When It Rains, It Floods

The title really has no reference to the massive snow storms blowing through the Northeast right now, although I do wish I was enjoying a fresh New York City snow. You know, the kind that's so pretty before it turns to black slush and ruins your shoes.

I've had a recent influx of free music, all of it worth sharing. During my routine Starbucks run this morning I picked up a couple of "Pick of the Week" cards. I love Starbucks for a lot of reasons, but this ranks at the top! I love that they pick really quality songs and artists to feature; I don't feel like they're trying to sucker me into downloading some completely obscure and bizarre track that I'm going to spend an hour trying to figure out how to delete from my iphone. Right now you can pick up Corrine Bailey Rae's I'd Like To Call It Beauty and Spoon's Mystery Zone. Both have been added to my current rotation.

Also, I downloaded a free compilation cd prior to the holidays with great stuff from some up and coming musicians. Since then I've gotten lots of freeby offers as they are starting to release new stuff. I haven't listened to all of this yet, but if you're looking for a "try before you buy" kind of deal, check out Matthew Mayfield, Meiko, and Josh Ritter for some free downloads.

And I have to give credit where credit is due. I watched an episode of The Buried Life this week on MTV with Kristen (our resident MTV expert) . I laughed, I cried (actually, I just teared up - barely) and then I downloaded no less than 3 songs from the single 30-minute episode. MEEP! I couldn't help myself! As much as I like to take shots at MTV, I have to say that their music selection is always shamefully spot-on. Plus, I'm gearing up for my annual trip to San Diego (can I call it annual if it's only my second?) and I'm building my SoCal playlist. I'm not sure if it was the tunes or just the show, but it all seemed very California to me. Plus, they're adorbs.


Check out Walking On A Dream by Empire of the Sun, and don't be scared by their anime album cover - just turn a blind eye. Also Stacy Clark's Strange and The Temper Trap's Love Lost. Also worth noting, Miike Snow's Burial and Animal.