Brace yourself. You are about to meet your new favorite band. I know that’s a pretty bold statement, but once you hear what I’m listening to, you’ll understand why I made that claim.

The band is Bishop Allen and they deserve your undivided attention. They are the very definition of an indie band: they record, mix, and release everything themselves. I heard about these guys 8 months ago when they announced they would release a new EP every month in 2006. A bit ambitious, I thought – much like Sufjan Stevens saying he plans to do an album for every state in the US.

Despite my initial misgivings, I listened to a track from the January EP. It was decent, but nothing spectacular. Then about a week ago, cokemachineglow posted a review of all the band’s EPs to date (read it here).

They said some pretty nice things. And seeing as how I have never been led astray by cokemachineglow, I decided to buy all 8 EPs. They are currently in some mail truck on their way to me. But for an extra $2, I was given access to digital versions of everything.

As I listened to January again, my initial impressions started to change. Continuing chronologically, I put on February and thought to myself these guys are pretty good. Then I heard “The Monitor.” Damn that’s an incredible song. That guitar part during the chorus is ridiculous. But wait, what was that last track? “Flight 180.” Wow, that’s also amazing.

And that’s how it began. That’s how it will go for you too. Please let me know if I’m wrong because I’ll be stunned. Visit Bishop Allen’s website to preview more songs.

• Bishop Allen – The Monitor
• Bishop Allen – Flight 180
• Bishop Allen – Butterfly Nets

I normally don’t take music recommendations from celebrities, but when I heard Denis Leary plug The Twilight Singers on the Daily Show I was a little intrigued. At the end of his interview, Leary busted out a thick stack of his favorite CD’s and DVD’s, none of which featured or involved him in any way. One of those discs was The Twilight Singers’ latest album Powder Burns.

A week or so later I was still thinking about his interview. Honestly, have you ever seen a celebrity plug something that he/she doesn’t directly benefit from?

I went to The Twilight Singers’ website and downloaded a few tracks from Powder Burns. Or at least I thought I did – I can’t seem to find the link anymore. Regardless, I mention this because it reinforces my post about how the internet helps bands. After downloading and listening to those two tracks, I decided to buy Powder Burns.

Within a few weeks I had acquired the band’s entire catalogue thanks to eMusic. I would describe their music as dark, moody, and melodic – but never mopey. When they want to rock, they rock hard. I can’t really compare them to anyone else in my collection.

As an aside, I feel like this is my first true post. So far it’s just been a lot of catching up. But now I’ve finally broken even. I hope this band is new to a lot of you. I really enjoy them. I never thought I’d say this, but thank you Denis Leary.

• The Twilight Singers – Fat City (Slight Return)
• The Twilight Singers – Forty Dollars

Before uploading a podcast (which is coming very soon), I think you all should know the type of music I enjoy. But seeing as how I could go on forever, I have decided to reduce my entire music collection to my 5 favorite artists. It wasn’t very easy – and it’s even harder to rank them. So I won’t. I hope you enjoy the fruit of my labors.

MY MORNING JACKET: Soaring vocals drenched in reverb

You know you’ve discovered one of your favorite bands when you stop listening to the rest of your music collection. That’s what the first note of Jim James’ amazing voice made me do. My Morning Jacket is the inspiration for the name of my blog, so I will share with you the song whose title I ripped off.

• My Morning Jacket – Phone Went West

BUILT TO SPILL: Epic guitar band with melodies to match

Initially unimpressed with some mp3′s I downloaded, I let Built to Spill collect dust on my harddrive for several months. Then one fateful day I decided to buy Perfect From Now On after finding nothing else appealing at Rasputin. Next thing I knew, I was buying everything they released and thought that all other music sucked. No joking, they are that good. I saw them live at Slim’s on June 22 and they blew me away. They played ridiculously epic versions of “Untrustable” and “Broken Chairs.” I leave you with the studio recording of the former. Enjoy!

• Built to Spill – Untrustable / Pt. 2 (About Somebody Else)

OKKERVIL RIVER: Lyrics as beautiful as the instrumentation

One of my more recent finds, Okkervil River has quickly moved up the ranks of my favorite bands. The focal point of the music is the lyrics, which, though they range from heartbreaking to murderous, are always excellent. If this seems contradictory, just listen to these two songs.

• Okkervil River – A Stone
• Okkervil River – Westfall

RADIOHEAD: The original innovators

Radiohead is the band that started my love affair with music. Senior year of high school my friend introduced me to them. I remember the first time I heard “Fake Plastic Trees.” It was incredible. I’m sure that you all know and love Radiohead, but on the off chance that this is your first exposure, I’ll start you off where I began.

• Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees

SUN KIL MOON: Heartbreaking, yet uplifting nostalgia

Despite having only one proper album to their name, Sun Kil Moon still makes my top 5 because Ghosts of the Great Highway is one of my favorite records of all time. I bought it with a gift certificate my ex-roommate Joel gave me for my birthday (I hope he enjoys the shout out). Beautiful, uplifting music that at the same time breaks your heart. So few bands can pull it off successfully. I hope you like it as much as I do.

• Sun Kil Moon – Carry Me Ohio