BBBD Best Undiscovered Tracks Of 2007 (Part 4 of 5)

I feel as though I sold myself short with my statistical sum-up of the year. It was a little bit too straightforward and was only an indication of what I most frequently listened to over the course of the year rather than what I really liked in the end. There is a difference!

I now present to you the forth installation of BBBD's Best Undiscovered Tracks List of 2007. (So now I've done artists and unknown acts, but still no favorite albums or "mainstream" independent favorites -- we shall see what the future holds!)

You can get the ZIP of all 25 of my favorite tunes here or download the MP3s one-by-one over the course of five days.

the Dodos - Fools
Innocuous enough name, right? San Francisco's the Dodos are formidable indie-folk players, though. The seamlessly meld the wackiness of Animal Collective with rhythms that almost robotically trudge along and summery Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies. Oh, and they throw in quite a few mean swooning melodies that will ease you into submission. The Dodos are coming.

the Mules - We're Good People (CSS Remix)
The Mules are a minimalist Talking Heads displaced thirty years forward to a present-day London. They're nerdy and clean-cut, yet exceptionally rhythmic and musically creative. Unfortunately, the band's best song is a CSS remix of "We're Good People." Hate it when that happens ...

the Rumble Strips - Alarm Clock
The Rumble Strips are from the U.K. They are like Madness circa One Step Beyond prefab for 2007. They jive, man.

the Tough Alliance - Something Special
You're still not tired of hearing about the Tough Alliance from BBBD? You shouldn't be. The Swedish duo is just as fresh as it was when their music graced the digital pages of our humble music blog last year. Not only do these guys run Sincerely Yours -- one of the best Swedish record labels -- but they also churn out spectacularly fun and vibrant music. It's like New Order doing a beach party, but with an underlying maturity and somberness that's tough to place but memorable and sincere. Breaking down our preconceived notions of pop one song at a time ...

the Virgins - Rich Girls
The Virgins are still under-appreciated and undiscovered by the masses. They're a sure bet if you're looking for simple and super-hit rock with an R&B/funk twist. And no, you nitwit -- they're not the second coming of the Strokes. Not gonna happen.