Playlist Mix 18 might have been the first time Inner Surge were featured on the Playlist Mix back in January 2008 but it wasn’t the last. It’s also not the last of frontman Steve Moore whose latest project, The Unravelling, found their way onto Playlist Mix 44 with Unscripted Disclosure.

Back in January 2008, I also gave away a few copies of An Offering, the album release from Inner Surge at the time, a powerhouse of progressive metal out of Canada. From the album comes this track, Halliburton Piggies.

The 17th Playlist Mix podcast saw the introduction of Broken Social Scene to the proceedings. One thing I love about the Canadian music scene is their ability to churn out quality bands and quality musicians and the collective that make up Broken Social Scene are no different.

Today’s free track for your lent listening is ‘Backed Out On The…’. Grab the MP3 below (right click, save target as etc.)

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British Sea Power, easily compared to Arcade Fire, released ‘No Lucifer’ as a single back in March 2008. Two months earlier it surfaced on Playlist Mix 16 in January 2008. Enjoy the video above and get your hands on the MP3 below, taken from the album ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’

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Are you allow to pimp your own music in this series? I’ve recently started producing music under the name of ‘Empire Social‘. It’s a long process and it’s leading to some interesting offline collaborations. There’s a few new tracks due in the coming weeks (one due this weekend) and a podsafe album release due later in the year.

If you can turn up the bass, turn up the bass, you might need it for this one. You can also download the track here via EmpireSocial.com and follow Empire Social on Twitter.

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This one, from The Outside, appeared on Playlist Mix 14 back in December 2007. As they say themselves – “Embodying elements of the Deftones, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Pumpkins, the New York group brands stages with an unmistakably claimed sound that, in the end, leaves raised fists and silver dollar eyed audiences everywhere “.

They bit the dust in 2008 after seven years but they left some free music over at MySpace for you. This is a good one, put a little rock in your Tuesday listening.

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I wound up away for the day yesterday and didn’t get around to posting yesterday’s song in time so for your Sunday you get a double-helping of downloads with a track from Codaphonic that featured on Playlist Mix 11 and another from Senses Fail that opened up Playlist Mix 12.

Codaphonic released a great album in the shape of ‘The Ballad of Codaphonic’ over a year ago now with this track, Ritalin, lifted from it.

Senses Fail released their current album offering of ‘Life Is Not A Waiting Room’ in October last year and are currently touring (between February and April) as part of the Saints and Sinners Tour before starting a UK and European tour from mid April.

Enjoy today’s tunes and don’t forget to check back for the 49th Playlist Mix Podcast later on.

Continuing the 46 tracks for lent series, here’s number 10 for you, a few hours late but something to get into the chilled out mood for the start of the weekend. Lovespirals create some seriously good podsafe music and some seriously good downtempo tunes, this one was used on the tenth Playlist Mix podcast way back in November 2007. Seems like a lifetime ago now in terms of the life of the podcast.

Chill out, stick on some Lovespirals and relax into your Friday night.

I think ‘Sun Splits The Sky’ came around for me about the time I started rolling out some downtempo playlists.

Gum released their debut album ’Low-flying Kites’ to very favourable reviews in 2003. Featuring a clutch of great tunes and some spooky instrumental touches, it brought the mellifluous vocals of Leigh Myles to a wider audience. One reviewer described the band as “sounding like Hope Sandoval fronting OK Computer-era Radiohead”. After signing to Serali Records, the 2006 release of their mini-album ’Seven Feeble Alibis’ saw them move into slightly more muscular territory. In addition to the trademark deep and brooding Gum sound, the second album showcased beefier epics like ’Beyond the Horizon’ and the would-be James Bond theme ’Cross your heart, hope to die’. And through it all, Leigh’s multi-layered backing vocals lifted those killer choruses to truly dizzying heights.

If you’re looking for more, check out Leigh Myles on MySpace.

At the tail end of October 2007 I featured this band, Pora Pora, on the podcast with this track, ‘So Cinematic’. At the time I’d said they reminded me in parts of (or their lead did) of Courtney Love. Has the opinion changed? Check for yourself and let me know what you think. Looks like I’ll also be scratching the band off the Christmas card list as they’ve been quite a bit of late. On a wee break perhaps?

Glass Manacle Records has had a few good releases on the books. Advocates of podsafe music, today’s track surfaced about two years ago and made it on to Playlist Mix #6. It’s ‘Better Off Before’ from The Primary Lines of Toledo, Ohio. Redundant of late, the band “formerly The Fall Out Effect, is a band that combines elements from alternative, punk, pop, hard rock, and hardcore genres into an original and intriguing sound.”

Just because they don’t exist doesn’t mean it’s not worth listening to. Get some punked up rock into your Monday with this podsafe freebie.