an open letter to my itunes

attn: sufjan stevens, mason jennings, martin sexton, justin vernon, cat stevens, amos lee, colin meloy, ben folds, and ray lamontagne

cc: ben gibbard, graham colton, matt nathanson, sam beam, paul simon (you too garfunkel)

this letter is to inform you that you are all on playlist probation this fall. there is a new leading man in my life (4 of them to be exact). please give a warm welcome to mumford & sons. their invigorating addition to my music library is a long-awaited one, so please be kind. we all know what happened in the spring of 08 when mr. vernon of bon iver came to join us... i would appreciate it if you would all be patient while i play their album on repeat for the next two months. i am grateful for the memories you have all made with me and for the love and support i have found in your lyrics and melodies. however, you could all learn a lesson or two from these enlightened englishmen. their lyrics will simultaneously cut you to your core and make you want to run barefoot in a wheat field. that banjo lets you shed all inhibitions and those vest/suspenders combo will make a girl weak in the knees. even the name 'mumford & sons' is reminiscent of a mom & pop typewriter repair shop circa 1920. boat shoes, old irish folk flair, and 5 o'clock shadows are defiantly swoon worthy.

in conclusion, the competition is getting fierce so you will all need to step it up. when was the last time one of you made me use the word 'swoon'? you will all come back into regular rotations after the holidays, with the exception of sufjan's songs for christmas box set which will be played from thursday november 26th to friday december 31st.

warm regards,

emily