Mark today, July 31, 2007, as an absolutely brilliant music day.

It should be painfully apparent by now that I love music. It represents the core of my life; it soundtracks my moments; it's the foundation of many memories, both good and bad.

I don't love all music; I'm far too picky (discriminating?) for that. I have my favorites, and I listen to them. A lot.

But there are some I will always come back to, always defend, always hold up as geniuses, no matter how obscure or famous they may be.

And to get new music from the top two on a single day...well, that's just brilliant.

Matthew Good

If you don't live in Canada, you're probably not familiar with this outspoken, political, difficult, genius singer-songwriter. I've written about him before, and with today's release of Hospital Music, I'm super pleased to report his music's now available in the U.S. (finally! With but one exception, he's stayed relatively north of the border). Go to iTunes and purchase it now; in fact, if you act quickly, you can grab "Born Losers," the free download of the week. I've only listened twice through thus far, but damn; it's another good one. Really, though, there are no bad albums where Matthew Good is concerned.

Bluebottle Kiss

These Aussies are also at the very top of my verymostfavorite bands list. Last year, I tried valiantly to help stir a buzz for them in the States (I wasn't too successful; but then, I had a budget of zero, so we do what we can, right?). Word is that their deliciously decadent double album, Doubt Seeds, will finally see a U.S. release in the fall, but back home, they've already released Out Seeds, the companion disc of outtakes from the groundbreaking two-disc set. They're also winnowing down faves from two recent big shows in Australia, so they sent along both nights of live songs for me to weigh in. You can bet I'll be reviewing Out Seeds on this very site in the days to come, import be damned. | Laura Hamlett

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