Top Three - Driving Music

So I think I'm going to start something new on my blog called "Top Three." It will, in essence, be a list of my top three...of anything I happen to want it to be that day - books, movies, songs, snacks, who knows what, and then an invitation for you to add your list in the comments. And I am not assigning it a day because that will just stress me out. I may try and stick to Fridays but it is possible that Top Three will be random, so you'll just have to keep a look out.

I decided to start this today because I was driving with Sam and listening to a totally awesome CD. I was lovin' it and I just thought to myself, "I have to tell someone about this totally awesome CD! Who can I tell? Who else would love this CD?" My first thought was Mama D, which I thought was cool in a lot of ways. It's funny how much blogging has permeated our lives, I think. I mean, I've never met D in person but I truly believe I know her well enough to know that she'd probably like what I was hearing, and she came to mind just as easily as any "in-person" friend would have. And then I thought of a few other CDs I've really loved as of late and how it's rare for me to find music I like because I just don't have access to what is current, you know, with my only human contact being a toddler and all. So I thought that maybe I could share some music picks with you guys, then you could respond with your own list, and then we'll all have a few new ideas for new possibilities.

So here goes, the first ever Top Three: Best CDs to listen to in the car. And let me just emphasize that with the exception of D you should probably listen to some songs on itunes or amazon or something before spending any money because jeez, I don't know what you like, this is just me.

1.The Killers - Sam's Town. This is the one I was listening to today. I'm not very familiar with their first release which, according to reviews, was their masterpiece. This new one just happened to be in the car because my husband just got it, but he did let me know that he knew I'd like them. Well, he was right. Great driving music with a really nice 80's influence I'd say. In fact, I'm pretty sure there is a synthesizer involved in the 3rd track. It's nostalgic but not in a depressing way, and there is a chain of songs, I think tracks 3-6, that are just about the best songs I've heard in months.

2. Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way. This is pretty uncharacteristic for me because I'm not a country fan. But when I heard all the hype about what they said about Bush and all that my interest was piqued so I decided to give them a shot. Besides, I've always loved me some good sing along with the ladies driving music and this most recent release of theirs fit the bill. For me, about half of this disc is really great and the other half I could take or leave. But the good part is really very good. Track 2 is chillingly lovely and bookended (tracks 1 and 3) by the strongest sing your guts out in the car songs since the Indigo Girls, hence its inclusion in the list.

3.Stellastarr - stellastarr. Talk about your 80's Brit pop influence! I love this album. Love it. In this case I am not going to recommend the most recent release from this band because their new one really left me wanting...wanting more of the female co-singer! I'll admit I am hugely swayed by female singers, probably because I love to sing in the car and singing along with a woman is somehow more fun for me. That said, this is a rockin' band very reminiscient of Pulp in my opinion, who I would like with or without the alto, and she just makes them that much cooler.

So there you have it - my first "Top Three." Now, if you will be so kind, please let me know what your favorite driving CDs are and maybe we'll all find something new and wonderful. Only rule: no kid music. Nope, sorry. That would totally defeat the purpose here. Adults only - I mean, kids can hear all of this stuff, it's just not written for children. And for the record, these all are my more recent picks. I didn't include things like Rites of Passage and Check Your Head because I figure if you're gonna listen to that stuff you've certainly already found it by now. So if you need a way to narrow your list down you could always choose the more recent music/bands so that we can all learn about the new music that we may not yet have encountered.