New Year's Resolutions

#1: I will listen to more genres of music this year.

In the last two months, I have bought three albums in genres I never before really cared about: Buena Vista Social Club's debut (Cuban jazz), DJ Shadow's Entroducing (electronic/instrumental hip-hop), and Bob Marley's Exodus (reggae). After hearing these three masterpieces, I feel like its time to expand. Maybe death metal is my next stop. Or bluegrass. Or 1920s blues. We'll see.

#2: I won't underrate an album just because it's a pop album.

Maybe this was just a freak thing that is exclusive to 2008, but is pop music making a comeback? I saw the nominees for the Grammy for Album of the Year for 2008: three solid albums (Ne-Yo, Coldplay, and Lil Wayne), one overrated but still good album (Robert Plant/Allison Krauss' Raising Sand), and one flat-out masterpiece (Radiohead's In Rainbows, which didn't even come out in 2008). This is the best collection of albums to get nominated for this award in at least a decade. I'll be happy no matter who wins it. Throw in brilliant well-selling albums by Taylor Swift, Mudcrutch, and the Counting Crows, and I almost want to start listening to the radio again. Almost.

#3: I will not buy albums by an artist just because their last one was good.

Do you know what Gnarls Barkley, Lucinda Williams, My Morning Jacket, and Kanye West have in common? They all put out horrible albums in 2008. Also, they had all previously released brilliant records. Don't trust everybody. (Note: this resolution does not apply to artists who are incapable of releasing a bad record, such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Nick Cave...)

#4: I will write about old music more and new music less.

To accomplish this, I have to stop buying so much new music. Which brings me to my last one...

#5: I will spend less than $1,000 on music this year.

We'll see. No promises.