It’s a rainy day in Georgia. Nothing to do but stay inside and play some music.

Stereolab - Peng! (1992)
Never really listened to Stereolab before. A few songs here and there, but mostly just in passing. I’m in the midst of a krautrock crash course (more on that soon) and have seen them mentioned several times as being very much influenced by that tradition. If this album is any indication, then that is definitely true. Great stuff. Looks like I’ve got some catching up to do.

Califone - Roomsound (2001)
Thrill Jockey just reissued this album. Califone makes moody organic experimental folk-rock music. That’s the best description I can come up with. “Bottles and Bones” is the standout for me the first time through. The band hasn’t updated the news section of their website in since 2004 but there’s a page full of mp3’s here, including several by Tim Rutili’s former band, the great Red Red Meat.

Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (2006)
I have no allegiance to a particular album or era in this band’s career. It’s all the same to me and mostly great. I’ve seen some gripes about The Life Pursuit from die hards but I think it’s a fine album. Check the member reviews at eMusic to see what I mean. It does lose steam near the end and could probably have been better a couple of songs shorter.

Lampshade - Because Trees Can Fly (2004)
Bjork meets Mogwai doesn’t quite do this Swedish band justice, but it gives you some idea what they are like. The singer has a distinctive delivery and there’s a definite post-rock feel to the music, right down to the roaring crescendos.

Smoosh - She Like Electric (2004)
I’m crazy about that Head Like A Kite album I reviewed the other day. One of the songs on it, “Noisy at the Circus,” features the singer from this band. I was really impressed by her voice, which has a very girlish quality to it. So when I went shopping the other day I was on the lookout for something by them. Well duh, she sounds like a girl because she is a girl! I didn’t know anything about them before I bought this and it turns out Smoosh is a pair of sisters who were ten and twelve when they recorded this. I probably should have done some research first. Oh well. It’s not too bad, actually. Naive indie-pop. Apparently they received a lot of attention when this came out but I must have had my head in the sand. Check out their page at Pattern 25 Records for more info and an mp3. You can also listen to Head Like A Kite’s “Noisy at the Circus” here.