Poster Children/Salaryman

One band that I've been a big fan of for years and years is Poster Children. They've been together almost 20 years (though not without a few personnel changes.) Their sound is loud, but with definite pop overtones, sometimes edgier, sometimes bordering on techno (check out their side project Salaryman for more on the techno front) but always interesting. You can hear one of my all time favorite tracks "If You See Kay" along with samples of the other songs from their "breakout" album "Daisy Chain Reaction" here. Fun stuff, another band that is really great to see live...

Check out more tracks here: Poster Children on Amazon.com

Shellac

While I am trying to avoid things which are completely obvious and well-known, I often come across people who are inexplicably unaware of Steve Albini and Shellac. Albini is of course the man behind Electrical Audio, one of Chicago's premier recording facilities. He's also the guy behind so many great albums it's impossible to list them all here. Anyway, if you like noisy, inventive music with a dark sense of humor, check out
Watch Song. And here's a live in the studio rendition of The End of Radio.

You can order all sorts of Shellac stuff here: Shellac on Amazon.com

Built To Spill

Built To Spill is another great band I listen to periodically. They have a strong back catalogue, and are currently touring. You can hear one song here. They are a great live band (although the last time I saw them they played 3 Clash covers, all of which were pretty weak), and often play very long sets with amazing jams and extended versions. Joyride is an old tune, but it's funny, and gives a little vision into the band's early years. Here's one more: Alarmed. And this one's a solo track by Doug Martsch: Offer.

You can hear more of their stuff and see their fancy cover art here: Built To Spill on Amazon.com

The Sea And Cake

I've been listening lately to "The Fawn", by The Sea and Cake. This band has been around for over a decade, and has consistently put out great stuff. Very mellow, but interesting and surprisingly high-energy, for the overall chilled-out vibe. This track from their album "Oui" gives a good taste: Afternoon Speaker. They are currently planning to record a new album this winter. You can hear more of their stuff and order CDs here: Sea and Cake on Amazon.com