More notable (sorta) new music:
Simply Waiting is a bit like how Jars of Clay would sound if they were emo, instead of commercial-alternative. (Ok, that was admittedly not my best attempt at a musical comparison but anyway …) Simply Waiting’s most distinct feature is their acoustic-guitar-driven melodies, which is especially obvious on tracks like “Went With The Count”, “Carefree” (my personal favorite, although i don’t really care for the brief voiceover toward the end) and “Strategy in Moving”. Incidentally they have 6 tracks available for free at PureVolume, which is where I came across them.
Jenoah is another emo band (although unlike Simply Waiting, these guys lean more toward that wonderfully ambiguous “post-hardcore” subgenre). Their free EP has been floating around online for quite a few weeks; I got mine at AudioLunchBox, but you can get copies here and here as well. I particularly like “Openly” and “Jamie” although your own mileage may vary.
And lastly, Seafood’s Surviving the Quiet album came out waaay back in 2001, but I only discovered it yesterday because well, I suck. In case there are still one or two of you around out there who haven’t heard these guys in the 3 years their album has been lauded, hyped and praised, this is a brilliant piece of indie pop that every fan of the genre should pick up. I haven’t quite made up my mind yet which tracks are standouts, but “Toggle” is fantastic straight out of the box, no second-listening required.