THE FORMAT

Every now and again, life'll surprise you. Pull the rug right out from under you. Slap you silly. Or sadistically. But, either way, it gets your attention.

Which is a good thing. Because here I've been bitching about how few 2006 record releases have truly impressed me and, all along, I had an absolute gem gathering dust on my bedstand. That record is Dog Problems. And the band is the Format.

So color me somewhat crushed when I ran a search at the Hype Machine, only to discover that I'm only about the 19th or 20th blogger to happen upon these two young Phoenix musicians (Nate Ruess and Sam Means, both in their early 20s). Dog Problems is the band's second full-length effort after their 2002 EP (logically entitled: EP) and the 2003 LP Interventions and Lullabies. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), those recordings were not exactly embraced by the record companies that released them, and Ruess and Means were freed to craft Dog Problems on their own terms. And those terms are exceedingly good.

You can hear a bit of XTC in the Format's sound. Also: Ben Folds and the Flaming Lips. But there's something of the '70s burbling up in there, too. A heaping helping of Harry Nilsson, perhaps? A sliver of Supertramp? Well, why the hell not.

Dog Problems is quite simply the best record I've heard all year - track one through 12. For the love of all that is holy in the world of "indie" music, I hope that you'll give it a listen. The record will be released by Nettwerk on July 11, but you can purchase it [here] in MP3 form (just 79 cents each) or in total (just $7.99). Believe me, you'll want the whole kit 'n' kaboodle on this one.

The Format's MySpace page is [here].

[MP3] "Oceans"

[MP3] "Dog Problems"

[MP3] "Time Bomb"

SATURNA

Saturna is a Portland, Oregon three-piece who list Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Dandy Warhols, and Catherine Wheel as some of their influences. Indeed, you can get a pretty good idea of the sonic range of the band from the two songs below. Both appear on their debut EP ...All Night, which will be out July 11 (though you can buy it from CD Baby right [here], right now).

Saturna on MySpace.

[MP3] "Pop Rocks"

[MP3] "Chasing the Unpredictable"

SLEEPTHIEF

Just in time for your manic Monday - your road-rage and pothole-confounded commutes - comes the blood pressure-leveling album The Dawnseeker by Sleepthief.

Sleepthief is the brainchild of Justin Elswick, an attorney and music critic who creates lush, cinematic electronica very much in the vein of Delerium. The songs here are sung (beautifully) by a roster of female vocalists who are clearly comfortable working in this milieu. They include Caroline Lavelle, Kristy Thirsk, and Kirsty Hawkshaw, amongst others.

Sleepthief's The Dawnseeker will be released tomorrow in the U.S. and Canada on Neurodisc. And, of course, you can check out more sound samples on their MySpace page [here].

[MP3] "Just Say It" [w/Kyoko Baertsoen]

[MP3] "Fire from Heaven" [w/Roberta Carter Harrison]

THE '60s - VOL. 1

As I've been grooving to the '60s-styled music of artists like the Pipettes and Lucky Soul lately, it only seems sporting to go back to the source.

Please left-click [here] to grab the following tracks...

TRACKLIST >>>

01 The Mamas & The Papas/California Dreamin'
02 Petula Clark/Downtown
03 The Archies/Sugar, Sugar
04 Tommy James & the Shondells/Crimson and Clover
05 The Seekers/Georgy Girl
06 Del Shannon/Runaway
07 Strawberry Alarm Clock/Incense and Peppermints
08 Nancy Sinatra/These Boots Were Made for Walkin'
09 Elvis Presley/Can't Help Falling in Love
10 Judy Collins/Both Sides Now
11 The Monkees/I'm a Believer
12 Brian Hyland/Sealed With a Kiss
13 Dionne Warwick/I Say a Little Prayer
14 Frankie Avalon/Venus
15 Henry Mancini/Moon River
16 The 5th Dimension/Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
17 Classics IV/Traces
18 The Turtles/Happy Together
19 The Shirelles/Will You Love Me Tomorrow
20 Percy Sledge/When a Man Loves a Woman
21 Aretha Franklin/(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman
22 Marvin Gaye/What's Going On
23 The Zombies/Time of the Season
24 Skeeter Davis/The End of the World
25 Barry McGuire/Eve of Destruction
26 Peter, Paul & Mary/Where Have All the Flowers Gone

MISSION OF BURMA

I'm primarily familiar with Mission of Burma through R.E.M.'s cover of their song "Academy Fight Song" (as well as Moby's cover of their "That's When I Reach for My Revolver.")

Mission of Burma was a Boston art-punk outfit that lived but briefly in the early '80s. They resurrected themselves with 2004's Onoffon, and now are back again in '06 with the LP The Obliterati. Alas, I don't have much more information to share than that, but here are some sounds...

[MP3] Mission of Burma/"Good, Not Great" [from The Obliterati]

[MP3] R.E.M./"Academy Fight Song"

[MP3] Moby/"That's When I Reach for My Revolver"

ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT

I contacted the UK's Archie Bronson Outfit a couple months ago to request an MP3 so that I could post on them at the time. Alas, I never heard from the bastards. Good thing I am a highly forgiving fellow.

Truth is, I'd already used the band's song "Cherry Lips" in my Best of March mix (still available [here], last I checked). I may have purloined that groove-y gem from Scatter o' Light (no doubt on a slow news day for Bono's latest coif and/or the international state of soccer). (I kid! I kid!) (Though, honesty, SOCCER?! Give me futbol americano or give me death.)

These gentlemen have a slightly "dirty," perhaps slightly "bluesy" quality to their rock. Now, I'm not generally partial to the blues in any way, shape, or form, so one should not be dissuaded from giving these guys a listen based on that description. Think of them primarily as a neo-Britpop group that's taken a two-day tour of pre-Katrina Louisiana. Or something.

Archie Bronson Outfit's second full-length album, Derdang Derdang, has already been released in the UK. It should be available everywhere on July 25.

[MP3] "Kink"

[MP3] "Dead Funny"

FRANK BLACK

Former (and sometimes still) Pixie Frank Black has been a busy man. Less than a year after releasing the laid-back, blues-infused LP Honeycomb, he's back with another, bigger effort (out today). Once again, he makes use of top-drawer Memphis musicians and sings a lot like Van Morrison on a number of the tracks. And there are a LOT of tracks - like Teenager of the Year, Fastman Raiderman is a sprawling double disc. This one (more so than THAT one) would go down well with a bottle or three of wine.

From the double LP Fastman Raiderman, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "In the Time of My Ruin"
[MP3] "Seven Days"

From the LP Honeycomb, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day"

From the double LP Teenager of the Year, 1994 >>>
[MP3] "Freedom Road"
[MP3] "Calistan"