Mr. Barbee, a pro skater, makes music like he rides his skateboard: he finds his groove and gets all improv and jazzy on you.
Le Coupe
A breezy, smooth, danceable pop song that could usher in world peace if the right people cuddled up and listened to it together.
The Broken Family Band
Cooler country music than anything coming out of Nashville, and they’re from the UK for crying out loud, and they sing about robots. Win/win.
Sufjan Stevens
An ’03 fave makes an early and strong appearance in 2004. THE songwriter to hear this year.
Howard Hello
Sunny, ambient pop songs from San Diego, CA where everything is obvious. Howard Hello isn’t obvious.
Peggy Honeywell
A laid-back, lo-fi country gem that’s downright sexy.
Tussle
Get your groove/dub/disco/funk on, OR, get your Tussle on…
Citizens Here and Abroad
Traveling along the same musical path, two bands reach a fork in the road. Velocity Girl chooses the bubblegum path; Citizens Here and Abroad press forward on the noisey pop path.
The Robot Ate Me
TRAM’s sunny disposition belies their dark, warped lyrics. They sand down pop songs like you would a rocking chair for that “distressed look.”
Goldrush
Coldplay might sound like this if they didn’t sound so damned much like Dave Matthews.