September 2003

8. “Piano Song” / NOAH RAY (N. Ray) Athens rock bible Flagpole recently called Noah a “rock god.” He certainly draws the worship of the region’s metalheads when fronting the outstanding metal-as-performance-art ensemble Music Hates You. We wanted to show…

6. “Astronaut” / KITE CLUB (Hannah Judson) It’s a real joy when tracks like this show up. Understated and elegant in every way, Hannah Judson and Kite Club are worthy heirs to bands like Cowboy Junkies and Innocence Mission. […

7. “Afraid” / CERAMIC HOLIDAY (Arellano/Robinson) This five-piece from Los Angeles just survived a scary year. Lead vocalist (and co-writer) Jen Robinson was treating a painfully sore throat throughout most of 2002, until a doctor discovered a serious thyroid problem…

5. “Fantastic” / THE DENT (Linker/Norberg/Rauh/Cotton) These guys have been playing together (on and off) for fifteen years, and their experience shows — especially on this ironic ode to the work of Elton John. So little of the power pop…

4. “Let Me Love You” / BILLI & PATTI (Billi Hall / Patti B.) These women LOVE rock music. Everything about them shows it. They have memorized hundreds of rock staples. And they’ve written original songs that would sound just…

2. “Maybe” / DIANE FALCONE (D. Falcone) Diane Falcone is a singer/songwriter who transcends the cliches of singer/songwriter-dom. Her debut full length CD, “Maybe” got a polish from producer David Henry, who’s worked with the likes of R.E.M. and Yo…

3. “Falling to Pieces” / ZACH ZISKIN (Z. Ziskin) This was one of the first songs that leaped out of the submission pile and onto the compilation. And we’re not the only ones that think it’s great — while we…

1. “Mirror Whore” / THE MIRRORS (Martin Arthurs/Brian Maguire/Dave Lewty/Steve Harvey) This is one that Lori picked from the slush pile, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since. The band’s a group of UK…