Punch Drunk Radio.

Settling music for disoriented people. You can stream all the songs below. Punch-drunk: In boxing, the term refers to behaving dazed, bewildered, or confused. Dementia pugilistica is a neurological disorder triggered by repeated punches to the head over an extended period of time; symptoms include dementia, inappropriate behavior, slurring of speech, which resemble symptoms of alcoholic intoxication. Figuratively, it refers to a state of confusion resulting from fatigue, overwork, burnout, continuous exposure to unpleasant situations, or perhaps even emotional upheaval, as in suffering repeated blows to one's ego or emotional well-being. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the boxing usage to 1918, the figurative to 1934.

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I Found You, Alabama Shakes ~ Alabama Shakes EP (2011)

You may have noticed the buzz about Alabama Shakes; a band that was virtually unknown this time last year. Their blend of rock, soul, country and blues has earned critical and popular acclaim thanks to Brittany Howard's distinctly powerful voice and the band's raw energy. The four members - guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell and drummer Steve Johnson - played in competing emo/punk bands at the same high school in Athens, Alabama, but they came together in 2009 and found common ground in Southern soul music:

“The thing about all of us is all of our tastes are really different, so when we came together, it’s like we came together out of necessity because it was like, ‘Well, here are the only musicians in town that want to write,’” Howard says. “So we had to find a way to kind of work together. I mean, it worked out obviously, and the only thing we had in common was that we all listened to this kind of music, we all shared this music. And it’s not like we’re out to do any kind of retro soul thing, but that seems to be what everyone thinks.”

Circa April 2011, The Shakes recorded a four-song EP at East Nashville's Bomb Shelter Studios and put the music up on ReverbNation. Justin Gage posted the EP on his influential music blog Aquarium Drunkard in late July and within a couple of months, Patterson Hood had them opening for the Drive-By Truckers. However, life as they knew it was over in October after the praise they received for their performance at New York's CMJ Music Marathon. The Shakes' song You Ain't Alone was even featured in a holiday season ZALES commercial. Now, all they have to do is produce a full-length album. Their highly anticipated debut Boys & Girls is set to be released April 10th by ATO Records. 

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Living In America, Dom ~ Sun Bronzed Greek Gods (2010)

Dominic, who goes by Dom, is a 23-year-old DIY skate fucker who makes lo-fi, sunny psych-pop. He has not revealed his last name because he owes "a lot of money." This 2010 Pitchfork interview is highly entertaining and tragic regardless of its authenticity. When asked about the much blogged about "Living in America," he responds:

"Living in America" is sort of facetious. What I really wanted to do was make a "YMCA"-type track that I would be best known for but forever hate myself for writing. Politicians can totally use it at cmpaigns as long as they pay me. But America's pretty awesome. I can't say enough about Worcester, Massachusetts. It's a utopia.

Dom the trio formed in January 2010 and recorded their first EP, Sun Bronzed Greek Gods, three months later in the guitarist Erik's bedroom. The band recorded their second EP in a studio alongside producer Nicolas Vernhes, who has worked with the likes of Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective in the past. Modular People and Astralwerks Records released Family of Love in August 2011. Apparently the band is up to five members now, they've toured with Ratatat and The Go! Team, and they could very well crash and burn at any moment. I'm so glad people like this exist. 

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Jimmie's Song, Emanuel and the Fear ~ Listen (2010) Emanuel and the Fear is an 11-piece orchestra-rock outfit out of Brooklyn, yet it seems their line-up is ever-changing and expanding. The classically trained band members and live performers oscillate around lead singer Emanuel Ayvas who sounds like he could be the frontman of an Irish punk band. At times they sound like a synth pop band, other times a classic rock band, all the while incorporating everything from violin and cello to trumpet and trombone. Comparisons to Arcade Fire are often made, and their listed influences are Beethoven, Philip Glass, Bright Eyes, Daft Punk and Sufjan Stevens. Having spent hours laboring in the studio for their first EP and debut album Listen, the band took a more organic approach on their self-released 2011 EP Hands by writing and rehearsing the tracks during their European tour. They recorded and mixed the whole record in 4 days, mostly live in the studio. In support of the Occupy Wall Street movement, the band released the opening track "Over and Over" as a free download.

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Velvet Elvis, Alex Winston (RAC Remix) ~ Velvet Elvis EP (2011)

Last summer, Alex Winston released an EP with two original singles - "Velvet Elvis" and "Fire Ant" - along with three remixed versions of the title track. King Charles gives "Velvet Elvis" an earthy, electronic quality, while RAC minimizes the beat, replacing it with a funky, pop alternative. Darwin Deez samples the chorus and Winston's high note, creating a quirky hip hop song with the line "kill the bitch" running throughout. They're all whimsically entertaining. 

Winston is a 24-year-old indie pop songstress, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Bloomfield Hills (outside of Detroit), Michigan. Although she is a classically trained opera singer, Winston caught the industry's attention with a collection of covers in 2010 (download The Basement Covers EP here). She caught my attention with this recent cover of The Black Key's "Everlasting Light." Winston is currently working on her debut album in New York with Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James “Jpatt” Patterson. They're the two producers, DJs and remix artists who make up The Knocks and operate the label Heavy Roc Music which has produced Winston's work since 2009.

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93 'Til Infinity, Souls of Mischief ~ 93 'til Infinity (1993)

California Bound!

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She Found a Way Out, CANT ~ Dreams Come True (2011)

I know it starts mellow, but stick with it. The second half is a sexy sucker-punch. Best give it a headphone listen.

Instead of taking downtime following Grizzly Bear's 2009 release, Veckatimest, the band's bassist, Christ Taylor, started the label Terrible Records, produced albums for Twin Shadow and Blood Orange, and self-produced his first solo venture under the moniker CANT. Dreams Come True is brooding, layered experimental rock, contrasting from the indie folk Grizzly Bear is known for as well as the bands Taylor has produced (The Morning Benders, Dirty Projectors) and played in (Department of Eagles). Taylor collaborated with George Lewis Jr. of Twin Shadow, and the murky 80s vibe that shaped his 2010 album Forget can be heard throughout Dreams. I've seen it described as Depeche Mode meets Prince's introverted moments. Long live synths.

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I'll Take Care of U, Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx ~ We're New Here (2011)

Hopefully - for your sake - you've heard Gil Scott-Heron's 2010 album, I'm New Here. Heron was very well known in the 70s and early 80s as a jazz vocalist, author and spoken word performer, but he spent the 90s out of the recording studio and the 2000s in and out of prison on drug charges. I'm New Here was his first original album in 16 years and was an unexpected, yet critically acclaimed comeback. Comparisons have been made to what Rick Rubin did for Johnny Cash in the 90s; starkly-produced releases where rebellious icons become reflective as they hit their sixties. 

I'm New Here was produced by XL founder Richard Russell, and it was at Russell's encouragement that Jamie xx re-contextualized Heron's new material. Jamie Smith is an English producer and remix artist who gained fame as a member of the electo-ambient trio The xx; he appropriately named the project We're New Here. He remixed every track on I'm New Here, but it would be a mistake to compare the two albums, as they should be seen as complimentary. The original is a grim vehicle for Heron's baritone voice, while Jamie xx reinvents Heron's music in a bright, electronic light - they're two different worlds. I'm not even sure how I feel about the electronic versions, but I admire the risk taken, and I'm amused that Heron heard the remixes before he passed away in May.  

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1977, Ana Tijoux ~ 1977 (2009)

Anamaría Merino, known by her stage name Ana or Anita Tijoux, became famous in Latin America during the late '90s as the female MC of the hip-hop group Makiza. She is the daughter of Chilean parents who lived in political exile in France during Pinochet's dictatorship; thus Tijoux was born in France, but moved back to Chile when she was a teenager and found a home in the emerging hip-hop community. After breaking from Makiza for unknown personal reasons, she moved back to France in 2001 and announced she was giving up her music career. Although she didn't release any music during her time in France, Tijoux returned to Chile in 2004 and started singing with a Chilean funk band and collaborating with popular Latin artists. Makiza also reunited and released new music, but Tijoux decided to leave again in 2006 to pursue a solo career. While recording her first album Kaos, Tijoux was featured in Julieta Venegas hit "Eres Para Mí," which crossed her over into the mainstream Latin pop market.

In 2009, Tijoux released her second solo album, titled 1977 after the year she was born. The album was a return to her rap roots and is largely auto-biographical. It's obvious that her true talent lies in being a MC versus a pop singer. 1977 earned her a spot at SXSW last year and a successful U.S. tour. Her next album, La Bala, is set to come out in early 2012 and is a collaboration with Uruguayan composer Jorge Drexler who is known for his arrangements on The Motorcycle Diaries.

Click this if you want to stream 25 minutes of Ana Tijoux awesomeness.

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Wood, ROSTAM (2011)

Rostam Batmanglij made waves in 2008 as Vampire Weekend's producer, co-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, but he has had his hand in several projects over the last three years. He began recording with Ra Ra Riot vocalist Wes Miles, which evolved into the electro-funk group Discovery. They released their debut album LP in July 2009 on XL Recordings; I've listen to songs off this album many times without ever realizing his involvement. This year, Batmanglij started releasing remixes under the moniker Boys Like Us, and also works as a producer and solo artist under the name ROSTAM. He produced the track "The Trick" on the Das Racist album Relax, and released two new songs on his tumblr this fall. "Wood" is Bollywood/classical/pop fusion, while "Don't Let It Get To You" is a rhythmic, electronic piece. Just the work of your average 28-year-old producer...

... also, dude's from D.C.! 

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Turning Into Stone, Phantogram ~ Nightlife EP (2011)

The electro-pop duo Phantogram have been rigorously touring since their breakout full-length Eyelid Movies in early 2010. Instead of writing and recording songs in a remote barn in upstate New York, they wrote their new EP Nightlife while on the road, resulting in brighter, electronic songs over the brooding trip-hop sound of past projects. "They" consists of longtime friends Josh Carter (guitar) and Sarah Barthel (keyboard) who are sampling artists known for aggressive layering and adding their own pop melodies and vocals. Although their roots are around the Saratoga Springs area, the two have been with Seattle's Barsuk Records since 2009. I had only ever heard Barthel's gauzy vocals on their better known tracks "When I'm Small," "Mouthful of Diamonds," and the dance track single "Don't Move" off Nightlife. But I really like Carter's lead on vocals for this track, not to mention the Otis Redding sample from "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)" and industrial hip hop beat. 

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Love Is In The Air, The Shivers ~ More (2011) 

The Shivers' new album, More, is nothing earth shattering, but it is genuine indie rock that I keep coming back to. The Queens duo is comprised of Keith Zarriello (lead vocals, guitar) and Jo Schornikow (vocals, piano/organ). Keith began performing as The Shivers in 2001, and has written, recorded and self-released five lovelorn albums since 2004. Schornikow, an Australian classically trained church organist, joined him in 2006, relocating from Melbourne. They traveled to Manchester, England last year to record More during a five day span at an all analog studio (aka old school, no digital technology). The album was mixed by Adam Lasus, who is known for his work with Yo La Tengo, Clap Your Hands & Helium, and released on their new label Silence Breaks.

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I've Gone Too Far, Etta James ~ Tell Mama (1968)

Etta James recently announced her retirement as she has been plagued by multiple health problems including Alzheimer's and Leukemia. Last month, she released her final album The Dreamer; an odd compilation of cover songs. Lately, I've been listening to this track off her 1968 release and seventh studio album Tell Mama. Leonard Chess sent James to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record with producer Rick Hall at his FAME Studio, resulting in her first soul-inspired material and her first chart success in years. The entire album shines despite being recorded during the early stages of her notorious heroin addiction. 

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Book of James, We Are Augustines ~ Rise Ye Sunken Ships (2011) 

I always liked the Brooklyn band Pela, so I was happy to discover that two of the band members, Billy McCarthy (vocals & guitar) and Eric Sanderson (bass), continued to produce songs that were meant to be Pela's second studio album. Despite the success of their debut album, Anytown Graffiti, Pela rapidly disbanded in 2008 due to strife between the band, their label (Great Society) and their management, which was only compounded when McCarthy got news that his brother who suffered from schizophrenia had committed suicide. McCarthy and Sanderson regrouped in 2010 and brought in drummer Rob Allen and producer Dave Newfield, who is best known for his work with Broken Social Scene, to reinvent themselves as Augustines, evolving into We Are Augustines. Despite only being a trio, the sound on Rise Ye Sunken Ships is big, emotionally charged, and my favorite kind or stadium-ready indie rock. 

McCarthy spent his childhood in foster homes and dropped out of high school, and his experiences with mental illness, abandonment and homelessness are the foundation of Rise. "Book of James" is McCarthy's ode to his brother and serves as the album's emotional center-point and musical highpoint. The band has been compared to early U2, The Hold Steady, Arcade Fire, The Killers, but you can really hear Springsteen in this track from the opening drum beat to the underlying themes of forgiveness and hope.  

You may have recently heard the album's opening track "Chapel Song" in an REI commercial.

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I'm His Girl, Friends (2011)

23-year-old lead signer, Samantha Urbani, was looking for a band and naturally all her friends at the time were talented, free spirited musicians. These people came together in the hipsterist way possible. Urbani returned to Brooklyn after studying in Berlin and started working with future band mates Mathew Molnar and Nikki Shapiro at the vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen in the East Village. Shortly after, Urbani's childhood friend Lesley Hann turned up with her roommate Oliver Duncan looking for a place to stay because they were evicted due to the bedbug epidemic. The pair happened to be a very good rhythm section. Thus, Friends was serendipitously formed in September 2010, playing their first show at Urbani's birthday party just 6 days later. In October, British label Lucky Number released their second single, "I'm His Girl," with a flipside cover of Ghost Town DJs' 1996 hit "My Boo." I know it's uncool to think hipsters are cool, but how cool are they? I mean, how many people can pull off lo-fi, rhythmic, sassy funk-pop?

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Make My, The Roots ~ Undun (2011)

It seems the job security gained from being the house band for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon has expanded The Roots’ freedom to experiment. Yesterday, the legendary band hailing from Philadelphia released their first concept album and 13th studio album. Undun recounts the life of Redford Stephens, a semi-functional character who is plagued by crime and misfortune in a bleak, urban environment. The story begins at the end, with Stephens narrating his death at 25 and then unfolding backward to reveal how he reached his tragic fate. While Black Thought, Dice Raw and Greg Porn hold down the vocals, ?uestlove dictates the arrangements including four instrumental songs at the end that build off Sufjan Stevens' "Redford (For Yia-Yia and Pappou)." 

This is not a wildly accessible album given its melancholy subject matter and complex lyrical storytelling. Yet, for a veteran Roots fan, absorbing it will likely be a welcomed challenge. Undun is just 39 minutes, made brief to be listened to as a whole, and you can stream it in its entirety on NPR's website. 

*Apparently when The Roots formed in 1987, they were originally called The Square Roots. Can you imagine? No one would respect The Square Roots.

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If I Had a Boat, James Vincent McMorrow ~ Early in the Morning (2011)

Irish singer/songwriter/hipster James Vincent McMorrow started out as a drummer and fan of hardcore bands like At The Drive In, Refused and Glassjaw. His musical tastes and instrumental skills broadened in college; "I started listening to older music from the 50’s-70’s and learning guitar and piano. Then I heard the Donny Hathaway song called 'I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know' and it made me want to start singing.”  After years of evolving into a folk writer and intimate performer, McMorrow decided to self-record an album and subsequently moved into a small, secluded house on Ireland's coastline with his guitar, keyboard, microphone, computer, and several other instruments. He wrote and cut what would eventually become his first album, Early in the Morning. Vagrant Records released the full-length in Ireland in March of 2010, delaying the release stateside until 2011 to build anticipation and give McMorrow time to tour Ireland and the U.K. "If I Had a Boat," the first track off the album, captures the tone and theme of Early in the Morning while illuminating its multi-track harmonies.

I have to admit this came to me via McMorrow's auspicious cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Games."

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Avaliable, The National ~ Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003)

Matt Berninger and Scott Devendorf became best friends at the University of Cincinnati in 1991, and formed the lo-fi garage band Nancy (named after Matt's mother). Eventually the two moved to Brooklyn and were joined by Scott's brother Bryan and the Devendorf's childhood friends Aaron and Bryce Dessner - twin brothers also from Cincinnati, Ohio. The National officially formed in 1999 with Berninger as head lyricist and frontman. The band released their second album, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, in 2003 on Brassland Records, a label founded by Aaron and Bryce. It was the band's first collaboration with record producers Paul Heck and Peter Katis, who would go on to produce the band's critically acclaimed albums, Alligator and Boxer. Although the band has become known for their mellow, layered sound and reflective storytelling, there are several songs on Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers that are rock-heavy and raw. Pitchfork said, "'Available', in particular, sounds more like something from the Interpol oeuvre than The National's barroom Americana. Beneath a wall of darkly jagged guitar incisions, the song climaxes with Berninger losing his grip, screaming himself hoarse. He wonders repeatedly, 'Why did you dress me down and liquor me up?' as his perfect pace and phrasing explodes into the caustic shouts and coughs of a man losing his shit in public."

Personally, I love angry Berninger. And I hate everyone seeing them on tour right now. You know who you are.