One of the great benefits of living in Seattle is that this town is a magnet for great musical acts. And my favorite radio station, 107.7 The End, has a passion for bringing new talent to the radio waves as frequently as possible. For example, every Tuesday the morning phenom NoName takes 20-30 minutes during his prime time show and brings in a guest (usually one of the folks from Sonic Boom) to talk about the new CDs coming out during the week, and play some tracks from them. It's great radio, and a refreshing change from the sewage that I normally find on morning radio.
If you're not careful, No-Name (or any of The End's staff) can totally spring some new stuff on you that'll blow your mind.
Such was the case this morning, when he spun a track called “I woke up and the morning was grey“ [download] from previously-unheard-of Seattle band Mountain Con. Mountain Con is an odd mix of Franz Ferdinand guitar riffs and a lyrical style that can only be described as “Beck meets Bob Dylan“. And damn if it doesn't work.
Sadly, they are not yet listed on Real Rhapsody (my audio source of choice), but the band does let you download all the tracks from their albums, and play them 3 times for free (Weed downloads).
I highly recommend you check these guys out if you are into fresh alternative music.