Jukebox the Ghost {thanks, JUKEBOX THE GHOST}

Take three George Washington University students, add a piano and some theatrical, operatic camp, and you have the irresistible Jukebox the Ghost.

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La Rocca {thanks, DANGERBIRD RECORDS}

A search for La Rocca leads you to “One Tree Hill.” The show has featured the Irishmen-turned-Los Angelans over the past three years. “Half Speed,” from their latest album, OK Okay, was in the episode when Nathan was introduced to Slamball. “Half Speed” is also No. 15 on the WTMD Top 15 for the week of Dec. 29. Check the whole list after the jump.

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Glasvegas {thanks, SONIA GRACE}

glasvegas Glasvegas
Glasvegas mixes a throwback sound channeling Elvis and ’50s girl groups and coyly melds it with feedback-drenched art-noise rock on its self-titled debut.

Discovered at the same Scottish club that brought Oasis to a label boss’ attention, Glasvegas tackles intense subjects, such as absent fathers (“Daddy’s Gone”) and a ripped-from-the-headlines kidnap and murder (“Flowers and Football Tops”), with empathy, sing-a-long choruses and more than a few expletives. Best is “It’s My Own Changing Heart That Makes Me Cry,” a self-bashing song of epic proportions. They perform tonight on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

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Caleb and Saleem {thanks, MICHAEL PATRICK O’LEARY}

Friendship is an aspect of music that has always intrigued and excited me. The tradition of my best buddies and me going to see our favorite band has cemented our friendship because of a shared love for the tunes.

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Erik Deatherage and Franti {thanks, FRANK DILLER}

Clearly the best part about hosting the WTMD Morning Show is the weekly thrill of interviewing musicians and seeing them play live in an intimate setting. While, admittedly, I sweat out the details about making sure I’m prepared for a guest, they always puts me immediately at ease with the stories and insights each has to share.

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1. The Firemen, “Sing the Changes,” 15 plays. Rising!

Guggenheim Grotto {thanks, UFO Music}

2. The Guggenheim Grotto, “Fe Da Da Dee ” 9 plays. Rising!
Irish duo The Guggenheim Grotto worked hard to get their music known, self-releasing their debut, and their second album, Happy the Man, tells the story of songwriters that can combine folk and pop and still sound current and groundbreaking. The Guggenheim Grotto play the Eastern Shore’s Coffee East on Saturday, Jan. 10.
3. of Montreal, “An Eluardian Instance,” 9 plays. Rising!
4. Delta Spirit, “People C’mon,” 9 plays.
5. Butch Walker, “The Weight of Her,” 9 plays. Rising!
6. The Dears, “Berlin Heart,” 9 plays. Rising!
7. Birdmonster, “New Country,” 8 plays. Rising!
8. Airborne Toxic Event, “Sometime Around Midnight,” 8 plays.

Aimee Mann {thanks, SuperEgo Records}

9. Aimee Mann, “31 Today,” 8 plays.

Aimee Mann just wrapped up her third annual Christmas Show, and this year she featured John Krasinski from “The Office” as the Ghost of Christmas Present. If you missed the shows, they live on at YouTube. Here’s one of my favorite featuring a trio of holiday songs AND Krasinski:

10. Flogging Molly, “Float,” 8 plays.

Bruce Springsteen {thanks, Columbia Records}

11. Bruce Springsteen , “Working on a Dream,” 8 plays.

The Super Bowl has become a fantastic reason to have a party, even if your favorite team doesn’t make the big dance (we believe in you, Ravens!). Another good reason to watch this year:- Bruce Springsteen. He’ll have the E Street Band with him on Feb. 1.
12. Good Old War, “Coney Island,” 8 plays.
13. Adele, “Right as Rain,” 7 plays.
14. Decemberists, “Valerie Plame,” 7 plays.
15. TV on the Radio, “Crying,” 7 plays.

For more, go to wtmd.org.

She and Him {thanks, AP}

In a year when it was hard to avoid and rebel against the hype of bands such as Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes (both deservedly praised) and to ignore high expectations (Dr. Dog, My Morning Jacket) and gutsy statements (Coldplay), here are five albums that stood above the rest.

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Good Old War {thanks, SARGENT HOUSE RECORDS}

Though they were reared on classic rock, it wasn’t until much later that the three guys in Good Old War were exposed to the harmonizing bands that inform the sound of their debut, Only Way to Be Alone. Out of the ashes of the progressive-rock band Days Away, percussionist Tim Arnold and guitarist/lead singer Keith Goodwin joined guitarist Dan Schwartz for a sound that’s innovative and intimate, yet familiar and communal. These harmonies are easy to digest, but the musicality should be appreciated, too.
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Barenaked Ladies {thanks, AP}

For some people, November’s Black Friday is a day to get up early and head to the stores for bargain hunting and doing whatever it takes to get their kids the perfect gift. For others it’s the official start of the Christmas season. Lights start flying up on houses. Red bows, inflatable lawn ornaments, trees strapped to cars and Santa hats become part of the landscape. And let’s not forget that all the songs you were sick of hearing by the time New Year’s rolled around this year are back again and haven’t changed one bit. But like clockwork, tunes about Santa, Frosty, hula hoops and front teeth seem to come out of every speaker around.

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Eulogies {thanks, JONNY LEATHER}

Eulogies — sounds depressing, right? Well, the band is actually working on a theory that if you spoke to people the way you’d sum them up when they were dead, what a beautiful world this would be. Eulogies is third on this week’s WTMD Top 15, with “Bad Connection.” Check out the rest of the list after the jump.

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