I was going to post this yesterday as a March Madness mix, but as I did not, it is now an April Fool’s Mix. Anyway, I haven’t posted up a mix since last November, and this is a fast and easy way to throw a good variety of music at all you Internet dwellers out there. And remember, if you’ve got some songs to throw my way, e-mail them to me at eitheror.hugh (at) gmail.com. Thanks and enjoy the free tunes! Oh, and if I hear any complaints about the picture, well, I won’t know WHAT to tell you, other than to perhaps invest in some glasses.

Fred – Running – (MP3, 6 MB)

This song is so damned upbeat, you will soon be wondering what the hell I’m doing posting it, but with all the less-than-upbeat songs in here, you might need this one. Besides, it’s great, so why not?

Jeff Hanson – If Only I Knew – (MP3, 4.1 MB)

I’ve written about Jeff Hanson a few times before on this blog, and by that I mean at least twice, so hey, third time’s the charm. Assuming this is indeed the third time and not, say, the fourth.

Marissa Nadler – River Of Dirt – (MP3, 6.5 MB)

It should be no secret around here that I am in love with Marissa Nadler, but in case it is, here’s one of my favorite songs from her latest album, Little Hells.

Masonic – Lady Stardust – (MP3, 4.3 MB)

What can be better than a cover of David Bowie? Well, a good cover, I suppose, which is what this is, so enjoy! It’s not quite so crazy as the original, but maybe that’s a good thing.

Samuel Markus – Rosa – (MP3, 4.4 MB)

I don’t know what to say about this song, so I won’t say anything. Outside of this. And that. And… never mind.

The Boy I Used To Be – (TBIUTB EP) – (7 MP3s, 13 MB)

This one’s actually a full EP of tunes from a young lad in Britain who still makes better acoustic folk than most people. The sound quality is lacking (mono, anyone?), but the songs themselves are rather good so I’d really urge you to get it.

I haven’t done a mix in a while, so here’s seven songs that you will hopefully enjoy. And if you don’t, just remember that the blog’s free, and that you can e-mail me suggestions at eitheror.hugh(at)gmail(dot)com. I sometimes take ages to get around to them, but sometimes… not ages, and you may just get lucky, at least if you define “lucky” as “Hugh read my e-mail.” I hope you do not use such a definition, but anyway, enjoy the songs.

And if you want to get right to listening and ignore my commentary, you can always snag the playlist by itself.

Aaron Beaumont – Julia – (MP3, 4.1 MB)

This arrived in my e-mail last night and I’m writing about it already – see, sometimes you can get lucky! It’s a very pleasant piano-pop song with male vocals that aren’t whiny in the least (which is a feat, these days). I could very easily see this song on any Ben Folds album, which is another feat.

Brett Dennen – Ain’t No Reason – (MP3, 3.5 MB)

I don’t even know how to classify Brett Dennen’s voice, unless “folky” is a proper classification. In which case, it’s a good thing that he plays folk-pop.

E.S.L. – Prove Me Wrong – (MP3, 3.8 MB)

If you like modern gypsy music and female vocals, then you’ll love this song. If not, then there wasn’t any hope for you to start with! Just kidding, but it does mean you probably won’t like this song.

The Ark – This Piece Of Poetry Is Meant To Do Harm – (MP3, 3.2 MB)

I’m not sure why the filename and tag identifies this one is One Of Us Is Gonna Die Young, but anyway, it’s actually This Piece Of Poetry Is Meant To Do Harm, and it’s a cynical pop masterpiece.

The Dandy Warhols – Bohemian Like You – (MP3, 4.9 MB)

If you haven’t heard any Dandy Warhols’ songs yet, this is as good a place to start as any. Then check out the rest of the album it’s from, for it is their best.

The Felice Brothers – Frankie’s Gun!! – (MP3, 4.7 MB)

If you like Bob Dylan, you’ll love how Ian Felice sounds a lot like him, and you’ll especially like this song.

Two Hours Traffic – Stuck For The Summer – (MP3, 2.9 MB)

This song is quite catchy, with a chorus that’s clearly very, very inspired by Everclear, which can only be a good thing, at least if you like Everclear.

Ho ho ho, it is that time once again where I write about a bunch of enjoyable artists that don’t have too many songs posted around on the wild woolly world, or the Internet as it is better known. I tend to take extended hiatuses and then do a flurry of posts, as if to make up for it. We probably lost three of our regular readers in the last hiatus, which is probably about half of them. Maybe those writers I brought on board to fill in these gaps will do something, eh? But until then, enjoy the tunes as they come in.

Fern Knight – Sundew – (MP3, 4 MB)

While checking my e-mail one day, quite some time ago, I was quite excited to see an e-mail from Margie Wienk. For those of you who do not nerd out on folk music quite so much as I do, she was on Espers’ debut album, and on my favorite Greg Weeks album, Blood Is Trouble. Anyhow, Ms. Wienk herself is a band called Fern Knight, which I hadn’t really paid much attention to, which I felt somewhat ashamed for after listening to the song she included in the e-mail, Sundew. You owe it to yourself to check it out if you dig modern, but traditional, folk music.

Jeri Rossi – I Left My Heart But I Don’t Know Where – (MP3, 3.2 MB)

I’m not going to claim to know anything about this artist, but this song is absolutely outstanding. If you can make it past the first 25 seconds of weirdness, you can tell it’s about to kick into an awesome song… and it does! It sounds like 70s noisepunk, which apparently sounds awesome.

Man Man – Top Drawer – (MP3, 4 MB)

Man Man’s last album clocked in at a respectable #12 on our (well, my) best of 2006 list. Their latest album, where Top Drawer comes from, won’t make my best of 2008 list, but that’s because there’s not more songs like this on the album.

Maria Taylor – A Good Start – (MP3, 1.9 MB)

last.fm has been on my ass lately about recommending Maria Taylor, better-known as half as the band Azure Ray, to me lately. After finally getting her albums, I can see why. Enjoyable anti-folk.

Neko Case – If You Knew – (MP3, 5.7 MB)

I’m not sure why I didn’t fall in love with Neko Case the first time I heard her solo music, but regardless, I am thoroughly in love with it now. This song single-handedly got me over my last breakup, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Think I Wanna Die – (MP3, 3.9 MB)

This song is the only one I like on SSLYBY’s new album, but that’s OK. A paradoxically upbeat and catchy song with clearly a depressing theme.

Your Funeral – I Wanna Be You – (MP3, 2.5 MB)

Another artist I know nothing about. Either way, old punk music is great and anyone who thinks otherwise is just a damn goober.

I have not posted a mix since July last year, can you believe it? I barely could, even though procrastination is something I am quite skilled at. That is not a good thing, but better late than never. Enjoy the free songs, you slackers. You should try something more productive, like playing chess on a logride. You’ve probably never even thought about trying that, you were busy slacking so much.

British Sea Power – Waving Flags – (MP3, 5.7 MB)

This is a damned good song by a band I’d written off. Their debut was quite good, their follow-up sucked, and their latest has this song, so it can’t be all that bad. The song’s good enough to motivate me to check out the rest of the album, which is high praise coming from me.

Conner – Cold Feelings – (MP3, 5.9 MB)

It’s a catchy little tune, and while it sounds quite British, the band hails from Kansas. God bless America. Strangely enough, at the end, it starts to transform into another song, but gets cut off. It is kind of like one and a half songs in one.

De Rosa – New Lanark – (MP3)

This is quite low-key, and by that, I mean it will put Doug to sleep. It reminds me of a band I’d love to get back into by the name of Slut. Searching for their music can be rather challenging sometimes, as one might imagine.

Jon McKiel – War On You – (MP3, 4.7 MB)

McKiel’s voice reminds me a lot of David Bazan’s voice (of Pedro the Lion), which is a good thing, but still strange. The whole song reminds me of Pedro the Lion, actually.

Mazarin – Louise – (MP3, 5 MB)

Apparently it is passe or some such to write out lyrics to a song in a review, but I like them, so tough noogies. I’ve always had a soft spot for spiteful and cynical lyrics, so I loved “I know that you don’t care / So tell me why you ever acted like you did”. Not to mention the song itself is a pretty nice, slow, indie number.

Neil Leyton – Hyperventilating – (MP3, 3.2 MB)

This sounds like a high-energy Canadian indie-pop song, and that’s because that’s exactly what it is. Enjoyable, and I quite like the chorus.

Sgt. Dunbar & The Hobo Banned – Goin’ Nowhere – (MP3, 4.9 MB)

Not only is the name of this band outstanding, this is a good stoner rock song. It almost creates a new genre, indie-stoner-rock, but that title would just be ridiculous. Just listen to it and you should see what I’m saying.

Thao – Beat (Health, Life And Fire) – (MP3, 2.3 MB)

I don’t know why Thao Nguyen has decided to go by Thao, but if you like catchy folk-pop, you will like this song. Since I love catchy folk-pop, I love this song. In fact, I go slightly crazy for it.

It is time to post another gosh-damned mix, it seems. It’s kind of hard to keep up with all the decent music of the world, so there are only 9 songs this time around. But they’re all pretty good, so that’s a plus. I wonder if anyone’s noticed that all of these mix intros sound pretty much exactly the same, but really they’re just meant to be filler to push the songs past whatever ridiculous image I decide to add. This time, it’s Happycat!

Abigail Grush – Solitude Is Useless – (MP3, 3 MB)

While I have written about Abigail Grush before, I just didn’t like her that much back then. Things have changed over the past few months, somehow, and now I like all but the last song on her latest album, which is quite an improvement from liking only two of them.

Brando – Stuck You Inside – (MP3, 2.2 MB)

I have also written about Brando before, and would probably like them more if I had more of their songs. Here’s a free one I found on last.fm, and it sounds pretty much like what I’d expect from Brando.

Gurf Morlix – Diamonds To Dust – (MP3, 3.9 MB)

This is a completely ace country song I picked up from songs: illinois, and I can’t imagine his albums being any worse for some reason.

Michele Wylen – Cruel – (MP3, 3.2 MB)

I’m not sure why there aren’t more blogs talking about Michele Wylen, but the only logical conclusion is that they’re all morons. She does some pretty damn fine electro-pop, if you ask me, which you clearly aren’t.

Parade – That’s Hott – (MP3, 4.8 MB)

This song reminds me slightly of The Gossip, possibly just because it’s rock music with female vocals. Because really, it doesn’t sound that much like The Gossip at all. Oh well.

Richmond Fontaine – Moving Back Home #2 – (MP3, 2.3 MB))

This song reminds me of Calexico’s mariachi stylings, but it’s still kind of weird to think of them as being a Portland band, mainly because Portland does not strike me as a city that inspires country bands.

Rondo Brothers – Crazed – (MP3, 3.7 MB)

I suppose you could call this one electro-pop as well, or perhaps synth-pop. There’s some nice singing, though. That’s always nice.

Scissors For Lefty – Lay Down Your Weapons – (MP3, 4.7 MB)

It’s a good thing I heard this song before their album Bruno, because that album was pretty damned boring. This song is pretty much the opposite of that album, in the sense that it is good in every indie sense of the term.

Sibylle Baier – Tonight – (MP3, 2.2 MB)

The album this song’s from was released in 2006, but recorded in the 70s or some such. Talk about procrastination! But there are some good songs on there (like this one), so better late than never. Folktastic!

It has been a long time since there’s been a post on here, and not even a mix for June! Instead, here is a mix for the Fourth of July that does not mesh very well, or have anything to do with independence or patriotism. Hopefully this does not make me a traitor, but it probably does. Have a fun 4th, full of eating food and blowing off fingers with fireworks… you damn kids!!

Elliott Smith – High Times – (MP3, 3.7 MB)

According to last.fm, this is my 2nd favorite song in the whole wide world. I guess that’s as good of a testimonial as any. It is entirely too mellow to start off what should be an upbeat mix, though, so you can listen to it last.

Fablefactory – Record Store – (MP3, 1.6 MB)

I don’t really know what to say about this song, outside of it sounds a bit older than it really is. Just a bit, like, early 90s.

Golem – Warsaw Is Khelm – (MP3, 4.3 MB)

Doug was always whining at me that I did not particularly enjoy the music of Golem, but that’s because he is a whiner. But then devoted reader (?) Adam sent me an e-mail saying “get with the times you old fart!” and gave me a link to this certainly excellent song. It even has guest vocals from The Dresden Dolls, who I’ve probably panned more than any other band on this site. Oh well… they’re on this mix, too.

Meowskers – Colors That Lie – (MP3, 3.3 MB)

This one starts off sounding like it could be from the early 90s, but then the pianos kick in and you go, oh, it definitely is not from the early 90s.

Neon Horse – Cuckoo! – (MP3, 2.2 MB)

A catchy rock song that aspires to another era, but doesn’t really get there. Still catchy, though, so whatever.

Seachange – No Backward Glances – (MP3, 3.6 MB)

I’ve had this song sitting around for ages and still can’t think of anything interesting to write about for it. Oh well…

Sea Wolf – You’re A Wolf – (MP3, 4.1 MB)

My crazy friend Steve recommended this song to me, and much to my amazement, it is a rather good song. A simultaneously catchy and relaxing indie song (but not really indie).

Sukpatch – Bottom Of The Well – (MP3, 4.5 MB)

It would seem that I have yet to post any songs by Sukpatch, so this is here to remedy that. They’re one of the less trashy electro-pop groups in the world.

The Dresden Dolls – Gravity – (MP3, 4.9 MB)

Again, I have panned this band more than any other on this site, but they’ve still got a few good songs… this being one of them.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to update this thing, and yet I rarely do. Oh well. As I promised a week ago, here is an oversized mix to shut up the three people who whine at me to update more. Due to its rather large nature, there are going to be some songs that you won’t like, but that’s not my problem. At least your bases will be covered, eh? Also, it’s a cat in an aeroplane.

Autumn Shade – Ezra Moon – (MP3, 4.7 MB)

This is a really nice piano-folk song, accompanied by violins and featuring quality female vocals. In other words, something nice to fall asleep to.

Avocadoclub – Too Much Space To Walk Away – (MP3, 3.8 MB)

This song is something of an anomaly as it’s mellow, catchy indie-pop… from Germany. Maybe I’m just a stereotypical bastard, but even that German version of “Barbie Girl” was kind of scary.

Blanche – Superstition – (MP3, 2.5 MB)

This song kind of reminds me of the Vandaveer song from my last mix, but not too much. That said, if you like banjo country-rock, as well you should, then this song is for you.

Bowerbirds – In Our Talons – (MP3, 4.4 MB)

This song has an accordion. That is all the description you need. If it doesn’t hook you within five seconds, then don’t bother.

Devendra Banhart – Quedate Luna – (MP3, 2.8 MB)

I’m fairly certain you’re all familiar with Devendra Banhart by now… here’s my favorite song of his.

Kid Dakota – So Pretty – (MP3, 4.7 MB)

If you like fuzzy guitars, well, good for you. This song has them, and enough awesomeness to feed an army.

Ljova – Bagel On The Malecon – (MP3, 2.7 MB)

This is a violin instrumental. That’s… about it. Pleasant, though.

Marissa Nadler – As I Lay In Death My Son – (MP3, 5.2 MB)

Marissa Nadler has the most excellent voice that was ever excellented. In addition to that, she is the queen of super-mellow folk songs. You can get a bunch more of her songs at her webpage, and you probably should.

Miho Hatori – Barracuda – (MP3, 3 MB)

For those of you who have heard of Manu Chao, this song could easily fit into their repertoire. If you haven’t heard Manu Chao, get this song, and you might as well have.

Ramona Cordova – Givers’ Reply – (MP3, 3.9 MB)

This is another mellow, catchy indie-pop tune. It starts off pretty damn mellow, but kicks it up after 90 seconds. Very nice tune, if you ask me.

Royal Treatment Plant – Funky – (MP3, 3.4 MB)

Royal fucking Treatment Plant. They are sometimes too awesome for their own good, with their kickin’ guitar riffs and sexy singing. I would have posted this song when I posted about the band previously, but for some reason didn’t like the song back then. I am an idiot, accordingly.

Space Mtn – Undermining – (MP3, 3.1 MB)

Here’s another excellent song from an excellent band I’ve written about before. Kind of mellow, but not enough to bore me.

The Shivers – Beauty – (MP3, 4 MB)

You could say this is a love song, because if it isn’t, then he says “love” a few dozen too many times. Their singer also sounds a lot like the singer for The National, which is always a good thing.

Thomas Lunch – Tator Tots & Robots – (MP3, 3.1 MB)

If you enjoy tator tots & robots, this is the song for you. Otherwise, it’s some enjoyable synth-rock.

Here’s a fairly short mix, considering that a few songs wouldn’t really meld with the others, and then the links for some of them weren’t working anymore, and I’m too lazy to upload them myself! It’s quality over quantity, in any case. I should probably mention that while the name of the artist just brings you to their website, the song title will get you the song… with all the long band names in this mix, it didn’t seem as intuitive.

Bossanova – Calvary – (MP3, 3 MB)

This is something of an indie-piano-pop-rock song, which would mean it’s catchy, upbeat, interesting, and prominently features a piano.

Harvey Danger – Cream And Bastards Rise – (MP3, 4.5 MB)

Ever since Douglas posted a bunch of their songs, I’ve realized that hey, Harvey Danger is a pretty good band. He also really should have posted this song, so I’m posting it now. “Fools and charlatans, they may get wise / But only cream and bastards riiiiiiiiiiise!”

J. DiMenna – Raggedy Ann – (MP3, 4 MB)

This is the most quiet song on this mix, but it’s still not boring. It’s got a bit of country and a whole lot of awesome, at least if you enjoy lyrics that mention silly squirrels.

The Black Angels – The First Vietnamese War – (MP3, 3.5 MB)

Truly amazing, a song about Vietnam that sounds like it could have been written during Vietnam! It wasn’t, but I bet you could trick people into believing that it is, and that’s good enough for me.

The Icicles – Whirling – (MP3, 5.6 MB)

This is definitely one of my favorite songs on this particular mix, possibly because it sounds something like the more mellow Exit Clov songs.

The Morning After Girls – Hi Skies – (MP3, 3.8 MB)

I’m not sure how popular the concept of female-fronted grunge rock is in this day and age, but the singer for The Morning After Girls screams like Kurt Cobain and that is awesome!

The Shaky Hands – The Sleepless – (MP3, 2.6 MB)

Here’s a lo-fi indie-pop song that reminds me a lot of Brando, only this one isn’t quite as strange.

The Veils – Jesus For The Jugular – (MP3, 4.4 MB)

The Veils!! They are sometimes too good, and I love their singer’s ability to sound like he’s choking to death… melodically!

Thomas Lunch – Leonard Nimoy – (MP3, 2.6 MB)

Here’s a rompin’ tune with a chorus that I tell Douglas he has written: “I’ll fuck you ten times, girl, today!!!” It’s not as trashy as it probably sounds, and it’s thrice as catchy!

It’s nearly the end of March, which means it is time for another mix. All of them are free and legal, which is good news for me since then I don’t have to pay for any bandwidth. Living the good, cheap life is the only way to live… at least when you’re a cheap bastard. And don’t tell me you’ve seen a cooler picture of Christopher Walken today, because you haven’t.

Calla – Bronson – (MP3, 5.8 MB)

Calla is an awesome band that I could never recommend enough, and that should be enough for anyone (or at least those who bother to respect my opinions!) Bronson is off their latest album, and while they get more mainstream with every new album, they’ve done a good job of not alienating their fans.

Jeff Hanson – This Time It Will – (MP3, 3 MB)

As I’ve mentioned before, Jeff Hanson has a decidedly feminine voice. If you are into that sort of thing, then you should definitely give him a listen. If not, then don’t. Any possible problems: avoided!

Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground – Hey Momma – (MP3, 5.8 MB)

Hey Momma might be the best song ever. It has everything you could ever want, at least if what you want are awesome vocals, awesome melody, and awesome lyrics. To summarize, it is probably the awesomest awesome to ever be awesomed. That might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

Patrick Wolf – The Libertine – (MP3, 3 MB)

Patrick Wolf is the best young songwriter alive. This song comes from his second album, Wind Of The Wires, my favorite of his. His latest album didn’t sit that well with me overall, but I suspect that was due to my overly high expectations rather than anything Mr. Wolf did.

The Finches – Daniel’s Song – (MP3, 3.2 MB)

The notion of me liking this song makes me feel like a sappy loser, but it’s just such a nice song that I can’t help but like it, even if my name isn’t Daniel.

The Nymphets – Wednesday Morning – (MP3, 2.2 MB)

This song makes me laugh every time I hear it. The Nymphets are from Canada, but their singer sounds exactly like the singer for Bishop Allen. The main difference to my ears is that this song has a lot more cussing, but honestly… very Bishop Allen.

The One AM Radio – In The Time We’ve Got – (MP3, 6.9 MB)

This song is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard from a band I’d never heard of. It’s nothing revolutionary, but quite a good slow indie song nonetheless. It’s from the band’s ninth album as well, which means there is quite a discography for me to check out.

The Veils – Advice For Young Mothers To Be – (MP3, 3.1 MB)

I’m not sure if I’ve heard any other songs from The Veils outside of this one, but if they sound anything like this, they would be excellent. Piano-indie-pop from Britain, with distinctly familiar vocals.

Vandaveer – Marianne, You’ve Done It Now – (MP3, 6.8 MB)

Here’s a case of me saving the best for last. I actually removed some songs from this mix (you’ll hear them next month instead) just so this would indeed be the last song here. While it has lyrics like “Oh Marianne, who cut you down to size, who slashed your throat, plucked out your pretty eyes,” it’s not as scary as it probably sounds. If I could get away with it, I’d have a mix consisting of just this song looped for an hour. Really.

I realize that most of what people want out of SXSW has been covered by now, but that’s only if you were interested in the Cold War Kids and whatever other huge bands that everyone already knows about. Which isn’t to say that you’ve never heard of any of these bands, but that is largely besides the point! So, here’s some of the songs I enjoyed using SXSW’s music player.

Ane Brun – To Let Myself Go – (MP3, 3 MB)

I’ve meant to talk about Ane Brun on here for quite some time, and finally there’s a song I can post. She’s a folk-pop songstress out of Norway who’s won a few Norwegian Grammies, and yet she doesn’t suck. I guess they just have better taste over in Europe.

Art in Manila – Our Addictions – (MP3, 3.3 MB)

For the fans of Azure Ray out there, this one’s for you, as Art in Manila has one of their members. For the non-fans of Azure Ray out there… this song’s still great.

Calla – Swagger – (MP3, 4 MB)

Calla’s another band I’ve been meaning to talk about. They’re a great band out of New York that plays atypical rock, in the sense that you haven’t heard (much) music like theirs, but it’s still immediately accessible. They also have the distinction of being the 2nd band that 3hive ever posted.

Dawn Landes – Bodyguard – (MP3, 4.4 MB)

This is a nice alt-country banjo ditty, and is not all related to the Kevin Costner movie… hence why I like it.

Hank IV – Hole In My Eye – (MP3, 6.7 MB)

This song is fairly representative of why San Francisco bands are so awesome. Which isn’t to say Hank IV is my favorite band from San Francisco, but even if they were my least favorite, they’d still be awesome. Must be something in the water down there.

Hymns – It’s A Shame – (MP3, 5.2 MB)

I can’t think of anything to say about this band, other than that they do not actually play hymns, unless you can have alt-country hymns. That would be wild.

Jessica Fichot – Le Grenier – (MP3, 4.1 MB)

Hands down my favorite song in this mix, and it will be yours too if you enjoy saucy French vocals with some jazz backing (the music reminds me of Paolo Conte). But then to make it even more awesome, there is an accordion.

Melissa McClelland – Passenger 24 – (MP3, 5.6 MB)

Here’s my second favorite song on this mix… you’ve got great singing and enough music layers to interest you without so many that it overwhelms you. Pianos, guitars, banjos, oh my.

Rafter and Friends – Zzzpenchant – (MP3, 6 MB)

If you don’t find this song to be disconcertingly catchy and fun, there is definitely something wrong with you. Seriously, it is infectious.

The Ettes – No More Surprises – (MP3, 2.9 MB)

The Ettes remind me a lot of The Epoxies, what with the cute lead singer who sounds cute, and then the punx music.

Uncle Monk – Mr. Endicott – (MP3, 2.7 MB)

This song reminds me a lot of some song that I can’t think of at the moment, unfortunately. Regardless, it is pretty smooth country… and yes, it has a banjo.