Ah, Music!

I used to really be into music in my youth but somewhere along the way I lost touch with what was new and exciting on the music scene. As I age, I find myself less adventurous in my musical explorations, listening to the same old cd's I've heard hundreds of times before rather than trying something new.

No more! The CPL offers a fantastic selection of cd's, including tons of stuff that's new and interesting. I decided to start checking out cd's, but I gave myself one rule to prevent me from just listening to Abby Road for the the seven-hundredth time: I had to listen to artists I had never even heard of before.

Over the past month I have checked out well over one hundred cd's. A majority just didn't resonate with me, but I have discovered a few artists that I really like. Here are a few of my finds:

• Todd Snider is a singer-songwriter who reminds me of Warren Zevon, John Prine and Tom Waits. By that I mean he writes brilliant, witty songs in a voice that sounds like bicycle crashing into a garbage can. If that craft of song writing matters more to you than blandly flawless singing, then check him out.
  
• This might be cheating a bit, because even though I had never heard of The Apples in Stereo before, they remind me so much of the pop music I loved as a kid that it's not exactly expanding my musical horizons to listen to them. Still, it's good to see that people out there are still trying to craft the perfect pop song. As long as they try, I'm willing to listen.
  
• Apparently I was the only person on the planet who did not know Eels, but now I'm in with the rest of you. I won't say anything because you know more than I do. Why didn't you tell me sooner?

I'd recommend you check these cd's out on your library card and give 'em a spin (as we used to say). Or better yet, wander in to the cd stacks and discover a gem of your own.