I've been trying like mad to get people to listen to Abandoned Pools. It's alt rock made by the awesome Tommy Walter. They just released a new album called Sublime Currency. It's more mild than the last two, but the older stuff is still really good.

I'm just surprised nobody I talk to ever has heard of them. They're not big big, but they're on a major label (I think), and Tommy Walter is a pretty famous guy. He was one of the original members of The Eels. I'm not particularly fond of them, but I hear they were pretty big at one point.