New Music For Old Bloggers

Phil here again... When I'm making a song mix for my kids, I'm never at a loss to find some pop nugget from the past. Beatles, XTC, Split Enz, Squeeze, Aztec Camera... Those are the bands I grew up with and still follow. But I don't want to be some old fuddy-duddy who thinks that good music stopped around the time the Internet was invented. So I try to keep up with what's current, almost solely through music blogs. Through this medium, I've discovered the joys of Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, Jenny Lewis, Keane, Lily Allen, and so many more.

Here are just a few other new artists that the kids and I really enjoy:

Amy Diamond
"That's Life"
"Go Kid Go"
Sweden is obviously genetically manipulating their population to create perfect pop singers. Amy is, unbelievably, only 14 years old, but shows a lot of talent for someone that age. For some reason, her CDs are only available as expensive imports.

Au Revoir Simone
"Hurricanes"
This band from Brooklyn, New York, consists of Erika Forster, Annie Hart, and Heather D'Angelo. Their debut CD, Verses of Comfort, Assurance, & Salvation is being re-released at the end of the month.

Scissor Sisters
"Paul McCartney"
When I was a kid, I had a t-shirt that read "Disco Sucks"... Well, something happened to me over the years, because I love this stuff. Maybe it's because the kids go crazy for it, dancing around the house with smiles on their faces. I'll call it "Dance Music" and not feel like a traitor to my t-shirt. Buy the new Scissor Sisters CD here.

Ether Hour
"Walk On"
"Magnesium"
This was the biggest surprise for me this past year. Ether Hour is from the small rural college town of Pullman, Washington. It's basically a couple of computer engineers who like to make music in their spare time. Shades of Elliott Smith, David Yazbek, and Michael Penn. Not exactly happy dance music for kids' playtime... This is intelligent music for adults, but children might appreciate it too. Their entire CD, which you can buy here, is amazing.

The Feeling
"Never Be Lonely"
This British band makes radio-friendly power pop, so how come they're not all over the radio? Get their debut CD here.

Lily Allen
"Alfie"
Okay, this one is NOT for the kids, but I'm including it because Lily Allen is my current music crush. Every single song I've heard by her is brilliant. However, I refrain from playing her for my kids because the lyrics are both extremely witty and extremely R-rated. I'm not quite ready for them to hear about crack whores and marijuana. Buy her debut CD here.