Tuesday, July 17, 2007

A weekly playlist for the listener with a one-track mind.

Keite Young: "If We Were Alone"

Is this guy a long-lost Isley Brother? One listen to his sultry R&B daydream about falling in love at the bus stop, and you'll see why Young's next stop should be the Isley family reunion.

John Vanderslice: "White Dove"

The title suggests tranquility, but this high-drama indie gem sounds like Vanderslice tossing and turning through a sleepless night at the Neutral Milk Hotel.

Kardinal Offishall featuring Akon: "Graveyard Shift"

Blips, bleeps, rockets glaring, sirens blaring -- did Kardinal Offishall record this dancehall banger in the middle of a game of Lazer Tag? PS: Akon, please don't rap anymore.

Nina Nastasia and Jim White: "Odd Said the Doe"

In an ever-expanding universe of Mazzy Star imitators, Nastasia and White set themselves apart, augmenting their maudlin folk with a free-jazz percussion freakout.

Alamo Racetrack: "Black Cat John Brown"

These Amsterdam-based indie-rockers seamlessly flip-flop between sleepy-eyed verses and Motown-inspired interludes. Think: Holland-Dozier-Holland dozing off in Holland.

-- Chris Richards