So things started picking up for me in June, that’s when I downloaded Mumford & Sons Sigh No More. This album had been out for a little while, but it was new to me, and it was the first album I had been excited about in months. This band has a wonderfully unique sound, it’s kind of a modern take on an Americana/Folk sound. In my opinion that genre of music suffers from feeling terribly old and disconnected from our world today. A lot of Americana music features top notch musicianship, but it leaves you with visions of the last century not the current one. It has it’s place, but isn’t a frequent listen for me. I can’t put my finger on what is different, but Sigh No More is a collection of songs that pull strongly from Americana and Folk but have an energy more similar to rock and roll. Maybe it’s because they’re British, I don’t know why, but The Beatles were British so it seems plausible enough. It’s just a fun listen, you can check it out here or at their website www.mumfordandsons.com. (Disclaimer: the track “Little Lion Man” has some unfortunate, profane, language on it. It’s definitely not a track to listen to with kids in the car.)

Shortly after I got into enjoying this album Mumford & Sons played at the Bonnarroo music festival hear in TN, and it felt like they were all I could hear about for the next couple weeks. It’s been interesting to see how a viral “buzz” has been taking hold more and more of how I discover new music. This next band is no surprise to a lot of people since a week ago they were still the most common trend in my twitter feed, but a couple weeks back I bought Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. Talk about going viral, I haven’t heard anything about this album through traditional channels (radio, tv, even major websites...) but when this album released it was all anyone could talk about on twitter, so I finally decided I would buy into the hype and give it a shot. It’s good. That’s all I’ve really got at the moment, I’m still getting a good feel for it, but I’ve given it several listens and it’s still a favorite on my iPod, so that puts it in a good place for now. There aren’t any “singles” that really jump out at you and get stuck in your head all day, but it’s an hour of music you can easily get lost in. It’s indie rock at it’s best, influences from the psychedelic classic rock of the 70’s and a dose of modern pop. I’ll see if I’m still digging it in a month before I make a final verdict. If you haven’t heard it you can sample it here or at their website www.arcadefire.com.

All that brings me to my current #1. This album did not “go viral” like the first two I mentioned, but it is the current release from a guy who has proven an ability to keep turning out good music with seemingly no end. For those who know me, it’s obvious that I’m talking about Andrew Peterson’s Counting Stars. Now, as a fair disclaimer, I’ve been a fan of AP’s for years now, and I don’t use the term “fan” lightly. I like a lot of music, but I’m a true fan of very few artists, maybe 3 at best, so I am somewhat predisposed to like his music. BUT, that doesn’t change the fact that Counting Stars is simply the best thing to hit my iPod this year.

The strength of his music is his writing, his lyrics have the ability to cut straight to my core like nothing else. When I listen, my appreciation is totally different from when I listen to Mumford & Sons or Arcade Fire, with them it’s about loving the artwork of the instruments and voices together. With AP, his words and melodies can move me to tears. He sings about simple things, like his undying love for his wife of more than 15 years, the joys and pains of marriage, and the prayer that his kids will grow up to know his God like he does. The songs move past art to become an encouraging friend by your side, there to lift you up when you are weak and walk with you down the road. If you listen to only one song after reading this post, let it be “Many Roads” from Counting Stars, right now you can stream the whole song for free at his website www.andrew-peterson.com or buy it here.

That’s what I’ve got for now. If you have any of these albums or listen to them after reading this leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I love to hear how different people experience music, and it’s ok if you disagree, I won’t be mad =)

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Thanks

dtm

A Day In San Francisco from Daniel Myers on Vimeo.

After a Revolve show in Sacramento, I spent an extra day with my friend Sean doing some sight-seeing in & around San Francisco. We only had one day but we got to see a lot of fun stuff around the city including Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge!

Tomorrow I fly to Columbus, OH for the start of The Revolve Tour, and the start of the whirlwind that will be the next few months. I'll be traveling for about 75% of the next month, and for about 50% of the months after that. During the few days I have at home we plan to close on a house, move, and hopefully start settling in. I remember in college how I thought that if I could just get to the end of the semester then everything would be OK, well I'm not in college anymore, and I'm starting to think that the pressures I experienced there were just the training wheels for the rest of my life. I already have something scheduled for every single weekend until the beginning of next year. God has been good to us, and it's wonderful that he's providing me work right now during a time when so many others are struggling, but now I'm going to need some grace and strength to pull through it.

Kind of like college, I think that when I look back in a few years I'll probably only remember the good parts, and I like it that way. Let the whirlwind begin!

"If the entering college class of 2013 had been more alert back in 1991 when most of them were born, they would now be experiencing a severe case of déjà vu. The headlines that year railed about government interventions, bailouts, bad loans, unemployment and greater regulation of the finance industry. The Tonight Show changed hosts for the first time in decades, and the nation asked “was Iraq worth a war?”