The Halfway Point - 52 New Albums in 2013

I am a great believer in New Year's resolutions and each year starting in late December, my sister and I exchange strongly worded emails encouraging the other to get our goals down on paper. At the end of the year, we review. Typically, I accomplish at least 75-80% of my yearly goals.

What is my secret? It's pretty simple. I only make resolutions that are super awesome to fulfill. For example, this year I resolved to make more cakes and buy fancy bras. What's tough about that?

My favorite resolution so far has been my 52 Albums in 2013 project. The rules are simple - listen to 52 new-to-me albums with no duplicate artists on the list. I'm a little bit picky about who I select. I don't mind some familiarity - I know one or two songs from the radio perhaps, or I know of the artist, but their album is brand new. Several of these came from Colbert Report guests and others were just randomly picked based on the pretty album cover. After I listen, I choose one of my favorite songs from the album to represent on the list.

Here is a list of the first 27 weeks of the year. (Click here if the embedded player doesn't work).



The best way to find new albums is to poll your friends. My Facebook peeps came back to me with a whopping 22 artists that fit my criteria. So if you made a suggestion, check back later and see if it makes into the second half of the year!