And so, in my state of cow-like zen, I’ve been listening to music that isn’t quite usual for me. Not on my radar, if you will. After hoping onto one of my favorite, most quirkiest of blogs 8/1, I found a whole smorgasbord of indie, offbeat samplings. And for some strange reason, found myself intrigued.

So what can you find there? Well, there’s Joan As Police Woman (pictured left), who I’ve heard of many times before, though never listened before today. Hauntingly melodic, acoustic stuff. Check out “Start Of My Heart,” the smooth, down-tempo ballad…It’s quite rich. Then we’ve got The Mutineers, who have a bit of an early 90′s throb, a smooth shellacking of summer grooves, and all sorts of trendy lyricism. There’s also a song-filled post on Adam & The Amethysts, who sound to me like a cross between The Cardigans, Martha Wainwright, and The Beach Boys. Neat!

I think my friend XO may be feeling a similar round of indie fever lately, as he’s just featured Zooey Deschanel and M Ward’s collaborative effort, She & Him in his latest post. Mosey on over and check it out, little doggies.

But it’s not all about weird noises and being holier-than-thou here in the pop world. Sometimes, it’s about Russia. So check out ElectroQueer’s fast and furious interview with the Russian superstar, Sergey (pictured right). He talks about being into ladies that are naked and Russian pride. Mmm…What?

Chart Rigger has basically hit the glittery nail on the head with his review of Cyndi Lauper‘s Bring Ya To The Brink that I neglected to ever write. I’m shocked at how much I agree! Though I have to say, not only is “Lyfe” skippable, it should never have been recorded in the first place. A terrible, tacky attempt to sound modern. Do what you do best, Cyndi! It is the folly of most maturing musicians to attempt to stay relevant as they continue to put out records. We liked you for a reason, so stay true to yourselves! Somewhere, Madonna‘s ears are burning. End rant.

So that’s about all lately. Coming up soon, I’ve got an exclusive little interview with the Swedish duo I blogged about earlier, Kuryakin! Stay tuned!