The Rob Gordon Shuffle, 11.19.06

The Main Drag – “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter”: mp3
Aside from being my bros 4 lyfe, the Main Drag used to be one of my favorite young indie rock bands. Now they’re one of my favorite young indie-electro bands. “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” takes some cues from the Postal Service’s poppy IDM, but once they get on stage, the performance is entirely their own. This song is currently competing in Salon’s “Audiophile” contest and winning handily, by the way.

The Flaming Lips – “Vein Of Stars”: mp3
Backlash is a funny thing. Yoshimi is the thing that everybody should’ve hated, especially considering it followed up The Soft Bulletin, one of the best records of the 1990s. But when the Lips dropped an album that returned the focus on cosmic introspection, cool guitar sounds and starry-night instrumentals, everybody cried foul. Give At War With The Mystics another shot, fellas.

Mr. Lif – “Murs Iz My Manager”: mp3
I wish Murs was my manager. Lif’s long-awaited Mo’ Mega was a little disappointing, but at least we’ve got this track — a tongue-in-cheek dialogue on success from two rappers who have always labored outside the spotlight.

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The Rob Gordon Shuffle is a weekly Sunday rundown of fascinating songs without particular regard to genre or timeliness. It is absolutely not a top 5.