On this week’s Monday Morning Tape…

… two songs from New Jersey, one quality folk song care of the Tarheel state, two great singer-songwriters performing live, and some West Coast weirdness.

Happy Monday to you.

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Anthony D’Amato – Ballad of the Undecided

If you’ve ever gotten the urge to throw your hands up and yell about how you don’t know what the hell you’re doing in life, then listen up, because Anthony D’Amato has had that urge too, and he wrote a song about it.

Mr. D’amato’s new record, Cold Snap, is out now on New West Records.

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YJY – Through Being Hip / Summer Lifeguard

Here’s some fuzzy guitar pop from New Jersey.

What does “YJY” stand for, you might ask?

“If you look at the letters ‘YJY’ when they’re all in caps, it becomes a face,” drummer Dave Sachs says. “The J is the nose, and the tops of the Y’s are like eyes looking down and crying. We bounced a couple names around, but then we figured that it would be cooler to have an image rather than a name.”

A little odd, but it works.

And hey, did you really wanna find out that it stood for “Yarn Jargon Yapping” or some garbage like that?

No, of course not.

YJY’s sophomore EP, The Same Noise, is due out this Friday.

RIYL: The Thermals, cheap coffee, good music, irony

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River Whyless – Falling Son

And now, some great upbeat baroque folk care of Asheville, North Carolina.

We All the Light is due out August 26th.

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Jason Isbell and Ryan Adams – Sway (live Rolling Stones cover)

Well sure, two of America’s best singer-songwriters covering the Rolling Stones is probably gonna be decent at the very least.

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Oyster Kids – Gum (Everybody’s My Friend)

Finally, here’s some weird-but-catchy indie rock from Los Angeles.

RIYL: Beck, Jamie Lidell, good music

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Until next week, cheers.