Pungent Indie Rock

Cloud Cult -- Living on the Outside of Your Skin (4.3mb mp3 from the band's site)

With a loose, wandering sound a bit like Wolf Parade, this song might evoke a rawer, more indie version of Radiohead. Great pop hooks lurk beneath, but they don't necessarily reach out and grab you right away. Interesting organ lines and jangly percussion float around almost aimlessly, but the song gets more focused and intense, building up with haunting, distorted guitars and a chorus with loose harmonies that meander through your mind for days afterwards. The vocals are mostly chanted and doubled up, but without the usual overpolished production, as if a few guys are sitting around practicing together. The effect is wonderful -- this is one of the few songs that makes me want to go get the whole album immediately.