Pleasing to the ears

I've bought an abnormally high amount of CDs lately (for me) and many have become instant favourites, so I thought I'd recommend them (btw, bands really seem to be dispensing with the old plastic CD cases these days. Of the pile of new CDs sitting on my stereo, only 1 is in a plastic case).

Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning: Ok, this one isn't really that new to me, I've been listening for months to mp3s I have of the album, but I only got around to buying the CD recently. There are just so many good songs on it, both quiet, and louder, catchier stuff. His website says he'll be in Europe in November, and I've seen him live, he puts on a great show, so go!

Sam Amidon - All is Well: I saw this guy play at a show in Amsterdam (you can watch the show on the 3Voor12 website; he's plays with the Icelandic guy, but then they switch and he plays his songs) and I quite liked the performance. The album is all American folk songs, but with modern, yet simple, arrangements.

The Cake Sale - feat. Lisa Hannigan, Damien Rice, Josh Ritter, Nina Persson, Gary Lightbody, et al.: A friend surprised me with this CD, which is a charity project with proceeds supporting Oxfam's Make Trade Fair program. I don't know everyone who plays on the album, but no matter, I still love the songs. And the cover has cake on it. You can't really go wrong with cake for an album cover.

Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog: I read a couple of rave reviews of this album online and bought the CD without even listening to any of the songs first (rare these days). It is so very different from the quiet of Our Endless Numbered Days that I associate with Iron and Wine, but it's a brilliant album that I can't seem to stop playing.