music for all occassions

Sometimes it is necessary to add a bit of exuberance to your life, like, for example, on a morning after an un-restful night's sleep when getting out of bed, much less getting myself all the way to work and facing the issues of the day, seems a magnanimous feat of willpower. At times like this I often seek the company of musicians like Sufjan Stevens or perhaps a band like the Shout Out Louds, whose robust cheeriness is pervasive and helpful in willing a change of mood. I never thought I'd add Sigur Ros to this list, an Icelandic band whose poignant and somewhat morose music, has, in the past, nearly brought me to tears. But thanks to Bob Boilen's All Songs Considered and my morning addiction to the NPR music page, I was introduced to the new sound of Sigur Ros. While still retaining the incisive subtlety of the music I'd heard previously, the track featured on the show, Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur, is infinitely more lighthearted and upbeat, so much so that it entirely altered my outlook towards the day. And though mornings can often be so brutal, a great song and thus an unexpected change to a sunny disposition can make all the difference.