Well, we have ½ old school style and ½ new school hopes mixing like an uncomfortable middle school dance on this mix. I blame Stacey Andersen for dragging me out on the floor then ditching me with some dude named Jason to dance out the rest of that Pet Shop Boys tune. Perhaps it was my velour shirt which fostered her abandonment issues …

On The Floor (Like A Dog)

Asteroids Galaxy Tour – The electro-themed cover and retro-80’s band name did not prepare me for this northern soul blast that echoes the best of Noonday Underground’s resuscitation attempts. While the vocals can’t quite measure up the enthusiasm buys back those style points.

The Heavy – Speaking of retro, they proved their 70’s soul allegiance on their last go-round and are here to back it up in world record style. This reggae infused effort still doesn’t replace Sean Bones in my heart, but would bump up with him nicely in any ipod mix trying to fool the casual partygoers.

Lake – Karl Blau’s amazing production job polishes this band’s rather reedy sound into something befitting an Al Stewart showcase, complete with delicious guitar licks and cult-style chanting of incomprehensible lyrics.

Echo & The Bunnymen – Not conscious that Echo is still taking complaints from anarchists all around the world? Well this title track hopefully changes that perception, though it likely won’t replace The Cutter in your personal top 10 list of Bunnymen tracks. Heck, it won’t replace With A Hip …

Tim Williams – Trolling the sea of sycophants angling for a possible Phoenix opening spot is this well-produced effort that puts the smooth in pop while still bringing the punch, well if only in the bassline.

Stars of Track and Field – Usually the “I forget what they sound like” track is reserved for the caboose, but instead we’ve moved it up to P6 given the sonic similarity to the previous track as they both hope some innocuous financial services firm is looking for a catchy commercial bed.

Slaraffenland – Stepping somewhat more south towards the arty types who still hope their efforts are friendly enough for Mercury Prize consideration, here’s a band whose lineage knocks them out of consideration though I’m sure their chilly homeland has plenty of other meaningless awards to consider.

Liam Finn + Eliza Jane – Liam Finn deserves a break in my ledger, as his slightly rootsy but supremely catch compositions always seem like superstars on first spin, only to wander back into the land of Pleasantville and positive opinions without any actual money exchanging hands.