Why I must.

As a kid, it always frustrated me that despite listening to music for many of my waking hours—on the home turntable, on the radio in the car, on my Walkman on the long bus ride home—there were still bands of whom I'd never heard. In the 80s and 90s, of course, this was understandable. There wasn't always good radio reception or a free ride to the record store to satisfy one's need for new music.

But nowadays, there's no damn excuse. And yet I still find myself frustrated by having so much great music pass me by. So lately, I started listening to what some might deem to be an excessive amount of music, instead of watching late-night TV or, you know, going to bed. And while I listen, I scramble around the web for ideas on the next thing I should listen to, reading a whole lot of reviews and trying to decipher the hype from the stuff that's actually good.

I need to hear all the music. It's a compulsion. But on the plus side, I figure it's one of the least bad ones I could have.

There's no defined genre or chronology here. I listen to both new music and to the stuff I've missed. And at some point, I thought, "Maybe I should keep track of all this somewheres." Hence, this. My hope is that you, esteemed visitor, will come here for ideas on what to listen to, and that in writing this, I might hear all the music, or some reasonable approximation.

Some disclaimers: I'm not a professional music critic. I unabashedly love the 90s. I use made-up words. I don't listen to country, unless it's old country. You might (quite often) hear me talk about a band like they're new, when they're in fact not new. Some music recommended might not be suitable for kids or for those who don't like cussin'. And: I don't know what I'm doing and don't have a plan for where this will go. Sorry in advance.

But! If I ever make my way through all the music, I'll let you know how that feels. I'm betting on awesome.