The quest: recent/current good music

[flexagon]

A recent xkcd comic kicked off a spirited music discussion. People are recommending the following as good, recent picks:

EBM
psytrance (e.g, Infected Mushroom)
Dr. Dog
The Tiny
Regina Spektor (+1)
Broken Social Scene (and affiliates)

Neutral Milk Hotel (+2)

Dispatch
Black Keys
Great Big Sea (+1)
Flogging Molly

Some By Sea

PJ Harvey. Her latest album's phenomenal.
The Spores (+2)
Sigur Ros
Godspeed You Black Emperor
Aimee Mann
Explosions in the Sky
System of a Down
Mindless Self Indulgence (an acquired taste, but I think they're brilliant)
Ugly Casanova
Gogol Bordello
Ghostigital
Aesop Rock
Matthew Good (solo stuff, his MGB stuff is kind of generic)
The Hidden Cameras
Muse

The Knife - Silent Shout

Also maybe of interest: obscuresound.com's Best Albums of 2006 (Top 10, none of whom I've heard of)

When I answered my own query for recommendations I listed Tweaker, VAST, Final Fantasy, Lisa Germano's latest album... and today I bought some Tool, based on a video linked in the same discussion. So what do you think of the other things people recommended? Without spending a long time on either Amazon or Pandora I'm not sure where to start with a list this long.

Comments

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm pretty surprised by a couple that you aren't familiar with - especially broken social scene and gogol bordello. BSS has a song that is one of my all-time faves, along with HB, and we went on and on about it a while back. Gogol Bordello is one of J's faves, he used to babble on about their song "start wearing purple" All. The. Time. I don't love Gogol, but it's ok. They often do shows with Dresden Dolls, Humanwine and Balkan Beatbox. Ugly Casanova is fave of mine.

I'd throw Feist, Lily Allen, and Koop on the list off-hand.

[flexagon]

I only know that one song by Broken Social Scene, that I've heard in the company of you and HB. Never bought any albums.

I'm both annoyed and glad that you mentioned Lily Allen... I just discovered her 2 days ago and purposely didn't mention her because I was gonna give it to you as a present. I was pretty sure you'd like the snarkiness and the accent. SIGH, gotta go, I have a drawing board to get back to. :P