There's a freakout brewin' at my house...in the basement.

One of the most important qualities of a great rock band is a sense of humor. A good bass sound goes a long way too. I guess that's why LCD Soundsytem is one of my favorite modern acts. The lyrics are smart and often quite funny. And the bass sound is great, especially on this morning's first featured track. (I know it's a cliche, but listen to this one loud with headphones on. It'll make you happy.) Anyway, enjoy this 21st century ode to the epic house party: Daft Punk Is Playing At My House. (buy album).

The next one, from this year's great album, "Sound of Silver," is an amusing song about how some Europeans view Americans (i.e., "wouldn't touch us with a ten-foot pole"). A lot of people misunderstand this song. The singer, James Murphy, is not admitting, on behalf of North Americans, to being "scum." He's being ironic. And that's why this song is so funny. My favorite part is the North American "cheerleader" in the background. Good stuff: North American Scum (buy album).