I hate finding out about bands after they break up; Barcelona are no exception. Thankfully you can still hear their catchy, nerdy pop on their sounds page. Check out I Have The Password To Your Shell Account, Why do you have so much fun without me?, Kasey Keller, and their cover of Pop Goes the World.

Do you like hip-hop songs about robots driving space taxis? Of course you do, which is why you’ll like Optimus Rhyme and their track Fuzzy Dice.

But don’t stop there; they’re a rockin’, edgy crew consisting of two MCs backed by a live band – sort of like Rage Against the Machine, but with a sci-fi vibe instead of Marxist screeching. So try their other free tracks: Ford vs. Chevy, Compiler, Incognit2, DBR, Dermato Fibro Sarcoma Protruberance, and Calm Down with its great shout-along chorus.

Not every singer-songwriter appears on Jay Leno before her first album’s even been released, but such was the buzz surrounding Mindy Smith. She’s in that category of mellow female singer-songwriters that get bucketed into “country” but which I’d have called “folk-rock” instead (see also: Carpeter, Mary Chapin).

I was drawn in by Come to Jesus from the first moment I heard it on the radio. Her Photos & Music page includes a few other tracks such as Falling, Hurricane, and a cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene.