New Favourite CD

Thanks to http://last.fm, I've been finding a ton of new CDs lately that I love. The way the website works is that every time you listen to a song, it records what you're listening to, and then it recommends artists who you might like based on your current listening preferences. It also gives you a wiki article on every artist that you listen to. So, say you're listening to The Decemberists, it will tell you that you might also like Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, Iron & Wine, Elliott Smith, and Death Cab for Cutie. That's how I found Iron & Wine, and I'm in love.

Iron & Wine is not in fact a band, but one man by the name of Sam Beam. He's originally from Tennessee, but now lives in Florida, and he released his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, in 2002. He recorded the whole thing on a four-track in his basement, which just amazes me. It is an absolutely fantastic CD; it's quite southern sounding (he uses a lot of banjo), but his voice and the simplicity of the songs are so appealing. I'm really into chilled-out acoustic folk rock, if that's a label that makes sense, so this is right up my alley. Sometimes he reminds me of Neil Young, other times of Simon & Garfunkel, but mostly he just sounds like himself. Love, love, love. I even love the album cover; if you can imagine a room decorated like that cover, that would be my ideal place to live.

If you haven't joined last.fm and you're really into music, I'd recommend doing it. It is such a fantastic way to broaden your horizons and find out about new artists. Is it just me, or is that how radio worked when we were younger? Anyway, try it out. I guarantee you'll find something to love.