Music Don't Stop (music does stop mix) by Hot Bitch Arsenal, mix by nebulae

A typical song by Hot Bitch Arsenal is a lo-fi lounge-y electronic number that sounds like I should like it but never really works for me. Nebulae's remix of Music Don't Stop juices the track up with a thumping, danceable beat and crisp electronic noises.

http://www.hotbitcharsenal.com/audio/mds_neb.mp3

The Fries by Mr. Lif, remixed by Abdul Malik

Mr. Lif can bring the political rap as well as anybody, and his album Mo' Mega has prodiced no better example of this than The Fries. This remix provides a different beat for the song, but the real attraction here are still Lif's sharp lyrics.

http://www.definitivejux.net/mp3/Fries_remix.mp3

Nube (Sin Fronteras mix) by Businari feat. SilviaO

I don't know anything about Businari or SilviaO other than what I can gather from Nube. It's a pretty downtempo folky song with a soft female voice that's not exactly expertly recorded, but still relaxing.

http://ccmixter.org/people/businari/businari_-_Nube_(Sin_Fronteras_Remix).mp3

Superego Exchange (Suicide Mix) by Bm Relocation Program, remixed by Fourstones

If you have ever wondered how a suicidal cockroach could end it all quickly and easily, then the suicide remix of Bm Relocation Program's Superego Exchange might help you in your speculations.

http://www.chuckbeat.com/bm/music/superegoremix_suicide.mp3

Break In by Skalpel, remixed by Jeremy Joshua

The Polish Jazz act Skalpel had a remix competition for their song Break In. One of the runners up was J's mix, which I enjoyed better than the winner. It brings a hip hop production style to the mix while still maintaining the jazz heart of the original.

http://www.ninjatune.net/skalpel_winner/mp3/js.mp3

The Best Of Jill Hives by Guided By Voices

From their album Earthquake Glue, The Best of Jill Hives is Guided by Voices at their most polished.

http://www.matadorrecords.com/mpeg/guided_by_voices/gbv_best_of_jill_hives.mp3

Naked As We Came by Iron and Wine

Last night I got to see Iron and Wine play, and it was excellent. And while I love his newer, more elaborately arranged songs (played by eight people on stage), the encore song was a much simpler performance more like Naked As We Came. The performance could have used some more of these simpler, more straightforward songs to break up the rest.

http://www.subpop.com/assets/audio/2424.mp3

Hotel by Monorail Racetrack

Unfortunately a lot of the best work of Monorail RT is not on Song Fight!, and has disappeared from the internet. So if anyone can turn that up (Communication Blues and Don't Worry Where Your Keys Are At are two non-SF songs I'd like to find), leave a comment and you'll have my gratitude. Until then, enjoy the lo-fi blues of Hotel.

http://www.songfight.org/music/hotel/mrrt-hotel.do.not.direct.link.please.mp3

Pray by The Book of Knots (feat. Tom Waits)

Traineater by The Book of Knots is an album about American post-industrial ruins. Pray features Tom Waits and sounds like some of the more recent Tom Waits stuff.

http://media.anti.com/the_book_of_knots/00000-traineater/pray.mp3

Kill Dash Nine by Monzy

Today's song is an inside joke for the computer savvy. If you don't know what the title Kill Dash Nine means, you aren't on the inside, and you should probably pass on this song. But if you get it, Monzy is hilarious.

http://www.rhymetorrents.com/disc1/Monzy%20-%2012%20-%20Kill%20Dash%20Nine.mp3

Stronger Than by Duboce Triangle

Duboce Triangle seem to specialize in nonsense. In fact, a song about Paganini and Beethoven wrestling is normal compared to some of their other songs.

http://dt.songhole.org/sf/DuboceTriangle-strongerthan.mp3

A Message To America by The Apartment

The Apartment has constructed A Message To America from a fundamentalist leader's speech. Perhaps the most shocking thing I discovered from this message is that 97% of America says that they believe in gonorrhea, but only 5% say that they have felt gonorrhea as a part of their individual reality.

http://www.gondolamusic.com/mp3s/slicecon/11%20a%20message%20to%20america.mp3

Welcome To by Ross Durand featuring Sydney Durand

Children need music too. And a great kids' song should put a smile on an adult's face too. If Ross and Sydney Durand's Welcome To doesn't make you feel at least a little bit better, then you have my condolences.

http://www.songfight.org/music/welcome_to/rossdurandfeatsyd_wt.mp3

No One Else by Merisan

People often make their best stuff when they're pushed outside their comfort zone. Round four of the Nur Ein competition challenged competitors to not use guitars in their song. Sam of Merisan is primarily a guitarist did some grumbling about the challenge, but No One Else turned out to be one of their best.

http://people.geneticmail.com/sam/merisan/merisan_nooneelse.mp3

So Kind Stacey by Hostess Mostess

I suspect that most people have met someone like Stacey. She inspired Hostess Mostess to warn "Don't think that a fall is over just 'cause you've hit the ground." But despite being suddenly down, he still thanks Stacey, and the sentiment comes off as genuine and bittersweet rather than ironic and just bitter.

http://www.songfight.org/music/so_kind_stacey/hostessmostess_sks.mp3

Lover I Don't Have To Love by Bright Eyes

Their label Saddle Creek has a lovely selection of Bright Eyes songs to take with you. One of my all time favorite Bright Eyes songs is Lover I Don't Have To Love, conveniently available for download.

http://www.saddle-creek.com/sounds/BrightEyes_Lover.mp3

Soft Orange Glow by Lemon Party

Lemon Party have made six of the most interesting songs in the Song Fight! archive. Soft Orange Glow is a very pretty number that didn't win but probably deserved to.

http://www.songfight.org/music/soft_orange_glow/lemonparty_sog.mp3

Yodeller by yes.no.yes

Yodeller may be yes.no.yes's most listenable song. It's less noisy and shorter than most of the songs they offer.

http://yesnoyes.us/music/bsides/yes.no.yes%20-%20yodeller.mp3

Gimme Something Nice by That Crooner From Nowhere

Incredibly dense vocal music. Doowop on acid. That Crooner From Nowhere has some mighty interesting short songs to listen to. Gimme Something Nice is one of the funkiest they offer.

http://ia351413.us.archive.org/1/items/ThatCroonerfromNowhere_Cummingsoon_EP/03_Gimmesomethingnice.mp3

The Laws Have Changed by New Pornographers

The second album by the New Pornographers, Electric Version, is my favorite. I found it more consistently catchy than either of Masso Romantic or Twin Cinema. The Laws Have Changed is a particularly catchy song from this particularly catchy album.

http://www.matadorrecords.com/mpeg/the_new_pornographers/new_pornographers_laws.mp3

Heart of a Girl by Jesse Dangerously

I'm a sucker for insanely fast rappers who still manage to enunciate, and Jesse Dangerously has mastered that skill. He also has a gift for writing incredibly interesting lyrics. His Rhyme Torrents entry Heart Of A Girl shows off his skill at wordplay and manages to come off as genuinely emutonal as well.

http://www.rhymetorrents.com/disc5/11%20-%20Jesse%20Dangerously%20-%20Heart%20of%20a%20Girl.mp3

(Yes,) We Went To Novgorod by We Vs. Death

Few bands take on a name as colossal as We Vs. Death. Their sound is not so epic as their name, but they do manage to leave a few instrumental tracks around the internet that are worth listening to, like (Yes,) We Went To Novogorod.

http://www.simuze.nl/live/public/wevsdeath/mp3hi/we_vs_death__yes_we_went_to_novgorod.mp3

She's On My Mind by A Kid Named Ace

A Kid Named Ace has girl problems. She's on his mind so much that he can't get on with basic daily functions like eating and sleeping, but she doesn't know he exists. And thanks to his catchy pop song about her, She's On My Mind too.

http://www.songfight.org/music/shes_on_my_mind/akidnamedace_somm.mp3

Some Hot Lazy Day by Obadia

Some Hot Lazy Day evokes just that; it feels like a summer midafternoon. It was featured on Oddio Overplay's tunes in overplay in June 2005.

http://homestudios.free.fr/obadia/06-some_hot_lazy_day.mp3

Stadiums and Shrines II by Sunset Rubdown

Spencer Krug is in Wolf Parade. Sunset Rubdown is his other band, and Stadiums and Shrines II is the sample song from their first full length, Shut Up I Am Dreaming.

http://www.absolutelykosher.com/musicfiles/Stadiums_And_Shrines_II.mp3

I Heart Fags by MC Frontalot

Back when MC Frontalot expected I Heart Fags to be controversial, lose him fans, and be unplayable live. But it turns out his audience of geeks and nerds loves fags too, and don't mind his little song about them.

http://frontalot.com/media.php/265/mc_frontalot_-_i_heart_fags.mp3

I Can See You by State Shirt

Ok, I FUBARed here. I linked to a song I had already featured the previous month without realizing it until over a month later. So now I'm editing it for those who might see these archives and instead featuring a song I might not have otherwise chosen, I Can See You by State Shirt. It's a simple and depressing song with some creepy samples.

http://www.songfight.org/music/i_can_see_you/stateshirt-icanseeyou.mp3

Ash by Lucky 7s

Like any good jazz band, Lucky 7s are an excellent live show. Probably the most memorable part of the band is their crazy vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, who play so enthusiastically that he fell partly off the stage at one point. He gets to show off in a nice long intro in Ash, but a good part of the magic is lost when you can't see him play. The trombone playing by band leaders Jeff Albert and Jeb Bishop is amazing on this one as well.

http://lucky7s.org/audio/ash_brain.mp3

Powers by Blackalicious

One of the highlights of the most recent Blackalicious album The Craft is Powers. It has a reverent attitude towards women that's common among the past music that Blackalicious draws upon but unfortunately rare in modern rap.

http://www.spokane7.com/music/mp3s/Blackalicious%20-%20Powers.mp3

Baby I'm Down by Brother Machine

The backlog on Brother Machine's page isn't what it once was, but it's still mighty impressive. Baby I'm Down is typically bleak Brother Machine. It's been rearranged and re-recorded for his new album No Home In This World, which I highly recommend.

http://bromachine.msspro.com/music/across%20the%20pond%2002%20baby%20I'm%20down.mp3