Good morning friends.  I'm off doing a little guest post swap with Melissa today.  You can see her post here and check out my post over at her place...enjoy!

Hi everyone! I’ve guest posted around here before, but in case you missed it- my name is Melissa and I blog over at Press Play. I write about many things (books, travels, goals) but one of my biggest passions in life is music. I’ve always considered myself pretty open-minded about it and there is really nothing I love more than sharing my favorite songs and artists with friends. And going to concerts- those are the best!

Jess and I met because of music, actually. It’s pretty rare that I remember how I first discovered a blogger; but Jess commented on my post about Mumford and Sons and we clicked right away. I’ve been a reader of her little space on the internet ever since and have come to realize that we have many things in common.
One of the biggest? Music, of course! We talked music for quite some time before I suggested that she get something called Dropbox. I explained to her that we could create a folder and share music with each other whenever we wanted! Once we were all set up, it was the easiest thing in the world. I immediately started sending her some of my favorite albums that I wanted her to hear, and she did the same with me.
I’ve had SO much fun sharing music and receiving new music. I’ve learned to trust her judgment with albums before hearing them myself because we SO often agree on what’s good and what isn’t.
After some Dropbox-music-sharing-time passed, I realized that the stuff she was sending me was not only AWESOME and EYE OPENING (Jess is much more of an Indie fan than I am, but she’s quickly changing that for me!) but I just had SO much new stuff. I started an iTunes folder just for the albums she’d send me. When I was in a particularly Indie-ish music kind of mood I’d put the playlist on & fall more and more in love with the artists she’d sent me.

My immediate favorites were some of the first albums she sent me.

1) Self-Titled by The Head & The Heart
From the very first beats of ‘Cats and Dogs’ I was hooked. Lead singer Josiah Johnson has a unique voice that really stands out against the melodies of each one of the bands’ tracks. I think the “unique voice” quality is the most important for me in any band. Especially with Indie singers I think it’s more rare to find those voices that REALLY stand out. This guy’s got it. I highly recommend this album if you like Indie but you’re more of an alternative/rock kind of person like me. It’s the perfect mix!

2) Tourist History by Two Door Cinema Club
Much like Head&Heart, Two Door Cinema Club got me right away. I love when I play an album and the first song catches my attention. That usually means I’ll enjoy most of the record. What I loved about Tourist History is that each track really stood out for me immediately, rather than blending in. My favorites: Cigarettes in the Theatre, I Can Talk & Undercover Martyn. They’re much more upbeat songs and I love the slightly more synth-sound that you find in these & several other tracks.

In return, I’ve sent her a variety of random artists that I don’t think she normally listens to. That’s one of the best parts of music-sharing, really. We’re opening each other up to music styles and bands that we may have never thought twice about if it weren’t for our mutual passion and trust in each other’s style.

I could have never imagined a couple years ago when I first started blogging that I would make friends in the blog world, let alone friends that I could share some of my greatest passions in life with. It’s the greatest feeling to meet someone that is SO similar to you and yet lives so far away. It makes me sad that Jess and I may never have the chance to meet, but I still love knowing that she’s just a tweet, blog comment, or music folder away.

I can’t wait to see what goodies she sends me next!

Thanks for reading, don’t forget to stop by and say hi over on Jess’ post on my blog today too. J

What are some of your favorite albums right now? Have you ever used Dropbox?