Dry - PJ Harvey - I missed a lot being raised in the middle of nowhere in the 90s by ultra-religious, uber-conservative parents, not the least of which was the alternative rock of the era. I actually didn't start listening to music that wasn't Contemporary Christian or Oldies until late in '97 (I was getting close to turning seventeen), and even then it was the mainstream pop station that played such things like Aqua, Chumbawumba, Spice Girls, and Shawn Mullins. The odd thing is, as I've begun expanding my musical tastes as an adult, it is the alternative rock that came about during my teenage years that I'm most drawn to. Whether it's because that despite my youth spent in isolation I am still a product of that era as is the music and therefore I identify with it more or it's just a coincidence, I'm not sure. But in the last year, I've noticed my tastes tend to be towards bands and artists from that time and so I've begun filling in the massive chunks of missing musical knowledge. I'd first heard of PJ Harvey from my buddy Seth a few years back. Didn't really pay attention to her much at the time, nor when she showed up in a short film by one of my favorite directors, Hal Hartley. Then, the other night, I was on Wikipedia looking up 90s alternative rock and I saw her name. So, I opened up iTunes and began previewing her stuff. It was then that I realized she fit the bill for the kind of music I like and so I purchased her debut album from '92. I gotta say, I dig it. I've only listened to it twice thus far, but it fits right in there with Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, the Cranberries, and the other 90s alt-rock that I listen to on a regular basis. I'll definitely be putting it in my regular rotation and am looking forward to acquainting myself with the rest of her discography.

Cease to Begin - Band of Horses - I looked into this band on the advice of my friend Justin. An indie rock band out of Seattle, I was sold by the first track on the album "Is There A Ghost," about a guy wondering if his house is haunted. The rest of the album has held up, though, admittedly, I've only listened to it once. Still, even though it has a different style than Arcade Fire's Funeral, I have the distinct feeling that this album will be similar to that one for me in that the more I hear it, the more I'll like it.