Lapping up "Paste"

Well, I finally broke down and bought my first issue of Paste Magazine the other day and I think I'm in love. It says it covers "signs of life in music, film and culture" but it's heavy on the music and WOW - do they have amazing taste in music. Absolutely the best place to hear about the best of the best of new music plus overlooked gems.

But my favorite part is that every issue comes with a CD sampler hand-picked by the people at Paste - so everyone gets to benefit from their amazing musical tastes. I'm currently grooving out to the September CD sampler, which features 20 amazing tracks, including:

"Car Crash" by Matthew Nathanson
"Trouble" by Over the Rhine (Remember that you can listen to Over the Rhine's newest album in its entirety over at their MySpace page)
"The Minute's Gone" by PJ Olsson
"Get To Love" by the Old Ceremony
"Darlin' Do Not Fear" by Brett Dennen
"Through the Trees" by RF and Lili De La Mora

For more information on the CD samplers, visit the Web site. And for even more awesome recommendations, try "Paste Recommends." Or listen to their "Culture Club Podcast."

Seriously, I could spend hours here. Totally in love.

You provide the rhythm and I'll provide the soul

The newest Over the Rhine album, called The Trumpet Child, is currently streaming free of charge over at AOL Music.

If you haven't heard Over the Rhine yet, you're in for a treat. I have been a fan since college, when an ex introduced me to the husband-and-wife duo out of Ohio. I immediately loved them on the strength of Karin Bergquist's voice alone - lusty, full, and charming. The fact that they write consistently likeable songs as well is just icing on the cake.

Their style is an eclectic mix of pop, jazz, blues, Americana and cabaret. The first song on the new album sounds like a lost Tom Waits track - in fact, most of the album has a sort of Waits-ian appeal to it.

If you like what you hear, check out their MySpace page for a tour schedule, their official Web site and then have fun combing through their extensive discography.