Rock

I was beginning to doubt it, but creativity is surely alive and well! Highly experimental, but deliciously accessible, Deerhoof is hitting their stride with the new release Offend Maggie. If you know them, you'll notice a richer more folksy vein and Satomi Matsuzaki's vocals, as playful as ever, seem that much refined. Here's an assortment of downloads & streams both new and old.

if you haven't heard Vampire Weekend yet, do yourself a favor and follow this link - two previously unreleased tracks here - thank you daytrotter

ingenious and infectious - upbeat rock that'll surprise and delight listen after listen - great friggin' music - great friggin' lyrics - don't pass this over

grrrl with a farkin piercing voice makes up for a poppier sound than I prefer in my punk rock, so it's not complete crap - takes punk in new directions which I like very much - who said "punks dead?" - stream the entire Anthologie Des 3 Perchoirs Album here

Rosa Alchemica’s explosive merger of melodic rock and some serious attitude takes the baby out of Babyshambles and puts the fun in dysfunctional. With firm foundations built on a caustic night at a Camden pub, this foursome comes to us from the South Pacific, far away Europe and the City of Angels.

Stuttering guitars, floating voices, and triumphant drums like the sound of a hot summer evening right before the rain, with katydids nattering, humming birds and bees working the flowers, and the wind is just picking up to rustle the trees. There's a flash of light and a bit of thunder off in the distance.

Baroque pop supergroup (19 members): utterly creative and beautiful. Download their entire 2005 self titled album free here in real media format courtesy of Arts & Crafts.

The song paints a vision of the apocalypse and asks, "Why be saved by such a God?"

The debut, self-titled album from Oklahoma City-based band The Uglysuit is refreshingly bright, with huge, spirit-raising, piano and guitar anthems. The group mixes artful dream pop with a few alt-country flavors (lead singer Israel Hindman's voice mimicks Jeff Tweedy one minute, Conor Oberst the next), and has been compared to the Flaming Lips and the Shins.

Sometimes light and spacious, at other times eerie and dense with an ominous weight, this self titled album touches upon Velvet Underground, The Zombies or This Heat while not really having any obvious precursors – a lo-fi masterpiece cloaked in layers of vibrato and guitar wash.