I’ve finally started to make use of some of the gift cards I received over the holidays, and that means new music. I was originally thinking of posting some tracks like an mp3 blog, but I decided to avoid that legal and ethical quagmire by just posting links to music videos on Youtube. Enjoy.

Psapp Tiger, My Friend

Psapp is an English group that makes quirky eletronic pop music. Tiger, My Friend is their first album, and I’ve been enjoying it quite a bit. In many ways Psapp sounds a lot like Lali Puna and their ilk, but their songs sound a bit tighter, and they make more (or better) use of vocals. In addition to the video for “About Fun” below, I also recommend the song “Hi”, from the 2006 album The Only Thing I Ever Wanted

Zero 7 Simple Things

Zero 7 was one of the groups that featured prominently in Garden State and immediately thereafter became unpopular among the indie set. Whatever their status now, I’ve really like Simple Things, which is their first full length album. It’s very polished downtempo electronic music that recalls Air or the Notwist. “In the Waiting Line,” the groups’ single from Garden State (which is also on Simple Things) is still my favorite.

Annie Anniemal

I wouldn’t usually describe myself as a fan of ” pop” music, but Anniemal is definitely a pop album, and I like it a lot. Annie is a Norwegian singer who I gather is an experienced DJ, and her foray into indie pop is as infectious as they come. The song “Heartbeat” won Pitchfork’s Best Single of 2004, and its probably my favorite song on the album.

Junior Boys So This is Goodbye

The Junior Boys’ latest effort is another indie rock/electronic album in the vein of the Notwist, Lali Puna, etc. Unlike Psapp, however, I don’t really think that the Junior Boys add much to the genre. So This is Goodbye makes for nice background music, but none of the tracks really stand out. I couldn’t find any official music videos from the album, but here is a fan video for the song “In the Morning.”