[This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of our collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, an old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]

We’re apparently in a “now” kind of mood around here this week as all of our picks come from 2008 releases (we normally have at least one cut from the archives each week), with songs from A.C. Newman, Girl Talk, Madlib, and a brand new cover from Eddie Vedder & Corin Tucker. Enjoy.

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Stranger Jay: A.C. Newman - “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve”

A.C. Newman may very well be the most underrated songwriter in business today. Best known as the lead singer/songwriter for Canadian indie-rock supergroup, The New Pornographers, Newman is a master of the pop song, able to consistently craft songs that are instantly accessible and (more importantly) stand up to repeat listens. This song is more of what we’ve come to expect: big hooks, strong arrangements and great melody. Brian Wilson, Ray Davies and Alex Chilton should all be proud.

This track comes from Matador Records’ excellent (and free) Fall Sampler, Intended Play. His second solo album, Get Guilty, is scheduled to be released on Matador Records on January 20, 2009.

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Vague Panther: Madlib - “No More Time? (The Change)”

It’s no secret I’m a Madlib fan. So of course my selection this week is off of the recently released additions to the Beat Konducta series (Volumes 5 & 6) called “No More Time? (The Change)”. For me, messing around with beats is a hobby, but the reason I love it is because of the challenge it presents – they’re kind of like a haiku in that their short, to the point and hopefully, beautiful.

And that’s why I can’t get enough of Madlib. He’s so good at capturing a general feeling or mood in under two minutes that it’s not really just about listening to the song its more about “how the fuck did he make me feel that?” Enjoy this great little bass groove.

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Uncle Corey: Girl Talk - “No Pause”
Girl Talk - “Set it Off”
DJ Kool - “Let Me Clear My Throat”
I don’t really know what exactly Girl Talk does. Mashup artist? No. DJ? Not really. I do know, however, that it’s great stuff. What he does isn’t really all that special, it’s more how he does it – serious, heavy-duty mixing using a dizzying amount and variety of songs, and doing it really, really well. Very cool stuff and I’ve been listening to it non-stop this week – thanks to friend of the blog Jeremy for turning me on to it. It was really hard to pull out any specific songs, so here’s a couple of songs that have a couple of great verses in the mix, including DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat” and Eminem’s “Shake That.”

Also, I included “Let Me Clear My Throat” which is just an awesome song and has kind of a cool sample history. Those of you who watched “Yo! MTV Raps” back in the day, may remember that sax loop from “The 900 Number” – aka, The Ed Lover Dance. That sax solo comes from “Unwind Yourself” by Marva Whitney, who had a short run in the late ’60s performing with James Brown. Useless information, but I love that stuff.

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Scooter: John Doe - “The Golden State”

Legendary punk icon, John Doe, played a surprise solo set at an Obama fundraiser I attended a few weeks back and treated the audience to an intimate and impassioned performance. One of the highlights of the show was, “The Golden State,” a song from his 2007 release, A Year in the Wilderness. While he is largely unknown outside of his involvement with X, Doe is one of San Francisco’s most gifted songwriters and I highly recommend that you check out his solo stuff if you get a chance.

Oh, I almost forgot. As your resident Pearl Jam devotee, I feel obliged to let you know that Eddie Vedder and Sleater-Kinney’s, Corin Tucker, recorded a gorgeous cover of “The Golden State” for Doe’s new EP (out this week on Yep Roc Records). Check it out here:

[This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of our collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, an old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]

Here’s a special playlist for that favorite holiday of white people, Halloween. Half of our picks this week are holiday appropriate, with two all-time spooky classics. Rounding out this week’s list are a pair of indie collaborations, featuring Devendra and one quarter of Grizzly Bear, respectively. Enjoy.

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Uncle Corey: Michael Jackson - “Thriller”

Is there any other song you can pick on Halloween besides “Thriller”? Well, no, he answers rhetorically. Who doesn’t love this song? I remember – as does anyone between the age of 27 and 39 – listening to this tape over, and over, and over.

I really haven’t been listening to it lately, so technically I’m cheating the playlist rules, but fuck it. We all need a little zombie walk on Halloween.

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Scooter: Misfits - “The Monster Mash”
Just as campy and ridiculous as “Thriller,” this Misfits cover of the 1962 novelty song by Boris Pickett is a ton of fun. Speaking of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Vincent Price recorded a version of this song, as did the Beach Boys in 1964. Even Elvis is linked to this song, once calling it “the dumbest thing he’d ever heard.”

Regardless of what Elvis has to say, I think it’s great… but as far as horror punk bands go, I’ll take the Cramps over the Misfits any day. Happy Halloween.

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Stranger Jay: Department of Eagles - “In Ear Park”

I cannot understate how much I like all things Grizzly Bear. Department of Eagles is the side project of GB’s Daniel Rossen and his old NYU roommate, Fred Nicolaus.

“In Ear Park” sounds a good deal like GB, with ethereal textures, Rossen’s gentle vibrato, sweeping dynamic changes and ohh-and-ahh harmonies. All in all, it tides me over until they finally release their much-anticipated new album.

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Vague Panther: Megapuss - “Adam and Steve”

I’ve posted about Banhart and Rogove’s project in the past and I bring them up again in our staff picks because each song is more intriguing than the next. Surfing, their full-length album due out November 4th, promises to be a psychedelic, electric-fi mess that could make my top ten of the year. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t really like Banhart solo that much… Anyways, don’t think too hard about these songs, just listen.

[This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of our collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, an old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]

Happy Friday people. It’s been a few weeks since our last staff playlist here - with a barrage of concerts and festivals, it’s been tough to get the whole staff together - but we’re back with a grab bag of goodies. This week’s list is all over the map as usual, with a surprisingly sugary track from our resident pop hater, a slashing blues classic, and a pair of new(-ish) cuts from two Brooklyn indie-rockers, The Walkmen and The Strokes.

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Scooter: Little Joy - “No One’s Better Sake”

I don’t care if it’s been hyped to death. The debut single from Little Joy (Strokes‘ drummer Fabrizio Moretti’s side project) sounds like The Strokes meets early Toots & the Maytals… and that sounds good to me.

[Editorial note: A happy belated birthday to Scooty Beans who made it one year closer to death yesterday. May the road rise to meet you and the Fernet fall like rain... or something like that. Happy birthday.]

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Uncle Corey: The Quiet Ones - “Girls & Uniforms”

So, in general, I’m not a fan of catchy songs. They usually float in, make me nod my head to the beat for one listen, then after that, can’t stand them. Well, not this week – my pick is sugary sweet and sticky. “Girls & Uniforms” is from Seattle collective The Quiet Ones, and it’s a fantastic little ditty. A perfect mix of loud guitars, melody and tempo that immediately caught my ear. I doubt this will be more than a fall fling, but it’s working for me right now.

By the way, I found this song through Seattle radio station KEXP’s wonderful “Song of the Day” podcast. KEXP is a fantastic station that I’ve been listening to for about 20 years now. It’s the first place I heard Sir Mix-A-Lot, Soundgarden, The Pixies, The Polyphonic Spree and several other of my favorite bands, and it’s got an amazing Web presence and some fantastic shows (”Preaching’ the Blues” on Sunday mornings is a must). Check out the podcasts and listen to the stream every day. You’ll be a better person for it.

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Stranger Jay: Howlin’ Wolf - “Hidden Charms”

I’ve been listening to a lot of old R&B and Blues recently and got stuck on one of my old favorites again. Howlin’ Wolf was a literal and figurative giant in the world of blues. At 6′3 and 300 pounds on a good day, the Wolf was possessed with a voice stronger and more violent than any of his peers.

His take on Willie Dixon’s “Hidden Charms” is an amazing example of the marriage of blues and rock. Howlin’ Wolf’s vocals are text book and the entire rhythm section is typically excellent, but it’s guitarist Hubert Sumlin that steals the show. Sumlin’s angular attack and vicious riffs were the perfect foil to Wolf’s whiskey-soaked growl and bark. On “Hidden Charms” Sumlin’s solo sears and swings in 18 bars of brilliant fretwork in what some consider to be the best guitar solo ever (my money is on Hendrix’s “Machine Gun,” but this is close behind).

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Vague Panther: The Walkmen - “In the New Year”

The Walkmen have been on my radar for a while now - after all, some of the founding members attended a rival high school of mine back in the day. Since the early 2000s they’ve been putting out solid records very, very quietly while hanging out in NYC (where else?).

“In the New Year” is the single off their most recent album, You and Me, and it showcases what these guys do real well: reverb-drenched guitar paired with crashing drums and haunting organ. At times you might even say that Leithauser’s raspy vocals are a dead ringer for Rod Stewart (some might take that as insult, but come on, the comparison is there). Enjjjjjoy.

[This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of our collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, an old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]

This week’s picks are a little more aggressive than you’ll normally find around here. Of course, aggressive is a pretty relative term - you won’t find any Brazilian death metal - but we’ve got some post-hardcore, gangsta rap, the angriest song Spoon ever recorded. Judging by his pick (a new cut by Kid Cudi), it looks like Vague Panther was the only well-adjusted staff member this week.

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Stranger Jay: Spoon - “Towner”

There are a lot of bands I love that I only want to hear when I’m in a certain mood - one thing I love about Spoon is that they cover a lot of territory. I’ve been pretty grumpy this week, and this track from their first full-length release (1996’s Telephono) was just what the doctor ordered.

Far from the sophisticated minimalist pop of their later records, “Towner” is a wonderfully spastic and cluttered mess. Their Pixies influence is also on full display with spiky guitars, distorted shouted vocals and wide dynamic swings.

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Scooter: Ice Cube - “Check Yo Self [Remix]“

I thought I’d honor the fact that Cube is coming to the Fillmore in August with one of his classics as my pick this week. Given his new occupation as family-friendly actor, I don’t think lines like, “this ain’t no fuckin’ motion pitcha” hold the same weight as they did 15 years ago, but we’ll have to see. “Check Yo Self” is still the shit though and a central part of his early ’90s trilogy (Amerikkka’s Most Wanted, Death Certificate, The Predator).

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Uncle Corey: At the Drive-In - “Relationship of Command”

Again, I’m going back a few years for this feature. I think everyone knows the story of At The Drive-In: small band turns into buzz band, turns into exploding band, turns into The Mars Volta … and some other crappy band. I love “Relationship of Command” and especially love the opening track. This is a go-to whenever I want loud, non-punk music.

I’m a sucker for a great scream and Cedric Bixler-Zavala has one of the best – which, consequently, he completely abandoned in The Mars Volta. This song is raw power and vocals, and it makes me want to punch a fucking wall. That’s a good thing.

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Vague Panther: Kid Cudi – “Is There Any Love” [f. Wale]

I feel like there has been tons of buzz for Kid Cudi recently, but all I could find was his Day ‘n’ Nite EP on iTunes. Which is just ok in my book. But leave it to my new favorite music publication, Fader, to pick up the slack and post a sick MP3 featuring Wale that might just change my mind about his upcoming release. Keep it vague.

[Most of what we post on this site are new releases, but our tastes are all over the map. This weekly feature is a snapshot of what the Stranger Dance staff can't get out of their collective head each week. On any given week, we might be digging a new local act, an old jazz chestnut, the newest Japanese electro-folk or whatever else we've got on the turntable/iPod that week.]

This week’s picks are a little on the funkier side for us, with a legitimate house track, a thick slab of Afrobeat funk and some electro-funk of M.I.A. In case you weren’t feeling funky today, we’ve also got a decidedly unfunky favorite of yesteryear to round out our list this week.

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Vague Panther: Smith N Hack - “Strength and Inspiration”

I recently discovered Fader Magazine (does that make me out of the loop?) and am really impressed by editor Matthew Schnipper’s weekly Tuesday picks of under-appreciated releases. This week’s feature was Smith N Hack’s “Strength and Inspiration” from the album Tribute (alas, it is only on vinyl). I think I listened to this DJ food about 100 times this week so I caved and decided to pass it along.

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Stranger Jay: Tony Allen - “No Discrimination”

I’m knee-deep in a serious Nigerian music kick. I’ve consumed at least an hour of Afrobeat, Highlife and Jùjú every day for the past two weeks. There’s a huge wealth of music to dig through in Nigerian music, but there are two towering figures: Fela Kuti and Tony Allen. The two invented Afrobeat in the early ’70s, and continued to re-write the book for the next two decades.

From a 1979 Allen solo album, this nugget is pure afrobeat genius. It’s so slinky and beautifully layered with horns crashing over a mellow groove. It’s the contradictions that make Afrobeat so compelling to me; the same song is often both mellow and aggressive, repetitive yet mercurial, angry yet calm, complex yet understated. I could listen to this forever.

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Uncle Corey: M.I.A. - “Big Branch”

I love this song – it’s been an everyday listen for the last three weeks since I found it. It’s a bonus track on the Japanese version of Kala and it’s genius. Bouncy, off-kilter production from Diplo (who’s fast becoming my producer of choice), M.I.A.’s twisted take on female empowerment – this song works.

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Scooter: The Merry-Go-Round - “Live”

The Merry-Go-Round was a short-lived LA band that made a name for itself with this hit record during the Summer of Love (1967). Like many of the great songs from the era, its message focuses on the social/political climate of the day but still manages to be timeless and continuously relevant.

As for the music, the song could easily fit alongside anything on Rubber Soul or Revolver … and that’s saying a lot. Driving, angular guitar riffs, chiming melodies, and four-part harmonies are all present here. If you love the Byrds, middle-period Beatles, or ’80s jangle-pop like REM and the Stone Roses, you’re sure to dig this. Enjoy.