A little more mellow, kinda...

Mansard Roof
By Vampire Weekend

This is the other new band that's gotten my attention lately, although I'm not entirely sure why. I think it may be because its such a different sound to everything else out at the moment.
For some reason, the flutey sections inbetween verses make me think of old videogames, and it also features some intense drumming. So intense, that sometimes I'll just start air-drumming with out realising. When I'm walking down the street It can be kind of embarrasing.
It was also a toss up which song I was going to put up between this song and "a-punk". Strangely enough, Vampire Weekend class themselves as a punk band, which if you listen to the guitar sounds vaguely appropriate. They are very fey though, and I think thats why James doesn't like them (not angsty enough, no doubt).


The Underdog
By Spoon

I was going to save this song and do a "Songs about underdogs" post, with "Underdog" by The Dirtbombs and "Save Me (Underdog)" by Turin Breaks. Except I think you've already heard the former, and I can't get to the latter at the moment since its on my computer and I'm limited to what ever is on my MP3 player and what evers on James' comp.
Anyway, Spoon's been around for a while, but this album is kind of a new direction for them. They used to make somewhat wierder more alternative songs, this album has seen them reel it in a little and do more conventional rocky stuff.
Also, the horn section in this song is awesome.


Your Party
By Ween

Dean and Gene Ween make entirely bizaare and eclectic music. I'm not too sure if you would've heard any of it before, maybe you might have heard "Push the little daisys" or "Homo Rainbow" from the Chef Aid soundtrack. They have a knack for writing really annoying songs that get stuck in your head and bug the crap out of you (for example; "Learning to Love" from thier new album).
Luckily, this song isn't one of those. It'll still get stuck in your head, but in a good way! It also features numerous cheesy sax crimes.
Ween are capable of rocking out though, they did a song called "Gabrielle" that rocks out quite a bit, but its the bizaare stuff like this that makes them what they are. Further examples of this would include "Bueno Tardis, Amigos" which is like a mexican revenge story put to music.