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The Fountains of Wayne

Not now, but I am open to suggestions! I do wish I could say "YES!" to this question. Maybe I'm just being stupi ... oops ... Presidential.

Norwegian artist Ane Brun is one that is very good (in my humble opinion).

Amy Winehouse. Just krank it up!

Can't say how new they are, but I enjoy Devotchka, who play a type of gypsy polka rock. How It Ends has a nice sound and production. I also like Montt Mardie from Sweden—sugary sweet vocals and rather corny production, but great melodies.

Nobody's really grabbing my attention right now. I've been spending quite a lot of my money recently, filling in gaps in my musical past; albums I've been meaning to get for ages, but never got 'round to. So, in a way, although they are from the past, much of what I'm listening to is new to me anyway.

Absolutely! Try The Spoons (vinyl available), the Shins (vinyl available), and the Kooks (apart from Texicans, Aussies have the best accents). There's an incredible universe of new pop artists out there to go with all your old favorites. When I hear old farts of any age (I'm 56) decry the current state of music, I know I'm hearing a lazy person with at least a partially closed mind. I love "the same old" too but come on folks, to quote VU, it's a new day.

I haven't heard anything out there lately worth listening to. I constantly find myself skipping from track to track hoping that something decent will emerge. I have been most disappointed.

Alejandro Escovedo. Music that's interesting. How long since you heard something that you want to pay attention to. Try The Boxing Mirror.

Corinne Bailey Rae

Guitar demons Rodrigo & Gabriela have been in heavy rotation for about a year now.

Neko Case, Sleater-Kinney, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, pipe organ music by Timothy Edward Smith, the Dresden Dolls, Bill Charlap. Okay some of these aren't totally new, but they're new to me. I love my Led Zepplin albums, but I don't want to die there.

I really like Lucinda Williams. After listening to one of her albums I feel like everything in my world is just fine.

The Ettes. In England for the next two months recording their second record.Their first Shake The Dust, on Sympathy For The Record Industry, is on CD and vinyl. Great garage rock.

Jack Johnson is one of bright spots in younger performers that I happen like. His venue is singer/songwriter—stuff that is recorded and sung well. There are others too that don't come to mind. But I would say 95% of what is being produced is crap.

Coda (http://www.codaplanet.com)

I like L’Autre Cap’s recent album, Maher Shalal Hash Baz. It’s released on Calvin Johnson’s “K” Records. To me Calvin is a god, everything he’s touched I’ve liked. L’autre Cap has a very raw sound, reminiscent of Johnson’s early 1990s group, Beat Happening. I think they are Japanese.

A lot of them. It irks me that record stores are full of the same old stuff, heard over and over again.

Bill Frisell, Erik Friedlander, Dave Douglas, Louis Sclavis, Eric Boeren Quartet, Gianluigi Trovesi.

Bjork and the Music of Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998).

Well, the newest I can get are Rufus Wainwright and Michael Bublé. This is how I “discovered” them: The first time I heard Rufus Wainwright’s music, it was in Barns and Noble when his second album Poses (2001) was released. The songs (being played from the ceiling speakers in the store) were mostly artsy and melodious, and he has a distinctive voice, even though I wouldn’t call him a great vocalist. I heard Michael Bublé about two years ago when I was in an Apple store playing and admiring the then latest model of iPod with a color screen. The song was the cover version of Van Morrison’s Moondance, and I was blown away by the swing style of his singing accompanied by a big band. I regretted that I had ignored both of his CDs at the local library, and I bought his third full-length album on the day of release in May this year.

Norah Jones. What else it there to say?

Music artists? What about composers?

No one really new but I really like Paula Cole's new work, Courage, and Wilco's Sky Blue Sky. A group out of Ontario has my attention: The Great Lake Swimmers.

I like L’Autre Cap’s recent album, ‘Maher Shalal Hash Baz’. It’s released on Calvin Johnson’s “K” Records. To me Calvin is a god, everything he’s touched I’ve liked. L’autre Cap has a very ‘RAW’ sound, reminiscent of Johnson’s early 1990’s group, Beat Happening. I think they are Japanese. L’Autre Cap maybe a new discovery I like, but Calvin Johnson is an old stand by who is very underrated and I love as much today as I did when I first heard him. His last two solo efforts are stunning and very accessible. “What Was Me” & “Before The Dream Faded…” are two beautiful LP’s. Carry on Calvin!

North Mississippi Allstars, Drive By Truckers, Soulive, and Donna the Buffalo, to mention just a few.

In the classical field some of my newer discoveries are: Thomas Zehetmair; a great 'intellectual' violinist Matthias Kirschnereit playing Mozart piano concertos (a successor to Alfred Brendel); The Hage String Quartet playing late Beethoven; David Daniels, a fabulous counter tenor Joyce; and DiDonato, wonderful new mezzo.

Maybe not brand new, but how about Five for Fighting?

There are so many indie darlings about these days, but one band that seems just on the cusp that you might be hearing about soon is Spiraling. They have a couple of self produced albums, including Transmitter (which is quite good). The sound a little bit like INXS. I got a chance to hear their upcoming album from a friend and it is quite a treat, and very well recorded, an audiophile delight. Well, that is the best newest artist I can think of, now back to my listening marathon of 100 Springsteen bootlegs, some going all the way back to 1967, hardly new.

New electronic music bands