New Music.

It's been a while since I really felt compelled to run to the record store and buy a new cd. I used to LOVE music. It wasn't just an accessory or something going on in the background, music was my life. A song or an album could completely turn my mood around (for better or worse, but usually better) and I always, always turned to music when I was in a bad mood. It was the one thing I knew would always help.

Not that I think music's not important anymore, but I'm not sure that people really appreciate it as much as it used to be appreciated. In the days of iTunes and Shazaam where you can download a song instantly or look up a song and find out the artist and title before it's even over, people aren't forced to think of music as much anymore.

I remember multiple times when I was so excited beyond belief about a new cd coming out. One time in high school I had to cry and beg my mom to take me to the music store to go buy a new cd the day it came out. I refused to wait until the next day and almost ended up taking a bus (instead, I'm sure I racked up an extra week or chores- but well worth it for brand new music).

Another time a friend and I ditched our first class and waited outside Target for them to open so we could buy 'N Sync's album No Strings Attached (yep, the one that sold over 2 million copies the first week) not only for ourselves but for about 5 other friends. Once I raced all over town to find a new album that came out that day but wasn't very well distributed, and since I refused to take the hour and a half drive back to school without it, I think I missed the majority of my classes that day. Another time some friends and I raced over to Tower Records to get there before they closed at midnight, to buy an album by a new band we'd just seen in concert. Then there was the time I missed an entire day of school to wait outside Tower Records when Hanson's new album finally came out after 3 years.

So, in conclusion, I've fallen off of the music bandwagon. But not so hard that I've stopped buying cd's all together, as the actual cd is as much a part of the whole music experience as the music itself. It's still hard for me to purchase just one song off of iTunes. I figure that when an artist comes out with a single that's good enough for me to consider purchasing, then they probably have more good songs on the album. I think a lot of people loose out on good music because they don't give non-single songs a chance. Why pay for a whole album when you can purchase a single song off iTunes? But some of the best, life-changing songs aren't always released as a single.

So this year one of my goals is to get back on the music wagon (I was a music major for goodness sakes!). There's still one or two artists that I'll run to to music store the day their music is released for, but other then that I haven't gotten much the past couple years. My goal is new music at least every two weeks. So far this year I've gotten Lady Antebellum's new cd (the day it came out!) and The Valentine's Day soundtrack (courtesy of my wonderful hubby!). Then today I was at Best Buy picking up a cd for my husband for Valentine's Day and I heard that Cobra Starship song that's so infectious, "Good Girls Go Bad." I really like that song (and the music video's pretty entertaining) and I'd been considering downloading the song but since I was there and have been in the mood for some new music I grabbed their cd.

So I pop the cd in (there's nothing like the feeling of new music in the car) and start off with song #3 "Good Girls Go Bad." If it's an artist I already like then I always start with the first song and listen all the way though, as an album is something that needs to be listened to as a whole. If it's a new artist, I usually listed to the song I already like and know and then start at the beginning. Let me say, I got through 4 songs and this is the kind of album that is dangerous to listen to in the car because it makes me want to drive fast. It'll be hard to listen to while typing away at the computer because I'll just want to get up and dance around the room or go run around the block or something. Maybe it'll be some new motivational jogging music :)

If you haven't seen the Cobra Starship music video check it out, you'll smile...