Continuing my attempt to get back up to date with my library additions.

• The Tender Box, "Mister Sister" (2007). A free iTunes Single of the Week. Pretty good power pop.
• Shiny Toy Guns, "Le Disko [Radio Edit]" (2007). Another free Single of the Week. iTunes describes them as synth-pop, but this song has a punkier edge, along the lines of, say, (the now-defunct) Pretty Girls Make Graves.
• Various Artists, Absolutely Kosher Records Compilation (2006). This CD appeared, magically, in my mail one day. I think I must have signed up for something on the Absolutely Kosher website when I was researching the Wrens. As is often the case with this sort of thing, the selections are a mixed bag ranging from quite good to quite awful with quite a bit of mediocre in between. Contents:
  • Sunset Rundown, "Stadiums and Shrines II"
  • Plus/Minus, "Steal the Blueprints"
  • EX-Boyfriends, "Willingly"
  • The Court & Spark, "Highlife"
  • The Hidden Cameras, "Music Is My Boyfriend"
  • Frog Eyes, "The Mayor Laments"
  • Pidgeon, "Orcish Pleasure" — strangest track: twee meets death metal. Works better than it should.
  • Chris Garneau, "Not Nice"
  • The Affair, "Left At the Party"
  • The Dead Science, "Blood Tuning"
  • Goblin Cock, "The Crusher" — the awful track
  • Bottom Of the Hudson, "Riot Act" — most interesting track by a band I didn't already know
  • Okay, "Holy War"
  • The Dudley Corporation "Glance"
  • The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up, "Silver Sparkler"
  • The Wrens, "Fater Gun" — best track, but I already had this from The Meadowlands.
  • Rob Crow, "A Subtle Kiss"
  • Get Him Eat Him, "Not Not Nervous"
  • Optiganally Yours, "Gepetto"
  • Franklin Bruno, "Love's Got a Ghetto"
  • Jukeboxer, "Banj"
  • The Mountain Goats, "Onions"
• Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, "Revolution Rock" & "Carnaval Toda la Vida" (from 20 Exitos Originales, 1998); La Vida (from La Marcha Del Golazo Solitario, 1999); and Carmela (from Obras Cumbres, 2000). Inspired a bit by their track on the Grosse Point Blank soundtrack (acquired the previous month), I did some digging around and found these four free tracks on their page on Last.fm. The Clash cover is terrific.
• The Waco Brothers, Electric Waco Chair (2000). I'd been meaning to look into the Jon Langford's other band (besides the Mekons) for some time and finally got around to downloading this one from eMusic. The Wacos get called "country," and I guess the genre label is justified by the prominent steel guitar and other family resemblances, but it has been cross-bred with British punk, resulting in some new species that is tough, smart, and pretty damn beautiful.
• The Ponys, Celebration Castle (2005). Another I'd-been-meaning-to-explore group that I finally got around downloading. Very good jangly indie pop.
• The Poems, Young America (2006). I had downloaded "So Soon" from this album as a free track back in September and been entranced. The rest of the album is OK, but maybe a little too delicate for my taste.
• J.U.F., Gogol Bordello vs. Tamir Muskat (2004). Following my download of the stunning Gypsy Punks last month, I was hungry for more Gogol Bordello. This one-off collaboration with experimental drummer Tamir Muskat (opinions seem to vary as to whether "J.U.F."—Jewish-Ukrainische Freundschaft—is the name of the "group" or of the album) adds electronica, disco, and middle eastern influences to GB's already volatile potion of Slavic punk.
• Gogol Bordello, "Sacred Darling," "Passport," "Start Wearing Purple" & "Greencard Husband" (from Voi-La Intruder, 2002); "Bordello Kind of Guy" (from Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony, 2002); "Troubled Friends [live]" (from Live At The Casbah Disc 1, 2004). More results of my recent Gogol Bordello bingeing. These are all free, albeit low-quality (56kbps) tracks from the Gogol Bordello website.
• "Rapture" & "Taking a Break from All Your Worries" (from Battlestar Galactica, Season 3, 2007). Following a mid-season holiday hiatus, the Season Pass continues.
• Velocity Girl, "Tales Of Brave Aphrodite" (from Fortune Cookie Prize: A Tribute To Beat Happening 1991) & "Warm/Crawl" (from SupPop Singles Club #39, 1992). It was in January that I started following the Gawker-spawned music webzine, Idolator, and specifically their steady string of MP3 postings. There's really too much there for me to keep up with, but when I recognize an artist, I'll grab a few free tracks. I have the Fortune Cookie Prize compilation on vinyl, and Velocity Girl's contribution was one of the best tracks, so that was an specially welcome find.
• The Mekons, "Ghosts Of American Astronauts" (from So Good It Hurts, 1987). Posted on Idolator's "The Vault" feature.
• Minutemen, 3-Way Tie (For Last) (1985). The Minutemen's final studio album, recdorded shortly before D. Boon's untimely death. I had this on vinyl but only now found someone with the CD so I could rip it.
• The Monkees (with Neil Young), "You and I" (from Instant Reply, 1969). This unlikely collaboration between the Monkees and Neil Young was posted under Idolator's "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" feature, for songs that ought to have been hits but somehow weren't.
• Neil Young, "Helpless," "On the Beach" & "Revolution Blues" (from Citizen Kane Junior Blues—Live At the Bottom Line 1974 ). More Idolator freebies, this time from a bootleg of Young's May 16, 1974 show at the Bottom Line in New York.
• Tiger Trap, "Alien Space Song" (from The Tiger Trap & Henry's Dress Aeronautical Music Festival [split 7"], 1994). Another Idolator feature, "On the Flippity Flop," featuring "unjustly ignored B-sides, bonus tracks, and EP cuts."
• Pointer Sisters, "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick On the Side)" (from Steppin', 1975). Idolator as well, from their Please Release Me file, which highlights out-of-print and otherwise unavailable albums.
• The Afghan Whigs, "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe" (from Beautiful Girls [soundtrack], 1996) & "Miles Iz Ded" (from Turn On the Water [EP], 1992). Both tracks, which were notable for being excluded from an upcoming retrospective release, were posted at Idolator.
• The Stooges, "Idea of Fun" (from The Weirdness, 2007). One more Idolator track: a pre-release cut from the newly-reunited Stooges' record. Iggy & Co.'s vitriol is as evident as ever: "My idea of fun / is killing everyone."
• My Chemical Romance, "Vampires Will Never Hurt You" (from I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, 2001). Last track of the month is a freebie I stumbled upon at Last.fm and downloaded because off a slight shimmer of recognition of the band's name, but I may have been thinking of the very different My Bloody Valentine.

Scorecard: 108 tracks added (46 free).