I’m sure you’re all familiar with Mumford and Sons, as they are quite ubiquitous on the radio these days…so I’m not telling you anything new when I say that they are AMAZING. But just in case you’re only familiar with their best-known songs like “Little Lion Man” and “I Will Wait,” you really need to buy both of their exceptional albums immediately, because you still have a lot of wonderful songs to hear.

My pick for this week’s Tune in Tuesday is off their more recent album, Babel, and it’s one of my favorite songs by this band. I don’t even know what to say about it except that I think it’s incredible. It also makes the perfect final selection for April’s road trip theme, since the song’s driving pulse makes me think of soaring along the highway with the windows down. Here’s Mumford and Sons doing a live performance of “Below My Feet”:

So I rented the movie “Pitch Perfect” the other day and have become slightly obsessed with it. It’s not destined to become one of my all-time favorites movies; but who doesn’t love a fun, snarky musical that doesn’t take itself too seriously? (It helps that “Pitch Perfect” is basically the antithesis of “Glee,” which I tried to watch but had to abandon when every week’s show turned into another Very Special Episode.) But anyway, my favorite thing about the movie was Anna Kendrick singing “When I’m Gone” and doing the routine with the cups. I am totally going to learn how to do that, and it will become my awesome party trick, and it will be EPIC.

For this week’s Tune in Tuesday, then, I give you a video of Anna Kendrick and the cups! It’s not the scene from “Pitch Perfect,” alas, and I’m not a huge fan of this overproduced version of the song. But the video itself is really cool, so do take a few minutes to watch!

And here is the original version of the song (well, sort of — it’s based on a folk song) by Lulu and the Lampshades:

The road trip edition of Tune in Tuesday continues, and this week I’m sharing a song that definitely makes me think about packing my bags, leaving the past behind, and hitting the highway in search of adventure. It’s hopeful and exuberant, with a rambling, bluesy rhythm that makes me think of the open road. Here’s “Papers in Order” by The Old Ceremony:

It’s still the Road Trip Edition of Tune in Tuesday, and this week I’m sharing a country tune that’s been stuck in my head for a while. I don’t usually listen to country music and am extremely ignorant of the genre as a whole, but I’m starting to warm up to it a little bit. 🙂 I like this song in particular because it’s a shout-out to my hometown: I grew up in Raleigh, NC, which really is “the land of the pine” like the song says. And since it’s a song about traveling, it fits the road trip theme perfectly! Here’s “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show:

For the month of April, Tune in Tuesday is doing a road trip theme! Participants are invited to post songs or playlists that are perfect for hitting the road. I’ve never been on a road trip, per se, but I’m definitely planning one for the not-too-distant future! I’ve thought a lot about what songs I’ll put on my playlist…but since this is the first week of the theme, I couldn’t resist the blindingly obvious choice. Here’s “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC:

In my mind, classic rock and road trips just plain go together!

I was watching TV the other day, and the season one finale of “How I Met Your Mother” happened to be on. “HIMYM” has historically had a really good soundtrack, so I had my ears open for any good new songs. As it turned out, the last song of the episode was “This Modern Love” by Bloc Party, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since! I especially like how everything builds to the end of the song, which is my favorite part. Hope you enjoy!

For this week’s Tune in Tuesday, I’ve decided to share “The Parting Glass” as performed by The Wailin’ Jennys. I’m a fairly new fan of their music, but these three women do lovely a cappella arrangements of old folk songs, as well as plenty of original material. I  think this song in particular is wonderfully done; it’s one of the most beautiful songs about death I’ve ever heard. Hope you enjoy!

Sometimes I feel like I have a split personality when it comes to music. On the one hand, I really love peaceful, melodic songs with intelligent lyrics. On the other hand, sometimes you just have to rock out! So for this week’s Tune in Tuesday, I give you “Fell in Love with a Girl” by the White Stripes. Prepare to spend the next 2 minutes thrashing about to the pounding guitar rhythm and snarling vocals!

I definitely owe a debt to someone at Tune in Tuesday for introducing me to the band Frightened Rabbit. Sadly, I can’t remember who it was…but to whoever posted “The Loneliness and the Scream” (you know who you are), thank you so much! I’ve continued listening to their songs and haven’t hit a bad one yet. So this week I’m sharing a tune off their new album, Pedestrian Verse, called “The Woodpile.” Enjoy!

Alas, February is coming to a close, which means that this is the last day for Tune in Tuesday: Love Song Edition. It was really hard for me to choose one final love song, but at last I realized that I couldn’t let the theme end without mentioning “Just Like Heaven” by the Cure. It’s one of my favorite songs, upbeat and compulsively danceable. The lyrics are surprisingly sweet and optimistic, too!

And if you want another happy love song by the Cure, check out “Mint Car”!