Some time has passed since the second installment of The Great Unknowns, a popular playlist series that highlights great songs, and albums, by relatively obscure indie and alternative musicians and bands.

Kicking off this playlist mix is the rarely heard song "Smother + Evil=Hurt" from the Danish band The Kissaway Trail. "Smother + Evil=Hurt" is a catchy pop rock tune with some stellar lyrics. Not sure why this band isn't a bigger blip on the proverbial 'indie music radar,' but then again, based on the cascading tide of independent music being released all of the time, there are many talented indie artists and bands that even the so-called indie blogs miss.

The second song in this mix is the title track from Brooklyn indie band Creaky Boards' debut album released last year - one which somehow bypassed a lot of people, including the standout track "Now I'm In The City" - a song that sounds much like The Beach Boys repackaged for city life, rather than the beach.

Western States Motel is the moniker of singer and songwriter Carl Jordan, a one-man band from Los Angeles who's 2000 debut received little attention in comparison to it's larger-than-life brilliance. Jordan was also one of the first featured artists when Indie Rock Cafe launched in 2006.

Next up is AM/FM and the song "A Best Man" from their 2001 album Mutilate Us. AM/FM are a Philadelphia post punk duo featuring musician Brian Sokel - who played with the band Franklin - and former Of Science's Michael Parsell. There are many good songs on the album and one of the most memorable is "Best Man (Put My Girlfriend On Fire)".

Hexes and Ohs is a Montreal duo of former high school sweethearts Edmund Lam and Heidi Donnelly. After transitioning from a pop quartet called Jolly Bean to an electronic band A Vertical Mosaic, Lam and Donnelly ultimately formed Hexes and Ohs in 2004, morphing the sounds of each former band into their own style of '80s electro-pop. The track featured in this mix is "Alive Until Saturday Night" from their 2008 album Upstairs Recordings.

Paper Route is an alternative rock band that released an album last year "Are We All Forgotten" that won critical acclaim in the so-called indie blosophere. The song featured here is the title track from the album.

Earlier this year IRC featured indie band The Lonely Forest who's debut album released back in February was a delightful surprise. From the first listen, it was crystal clear just what an achievement the album is, and over time, it can grow on you, with each listen verifying The Lonely Forest status as a great unknown band.

Arlington, Virginia band Barcelona's 200X album Simon Basic was one of the most under rated independent releases of the year - full of brilliant post punk influenced indie pop songs. The album's was named after Simons' BASIC programming language, developed for the Commodore 64. Featured in this mix is the memorable track, "Why Do You Have So Much Fun Without Me?" was chosen for this mix. The band's music is often called geeky; and no wonder with songs like "The Downside of Computer Camp", "I Have the Password to Your Shell Account", and "Paging System Operator".

Canadian indie pop band Two Hours Traffic have been compared to 80's pop band Big Star, but THT band members prefer to pick Nick Lowe as their primary. For this playlist mix, I chose the song "Stuck For The Summer". Enjoy.

"Smother + Evil=Hurt" - The Kissaway Trail from The Kissaway Trail (2007)

"Now I'm In The City" - Creaky Boards from Brooklyn Is Love (2008)

"Oh World" - Western States Motel from Painted Birds Flying in the Orange Mirror Sun (2008)

"A Best Man" - AM/FM from Mutilate Us (2001)

"Alive Until Saturday Night" - Hexes and Ohs from Upstairs (2008)

"Are We All Forgotten" - Paper Route from Are We All Forgotten (2008)

"We Sing In Time" - The Lonely Forest from We Sing The Body Electric! (2009)

"Why Do You Have So Much Fun Without Me?" - Barcelona from Simon Basic (2006)

"Stuck For The Summer" - Two Hours Traffic from Little Jabs (2007)

Labels: Indie Playlists, Indie Rock Songs, The Great Unknowns

The following is an indie mixed tape of new songs and releases that came out this summer. Since they have already been released this summer, it seems right to call this tape the Tarty Party mix.

Just click the button on the cassette image below to start the stream featuring songs from Amazing Baby, Ratatat, Beaujolais, Hacienda, Sam Champion, Kings of Leon, I Heart Hiroshima, Awesome Color, Rainbow Arabia and The French Semester.

Here are some free MP3s from the mixed tape above. Others are available from the MP3 tab above.

MP3: "Headdress" by Amazing Baby from Infinite Fking Cross EP released on August 29, 2008

MP3: "Mirando" by Ratatat (via Pitchfork Media)

MP3: "Friday, The Thirteenth: The Loft" by Beaujolais from the Parasol Records Release Love at Thirty

MP3: "Be Mine Everyone" by Sam Champion

Labels: Indie MP3s, Indie Rock Songs, MP3s

The long-awaited solo album from Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes is set to be released on August 5, 2008.

The release will mark the talented Oberst's first solo project, and because of the success of Bright Eyes in recent years, there are rather big expectations, which can often be unfair to the artist.

But that's just one of many ironies that can happen to musicians who create a buzz with a band and then go solo.

mp3: "danny callahan" by conor oberst from his self-titled debut album

mp3: "spring is a condition" by iforward, russia! from the new CD life processes

mp3: "pink squares" by i was a cub scout from the new release i want you to know that there is always hope

mp3: "footloose" by thomas bartlett off the album doveman footloose

mp3: "scene of the crime" (download only) by hot little hands from the disc dynamite in black and white

advance mp3: "soloist in the living room" by cold war kids from forthcoming yet-to-be-named album (date of release unknown, but rumored for august)

mp3: "i kissed a girl (katy perry)" by false start from self-titled debut

note: some mp3s expire or are removed and become no longer available over a period of time; irc has no control over this since they are external media files. we also fully support indie artists and ask that you do too.

Labels: Conor Oberst, Hot Little Hands, Indie Rock Songs, MP3s

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones once sang "time waits for no one." Man, is that true. There have been so many indie rock releases so far in 2008 that's it's nearly impossible to keep up with it all.

Therefore, the following, free, legal MP3s feature some of this year's most popular new releases, including Nine Inch Nails, The Ruby Suns, The Helio Sequence, Band of Horses, The Gutter Twins and many others.

Free and Legal MP3s:

Nine Inch Nails - Lights in the Sky
Download for free the Nine Inch Nails EP The Slip

The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead

The Ruby Suns - Tane Mahuta

Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You

The Gutter Twins - Idle Hands

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Baltimore

Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands - Cody’s Dream

The Waco Brothers - Do What I Say

Jim White - Crash into the Sun

Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation

Witch- 1000 MPH

Labels: 2008 Indie Songs, Indie Rock Songs, MP3s

National Public Radio's All Songs Considered has jumped the gun again and started a best albums of 2008 poll. Seriously folks, it's only June, and yet you are rolling out a feature that is usually reserved for December or even the early months of the year after the year in consideration.

Why? Because it is only common sense to wait until the end of the year before asking your readers what their favorite albums of the year are. My reply to NPR's end-of-the-year poll: Seriously? At the least, from an elementary editorial POV, could you rename the poll to "The Best Albums of 2008, Part One"?

However, to its credit, NPR's music division consistently singles out some of the most talented indie and mainstream bands and artists around, including The Black Keys, Colin Meloy, Conor Oberst, The Dodos, Coldplay, Mates of State, My Morning Jacket, The Raveonettes, REM, Tokyo Police Club and Weezer, among many others.

The poll closes on July 2. There is a lively discussion going regarding the poll and the best albums of 2008 (so far).

MP3: "My Only Offer" by Mates of State from the new album Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk Records)

Labels: Best CDs of 2008, Best Songs 2008, Indie Rock Songs