Can I Have That On The Side, Please? Geoff Trainor

A few days ago when I was searching for the new Billy Talent, I downloaded a song which was mis-labeled. When I played what I thought was Billy Talent, I found myself listening to Boxcar Racer's "I Feel So". This surprise was not completely unwanted, and I decided to open up my Boxcar Racer cd and take it with me to listen to in the car. This inspired this week's list, which will revolve completely around side-projects. Obviously, there are going to be a ton of side-projects that I don't include, so don't feel too bad if your favourite didn't make it. In fact, a couple of the more obscure ones I wanted to include, I found impossible to find any online mp3s of. I suppose that is what makes them obscure. On to the list! Considering the number I left out, I may do a follow-up. Mocking Music's Top 10 Side Projects 10) Boxcar Racer - Letters To God (MP3) I wasn't going to include this one as I wasn't sure how well received it would be, but the fact remains that I really enjoy this band. They do everything right that Blink 182 had been doing wrong. Besides, it is only fair that they be included since they inspired the whole thing. 9) The 6ths - Rot in the Sun (MP3) Stephin Merritt is a busy man. The 6ths are just one side project of sometimes solo, sometimes group effort Magnetic Fields frontman. In their debut, Wasps' Nests, each song is sung by a different member of the indie scene. Merritt sings on one track only, but remains the man behind the songwriting and composition of the album. This is the same idea Foo Fighter's frontman, Dave Grohl, used in his Probot album. I think this one is probably the better of the two. 8) Bloc Party - Two More Years (MSTRKRFT Remix) (MP3) Okay, we aren't talking about Bloc Party here. As Casey has mentioned before, MSTRKRFT is made up of Death From Above 1979's Jesse Keeler and his friend, Al Puodziukas. Their remixes are some of the best I've heard. 7) Desaparecidos - Man And Wife, The Former (Financial Planning) (MP3) Former king of indie, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, fronts Desaparecidos. Oberst mixes his cynical outlook on society with upbeat songs. I really enjoy this band, and am looking forward to new material from Oberst. 6) MC Honky - My Bad Seed (MP3) What happens if you mix Eels with a bit of electro-pop silliness? MC Honky or E's (the man that is the Eels) side project. The entire album makes for great party music, especially when you have a good set of speakers (I'm probably annoying the neighbors right now). Turn up the bass. I must thank Casey, as I probably would have never picked this up had he not told me about it. 5) Burquitlam Plaza - I Sang in Church (MP3) Nick Krgovich of p:ano released a solo album under the moniker Burquitlam Plaza. Nick's haunting vocals are the focus of I Sang in Church, backed up with little piano. The result is a song that surpasses that of any I've heard from p:ano. 4) The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes (MP3) The combined forces of Jack White and Brendan Benson make for an interesting album. In fact, from what I've heard, this is better than the White Stripes latest, Get Behind Me Satan. With the album being released in just over a week, I am started to get a little excited over The Raconteurs. 3) Loose Fur - The Ruling Class (MP3) A live version of song had been on one of my previous lists under a different name. We made the mistake of thinking it had never made the album. The mistake was pointed out to us by several of our readers. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco has got some mad whistlin' skills, um...yo. 2) The Network - Money Money 2020 (MP3) You know, I still don't know whether Green Day admit to this one yet. I'm sure it's fairly well known by now that the trio from Green Day as well as some support from Devo make up the members of this band. The electronic driven post-punk sound to the Network make for a fun break from the pop-punk anthems Green Day are known for. 1) Postal Service - This Place Is A Prison (MP3) This was the obvious choice for the list, Death Cab For Cutie's Bed Gibbard joins forced with Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello for this synth-pop masterpiece. Amusingly, I own this album, but don't own any Death Cab, despite the fact that I like them a lot. I think one of my favourite things about this album is the Nintendo (or Nintendo-like) sampling used in one of the songs. It seems the word based list I had started a few weeks back will never be finished. This list has already inspired a similar list, which is what I will be working on for next week. I'm sorry if I missed out on some great band in this list. Please, leave comments and tell me who you feel I missed. I might not know about them and you could help have them included in a follow-up. Download: Boxcar Racer - Letters To God The 6ths - Rot in the Sun Bloc Party - Two More Years (MSTRKRFT Remix) Desaparecidos - Man And Wife, The Former (Financial Planning) MC Honky - My Bad Seed Burquitlam Plaza - I Sang In Church The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes Loose Fur - The Ruling Class The Network - Money Money 2020 Postal Service - This Place is a Prison Buy: The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers Postal Service - Give Up MC Honky - I Am The Mesiah The Network - Money Money 2020 Related: Songs In The Key Of M This Is A Long Song For Someone With Nothing To Think About Sunny Days... Who Are You Calling A Narcissist? Jesus, Mocking Music Loves You Too Yes, But Is It Heart? The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts No Pan Troglodyte Business Here Everything Is Automatic