Who needs music videos anymore? TV shows do a fine job these days selling bands and their music...

I never really caught much of The O.C. during it's run since I didn't find anyone except the characters played by Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson all that interesting to watch.  The show was good for finding fresh emerging musical artists, though, and I'd often peruse the web looking to see who's music got featured on the show to pull myself out of a rut of listening to old familiar tunes. The creator of The O.C., Josh Schwartz, has gone on to start a couple of new shows this season such as Gossip Girl (sort of The O.C. reimagined in the high society atmosphere of New York City) and Chuck (sort of The O.C. reimagined if Seth suddenly became a secret agent man) complete with their own edgy soundtracks featuring a mix of hip songs and more obscure, lesser known bands put together by musical supervisor Alexandra Patsavas (who's also responsible for other music-laden shows like Grey's Anatomy and, of course, The O.C.).  

Anywho, this is a long-winded segway to say you should all check out this group, Band of Horses.  I got their latest album Cease To Begin awhile back and thought it was pretty good, but never thought to post about it until I recognized a couple of their songs ("No One's Gonna Love You" and "The General Specific") during key scenes in recent episodes of Chuck and Gossip Girl.  Now, this is not to say that this is a predictable radio-friendly pop album, but it does show a wide spectrum of moods from ethereal and mysterious to foot-stomping fun.  It's more kind of what would happen if you put The Shins and My Morning Jacket in a blender, and listened to the results.  It's indie rock with just a hint of the South.