new year, new music

Over the past year, there some albums that came into my life that I loved. The Avett Brothers' I and Love and You, for instance, completely melts my heart everytime I hear it. Despite Southern roots, I joined the crowd of obsessed fans of Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" and The Blueprint 3. I was glad to see Miranda Lambert's sophmore album was more than sophmoric and a vast improvement over Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (while still leaving me a little scared of her.) But I loved (or at least liked) all these artists before. And many that I did love, I hadn't picked up their latest (hello, Yeah Yeah Yeahs!)

I began to realize that I listened to a small number of albums and musicians and that I needed a serious overhaul. I was still using the excuse that during junior year my computer crashed as rationale for having almost no music, but that was two years ago!

So belatedly, on the train Saturday, I finally made a New Year's Resolution. Only a month late.

I will listen to new music. Everyday.

My plan is to do this at work, turning on music to get started everyday. I'm taking suggestions. Today's first official selection comes from my boyfriend, who knows my love for cute, happy, slightly twee music. His friend from back in the day plays guitar and banjo, and having a banjo in your band means I want to listen to you. His suggestion? Freelance Whales.

They seem pretty legit on their Myspace (album coming out soon, big tour through the Southern part of the country before playing at SXSW.) They sound familiar, but I'm having trouble figuring out the right comparisons. They have a dreamy pop sound, not as depressing as Bright Eyes who I haven't heard in forever but whose name is coming to mind along with the Postal Service. I'm not reviewer but I say, give them a listen and I hope you like it!