Yeah, I guess you probably saw that I made a post about it earlier today. I know that Mr. Mysterio said he really liked it in my Franz Ferdinand thread. And I guess Troy listened to some downloads and didn't think that much of it while Jim Clark did. Really hard for me to tell how well an album will connect without listening to the whole thing a few times, although song downloads do help some and this album is very accessible. And I already had the EP from a couple years ago so I was presold on it.

I'd say that most of the Pink Floyd type spacey psychedelicized bands probably have good chance at crossover appeal. Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, Porcupine Tree, Grandaddy, etc.

The Notwist's last album Neon Golden had pretty wide appeal. That whole indie-pop-electronica thing, or indietronica as some are terming it, has pretty good crossover lately with the Notwist, Postal Service, Lali Puna, Dntel, Four Tet, Mum, Laika, Stereolab, Hood, and all the rest.

I kind of thought the Twilight Singers Play Blackberry Belle would appeal to most of us, but so far I don't think that has been the case. Not much PR behind it. It does have a nice full and muscular sound that places it outside of most indie rock, but on the other hand it's not as glossy or radio ready as most major label rock. Maybe stuck in the middle?

The last Built To Spill album found a pretty wide audience, although I think they lost a few older fans in the process.

The Black Heart Procession Amore Del Tropico has much potential for a wide audience since they seemed to keep most of their old appeal while adding a lot of pop sheen, but ultimately they are still on a small label and just aren't well known enough.

I think a band would really have to be on a major label to have the type of across the board type of appeal you're talking about. Bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, Von Bondies, White Stripes, OutKast and the like with big buzz. Trail Of Dead got a pretty big following after their major label outing, but their sound is still kind of loud and messy for the classic rock crowd. I thought the Libertines might catch on with the heavy Clash connection in Mick Jones and the strong songs, but maybe not. British Sea Power seemed to have some of that crossover appeal around here last year as did Interpol the year before, but nothing near universal. The Dismemberment Plan just about had it, but guess not quite. Maybe the name? Of course, Wilco appeals to a broad cross-section, but much of that was because of the endless hype of YHF. I know a lot of people really like that Los Lonely Boys album, and it is good, but it's not something I would listen to often. And probably doesn't have much indie appeal as it can get kind of glossy and it's not well developed lyrically.

This year it looks to be Loretta Lynn