A little off track...

The harshest critic would say that my resolution is already a failure.  I didn't do anything awesome last weekend.  In fact, it was the opposite of awesome.  I was sick with a nasty cold.  My original plan was to do the Polar Bear Plunge in Wildwood, NJ with one of my friends.  Basically, the Polar Bear Plunge entails making a donation to Special Olympics and then running into the (nearly) freezing cold ocean with several hundred other...brave souls?  Yeah, that's a nice way to put it.  Sure, you risk hypothermia, but it's for a good cause and it's just good fun.  I missed out on this excursion but luckily I have a whole year left to make up for it.

Over the last few weeks more and more announcements have come out regarding the upcoming Grammy awards.  I generally don't pay much attention to the Grammys, but I started thinking about the different music I've gotten into over the past year.  Having the ability to purchase new music with the click of a button is one of the best things the Internet has brought to us, and I love being able to expand my music library so easily.  I decided to come up with my own, slightly unconventional music awards.  Remember this, because I'm sure that when I'm rich and famous these will actually be coveted accolades.

Album/Artist that Made Me Reconsider My Childhood Dreams of Becoming a Singer: Adele's 21.  Adele is a knockout artist.  Her sound is so deep, bluesy, soulful, and honest.  She's really in a class all her own as far as modern day female artists.  Every time I think I have a favorite song from this album, I start to like another one more.

Album that Will Most Likely Cause Me to Blow Out the Speakers in My Car: Foster the People's Torches.  The songs on this album can only be played on full blast.  They're very fun and funky and I love their generous use of bass.

Album that Will be on My Playlist for Years to Come: Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More.  Who knew that I would like British banjo rock so much?  This album has a wonderful mix of upbeat and somber tunes and some wonderful lyrics.  I would love to see them live!

If I Were an Album, I Would Sound Like...: Young the Giant's self-titled album.  "My Body" was one of my favorite "driving in the summertime with the windows down" songs in 2011.  I like the first half of the album more than the second, but the album in general is very good.  The intertwining guitar melodies add personality to the music and the percussion provides more of a heartbeat than a drumbeat.

Artist I Rediscovered as One of My Favorites: Jimmy Eat World.  I had the pleasure of seeing this band from my high school days last February at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ, and they were AMAZING.  It prompted me to dust off and revisit their albums and they're so great.  I probably listened to Futures, Clarity and Chase This Light every day for months.  Their new album that came out in Fall 2010, Invented, is decent, but their overall catalog is some of my favorite music.

These are the albums that really shaped my musical tastes this year.  I'm looking forward to discovering some new bands in 2012!

Now I'm off to start the third weekend of 2012.  'Til next week!