Short Life by Eight Legged Oedipus

Today, Eight Legged Oedipus mourns his Short Life.

http://www.songfight.org/music/short_life/eightleggedoedipus_sl.mp3

100 Greatest Robberies In History by Portable Folk Band

100 Greatest Robberies In History is a great title. Fortunately, it's also a damn good rock song. Fans of jangly guitar noises should especially listen in.

http://ia300126.us.archive.org/2/items/PortableFolkBandintroducestheRoyalPostalBazaar/portable_folk_band__introduces_the_royal_postal_bazaar__01__100_greatest_robberies_in_history.mp3

Brightest Day by Ken Flagg

Ken Flagg has a wide variety of music out on the internet, but most of the songs you'll find on his website are pretty piano songs that tend towards the melodramatic. And Brightest Day falls nicely into that pattern.

http://www.kenflagg.com/music/brightest_day.mp3

Just Forget It by Optimus Rhyme

I'm not sure why Optimus Rhyme chose Just Forget It to be the single for their most recent record. I really don't like the chorus, and Autobeat Airbus really shows off what they do much better. But the verses are pretty impressive. The first verse ends with one of the most creative expressions of frustration I've ever heard.

http://www.optimusrhyme.com/musicplayer/just.mp3

Butterflies by Kourosh Zolani

The work of an Iranian composer, the beautiful string melodies of Butterflies adds a taste of world music to my typical pop music diet.

http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/copyremix/Kourosh_Zolani_-_Butterflies.mp3

The Good Life by Brandon Patton

A nice bit of Americana from Should Confusion, The Good Life is predictably about a character whose own faults keep him from finding the good life he's looking for.

http://www.brandonpatton.com/media/Brandon_Patton_-_Should_Confusion_08_The_Good_Life.mp3

Romantic by Walter Meego

Like most of their songs, Romantic is perfect for the dance floor. It has a warm retro feel that might cause a tear of nostalgia in between the drum kicks.

http://waltermeego.com/audio/Romantic.mp3

Ants by Dr. Octagon

Even though it's not particularly nerdy, Dr. Octagon's Ants is on Volume 3 of Rhyme Torrents. It's a solid song from one of rap's earliest oddball rappers.

http://www.rhymetorrents.com/disc3/Dr.%20Octagon%20-%2010%20-%20Ants.mp3

Welcome To by The Cow Exchange

The Cow Exchange knows how to make great pop songs. His Song Fight entry for Welcome To plays to his strengths: a nice voice, a catchy melody, and ear candy production.

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

Real Big Love by Evils That Never Came

If you are like me, you'll want to turn up the bass when you listen to Real Big Love. One of the song's chief pleasures is its pounding downbeat.

http://www.evilsthatnevercame.com/audio/mp3_256k/Evils%20That%20Never%20Came%20-%2007%20Real%20Big%20Love.mp3

Den Her Sang Hander Om At Få Det Bedste Ud Af Det by Under Byen

The title's a mouthful, and Den Her Sang Hander Om At Få Det Bedste Ud Af Det has a duration to match its title's length. It takes its time, winding around shifting arrangements, subtle singing, and layers of processed vocals, creating an ethereal atmosphere.

http://aurgasm.us/music/Under%20Byen%20-%20Den%20Her%20Sang%20Hander%20Om%20At%20Fa%20Det%20Bedste%20Ud%20Af%20Det.mp3

E Puteo Vita by Sepulcrum Spei

Sepulcrum Spei has an EP of ambient instrumentals available on the internet archive. E Puteo Vita mixes found watery noises and simple machine whirs and rattles with acoustic strings and wind notes to give a quiet, textured ambience.

http://www.archive.org/download/mir014/mir014-02-sepulcrum_spei-e_puteo_vita.mp3

Step Up by Seth (Brother Machine)

In the past, Brother Machine has contributed not one but two songs to a Song Fight. For the Step Up fight, he produced a second entry under the name Seth. This version of Step Up is an unusually positive song for Brother Machine, moving from self-doubt to self-confidence.

http://www.songfight.org/music/stepup/seth_stepup.mp3

Stroller Town by Jonathon Coulton

Not enough songs tell a story from the point of view of a baby. Jonathan Coulton fills this void with Stroller Town. If you want to know what strollers will win the race around town for your baby, give it a close listen.

http://www.jonathancoulton.com/mp3/Stroller%20Town.mp3

Systematic Panic by The John Benjamin Band

Dysfunctional relationships fuel a lot of songs, but few are as energetic and bouncy as John Benjamin's Systematic Panic. It rushes past with a fast pulse and a catchy refrain.

http://www.songfight.org/music/systematic_panic/johnbenjaminband_sp.mp3

Wet And Rusting by Menomena

Menomena's second album, Friend And Foe, has been a favorite of mine since I got it. The band graciously offered Wet And Rusting to tempt you into buying it.

http://barsukmusic.blaireau.net/Menomena_WetAndRusting.mp3

Lifeguard by The Rhombus

Oh yes. More of that weird mixed acoustic and electronic music, this time from The Rhombus. When the electronic noises hit me on the low end of Lifeguard, I know I'm in a good place.

http://therhombus.org/Lifeguard.mp3

Worked Up So Sexual by The Faint

For a song that's about stripping for dollars, Worked Up So Sexual is almost absurdly bouncy and fun.

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

Shut Up And Sit Down by Deshead

Deshead can sing his guts out, and he knows how to make a rock song kick. Shut Up And Sit Down has him getting in trouble as usual. But he sings about it with more fire and pathos than any song he's done.

http://www.songfight.org/music/shut_up_and_sit_down/deshead_suasd.mp3

Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End Of Your Feral Days by Sunset Rubdown

I just got Random Spirit Lover, Sunset Rubdown's newest album. It's a glaringly fantastic album. Just get it, get it now. The weird carnival sound of Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End Of Your Feral Days would stand out on most albums, but it's surrounded by songs that would stand out, and the whole record fits nicely together. If you like this song, it's seriously a must have album.

http://www.scjag.com/mp3/jag/uponyourleopard.mp3

Toronto Star by Josh Woodward

For Josh Woodward, Toronto Star is not a newspaper, but guitar playing beggar. His telling of this beggar's story won him a Song Fight.

http://www.joshwoodward.com/mp3/JoshWoodward-TorontoStar.mp3

Day Be Done by Ghetto Pony

I like a thick bassline, and Day Be Done delivers one. The keys and percussion all fits together interestingly in the typical Ghetto Pony style, with the lyrics decorating the other noises nicely.

http://zebox.com/ze/audio/ghettopony_-_ghetto_pony_-_day_be_done.mp3

Bioluminescence by Puce

Just to remind you, I love Puce. Bioluminescence is such a friggin' happy song. It also shows off Puce's knack for extended metaphor. And it's just a damn fun pop song.

http://www.songfight.org/music/bioluminescence/puce_bio.mp3

Only Smoke by The Walt

There's something I can appreciate about a song as straightforward as Only Smoke. None of the playing is very complicated, and the song builds up by adding layers of guitar in predictable places. There's also something I can appreciate about a band that can ruin their attractively straightforward website with the message "Everything that was beautiful has been eaten by the monster" in big orange lettering in the background.

Note: That background message on their web page is actually randomly selected. Even better.

Second Note: The link provided leads to a download of a file called '3'. Rename it with a '.mp3' extension and it should work fine. In fact, it should work without renaming it, but your OS might not associate the file with your media player of choice.

http://www.thewalt.nl/?dl=03%20only%20smoke.mp3

Black Hole by State Shirt

This song is ridiculous, and it's one of my favorites from State Shirt. Apparently he has a Black Hole in his tooth, which becomes an excuse for some sick beat boxing and all kinds of strange vocal noisemaking. Hooray.

http://www.songfight.org/music/black_hole/stateshirt_blackhole.mp3

The Words by Psapp

The experimental indie band Psapp had two songs featured on Aurgasm, an mp3 blog. The Words moves about a looping melody with other instruments entering and leaving around it and an engaging singer presiding over the whole affair.

http://aurgasm.us/tracks/Psapp%20-%20The%20Words.mp3

A Very Unlikely Occurrence by MC Frontalot

MC Frontalot wrote a Song Fight entry that starts off sad and moves to celebration in under a minute. He submitted it incognito, so that when he won the fight, it was in fact A Very Unlikely Occurrence.

http://frontalot.com/media.php/57/mc_frontalot_-_a_very_unlikely_occurrence.mp3h
http://frontalot.com/media.php/100/mc_frontalot_-_a_very_unlikely_occurrence.ogg

Iron Goddess Of Mercy by Lonbobby

Lonbobby is certain that his prayer to the Iron Goddess of Mercy won't protect him, but he still tries.

http://www.songfight.org/music/iron_goddess_of_mercy/lonbobby_igom.mp3

A Friendly Reminder by ADD

ADD's entry in the last Song Fight, A Friendly Reminder, came out the winner. Aside from a few awkward lyrics, it's a solid pop song.

http://www.songfight.org/music/a_friendly_reminder/add_afr.mp3

Breakbeat Phase by Digitonal, Remixed by Ochre

My first introduction to Ochre was his remix of Breakbeat Phase which was featured in Oddio Overplay's tunes in overplay. It has a strong electronic beat with a more prominent melody than most ambient electronic music.

http://ochremusic.com/mp3s/Ochre_-_Breakbeat_Phase_(Ochre_remix).mp3

Dirtbag (Anesthetic Remix) by Brad Sucks, remixed by c.layne

There have been an enourmous number of remixes of Brad Sucks' I Don't Know What I'm Doing. Dirtbag is a hot pick to remix. C.layne's anesthetic remix turns the alternative rock original into an ethereal electronic song.

http://www.bradsucks.net/music/albums/i_dont_know_remixed_128/09_-_Dirtbag_(Anesthetic_mix).mp3