Beirut- "Postcards from Italy" (h/t to Deja Vu for blogging about this band and their debut album "Gulag Orkestar"); very compulsively playable song, laced as it is with Balkan rhythms, this one. Besides, their occasional blog posts, such as this one that mentions Borges and Mandelstam, are weirdly beautiful to read.

"And I will love to see that day That day is mine When she will marry me outside with the willow trees And play the songs we made They made me so And I would love to see that day Her day was mine"

Ozomatali's rockin' "Cumbia De Los Muertos".

I went back to this track after being reminded that this wonderful salsa-chutney-guacamole-dimsum band out of LA has come out with a new album. Ozo has won accolades (including a couple of Grammys) for their blend of musical styles, the energy they generate in their live performances (in particular check out "Ya Viene el Sol"), as well as their commitment to progressive causes.