Sounds From The Superhighway 15

Skygreen Leopards - Pop Matters Magazine writes, "On their Jagjaguwar debut Donovan Quinn and Glenn Donaldson -- the duo that is The Skygreen Leopards and that also heads up San Francisco's Jewelled Antler collective -- create a simple yet mysterious ramshackle beauty that transcends the free-folk genre (or whatever it's called this week) that stands on its own as a minor pop masterpiece." Their music has been called campfire-esque. There are defintely some intricate and, dare I say, weird harmonies happening in the vocals, but there is no denying the strength in the songwriting. Several pieces available on their website.

Thermal and a Quarter - WOW! I've listened to this music, heard the interview from NPR, and the only interjection I can come up with is: WOW! Here are three musicians from Bangalore, India. They are fluent in several Indian dialects as well as English, which is the chosen language for their music, and, above and beyond all else, they KICK ASS!! Someone on their website commented that the band has a Phish vibe to it. I'm inclined to agree, but it goes beyond - into "The Great Beyond" sotospeak. It is safe to say that Phish could only dream of sounding this good. Thermal and a Quarter's most recent release is entitled Plan B, but they make it a point to say that their fourth album is already in the can. The band also make no bones about wanting to deliver their music to the people. To that end, there are various tracks available on their website for free. Downloaders are "encouraged" to share these tracks with friends. If your perception of music was India was narrow, Thermal and a Quarter will expand your mind.

Character - After locating Thermal and a Quarter, I decided to further explore NPR and located Character. Unique, fun, and downright unable to pigeonhole is how I describe this Nashville, Tennessee, band of rotating musicians. Their bio on Fictitious Records reads: "an all-encompassing sound that draws from a wide range of influences including rock, hip-hop, jazz and experimental music. The sound is ambient, droney and by turns pastoral and brainy, while still expounding on and changing the form of instrumental songwriting." Definitely worth a listen.