In the ongoing quest to get the wife listening to decent stuff. I am making her a light mix. Here is what I have so far. Please note some of her faves are Jack Johnson, Maroon 5, John Mayer, Oasis & The Killers. I am trying to keep this pretty poppy.

1. Belle & Sebastian - If She Wants Me
2. Badly Drawn Boy - Everybody's Stalking
3. Interpol - Next Exit
4. Pavement - Range Life


Pretty Weak thus far. No suggestion will be turned away.

Creeper Lagoon - Up All Night
Spoon - Take a Walk
Wilco - Monday

Seems to me you're gonna need to pay attention to the production of the song as much as the song itself. So, no matter how good the song is, stay away from thin "indie" mid-fi. Find some tolerable stuff that sounds like it could get played on modern radio. Maybe...

Josh Rouse "Love Vibration"
Phantom Planet "Lonely Day"
Razorlight "Golden Touch"
Weakerthans "Reconstruction Site"
Ike Reilly "Boat Song"
Tift Merritt "Stray Paper"
Over The Rhine "Show Me"
Boss Martians "Never Let It Happen Again"
Tommy Stinson "Hey You"
Grandaddy "Now It's On"

etcetera.

Try some Ivy and/or Jem. They are more pop-oriented than I would discuss at most alternatively-oriented boards. Or maybe the Cardigans. I like...I think the name of the track is "Please Sister". Jem would be "Missing You", and Ivy would be...oh, I dunno, "Ocean City Girl" is nicely upbeat.

Or perhaps anything by Aimee Mann.

Or, referencing another thread, how about something off of Tori's Beekeeper?

Maybe Rogue Wave ('Every Moment') or Rachael Yamagata ('1963') or Paloalto ('Sonny').

Deathcab for Cutie - Title and Registration
Ryan Adams - To be Young
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Angels' Share
New Pornographers - All for Swinging you Around

Josh Rouse - "Sad Eyes"
A.C. Newman - "Come Crash"
Brendan Benson - "Metarie"
Coldplay - "A Rush Of Blood To The Head"
Clem Snide - "Al Green"
Counting Crows - "Up All Night"
Iron And Wine - "Jezebel"
Five For Fighting - "Superman"
Freedy Johnston - "Two Lovers Stop"
Indigo Girls - "Closer To Fine"
Joseph Arthur - "Birthday Card"
Magnetic Fields - "All My LIttle Words"
The Jayhawks - "Blue"
Michael Penn - "Invisible"
Ryan Adams - "Answering Bell"
The Shins - "New Slang"

edit: I swear I thought you were going for slower, sappier stuff.....