I haven’t liked anything Oasis has done since Be Here Now; the album most trashed by both the band and its critics. I suppose it’s Oasis’ Pinkerton: The great album everyone hates, after which everything sucked.

Every once in awhile, I check back in with Oasis, just to see if I’m missing anything. And that’s why I picked up Dig Out Your Soul. Before hearing a note of any single, I had been made aware of its grade by one of my favorite assholes, Noel Gallagher, who stuck a dirty middle finger up at the Radiohead / Trent Reznor game: “That’s not our bag,” He told BBC 6 Music. “I didn’t spend a year in the most expensive studio in England, with the most expensive producer in America, and the most expensive graphic designer in London to then give it away. Fuck that.”

With a seamless flow that transcends the simple two-track mash-up, Girl Talk (aka Greg Gillis) weaves instrument or vocal tracks from several sources at once, but never stays on one idea long enough to get used to- or tired of- it. He mixes Jay-Z with Radiohead, Busta Rhymes with the Police, Outkast and The Jackson 5, Mary J. Blige with The Guess Who. And that covers about a minute and a half of one song.

While professional sample mashers still have a long way to go to be the household names that more traditional musicians are, Girl Talk is riding the crest of the rising wave of popularity this relatively young genre is thriving on. And rightfully so; his songs are mile-a-minute dance tracks that don’t allow for casual listening. I’m serious- put Feed The Animals on at a party and see if there’s one ass not shaking in the room within thirty seconds. You can’t not dance to this.

While the rest of the nation was watching Barack Obama accept the Democratic nomination in Denver, Radiohead was in Santa Barbara, CA, bringing their international summer-long In Rainbows tour to a triumphant, if subdued, close. The biggest band in the world proved last night exactly why they can give their album away and still be a wild success; they’re maniacally passionate about what they do, and the authenticity of delivery matched with sheer instrumental genius lifts them head and shoulders beyond the lion’s share of arena bands out there.

Radiohead proved once again last night that they’re atmospheric pioneers in a purgatorial electronic landscape, where the running theme is delicate despair with bursts of angelic optimism. Whether they’re pushing industry envelopes, making crazy laser beam videos or simply blowing minds and dropping jaws with their music, this band is undoubtedly among the best of our generation.

Since hitting the scene with a debut EP in 2004 and a follow-up full length album in 2006, 8mm have hit their stride and are finally getting some well-deserved attention. Their songs No Way Back and Forever And Ever Amen were featured on a December 2006 episode of the WB show One Tree Hill. The exposure’s worked wonders for the band, and last year was a busy one- they covered Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better for the Mr. & Mrs. Smith soundtrack, were featured as one of 2007’s “Top Bands You Need To Know And Love And Worship” by Alternative Press and have had their songs on various MTV shows that, like nearly all shows on MTV, have nothing at all to do with music.

But to hell with all that. The brass tacks are that 8mm is a standout independent band doing things their own way, and we love what we’re hearing. That’s why we called up Sean and Juliette last week for a ranting, impassioned discussion about their inspirations and aspirations, the chaotic state of the music industry and Axl Rose’s joke-telling prowess.

While rappers running out of things to say are still telling anyone who’ll listen that “hip-hop is dead,” Giant Panda’s busy bringing living proof to the fact that nothing could be further than the truth. As part of a new revival of socially-conscious rhymes that don’t have anything to do with guns, bitches and bling, Giant Panda (Alex Newman, Jamaan “Maanumental” McLaren and Chikara “Chicaramanga” Kurahashi) sets a bold example for others to follow in the world of hip-hop, through total commitment to vibe and flow- not some masturbatory self-promotional rhyme laid over an uptempo club beat.

After releasing their instant-classic debut Fly School Reunion in 2005, Kado and Superbrush moved on to other projects, thinning the group to the trio it is today. The album was adored by critics and fans alike, emboldening Giant Panda to step up their sample-heavy sound even further for their tremendous sophomore album, Electric Laser, released in May. Despite splitting down to three members, Electric Laser is evidence that the flow has been anything but compromised; the group’s ability to feed off one another has only been honed over time.

We caught up with Newman recently to discuss the new album, how he became an MC, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to write bad songs.