OK, another day, another top 10 list. No promises about whether I can keep this up for a full month, or even for a month of business days. And, as you can see, I’ll be getting off topic quite often.

This is a list of the top 10 biggest (pleasant) surprises I’ve downloaded at eMusic. In other words, I didn’t know too much about these bands (or just like the cover art) before downloading the albums. But, at about $0.22 a song, I’m not going to lose sleep over the clunkers. Click on the links below for free snippets of the songs.

1. Bole 2 Harlem Vol #1 by Bole 2 Harlem. Swear to God, I just downloaded this because I like the VW bug on the album cover, but it was a great surprise. Funky reggae and beats. Filed under International.
2. The Mouse and the Mask by Danger Doom. This album is by D.J. Danger Mouse and MF Doom; it’s an ode to Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. Can a body ask for anything more? There’s a great sample running through "Old School" that reminds me of the General Cinemas promo they’d run before movies when I was growing up in Needham, Mass. Filed under Hip-Hop/R&B.
3. Radiodread by Easy Star All-Stars. Not quite as good as their first album, Dub Side of the Moon, but still a great experience. Basically, these guys play reggae versions of great rock albums. In this case, Radiohead’s O.K. Computer. Filed under International.
4. Yell Fire! by Michael Franti and Spearhead. This was recorded shortly after Franti returned from a trip to the middle east, and boy is he pissed. However, there are some lighter numbers in here, like the party-friendly "Hello Bonjour." Filed under Hip-Hop/R&B.
5. Keep it Unreal by Mr. Scruff. Come  for "Get a Move On." Stay for everything else. Filed under Electronic.
6. New Folk Implosion by New Folk Implosion. Just a stellar album from beginning to end. Filed under Alternative/Punk.
7. Party With Puente by Tito Puente. Who wouldn’t want to party with the guy who wrote Oye Como Va? Putting this on the list may be cheating because it’s a compilation, but you HAVE to check out his covers of Take Five and On Broadway. Filed under Jazz.
8. Simple Things by Zero 7. I first heard these guys on the Garden State Soundtrack, which shares "In the Waiting Line" with this album. Just wish eMusic had more of their stuff. Files under Electronic.
9. Babylon Rewound by Thievery Corporation. These guys also appeared on the Garden State Soundtrack, but this album was new to me. Great remix of another album. Filed under Electronic, but sounds more reggae to me.
10. Boys and Girls in America by The Hold Steady. Yes, they sound a lot like early Springsteen, but is that such a bad thing? I think not. Filed under Alternative/Punk. (What?!?)

BTW, if you’re looking to expand your musical universe but guilt keeps you from stealing music, eMusic is a great resource. You won’t find the bigger bands like you will at iTunes, but you can download the music to ANY music player, you OWN the music unlike Napster, and it’s less than 25% the price of iTunes.

Rich Brooks
Keeping It Real