Pancakes and new music? It must be Tuesday.

Since I've been listening to a bit of the corporate rock radio in South Florida because the CD player in my car refuses to work (only "a bit" because I've also rediscovered NPR, WKPX and sports talk radio), I almost put together a Two for Tuesday gimmick this week. Then I realized there's no reason to act like those slovenly fools when I can do way better than that.

Kind of a different group of tracks this week, what with the folk and the poppy punk. There's enough noise and feedback to more than make up for it though.

Feller Abides v3

Monsters of Folk - "Man Named Truth"

MOF is Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), M Ward (um, Google him - he's everywhere) and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes member), but the album is a little less predictable than I thought it would be. I was going to include one of the more upbeat songs on the album - the Big Bopper meets the Beach Boys meets, well, the members of this supergroup "Whole Lotta Losin'" - but I couldn't shake "Man Named Truth." Like a lot of the album, "Man Named Truth" has more of a country feel to it, and I dig how bitter Oberst sounds. This is one of those times I understand why he has been exalted as the new Dylan. (Listen to the entire album at the MOF MySpace profile)

Beck - "There She Goes Again"

Beck has become an Internet phenomenon, recording an acoustic rethink of his Danger Mouse-produced album Modern Guilt, offering DJ sets, and then a complete rerecording of the Velvet Underground's essential and ridiculously influential The Velvet Underground & Nico. Ok, so maybe he was a big star before hitting the 'net - the fact is, he's putting his stamp on shit. Hard.

Last Days of Summer - "Moving On"

I'm a sucker for the crunch of pop punk, and Last Days Of Summer is doing it well. They're learning from the bands they worship - which ones shouldn't be much of a mystery if you listen close enough - but putting together something altogether their own. By the three-minute mark you should be standing up and pounding on the walls of your cubicle or whatever you spend your day chained to. Full disclosure: The drummer is my brother-in-law. If they sucked I wouldn't put them on here though. This time next summer, LDOS is gonna be huge. Trust me on this.

Muse - "Uprising"

In my anti-anti-Kanye rant posted yesterday I forgot to include Muse as one of the best performances on the VMAs. Chances are more viewers forgot, or ignored, the band played anyway - which is sad. Muse deserves a lot more attention for their hard-charging, somewhat electro rock. This is one of those bands that commercial rock radio ought to play a few times a day instead of a ninth song from the Chili Peppers or anything from Metallica's horrific St. Anger. Good luck not screaming "Call Me" a few times during the song. (That'll make sense once you hear it.)

Times New Viking - "Hustler, Psycho, Son"

Times New Viking continues to write great rock and roll songs, and then bathe them in layers and layers of feedback. As much as I like the noise, this is a band that should be playing over the PA in malls and grocery stores based solely on the quality of song (and the recent propensity for public airing of indie gold). With the wall of sound as barrier, maybe staying in the underground is what they want - and we certainly don't mind it. Check out this song, and the rest of the new TMV album, which is streaming at their Matador Records profile.

Non-Prophets - "Damage"

Though the Non-Prophets' album Hope is over six years old, this track sounds as good now as I'm sure it then, when I heard it and moved on. Sad and shameful as that act was, Sage Francis's rhymes hold up well over Joe Beats', um, beats. Grab the whole album if you made the same mistake I did.

Massive Attack - "Splitting The Atom (ft. 3D, Daddy G and Horace Andy)"

The last Massive Attack album, 100th Window, was boring. It sounded like Massive Attack trying to make a Massive Attack album. It must have been tough to follow up one of the best albums of the 90s in Mezzanine, but that last thing was a huge letdown. This, the first single off the forthcoming "LP5," gives great hope for the future. In the meantime, the Splitting The Atom EP is out in October, before the full album lands early next year. We've heard this before though - if you've not heard the drama of "LP5," check it.

New for Tuesday (late).

Ahh, the wonders of Feller-time. It may be Wednesday but I've still got the Tuesday hook-up. At some point later today, Apple will unveil new iPods. What better way to introduce your new iPod to the world but with 7 songs hand-picked by The Gentleman.

Once again, we're all over the place with this thing. Should make for a good whiplash.

Feller Abides v2

Spoon - Got Nuffin

Britt Daniel is one of the best songwriters to emerge in recent years. I should have more to say about this song but I'm still half comatose so I'll offer some advice - listen to this song, then find the last three Spoon albums. You'll be glad you did.

Rain Machine - Give Blood

Kyp Malone's solo project has that TV on the Radio flavor but really doesn't sound or feel like TVOTR. World weary rock and roll that doesn't so much take off as pound along. Hand claps and female backing vocals complement Kyp's own. This raises the stakes for what I expect to be one of the year's best releases.

Raekwon - Black Mozart (ft. RZA & Inspectah Deck)

There's a dark side of life Raekwon focuses on when he's at his best. This is about as much as I want to experience it. RZA brings the gritty, gritty shit on here too. And yes, the whole album is this good.

Kid Cudi - Make Her Say (ft. Kanye West & Common)

Kudi feels stuff. On the album he's rapping AND singing (no auto-tune) about loneliness, unease with life and just making it through the day. Maybe it was the hour that I picked songs for the list, but this is upbeat and a little less introspective. Turn it up and make your license plate rattle.

Vivian Girls - Double Vision

Straight up galloping fuzzed-out punk rock. Some people like it, some people don't. The indie buzz around this band should be enough that you give this at least three listens to burrow into your brain. It's been stuck in mine for days.

The Black Crowes - A Train Still Makes A Lonely Sound

The Black Crowes have put out another album. If you have no interest, this won't change that. They're a band that reclaimed the magic and are having fun playing music again. It shows.

Lightning Bolt - Nation of Boar

Ah, the mighty Lightning Bolt. There's almost vocals on this track, or at least it sounds that way to my ears. Still no bottom end to the fast guitar buzz and faster hardcore drum work (and it is work!). This six minutes is an up and down exercise in what the band does best - rip out your guts, puke on them and shove them back up your ass. Talk about keeping the quality high!