Welcome to Playlist, Youthography’s newest monthly offering which features high rotation music we think are important indicators of contemporary youth culture. For this edition, you’ll notice there is a lot of diversity: new and old, bands you’ve heard of and ones you haven’t, and a number of different genres. When you listen to the music below, ask yourself: how you would label it? We’re finding that genres and styles are mixing now more than ever before and creating bridges between rock and soul and dance and rap that goes beyond mash-ups and sampling. Young music listeners are open to mixing and matching music styles and more and more, are refusing to be pigeonholed.

Due to the timeliness of these articles, some of these links will expire quickly. We therefore recommend accessing them immediately before they disappear!

Youthography’s Top Picks for March 2007

Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye This LA based unit is a fast riser in the indie rock scene. They appear to be born out of some mixing of My Bloody Valentine and the Smashing Pumpkins. And as if they needed anything else to confirm their status as rising stars, you can catch them in April at the Coachella festival in California. http://www.coachella.com/images/mainPoster.jpg listen

The Gossip – Listen Up When you have a band that was created in Arkansas and relocates to Olympia. Washington you get what you might expect: the soul of the American south and the edge of the home of grunge. The band is known for their attitude and their gender-bending style and they have created a single worthy of attention. It’s exactly the kind of music we have seen growing with youth audiences. It isn’t soul, it isn’t rock, it isn’t dance music but it is all of those things at the same time. Why let yourself be trapped in someone else’s definition when you can create your own? listen

Dragonette - I Get Around Here is a Canadian act (well, ¾ of it is) that went to England to find their voice. Martina Sorbara was a solo performer out of Toronto. She, with her husband, founded Dragonette in Toronto about 2 years ago and would eventually open for the Scissor Sisters. They relocated to England and with a few line-up changes, ended up with the arrangement you can hear in this track. Their first media showcase was a huge hit, selling out and turning people away. You can see them next on tour with the Sugarbabes. listen

Mika – Love Today listen

The Arcade Fire – Keep the Car Running listen

Antibalas – Ice (Security) listen

Les Breastfeeders – Funny Funiculaire (Les Matins de Grandis Soirs) listen

Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend listen

Rich Boys – Throw Some Ds (Kayne Freestyle Remix) listen

The Fratellis – Flathead listen

The View – Same Jeans listen

Daughtry - It's Not Over listen

Akon - "Don't Matter" listen

Robin Thicke - Lost Without You listen

Bee Gees – Nights On Broadway listen The above should be viewed in companion with this: http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/