Dreams of being hip: Listen to Bad Books - check.

For the past few months, in order to expand my music knowledge I have been asking all of my friends and trusted music sources to suggest to me a few bands or albums to listen to. I've been playing a constant game of catch-up with really good albums that I've missed out on.This week, the album that I've been continually going back to is Bad Books' 2010 debut self-titled LP, which my friend Bryan suggested to me.At first listen, I enjoyed the album, but it was nothing extraordinarily noteworthy. I thought it was pretty decent and something I would probably, eventually, give another listen.When I did give it a second try, “Baby Shoes,” was the track the really hooked me in. The song took and personalized Hemingway's famous six-word short story, “For sale: baby shoes, never used.” The lyrics are catchy and personal without being overbearing. Mixed with Kevin Devine's vaguely southern-infused vocals, as described before, it reeled me in.The entire album is also fairly intimate without relying solely on that intimacy. While maintaining introspective lyrics, the melodies and song structures are solid and catchy. Bad Books offers both slow acoustic enjoyment as well as high-energy, dance-y hooks. It's a good listen to sing along to while out on cookie deliveries all night.The album peaks in the track “Please Move” and offers up a more acoustic falling action in the last two tracks to ease the listener into a mellower mood. All things considered, the album is pretty good.