Whew. Those year-end lists took it all outta me. Thank you all for your comments, critiques and questions. Love the discussions these lists create.

Now back to our originally scheduled programming …

Tomorrow night is Rogue Wave and Mazarin at Modified in Phoenix. So I thought I’d offer up a few goodies to get myself – and any other Phoenicians hittin’ the show – in the mood.

Today, a couple of tracks from Mazarin’s newest We’re Already There. Dodge posted on these guys a couple of days ago. So I’m just gonna ride the gravytrain here.

Mazarin | The New American Apathy
Mazarin | NE Winter

Stay tuned tomorrow for Rogue Wave’s WOXY appearance in mp3 form.

Roll call:

• Dodge has a new Postal Service track, a cover of John Lennon’s Grow Old With Me for Amnesty International’s Make Some Noise project. Before you freak out, Dodge says: “I got permission to post this song, so I’m not taking money out of anyone’s hands, they asked me to post it.”
• Chris has a new Sufjan Stevens track here from I Am The Resurrection: A Tribute To John Fahey. Would you expect anything less from Sufjan’s boyfriend No. 1 fan?
• Go check out Robot Hotel. The site’s creator e-mailed me, calling it a “3-dimensional world that can be navigated through elevators, doors, and stairs.” It’s like an mp3 blog crossed with a video game. Cool stuff.
• Visit Eric at Can You See The Sunset … and encourage him to keep up the tunes. He’s a busy dad/husband/student, but we’re all better for his blog’s existence.

Promo time:

• Have you guys checked out emusic yet? You gotta do it. For starters, you can start a trial and receive 50 free mp3s and keep them when your trial is done. There’s no usage restrictions either (yeah, we’re talking to you, Steve Jobs) and the indie selection is great. A few bands whose music I’ve downloaded there: The Rosebuds, Elbow (b-sides, too), The Clientele, Spoon and Bloc Party. So go. Now. Start your trial.

I first heard of Las Vegas’ the Silver State a few months back, when they played a couple of shows (in Flagstaff, Ariz., and Vegas) with sourceVictoria. Unable to go to either, I finally settled into a few of their tunes recently and wanted to share.

What strikes me most about the band is that there seems to be a certain restraint in the music because nothing sounds forced or trite. It’s more impressive considering they flirt with different styles and tempos with excellent results. I think these two tracks are a good example of that.

Stream a couple more tracks (I suggest The Question) and buy the Silver State’s EP here. Visit them at MySpace here.

The Silver State | Plastic Rose
The Silver State | Batting Average

For obvious reasons, this is a totally self-indulgent post. I couldn’t resist posting on two bands that use my first name in their band name (however, you won’t see me posting on the Dropkick Murphys).

Just to prove how totally self-indulgent this post is, I’ll admit to knowing next to nothing about either band. I do know The Kevins are two brothers (below) who play pretty sparse, acoustic ditties that rarely exceed the three-minute mark.

The Lovekevins (below) are Swedish. And poppy.

Buy The Kevins’ album here for only $10. Buy The Lovekevins EP, Max Leon, here. Go ahead. Support the Kevin cause. (Hey, wait, I think I just came up with a new band name.)

The Kevins | I Just Can’t Get Her
The Kevins | Gambling Hearts

The Lovekevins | Soviet.se

All of a sudden, the Yep Roc label is very high on my favorites list. My first run-in with the label was the Minus 5 album Down with Wilco. Now, I can’t stop listening to The Fast Rise and Fall of the South by the Kingsbury Manx.

Then, just yesterday, I stumble across The Standard on an Internet radio station only to read that Kingsbury Manx and the Standard are touring together. (Too bad I’ll miss them in Tucson on Nov. 25; I have to work, plus it’s the day of the Big Game: Arizona at Arizona State!)

Anyway, the Standard caught my attention with its piano-heavy hooks and somewhat mysterious yet warm vocals. The band released Albatross last month. Buy it here.

The Standard | Red Drop
The Standard | How Deep to Cut

One of my favorite pastimes is reading liner notes. Before the advent of mp3 blogs, that was the best way (in my opinion) to discover new bands. I figure if a band whose CD I purchased is thanking This Other Band in the liner notes, This Other Band must be good.

So what’s my point? I was checking tour dates for the Shout Out Louds, who are coming to (gasp!) Tucson on Nov. 22 but not Phoenix. (Get yer tickets.) One of the opening bands is The Sun, so I thought I should check ’em out. With a little digging I found some info:

>>It’s a quintet from Columbus, Ohio.
>>Their debut release, Blame it on the Youth, is supposedly the world’s first DVD album: 14 songs with a video for every damn one of them.
>>You can put yourself in one of their videos for Romantic Death, an interactive experience if you upload a photo. Do it here.
>>They have a My Space page here.
>>You may or may not be able to download two unreleased albums by the band here.
>>You probably will like them.

The Sun | Do You Really Want Me
The Sun | The Song I Committed Suicide To

Apologies (and thanks) to Chris, who recently posted on these guys twice (!) and introduced me to Dios at the Austin City Limits festival. Since they’re playing Modified in Phoenix on Nov. 17, I thought I’d do my share to build the interest.

For what it’s worth, I haven’t stopped listening to their new self-titled album for about the past three days. The choruses have a sing-songy quality that absolutely get stuck in your head — you know, the type you’re humming in your head from the moment you wake up and you’re not really sure why. The album definitely has an addictive pull.

I also quite enjoy the writing, which is plaintive and direct.

Dios (Malos) | EPK
Dios (Malos) | I Want it All

Wrapping up some loose ends:>> I’ll be buying this today … after I file my TPS reports. Mmmmm, yeeeeeeeaaaah. Kill time at work and play “Ditch Lumbergh” here.
BONUS (kick your feet up and play loudly in your cubicle):
The Geto Boys | Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta

>> If you’re not watching Extras, you’re missing out. Ricky Gervais is a genius. Go get the Gervais and Stephen Merchant Show free, courtesy of UK’s XFM.

>> My fantasy league team in my pay-in league is going downhill fast. I lost Daunte Culpepper to injury and nearly Anquan Boldin. I’ve lost four in a row. And now I have David Carr or Kyle Orton to start at QB. Yikes. Good news is I’m holding second place down in the music bloggers league with a win over Ryan, who prematurely talked smacked earlier in the week. But he’s a Bears fan, so all is forgiven.

>>Cubs need to make serious moves this off-season. Like signing him. And trading him.

>> Jeff Tweedy is preparing to release a second album with his side project Loose Fur and wants to regroup with Golden Smog. Read it here. As if that whole Wilco thing doesn’t keep him busy enough.