Well well well, blog time I suppose. You know, life is a journey, and we are all passengers on the train. As our lives intersect, the laughter of children is the only thing we can really count on, isn't it true friends? This and great music, which I feel I must provide you with some sweet tastes of some great music. This year may prove to be a good year for music, but there's only one way to find out.

Tripwires - Makes You Look Around - *** - Good record from the Model Rockets frontman. Adding a little bit of country to a power pop template, creating something entertaining and different.

Wisely - Wisely - ***1/2 - Good record from Wisely, not his best, but very enjoyable. This is a more low-key record overall, but has some great moments. You can't really go wrong with Wisely, so it is definitely worth checking out.

Garrison Starr - The Girl That Killed September - ***1/2 - Very interesting record from Garrison Starr, it seems like almost a return to her more offbeat records from the earlier days. An interesting change is the use of drum loops and samples to create these electronic yet organic back beats make an interesting statement.

Glen Phillips - Secrets of the New Explorers - *** - Good stuff from Glen Phillips, makes you want a bit more, he's got mostly some slower paced songs, but they are good, would like to hear some more energetic songs dashed in though, would make it better.

Ludo - You're Awful, I Love You - *** - With a lead off track like Love Me Dead, you kind of expect more out of this band. There are a few tracks that manage to take the elements of the band together successfully, but many seem to fall flat. There is a lot of potential with this band, some that I doubt they even realize yet.

Eric Matthews - The Imagination Stage - *** - Always like to hear Eric Matthews. I have noticed with him that it is about 10 times as good wearing headphones. I tend to only hear one aspect of the music when on my speakers, but with headphones, it seems a lot more energetic and alive.

Ike - Where To Begin - ***1/2 - I know I say this a lot about bands, but you can't go wrong with Ike. The soaring vocals of John Faye never fail to catch your attention and keep you honed in the whole time. The slightly harder band sound helps create kind of a next step in the evolution of this band.

Nada Surf - Lucky - *** - Nada Surf has definitely carved out a niche for themselves. They have put together these great sounding records that have this unique sound and style that is fantastic. This album continues that path quite nicely.

Hawksley Workman - Between The Beautifuls - *** - Hawksley Workman is great, you never quite know what to expect from his records. He has definitely changed quite a bit from those early records, veering more into serious songs, but they are no less entertaining. This album is very thoughtful and interesting.