Cleo by Built To Spill

Built to Spill cover a lot of musical ground in Cleo, with quiet verses and a jangly-guitar rocking finish. My favorite parts are when they sing two different lines over top each other.

http://www.uprecords.com/mp3/builttospill_cleo.mp3

High Times by Elliott Smith

It's not a good sign when you find an Elliott Smith song resonates with you. But that's when songs like High Times can be a comfort.

http://redirect.iodalliance.com/download_track.php?id=C04BA3A85260C1DADDF5E0E8FD77AC1510489DCD3F8AE3B557E67B5D8C7FA666367E9F3A8BEB64D21B4B73937412D648

Mes Oreilles by Amylie

Mes Orelles is some of the finest in French pop. It moves through changes in rhythm, tempo, and instrumentation without ever forgetting a catchy hook.

http://aurgasm.us/music/julija/Amylie%20-%20Mes%20Oreilles.mp3

Shame Of The Otaku by MC Frontalot

Even if you're not enamored with his incredible nerdiness, MC Frontalot still puts out great productions that are pure ear candy. Shame of the Otaku hooks with a lovely Japanese chorus.

http://frontalot.com/media.php/492/MC_Frontalot_-_Final_Boss_03_Shame_Of_The_Otaku.mp3

Muscle'n Flo by Menomena

Friend and Foe is one of those albums I can never seem to get too much of, and Muscle'n Flo is a delicious introduction to that record. If you've never seen Menomena perform I recommend viewing a YouTube video of them playing Muscle'n Flo in a guy's basement. They're fun to watch.

http://www.box.net/shared/static/avxpluhnc1.mp3

Sekat Alegna by Ugress

A famous sample can go either way in a song, but Sekat Alegna cuts them up with amazing grace. It makes me wonder, what is it that Angela takes?

http://freedownloads.last.fm/download/53182021/Sekat%2BAlegna.mp3

Run Free by Raised By Wolves

Raised by Wolves is so clearly amateur, and that's part of what I like about Run Free. It puts together some unusual instruments into a quietly adorable song.

http://www.songfight.org/music/run_free/raisedbywolves-run%20free.mp3

Hi Tech Sisters by Sleepy Town Manufacture

Things start off with a really cool muted rhythm in Hi Tech Sisters. The track develops the sort of subdued beauty you're used to if you listen to Sleepy Town Manufacture.

http://www.archive.org/download/mtk126/mtk126-stm-cd2-for-me-05-hi-tech-sisters.mp3

Sane As Sane Can Be by Cloud Cult

Sane As Sane Can Be is just a great Cloud Cult song. It's cute and tender early, and then about halfway through it rocks you senseless. This band just can't fail to be adorable.

http://www.cloudcult.com/Sane-As-Can-Be---Who-Killed-Puck.mp3

The Distance by Dntel featuring Arthur and Yu

The Distance is full of folky touches, layered over each other with electronic effects that just make it an irresistibly cute tune.

http://subpop-public.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/audio/3252.mp3

Break My Heart In Two by Raise High The Roof Beam

Full disclosure: I used to know some of the guys in Raise High The Roof Beam. Despite an pretentious sounding band name, they make fun, utterly unpretentious folk-pop songs like Break My Heart in Two.

http://freedownloads.last.fm/download/152843601/Break%2BMy%2BHeart%2BIn%2BTwo.mp3

Las Delicias by Martinibomb

Martinibomb want you to party. Las Delicias likes to pause for a few moments before erupting in a fountain of beats.

http://www.archive.org/download/csr016/csr016_03_martinibomb_-_las-delicias.mp3

Courage by Matthan Minster

Here's a sleepy little acoustic tune about the poisons the character uses to give himself the Courage to face his day.

http://www.songfight.org/music/courage/matthanminster_courage.mp3

Waiting by Cibelle

Driven by a fat bassline, Waiting mixes folk, electronic, and Brazilian musical styles.

http://aurgasm.us/music/Cibelle%20-%20Waiting.mp3

Square Root Of Two by Daniel Bautista

I haven't yet sampled many of the tracks Daniel Bautista is offering, but the beautiful clear guitar work of Square Root of Two makes me think that I should.

http://www.danielbautista.com/music/bautista/maderaybronce/06.squarerootof2.mp3

Time Ran Out by ADD

I like ADD best when he's catchiest, and Time Ran Out is one of his catchier tunes. Don't let the crazy noises at the beginning get you thinking this is some experimental noise track. It's pure pop.

http://actdead.com/mp3s/add-timeranout.mp3

Accelerator by Brother Machine

Brother Machine took a lot of the songs off his web page, but there's still a good selection of song fight entries. Accelerator is a super catchy pop tune you may find yourself humming uncontrollably.

http://www.songfight.org/music/accelerator/brothermachine_accel.mp3

Moodswing by Podington Bear

Considering the title, Moodswing is an odd piece of work. If there's a change in mood, it's from playtime to naptime.

http://podingtonbear.com/podcasts/JuneOriginal/Moodswing.mp3

Sua Jos Aattelen by Emma Salokoski Ensemble

Sua Jos Aattelen is a lively piano waltz with a beautiful Finnish singer.

http://aurgasm.us/music/julija/Emma%20Salokoski%20Ensemble%20-%20Sua%20Jos%20Aattelen.mp3

Rama by Abstract Avenue

Ten minutes is a long time for one song, but Rama finds an awesome groove and works around it. The keys add a jazzy feel to the whole event.

This song also comes in a highly recommended vorbis format.

http://www.archive.org/download/lego002/lego002_12-Rama_vbr.mp3
http://www.archive.org/download/lego002/lego002_12-Rama.ogg

Man Of The Year by The John Benjamin Band

John Benjamin has written a good many sensitive pop songs. In there you'll find Man of the Year, an early song fight entry.

http://www.songfight.org/music/man_of_the_year/jbb-moty.mp3

So Fast by Julie Doiron

Quiet folk songs aren't too hard to find, but a quiet folk song as good as So Fast is a rare treasure. Jagjaguar picked it as the sample to promote Julie Doiron's album Lonliest in the Morning.

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

Target by The Rhombus

The theme this week is targets, and Rhombus gives us a simple guy and guitar song as their Target, but with a dirty, distorted production.

http://www.therhombus.org/Target_demo.mp3

I Am A Target by State Shirt

Inspired by the Slap Chop video remix, State Shirt created I am a Target for a Song Fight. It's a melancholy built around samples from the original Slap Chop infomercial. There's also a nice hi-def video to go along with it.

http://www.stateshirt.com/audio/unreleased/stateshirt_iamatarget.mp3

Gentlemen by if:then:goto

Layers of sounds, percussion over electronic swirls over guitars and organs and drums make a typical if:then:goto song. Gentlemen, enjoy a listen.

http://homepage.mac.com/maximumjack/.Music/gentlemen.mp3

Said The Spider To The Fly by The Paper Chase

I love a song with lots of crazy sounds and melodramatic singing. Said the Spider to the Fly has all that: boot stomping, clattering percussion, piano banging, guitars, and an earnest spider talking to a fly.

http://www.killrockstars.com/bands/paperchase/audio/SaidTheSpider.mp3

Ships by Josh Woodward

Ships is a short and simple piano tune by Josh Woodward. I'm not sure why it starts with 12 seconds of silence.

http://www.joshwoodward.com/mp3/TheSimpleLife/JoshWoodward-TheSimpleLife-201-Ships.mp3

Accelerated Lifestyle by Revolution Void

Take turntable scratching, relaxed keys and bassline, and some lively drum rhythms, mix in some electronic effects, and you've got an Accelerated Lifestyle.

http://www.archive.org/download/revoid_2004_04_04.flac16/revoid_2004_04_04_t09_vbr.mp3

Five Nights In Britain by Sonofsupercar

If you want excellent recording and sparkling production you'll want to pass on Five Nights in Britain. The distorted screaming justifies the labeled genre, "sucky internet recordings". The guitar melody on the verses grab my ears.

http://www.songfight.org/music/five_nights_in_britain/sonofsupercar_fnib.mp3

Spaces by General Fuzz

The tracks on Inner Sunset tend to run long without feeling like they're too long. Spaces manages this by putting beautiful piano playing over electronic beats.

http://www.generalfuzz.net/mp3/Inner%20Sunset/02%20spaces.mp3