1. Welcome back, Kate Bush! Seriously, though, Bat For Lashes’ latest album has been showered with crazy praise, and “Daniel” sounds like the best single of 1987.

2. The second we heard The Cool Kids make references to the Bad Boy-era Detroit Pistons, we were enamored with “Pennies.” It sounds like the best single of 1989.

3. Eddie Argos makes recovering from a bad hangover sound like the funniest thing ever on “Alcoholics Unanimous.” Bring me tea! Bring me coffee! The ending kills, BTW.

4. The trend towards fuzzy continues with Woods, who sound like Crazy Horse-era Neil Young on “Rain On,” except with dissonant noise giving it a layer of intrigue.

5. In the fuzzy vein, Times New Viking’s recorded-through-a-telephone, cheery cover of the Arcade Fire’s “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” is as interesting as the original.source

We were disappointed tonight that we couldn’t get to see King Khan & The Shrines at the 9:30 Club (long story), but these Georgia dudes, on songs like “Are You Dead?”, mine the same fuzzy psychedelic territory in an engaging way.

Not bad guys. Come to D.C. You can sleep on our couch as long as you take turns sleeping on the couch, because we only have one.source

1. Fun fact about Barry & the Remains: They once were the opening act for The Beatles. And “Don’t Look Back,” to this day, still kills.

2. Thanks to “American Idol” and a well-received tour, Leonard Cohen is becoming popular again. Start with his first three albums, along with early touchstone “Bird on the Wire.”

3. Vashti Bunyan was saved from obscurity a few years back after the re-release of her album “Just Another Diamond Day.” Early unreleased single “Winter is Blue” shows why.

4. Silver Apples is an intriguing early attempt at electronic music, with a weird, rhythmic mix of noisy electronics and big drums, exemplified by “Oscillations.”

5. The late-’60s psych-folk of Pearls Before Swine clearly plays forefather to today’s oddball indie rock; the swoon of “The Surrealist Waltz” feels at home in today’s climate. source