why is my ipod smiling?

Because it has great taste in music, of course, and this spring has been a good one for new releases.
The top two albums you would be listening to if you were really a good person:

"Langhorne Slim" (self titled, 2008)

The songs are short but filled with energy and charm. I admit the cover art is a little 1970's sleaze, but you're not going to be listening to the cover art.

"Lose Big" by Eef Barzelay, 2008

Speaking of cover art, this one gets my vote for best album cover so far this year. As great as that may be, the music is better. Eef was the lead singer/writer for Clem Snide and is now on his own...with the help of a new band on several of the songs. This is a great collection of performances and the writing is top notch. I do prefer him with just a guitar and no backup band (and you can listen to free downloads of that on daytrotter.com) but then, I may or may not be a minimalist.

Looking forward to the release of a new Avett Brothers EP in July and a new Weezer full length in June. Yes, Weezer. Hey, I don't make fun of your Avril Lavigne CDs, don't make fun of the Weez.