition to the Chop Shop record label; Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II will be available January 20. Tonight she's in town at DC9 opening up for Greg Laswell along with Jenny Owen Youngs. Doors open at 8:30 and the show starts at 9:00.

Anya Marina on MySpace
Anya Marina on The Hype Machine

Cymbals Eat Guitars

New York, NY
Why There Are Mountains - my favorite record right now.

"And The Hazy Sea"
Cymbals Eat Guitars on MySpace
Cymbals Eat Guitars on The Hype Machine

The Soft Hands

Long Beach, CA
You can definitely hear influences from bands like The Minutemen and Mission of Burma from this California crew.

"Harbor"
The Soft Hands on MySpace
The Soft Hands on The Hype Machine

Lanterns On The Lake

Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
Pretty, pretty.

"My Shield"
Lanterns On The Lake on MySpace
Lanterns On The Lake on The Hype Machine

We Swim You Jump

Groningen, Netherlands
We Swim You Jump just released their first EP on Subroutine Records, an independent label in the Netherlands.

"Sparks Fade Out"
We Swim You Jump on MySpace
We Swim You Jump on The Hype Machine

Cotton Jones

Cumberland, MD
New music from Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw of Page France. Paranoid Cocoon is out January 27 from Suicide Squeeze.

"Blood Red Sentimental Blues"
Cotton Jones on MySpace
Cotton Jones on The Hype Machine

East Hundred

Philadelphia, PA
I was easily drawn to East Hundred from the comparison to Denali. Passenger is out today from this Philly five-piece, and I highly highly recommend it.

"Slow Burning Crimes"
East Hundred on MySpace
East Hundred on The Hype Machine

Sexy Kids

Glasgow, Scotland
Who can resist smashing post post-punk pop from the Scots?

"Sisters Are Forever"
Sexy Kids on MySpace
Sexy Kids on The Hype Machine

Peter Adams

Cincinnati, OH
Here's a 2008 track from Peter Adams that I didn't start loving until here recently. I think you'll agree - it's very addictive.

"Ziggurat"
Peter Adams on MySpace
Peter Adams on The Hype Machine

Anathallo

Chicago, IL
I really like the latest album from Anathallo more than previous, but the cover is freaky as hell.

"The River"
Anathallo on MySpace
Anathallo on The Hype Machine

Heartless Bastards

Cincinnati, OH
Heartless Bastards will start touring the end of this month is support of their new disc The Mountain, which is out February 3 from Fat Possum.

01.30.09 - Young Ave Deli - Memphis, TN
01.31.09 - Martyr’s - Chicago, IL
02.03.09 - Great Scott - Boston, MA
02.04.09 - Maxwell’s - Hoboken, NJ
02.05.09 - Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
02.06.09 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
02.07.09 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
02.10.09 - Gravity Lounge - Charlottesville, VA
02.12.09 - Bottle Tree - Birmingham, AL
02.13.09 - Government Street Grocery - Ocean Springs, MS
02.14.09 - Last Concert Café - Houston, TX
02.28.09 - Hailey’s - Denton, TX
03.15.09 - The Pageant - St. Louis, MO
03.16.09 - Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS
03.17.09 - Cain’s Ballroom - Tulsa, OK
03.18.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.19.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.20.09 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.21.09 - House of Blues - Houston, TX
03.23.09 - Lyric Oxford - Oxford, MS
03.29.09 - Mr. Smalls - Pittsburgh, PA
04.02.09 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI
04.03.09 - The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
04.04.09 - Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
04.07.09 - The Warehouse - Calgary, AB
04.08.09 - The Starlight Room - Edmonton, AB
04.10.09 - The Plaza Nightclub - Vancouver, BC
04.15.09 - The Boardwalk - Sacramento, CA
04.16.09 - Slim’s - San Francisco, CA
04.21.09 - The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
04.24.09 - Gothic Theater - Denver, CO

"The Mountain"
Heartless Bastards on MySpace
Heartless Bastards on The Hype Machine

Larytta - Souvenir De Chine

Anathallo - Bells

Popular Workshop - Reptilians

Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses

Blitzen Trapper - Furr

tonight: Title Tracks at Black Cat

If you've been waiting for the perfect local band to kick off your new year with a great DC show, tonight's the night. Title Tracks will be playing the backstage in between Edie Sedgwick and Imperial China tonight at Black Cat. Doors open at 9:00 and tickets are just $8.

Title Tracks on MySpace
Title Tracks on The Hype Machine

San Francisco’s Finest Dearest and Empty Rooms to Release a Split EP

San Francisco bands Finest Dearest and Empty Rooms will celebrate the release of a new split EP entitled the "Wedding EP" on January 31 at the Makeout Room. The Wedding EP is a manifestation of the friendship between the two bands, but also a celebration of the marriage of two of their respective members. Chris Clark (Empty Rooms, guitar) and Carly Schneider (Finest Dearest, vocals) met in the year 2000 at SF's beloved Pop Scene at 330 Ritch through mutual friends. As a natural progression of their eight year courtship they finally tied the knot this past summer among their family and friends. The two bands have been long time friends, sharing a practice space and mutual enthusiastic support for each other's projects.

The split release, which offers two new songs from each band, was recorded live in one night (and part of an early morning!) at Different Fur studios in San Francisco. Only 100 copies of the release will be distributed.

The release show will include performances by Finest Dearest and Empty Rooms during a special happy hour show at the Makeout Room. The show starts at 7:30 PM on Saturday, January 31 and costs $7.

About Finest Dearest - In early summer of 2004, “Bay Area pop darlings” Finest Dearest began practicing in a basement bedroom, hashing out concepts and ideas. Through a series of musical chairs in the lineup, the band cultivated a sound often described as dark and edgy indie rock circa the early 90s, which is showcased on their 2008 self-titled full length album. The band plays frequently in and around San Francisco, and has toured the West Coast several times. Finest Dearest completed a successful US tour in April 2008, which included in-studio spots at XM Satellite Radio in DC and WOXY in Cincinnati, among others. The band’s releases also include the Pacemaker EP (2005), Offsides (7” 2006), and participation in the Bay Bridged, Volume 1 in 2007. Finest Dearest is currently working on material for their sophomore album, and planning their next big trip.

About Empty Rooms – San Francisco based Empty Rooms played their first show in the summer of 2004, after many years of being close friends. This close friendship would ultimately provide the basis for their “dark and dusty” soundscapes which “ooze with composure” and “unfurl solemnly” on their 2 self-released EPs Empty Rooms (2005) & Lacuna (2008). The band has definitely needed these close relationships as 4 tours, a motorcycle accident which put one member in a wheel chair and a job transfer which landed another member in Los Angeles has put the occasional strain on the band. Fortunately, the members are all healthy, mobile members of San Francisco now and are hard at work on a follow-up to their 2008 EP.

Finest Dearest on MySpace
Finest Dearest on The Hype Machine
Empty Rooms on MySpace
Empty Rooms on The Hype Machine