Open your ears! In a world of multi-gigabyte music collections (32 at last count), it's easy to have an incoherent musical experience. I mean, who listens to YoYo Ma side by side with Metallica? This is a throw back to the good ole' days of the mix tape and to the creativity spawned inside a 90 minute cassette.

SubPopKerPlop

• Youth Group - Shadowland
• Weezer - Island in the Sun
• The Kooks - Sofa Song
• Morningwood - My Body's 21
• The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty in Pink
• Bloc Party - So Here We Are
• The Flaming Lips - Waitin' For Superman
• The Hombres - Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)
• Doves - Some Cities
• Snow Patrol - You Could Be Happy
• Panic! At the Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies
• Caesars - Jerk It Out
• Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You
• Devo - Whip It
• Lake Trout - Stutter
• EMF - Unbelievable
• Rinocerose - Cubicle
• Trio - Da-Da-Da
• The White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl
• Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance
• The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
• The Strokes - Ize of the World
• Sam Roberts - Brother Down
• The Strokes - 12:51
• Morningwood - Nu Rock

You don't tell a story by writing down every word in a dictionary; you take a select few and arrange them from beginning to end. I'm tired of being told what to like by the media; perhaps there will come a day when we can decide without mediation.

Got your own list to share? Just tack it on in the comments.

Listening to music for me has always been about exploration and discovering historical resonance in "new music". It's akin to Bach's Goldberg Variations; each variation contributes its own identity in an entirely unique way. I find that I gravitate to music with this quality; music that unabashedly is influence by the music of my youth.

Unfortunately, traditional means of discovery have been increasingly tainted by commercialism. Thankfully, the Net is a big place with lots of great alternatives. One podcast that I'd like to recommend is NPR's All Songs Considered with Bob Boilen. I can't say I agree with all of his choices, but a few have been bang on. As a tribute to this new find, I'm finally updating my current listening list:

• Asobe Seksu - Transparence
• Alistar Blaik Bundale - The Day
• The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
• Mesmer - Teenage Dreams
• White Lies - Taxidermy
• Gooseflesh - Still Wild
• Bad Lieutenant - Sink or Swim
• 5 Cent Theatre - Shifting Sands
• Mumm-Ra - She's Got You High
• Chambers - Sea Mistress
• Kurt Vile - Overnite Religion
• The Coast - Nueva York
• Kanute - Not Sleeping
• The Love X Nowhere - Northern Time
• Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds
• Beat Radio - Memoir of Lightening
• Land of Talk - May You Never
• The Exploding Boy - London
• New Found Land - Leave It Behind
• Goyte - learnalilgivinanlovin
• Brite Lite Brite - I Just Want U 2 Myself
• Miracle Fortress - Hold Your Secrets to Your Heart
• The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher than the Stars
• Bye Bye Bicycle - Haby Baby
• Evan Voytas - Getting Higher
• Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance the Way I Feel
• Red Wire Black Wire - Compass
• Downtown Union - Bright Idea
• Wild Beasts - Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants
• The XX - Blood Red Moon
• The Ties and the Lies - August is for City Lovers
• Choir of Young Believers - Action Reaction
• Gossip - Music for Men
• The Swell Season - Strict Joy
• Oliver Schroer - Camino

Added to my regular rotation of Muse and Kings of Leon, these tracks ensure that I don't suffer from listening fatigue.