Arcade Fire - Half Light II (No Celebration)

There's almost nothing harder than picking a favourite track from a complete album.  Well, I'm doing just that with this choice - though I really would recommend that you listen to the whole album as one complete piece of music.  This track, however, does stand out.  It's instantly catchy and a sprawling mess of a song, much like the subject matter.  Arcade Fire do this perfectly and this song is nearly perfect.

Tegan and Sara - Arrow

This is the first track from Tegan and Sara's latest album, Sainthood.  I've really enjoyed this album and this track in particular has been on my iPod a lot recently.  I really think that they've nailed that indie-you-can-dance-to vibe that so many other bands and outfits are trying to do right now. 

From the same album, I'd definitely recommend you check out On Directing and the punk-rockier Northshore if you have the time.

Elliott Smith - Say Yes

So I woke up singing this song this morning, it seemed appropriate to put it up.  I don't listen to as much Elliott Smith as I once did, but this song always makes me smile.  I especially love the line, Crooked spin won't come to rest/ I'm damaged bad at best.  It's a short song, but one that I hope you'll enjoy as much as I do.

While we're on the subject, if you're not already aware of it, you may want to check out The Biggest Lie by the same artist -  the video on YouTube by Nickolas Rossi is quite emotional.

Massive Attack - Blue Lines - Hymn Of The Big Wheel

This is a track I've known for a long time as an amazing ending to a great album, however, it's recently become something of a fixture in my morning routine (unfortunately for my colleagues, this means singing snatches all day under my breath).  It's just a lovely way to start the morning, especially since I've had a few early starts recently.  This really helps the transition from asleep to awake, night to day. 

The vocal on the track is from Horace Andy, who also sang on Angel.  If you don't have it already, buy the album.  If you just want the track, get it here.

Kevin Tuffy - Oh Dearest Daughter (ft. Laura Marling)

This song's a few years old now, another Myspace discovery from a time just after Laura Marling's debut album came out and everything she touched was gold.  For a long time the only place you could find this was Kevin's Myspace page.  There's something so great about this track, I think it's something to do with the lyrics and the delivery.  The harmonies come in at exactly the right times to lift the storyline.  Check it out:

Another Laura Marling collaboration from the same time was 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale.  It can be found here.

The King Blues - Mr. Musicman

I'm in a good mood today, and I can't help but smile every time I listen to this song.  It was a friend's Myspace profile song and that's how I discovered The King Blues.  They're a little bit more mainstream and a little more polished these days since signing with Universal, but you should definitely check out album Save the World, Get the Girl and, like me, look forward to the follow-up they'll be releasing sometime this year.  I hope this song makes you smile too:

Another great track from the same debut album is Come Fi Di Youth, which has a more raw, punk edge.

Death from Above 1979 - Black History Month (Josh Homme Remix)

This is a track I discovered a few years ago on Youtube, but the video was then removed and I honestly began to believe I'd imagined it.  I searched and searched and all that I could find was a brief mention on Discogs, which is user generated.  Suddenly, a few months ago, I had another look and very quickly found the track and a cheap download.  It's even on the remix album.  I love the original song, but something about this remix just completely does it for me.  The tones are abrasive at times, the screams distort, but it works.  I think so anyway.

You can check out the original track here.  While we're on the subject of Death from Above remixes, I might as well draw your attention to the better-known and equally enjoyable Justice remix of Blood on our Hands.

μ-Ziq - Hasty Boom Alert

This is a beautiful piece of music by μ-Ziq, from the album Lunatic Harness.  I know it's not a very popular term, but I'd consider this to be a great little piece of IDM.  I find this quite a soothing, chilled track despite the glitchy drums.  You may agree or disagree, check it out for yourself:

If you like this, perhaps you might also like British Idm Present Fanfare (The Hawaiian Hockey Song) by Venetian Snares.

Joseph Arthur - In The Sun

This song may be familiar to any fans of Scrubs, but it was rewatching Saved! with a friend recently which reminded me of it.  My hangover hasn't yet abated, so I'm still in a very self-indulgent mode and this song's another perfect example.

If you're into this, you may also want to check out Colin Hay, who was featured in a Scrubs episode.  Check out the clip here.

The Indelicates - If Jeff Buckley Had Lived

Nursing a life-threatening hangover this morning, I'm not in much mood to listen to anything particularly challenging.  This track's a nice little ditty from The Indelicates, who seem to be a pretty interesting outfit.  I confess though, that I've not had the chance to listen to much of their stuff.  This song's pretty straight forward and really appeals to me on a number of levels, from the simplicity of the music to the slightly tongue-in-cheek subject matter.  I think the chorus has a nice, uplifting quality to it without being overbearing, which is exactly what I need until this headache subsides.

If you like this, you may want to check out New Art for the People by the same band.