Coldplay

Song: "Viva La Vida"
Artist: Coldplay
Album: Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

Coldplay started off cool and indie and then took off when they released A Rush of Blood To the Head a few years back. Viva La Vida is their fourth album and while you might argue that Coldplay and U2 are becoming the same band, there are some killer songs on this record, including this title track.

Games People Play

Song: "Games People Play"
Artist: Alan Parsons Project
Album: Arista Heritage Series

Alan Parsons was the producer for Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and his music is always melodic and interesting. This song may have been his most commercial offering.

Little Lies

Song: "Little Lies"
Artist: Ari Hest
Album: The Green Room Sessions

Ari Hest is one of my favorite singer/songwriters, and this is one of his lesser-known works. It was an EP that Hest recorded in his living room a few years ago, and this track is a cover of one of Fleetwood Mac's lesser-known hits.

8:05

Song: "Young Boys"
Artist: 8:05
Album: End Of Light

My friend Dave and I used to worship this band from upstate New York. So when I came across a greatest hits album online, I was stoked. If you can find this stuff, it's catchy prog-rock meets pop....sort of like early Todd Rundgren.

Susanna Hoffs

Song: "Darling One"
Artist: Susanna Hoffs
Album: Susanna Hoffs

I had a crush on Susanna when I was growing up, when she was lead singer of The Bangles. She was hot and had this really cute, sexy voice. Anyway, this was her first solo record and it shows that Hoffs is also a really great pop songwriter.

The Blakes

Song: "Commit"
Artist: The Blakes
Album: The Blakes

If you dig garage-y pop/rock (think The Plimsouls), The Blakes could be your new favorite band. There are a lot of pretentious bands that try too hard to emulate this sound, but few do it well. These guys are part of the few.

Joe Rohan

Song: "Counting Flies"
Artist: Joe Rohan
Album: Walk Along

I had the pleasure of representing this talented Ohio based singer/songwriter for a few years. He tells stories and weaves melodies around them really well...check him out if you have a chance and if you are in the Cleveland area, go see this guy play.

Jellyfish

Song: "That Is Why"
Artist: Jellyfish
Album: Bellybutton

This is great jangly guitar-driven alt-pop at its finest. Jellyfish were around in the '90's when I lived in Cleveland the big station was 107.9 The End, you know, when modern rock was a top format. Some of this band's music is bordering on brilliant.

China Crisis

Song: Bigger The Punch I'm Feeling"
Artist: China Crisis
Album: Flaunt The Imperfection

This is a band I followed in the '80's after hearing them on powerhouse alt-rock station WLIR in New York. And I just recently found their music on iTunes, which made me really happy.

Where is Todd Thibaud?

Song: "Isn't Love My Friend?"
Artist: Todd Thibaud
Album: Northern Skies

I remember back in the late '90's, driving through Erie, PA on business, and hearing Todd Thibaud on the radio. This wasn't the song, but I went out and bought his album and found out he came out of the Aware Records camp. This is great alt-pop and sounds a lot like Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Evileen

Song: "Evileen"
Artist: Atlanta Rhythm Section
Album: Champagne Jam

This was a great band in the '70's, full of pop and soul and melody....and great guitar work. But while the band is more known for songs like "Imaginary Lover" and "So Into You," they had way more than that, like this track.

World Party

Song: "All Come True"
Artist: World Party
Album: Best In Show

This band has had some marginal alt-rock hits, but if you get a hold of this greatest hits collection, you realize that they had many more marginally great songs on top of the ones you heard on the radio. World Party is a unique band that knows their way around a melody, but still has the capability to make their songs really cool. That's a rare talent.

Don't Believe

Song: "Don't Believe"
Artist: Marjorie Fair
Album: Self Help Serenade

This band lasted one album on their label, which I believe was Capitol. But that doesn't mean it wasn't an amazing record. If you are into spacy pop like early Pink Floyd, you'll love this stuff.
Trust me.

Cookie Monster

Song: "C is for Cookie"
Artist: Cookie Monster
Album: C Is For Cookie--Cookie's Favorite Songs

It's amazing what you never think you'll listen to, until you have kids. Not only do I have this song in my iTunes to play for Jon-Jon whenever he's sitting on my lap at the computer, but I have a whole play list for him. This is maybe his favorite song.