I figured with my previous show being devoted to songs that remind me of sleep, this one would be the opposite. After a few bouts of standard indie rock, things got thick and loud.

For fans of The Thermals’ early stuff and Unnatural Helpers, fellow Pacific Northwesters Virgin Islands are sure to appease. The band recently debuted a video for “No Doctor” off their debut LP. It features singer/guitarist Michael Jaworski (The Cops) on a gurney rolling through the streets of Seattle. In it he screams Don’t call the doctor / Don’t call an ambulance, which fits the song nicely. Ironically, then, he was injured in the last shot of the film and the lyrics became moot as he took a …

In the fall of 2009, Seattle punk band Virgin Islands gave us their debut EP after only a short time of existence. That EP, despite only containing four tracks, demonstrated the type of skill and songwriting prowess one could expect from a seasoned band with years under their belt. So it’s with great anticipation that we receive “No Doctor”, a track off Virgin Islands’ new album Ernie Chambers Vs. God.

Not surprisingly, this list is filled with EPs by quite a few bands you know and quite a few you probably don’t. Of the ones you don’t know, many are likely from Washington; a quick count leaves me with five bands, or 1/4 of this list. Many of these bands I consider among the most promising artists to surface in 2009. All are worth checking out, and you’ll want to keep an eye on them as we head into 2010.

No sooner than I discovered The Cops, they were over; succumbing to the fate all bands reach at some point. But Mt. Fuji Records mastermind Mike Jaworski is back with a new project, one in the same vein as The Cops. This group, Virgin Islands, just dropped their first EP. I picked up Age Of Anxiety on a whim while in Seattle last weekend and now I’m obsessing over its post-punk Seattle in-your-face greatness.