I just recently made some progress through the latest enormo backlog of links I had collected, so thus, I present some standouts:

This track is actually one that I’ve been listening to for months but have just neglected to mention; It’s by some Swedes called Al, Marc, & Sandy (no PB&J jokes, PLEASE), and it’s called “Julie Bell,” and no, I don’t know if it’s about Boris Vallejo’s partner. But it is a damn good song, and it actually reminds me of another Swedish band (that I adored), namely Lesser Matters-era Radio Dept. It’s pomp and grandeur and joy glorious joy, all on a budget:

::: Al, Marc, & Sandy - Julie Bell :::

A bedroom taper from Milwaukee called The Archivist (and whose URL, if you squint, looks a bit like “I AM THE ANTICHRIST”) sent me a link to his free EP [download], and it’s good. Soft, gentle, and lovely– he’s nailed it.

::: The Archivist - Signs & Symbols :::

And WTF, straight out of Greenville, Illinois, comes this dude Nate Henricks and I’m listening to his tracks on Myspace and suddenly I’m all like, “whoa, I really like these.” It’s some great experimental-y lo-fi pop, up there with Havergal, Half-Handed Cloud, and my boy Jib Kidder’s pre-crunk stuff.

::: Nate Henricks - Selfish Sparrow’s Old Song :::
::: Nate Henricks - Flying Fish :::

I can’t decide if there’s a “Sunderland Sound,” or just a “Field Music” sound, but either way, I know that sound, and I’m happy that Field Music offshoot School Of Language remains in that groove.

::: School Of Language - Rockist Pt. 1 :::

And there’s something about this band The Luyas that rubbed me right, and I suspect it’s the fact that they use a French Horn as a principal instrument.

::: The Luyas - Flickering Lights :::