Of the many things Poly Styrene was, timid was never amongst them. Her personal and musical arc, from 1977′s Germ Free Adolescents all the way to this collection of songs for what would be her final album, Generation Indigo, showed quite the opposite.

She was many things to many people: a feminist punk icon, an experimental artist, an environmentalist and a staunch anti-consumerist. She openly shunned labels like “riot grrrl” “protest singer” and “sex symbol”, titles which she had quite easily earned. What she knew was that such labels were conventions of writers and the media who have a suffocating need to affix concepts to everything.

::: Poly Styrene – Code Pink Dub :::

What’s clear to anyone who pays even a cursory attention to the lyrics on this album is that her intentions were ultimately quite pure. Winding a balance between defiant and divine, she wanted to create some kind of harmony that would make the world a better place — not a revolutionary concept though, truly, Poly was precisely that — and in these songs, she had clearly unlocked a way to manipulate popular culture as a means to convey her thoughts about the injustices she saw. If tuneful power pop, dubstep, reggae-influenced pop music & electropop was a vehicle that could deliver her, she was willing to pretend as a means of subversion. What nobody counted on, probably not even her, is that the results would be so beautiful, beatific and satisfying to hear.

Producer Martin Glover, whose work has fueled the careers of artists U2 to Edwyn Collins to his own band Killing Joke, leaves no gaps. In life, this album would surely have propelled her headlong to the attentions of a generation raised on Lady Gaga, The Gossip and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. In the tragic irony of her passage on the day before the record was released in the U.S., I hope it nonetheless does the same. It’s hard to imagine, hearing this record, seeing her on the brink of resurgence only to disappear into the void.

::: SEE ALSO ::: [R.I.P.] Poly Styrene, Punk Icon (1957-2011)

::: PURCHASE :::

Poly Styrene – Generation Indigo [Amazon]

PHOTO: Fabrizio Rainone

With sadness, we can now confirm rumors of the passing of Poly Styrene, punk rock icon & lead singer of seminal U.K. punk band X-Ray Spex. According to a posting on her official Facebook page by her long-time friend Symond Lawes, “i just spoke to her mother and its very true, she passed away quietly last night, her mother and daughter were with her, bless you marianne. symond xxx”. The news was further confirmed by her PR team, saying “We can confirm that the beautiful Poly Styrene, who has been a true fighter, won her battle on Monday evening to go to higher places.” She was 53.

::: LISTEN ::: [Full Album Stream] Poly Styrene – Generation Indigo

Often considered the original “riot grrrl” (stemming from her band’s first 1977 single, “Oh Bondage, Up Yours!”), her musical evolution found her wavering between the Germ Free Adolescents proto-punk she pioneered, jazzier experimentations and, more recently, daring power pop, electropop and electro-punk. The artists Poly Styrene has influenced reference a who’s who of popular music over the past 30 years — most recently, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Santigold and The Gossip count among them.

Aside from her status as a punk rock icon, Poly Styrene (born Marian Joan Elliott-Said) has been called “a revolutionary with a genuine love for this world and the people and things in it” by those she worked with. She had long been an outspoken counterculture figure, willing to engage in protest to make her point as a tireless advocate for environmental causes, an opponent of rampant consumerism and fighting for the rights of women. Never one to consider herself a protest singer and openly against being labeled a sex symbol, Styrene instead simply wanted to make a difference in the world. “You don’t think you’re doing anything groundbreaking,” she recently told Sinead Gleeson in an interview. “I just made music because I wanted to put good energy out there. I was young and optimistic and you feel you can do anything.”

::: RELATED ::: Poly Styrene Remembered by Kathleen Hanna, Billy Bragg and Beastie Boys

In recent times, Poly partnered with producer Martin Glover (aka Youth of the band Killing Joke) to create a new album, Generation Indigo (which was officially released stateside today, 26 April). The album has been the subject of extensive critical acclaim, including Spin Magazine’s 8/10 rating.

On a spiritual level, Poly Styrene’s search for self in the period after X-Ray Spex brought her to the Hare Krishna’s in the early 1980′s, living for several years in a Hertfordshire Krishna temple with her daughter as she struggled to cope with bipolar disorder. In a candid February interview with the Sunday Times, the 53-year-old Styrene announced to the world that she had been diagnosed with & was battling breast cancer. While outward signs seemed to point towards a recovery, it is apparent that she succumbed to the disease last night.

Poly Styrene leaves behind her mother and a daughter, Celeste. Our condolences go out to her family, her friends, and her many fans around the world.

::: X-Ray Spex – Oh Bondage Up Yours! :::

::: Poly Styrene – Generation Indigo Minimix by Youth :::

Here’s a recent interview with rock journalist John Robb about what would become her final album, Generation Indigo. The album, released today in the U.S., was already slated to be streamed in its entirety by Spinner.Com, a stream which can be heard by clicking here.

::: Related Stories :::
Punk icon Poly Styrene dies [BBC]

Swedish pop band Frantic Sunday has been making a splash in Scandinavia since forming in 2008, and they’ve just come out with a new single called “The City Is Listening”. Instant comparisons to Cut/Copy and/or VHS or Beta aside, I’m a sucker for a great pop rock song, and maybe you will be, too.

The City Is Listening by Frantic Sunday

Check out this video for their track “I’m Your Volunteer” which, I am told, is in rotation on MTV North.

If power pop is really not your thing, you’re probably in the wrong spot. To my excitement, it happens to be the thing of Vancouver, BC darlings Mother Mother whose third studio album, Eureka, is due for release on 15 March worldwide.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Sometimes real musical gems come strolling out of left field wearing bright colors, and count this album among them. Eureka’s great strength is in how it effortlessly floats seamlessly between bubblegum pieces of power pop, candied new wave and rock, never becoming altogether an effort of puerile attrition nor a stiff cardboard copy of the genres it bleeds into.

Don’t get me wrong: Mother Mother knows how to inject some rather dark lyrical overtures into their soaring harmonies. But it informs the work we hear without bringing us down in the process. Not merely individually good songs, the album as a whole is the sum of its magnificent parts. The songs come crystalline across the wire like an elegantly crafted thank you letter to Jellyfish, The Cars, Jon Brion, Jason Falkner, The Grays, and Matthew Sweet, all the while maintaining the band’s (and each song’s) individuality. There’s unbridled joy in Mother Mother‘s harmonic blasts, well-worth the broad attention and accolades they deserve. If there’s any justice, this should be the album for the summer of 2011.

Mother Mother – Chasing It Down
Mother Mother- Baby Don’t Dance

[ Mother Mother will appear at SXSW [sched] Friday, March 18, 2011 11:00 PM at Swan Dive (615 Red River Street) ]

There was a psychedelic re-awakening of sorts in the late 1980′s, due in part to the pervasive cultural trend towards retrospective of the late-1960′s “Summer of Love”. In the midst of this, there appeared the psych-pop of The Dukes of Stratosphear. The Dukes were a spin-off of the much-loved British pop/punk act XTC, whom many consider the most important British rock act of the 1980′s. Though they worked feverishly to cloak themselves in anonymous monikers and lack of fanfare for the release of their first EP, 25 O’Clock, people would eventually come to figure out that the Dukes were alter-egos of Andy Partridge and co.

The Dukes of Stratosphear went on to release the full-length Psonic Psunspot and, later, repackage the two releases together as Chips from the Chocolate Fireball.

Though they’ve been out of print for some time, they’ve returned for a visit. Nearly twenty years later, Andy Partridge’s very own APE Label has reissued these beloved psych-pop albums, proving they’re just as bright and inviting today as they were tongue-in-cheek vogue during the “Summer of Love” renaissance 20 years ago. Enjoy these two tracks from the release.

The Dukes of Stratosphear – Brainiac’s Daughter
The Dukes of Stratosphear – My Love Explodes

_{* This LIMITED EDITION packaged CD comes in a HARDBACK digibook featuring brand new artwork and the booklet includes new sleeves notes by Andy, Colin and Dave Gregory and exclusive archive photos.}

_{* Includes 9 extra tracks of demos and extra recordings including “Black Jewelled Serpent of Sound{Radio Caroline edit}”, “Open a Can of Human Beans”, “Tin Toy Clockwork Train”, and the VIDEO for “MOLE FROM THE MINISTRY”.}

I suddenly felt small.

So deadlines for the “best of 2007″ rolled around, and I was in a tailspin, dogged by the massive amount of music I had encountered. I kept reflecting on these words of Billy Corgan that I’d read years ago. Billy had once quipped to, I think, Rolling Stone, that, “Not every year can be a great, or even good, year in music.” This thought just stirred in my head and fed into some neurosis. The thought actually fucked with me; maybe 2007 wasn’t that great? Or was it? So I slacked until it was way too late to really do it with any fervor.

Newsflash: Shit aint happening like that this year. I’m past all that, and this year’s going to be different.

I don’t know if my opinion is necessarily better or worse than anyone else’s when it comes to music. I’m a long-time deep music fan who combs the trenches for something new and different, someone who’s been doing that for years. I have an opinion about music which is informed by all that, but I don’t pretend to know what is or isn’t “good” or “the best”. If you love hip-hop, you’re going to think a different album is the #1 album of the year than I am (even though I love hip-hop). If you love indie rock, same thing.

If I sat down and tried to pinpoint the one unifying factor in the music that I listen to and enjoy, it would have to be “music with a soul”. It doesn’t have to preach an ideology or start a movement, it doesn’t have to be anthemic or angelic. It simply has to get me to stop what I’m doing and go, “What in the hell is this?” When I become awestruck, the music will stay with me.

This list represents the songs released in 2008 (to the best of my knowledge) which caught me in my tracks, got me to stand up and take notice, gave me a reason to write and feel good at the end of the day that I was telling everyone a new secret or spreading the good news. I hope you’ll enjoy these as much as I have enjoyed hearing them.

1 – Voxpop – “The Boomerang Generation” (unsigned)

When this London four-piece popped this song into my inbox, I had no idea what I was getting. They sent a sweet and humble letter along with it asking me to please share with my readers. The song is dynamic in a string of ways: it’s a pop song, it’s a protest song, and it’s filled with the kind of energy I love to hear. Far and away, this is my favorite song of 2008. Let’s hope that 2009 will bring us a Voxpop album to hear & enjoy.

2 – Lil’ Wayne (produced by Bangladesh) – “A Milli”

The song is inescapable. You couldn’t get away from it most of this entire year & it took some folks a minute to get with the program. But love or hate Lil’ Wayne, this song was a cornerstone of 2008 stereos, parties, clubs, remixes, and just about everything else. Respect.

3 – MGMT – “Time to Pretend”

I am extremely proud of MGMT and happy for them — what started as an experiment in their dorm room at Wesleyan has blossomed into an anthemic world-wide phenomenon. This song was on the tips of every tongue that knew its words and could relate. This song is great because, plainly, it paints a portrait of a certain truth (to which you’re either hip or you’re not). The song’s intent, along the group themselves, seem to lack the pretension that the press wants to heap on them. I, for one, can’t wait to hear what their work with The Chemical Brothers is going to sound like.

4 – Santogold – “L.E.S. Artistes”

Santi White is an operator of the highest order: she’s the real deal, wearing every helmet she comes across with dignity and sheer style. Performer, songwriter, executive — she can do it all and do it all well. In the song “L.E.S. Artistes”, Santogold has both capitalized on and captured a portrait of a time in music and arts that has seemed fairly desperate. If ever an anthemic line was needed by those on their way to whatever success, “I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up” should be the mantra to which they adhere.

5 – Estelle (feat. kanYe West) – “American Boy”

It took me a long time to get into this record, but once it stuck with me I was sold. The maturity of Estelle’s progress as a performer and singer is impressive, her vocal prowess unmistakable. The marriage of her style with kanYe’s flows make the song as world-class as it purports to be.

6 – Lord T & Eloise (feat. 8 Ball) – “Back From the Business Trip”

If you’re from down in my neck of the woods, you know that Lord T & Eloise were everywhere this year, selling out (and overselling) venues everywhere. Word of mouth has been kind to them with good reason. Not just because I told you so (and I did tell you so), but because they gave 300% to every packed out venue they set foot in and ripped every microphone they touched. “The Industry” still haven’t figured out how to classify LT&E, but they need to stop thinking about it and just blast their jams. Aristocrunk is on the move.

7 – Aimee Mann – “Looking for Nothing”

As Aimee Mann carries on her journey as a songwriter and performer, she continues to craft elegant pop song structures around stories that evoke the wistfulness of a by-gone era with distinction. Fully modern in their presentation and execution, her 2008 release was a peerless collection of satisfying, soul-wrenching odes, perfecting a sound she has long been masterful in shaping and humbled by creating. “Looking for Nothing” represents her finest material, and one of the most perfectly-penned songs of the year.

8 – Meg Hutchinson – “Home”

From time to time, it seems to me that the least liked (or known) songs are often the most loved. Folk singer-songwriter Meg Hutchinson has, perhaps, suffered from a curse of virtual anonymity this year, but by no fault of her music. Some songs cannot be reviewed effectively; they can only take on meaning to the listener through time and circumstance. It is my great hope that others will come to find the deep-ceded affection that I have found for this song, an ode to appreciation for the things we all take for granted far too often.

9 – Erykah Badu – “Honey”

Erykah Badu….man man man. A soul diva and performer of the highest order, she just continues to release albums (and songs) that turn my knobs, nahh mean? Seems like on every record she releases, it’s the “bonus track” that really contains an actual bonus to it. New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) will likely be in my year’s best, and this song represents to the fullest what Ms. Badu is laying down.

10 – Portishead – “We Carry On”

I didn’t know what I was going to do when I heard a new Portishead album was on the way. With so much time gone between records, I couldn’t have imagined them being in bed with their old sound. I remember my shock as darker and moodier sounds came from my stereo; it was everything that I could have hoped for. This song was my #1 favorite from Third, an album I continue to love and be fascinated by.

The Rest Of The Best (Click Individual Songs in the Playlist to Play, or play for continuous stream in order)

11 Bon Iver – Skinny Love
12 TV on the Radio – Halfway Home
13 Raphael Saadiq – Love That Girl
14 Blitzen Trapper – Sleepytime In The Western World
15 Grace Jones – Williams Blood
16 Teenagers – Starlett Johannson
17 Al Green – You’ve Got The Love I Need (feat. Anthony Hamilton)
18 Adele – Chasing Pavements
19 Q-Tip – Manwomanboogie (feat. Amanda Diva)
20 Oasis – The Turning
21 Treasure Fingers – Cross The Dancefloor
22 Kutiman – Music Is Ruling My World
23 Smoking Popes – If You Don’t Care
24 Chad VanGaalen – Bare Feet on Wet Griptape
25 Benji Hughes – So Well
26 Friendly Fires – Paris
27 Brazilian Girls – Good Time
28 John Elliott – The Ballad of Wallace Green and his Dog
29 Bob Dylan – Dreamin’ of You
30 Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You
31 Ssion – Street Jizz
32 The Roots – 75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)
33 Charles Hamilton – Brooklyn Girls
34 Sigur Ros – Gobbledygook
35 Jamie Lidell – Another Day
36 Gossip – Listen Up (Punks Jump Up Remix)
37 Of Montreal – Gallery Piece
38 Fujiya & Miyagi – Knickerbocker
39 Anthem In – Down
40 Blood Red Shoes – You Bring Me Down
41 Graham Weber – Italian Lullaby
42 Oh Snap!! – Bill Cosby Sweater (Hostage Remix)
43 Beck – Chemtrails
44 Thunderheist – Jerk It
45 T.I. – Swagga Like Us (feat. kanYe West, Jay-Z & Lil’ Wayne)
46 Coldplay – Death and all His Friends
47 Ivan Colon – Gabriel
48 Cut Copy – Far Away
49 Monsters are Waiting – Don’t Lie
50 Beach House – Gila

The first remix is presented as the highly-touted “revitalized Mercury Rev” returns in full force with their seventh album (which I’ve just received and not had time to listen to as yet), Snowflake Midnight. If you’re in UK, they tour in November — dates after the jump.

According to press release:

The Rev are due to release their next single from the album ‘Butterfly’s Wing’ on 17th November and they are also due to release a special 12” remix package featuring two fantastic remixes by Isan and Carlos Anthony Molina, as well as previous single ‘Senses On Fire’ remixed by Fujiya and Miyagi and James Holden.

UK Dates for Mercury Rev – November 2008
04 – Mandela Hall, Belfast
05 – Academy, Manchester
06 – Academy, Leeds
07 – Academy, Birmingham
09 – Academy, Newcastle
11 – Corn Exchange, Brighton
12 – Academy, Bristol
13 – Shepherds Bush Empire, London
14 – Academy, Oxford

Mercury Rev – Senses on Fire(Fujiya & Miyagi Remix)

Ritual

Enjoy these two excellent remixes & I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.

Jape – Strike Me Down (Friendly Fires Remix)

photo credit: dongraft

I’ve been bragging about the new Oasis album Dig Out Your Soul ever since it leaked & I’m not one for needless banter about bands that over-hype and under-deliver. Oasis hit this one out of the park. Don’t believe me? Click here to visit them on MySpace and find out for yourself. Win, win, win. Dig Out Your Soul is without a doubt the most well-crafted Oasis album in over a decade & now you can see what I mean for yourself.

(Ed. Note: I’m reposting this with updated information, so if it looks like you’ve read this, you have — but now you can go buy the record)

I’m so sick and tired of all the bullshit, aren’t you?

I am so tired of being force-fed the idea that clowning on a style that you used to do is supposed to be clever and cool. Weezer’s completely over-hyped and under-delivering 2008 release, aka the Red Album, is getting one mention in this column and one only: every time you see another article hyping Weezer, remember that there’s a conspiracy out there of people trying to steal a piece of your soul. With all due deference to Weezer (a band whom I have loved and admired for many years), the new record just didn’t cut it, boys. I know that next great Weezer record will be here someday.

But today is not your day.

Meanwhile, only through some modern miracle did the byline of a reformed Smoking Popes happen my way this morning along with a copy of their new album, entitled Stay Down. Now, you know something? I have always liked Smoking Popes & I’ve always felt like they were treated like redheaded stepchildren to Rivers & Co., turning out a series of records and touring incessantly, putting on energetic live shows that were consistent. Smoking Popes have finally made the jump to legendary status, and you should sit up and take notice. More after the jump.

Smoking Popes – Welcome to Janesville

The core of the band is a family affair, one that consists of brothers Eli, Josh and Matt Caterer. The brothers decision to split the band in 1997 (and brother Josh’s subsequent conversion to Christianity) threatened to be the end of what was, and is, an incredibly influential part of the 1990′s pop-punk movement. However, after a few additional reawakenings and off-shoots, the band reformed to little fanfare in 2006 and began touring and playing a series of Josh’s new songs. In April, Neil Hennessy from The Lawrence Arms joined them on drums. That pretty much brings you up to now.

What I can tell you about their new album, Stay Down is more than just the masterpiece of power pop that I want it to be. It’s an album filled with well-written songs, unshy about its influences and proud of them. It makes it hard, after listening to this album a few times, to put on records by those with lesser talents or vocal mastery than the brothers Caterer.

I feel strongly that this is one of those albums that people should be calling “the album of the summer 2008″ because, unlike the red-headed step child that a certain other band gave birth to, Stay Down comes across as what it’s meant to be: a truly inspired and long overdue piece of work.

It’s signature pop-punk blended with these gorgeous Sinatra-influenced three-part harmonies that Smoking Popes have always been known for. But unlike some of their earlier recordings, I really hear Josh’s voice in full clarity. What sets Stay Down apart from previous Smoking Popes albums (as I remember them) is the overwhelming consistency of the quality here. The time signatures and guitar work, the songwriting and the performances really highlight how soul bankrupt other recently-released pop-punk albums are.

Do yourself a favor, Weezer fans. I’m a Weezer fan, too, ok? I find it a crime against nature that Weezer is allowed to do an album that is just average & have it praised to the high heavens while, just days before it’s released, I can’t find a single piece of press about this unbelievable new Smoking Popes release. Stay Down is so good, it might make you forget about…..uh…what was that band called?

Furthermore, I want to apologize to the Caterer brothers for going on and on, throwing up the comparison between the two records; however, in my own defense, I feel like it’s the only way I can get anyone to blow the smoke out of their eyes, to find this needle in the haystack of the internet and pay attention to the incredible album you’ve created.

Now that I’ve drawn you the best picture I can, I’m going to give you a sneak peek at one of the tracks from this album. As soon as I can tell you where to buy it, I’m going to do it right away. If you love pop-punk, indie pop or anything of the like, you would be doing yourself a favor to find Stay Down somewhere and buy it immediately. This album is waiting, needing to be heard so badly.

Smoking Popes – If You Don’t Care

I guess you can visit Smoking Popes on their MySpace page for updates until I find out what’s going on.

UPDATE: I guess this is available from iTunes by clicking here — NOW GO GET IT

All I can say is this: with a new recording this exceptional, I think Liam & Noel may have jumped the proverbial shark on disavowing the Radiohead model. This album would have sold millions in presales from fans who, upon hearing this, would immediately recognize the lost & found sounds. Don’t steal the album, you prat! Go purchase it when it comes available. I’ll tell you more when I know more. Also, forgive my hubris as a writer: I’m calling this a comeback.

Carry on.

Some helpful biographical information about the band: Voxpop formed in the wake of Alexander Miller’s exit from UK band The Upper Room, who released an album and a couple of singles on Columbia. They’re doing regular gigs around London, so make sure and keep an eye out for where they’re playing. Since we can’t get to London, we’d be thrilled if you send along some pictures?

Here’s the second round of MP3′s from their as-yet-untitled-and-unreleased new album, a song called “All The Time” along with a proper MP3 of “Hacienda Motel” which, Alexander informs us, is a tribute to the late Sam Cooke who was murdered at the Hacienda Motel in 1964. Enjoy.

Voxpop – All The Time
Voxpop – Hacienda Motel

Visit Voxpop’s MySpace page by clicking here.

This morning, bleary-eyed and caffeine-free, I read an email from Alexander of the London-based band Voxpop. I hadn’t quite had my coffee when I clicked thru to their MySpace link to check them out. What I heard really caught me off guard — in a beautiful menagerie of sound (the song “Hacienda Motel” to be specific), I was instantly reminded of the band Suede and of how much I miss them.

Now, don’t get me wrong — Voxpop isn’t a Bernard Butler imitation. They take what’s best about Suede and a number of other great pop and Brit-pop bands and blend them together. You’ve got a bit of Weezer, a bit of Franz Ferdinand, a bit of The Strokes and a dash of Futureheads for good measure. It’s an impressive first outing from a band who has played, perhaps, a handful of shows.

I played this for Maura and she and I agree about this much — God knows this is the band Bernard Butler should be producing — not Black Kids. However, producer Paul Epworth (who has produced Maximo Park, Bloc Party, Futureheads and Kate Nash) found them first. This is extremely solid songwriting. Singing about everything from dead hollywood stars to Jonathan Richman, I can tell you this is definitely a band to watch out for. When I get a new MP3 to post from the band, I will — in the meantime, here’s two of the songs I personally loved the best, “Hacienda Motel” and “Bad News”.

Voxpop – Bad News
Voxpop – Hacienda Motel

You can (and very well should) go listen to more at their MySpace Music page here.

(ed. note: When putting this piece together, we had some technical difficulties with the music player. They’re fixed — full album stream after the jump.)

Solid pop music is a commodity these days and, too often, the things I hear are simply “pretty good” or “okay”. However, in the mailbag today was an email from Brooklyn band called Anthem In. I don’t know how else to say it: I haven’t stopped listening to it from the second I put it on, so I’m very pleased to tell you about the band and about the record itself.

The self-released debut from this foursome comes out on June 24th and is well worth more than a cursory listen. Instant comparisons to lots of other bands will come to mind — Teenage Fanclub, Sloan, Rogue Wave, Death Cab For Cutie, Pinback — but the comparisons are only to give you a place to start from. There’s no Xeroxing going on here — if anything, there’s subtle referencing that never sounds forced.

So, if you already like any of these bands, Anthem In’s self-titled debut will be instantly gratifying. This is the kind of beatific album which walks the fine line between indie pop and radio rock, never stepping too far in either direction, always pulling you further and further in until they’ve got you right where they want you. More music and a giveaway after the jump.

Anthem In – Down

The chance union of Allen Orr and Ashley Proffitt eight years ago in Atlanta was the catalyst in the creation of Anthem In’s dynamic sound. The addition of Keith Vogelsang on bass and Paul Pettito on drums in 2007 completed their gregarious performance module, and the band set out to create these 13 songs. The result is consistent: songs that make you think, make you sing along and make you want to shake your ass all at the same time. The bittersweet harmonies and melodies enmesh perfectly with staccato guitar parts, faux-Fender keyboards and a driving rhythm section. With repeated listenings, I start to wonder why I haven’t known about Anthem In all along, like I’ve been cheated by some mystery of time to not have had the opportunity to enjoy their music for years.

If I can think of one unknown young band deserving of your full and undivided attention in 2008, Anthem In is far and away and the one. So much so, I’m devoting this column to this stream of their entire album for you to hear along with these two approved MP3′s you can download and share, “Down” and “Hold On To Me”, both of which appear on their debut.

Furthermore, I have five copies of the CD to give away to the first five commenters to respond below. When you respond, make sure you include your current and correct email address so I can write to you for your mailing address. I’ll make sure that you get your very own copy of the CD to enjoy.

Anthem In – Hold On To Me