There is just something awesome about listening to music through a pair of headphones. I don't care if they are the crappy stock headphones that came with whatever device you have or if they are a pair of $500 professional quality, noise canceling, eardrum popping, Dr. Dre sponsored headphones, it's just plain awesome. It's been a while since I popped headphones in my ears except while I working out so I had forgotten it's beauty.

The other day I had a crappy day. I got home from work and just needed to get out. I couldn't go climbing or anything since the dog had been cooped up all day in my two bedroom condo, so I decided I would take the dog for an extra long walk and pop the headphones in to escape a little. I just got the new One Day As a Lion EP and the latest Conor Oberst album so I thought it would be a good opportunity to give them a listen.

We set off, I popped in the headphones and started with track one of One Day As a Lion. I've listened to the album before so it wasn't completely new music, but almost instantly I heard it in a totally different way. This time, instead of listening to the band from the bathroom line trying to finish my beer so I could get another on the way back, the band was playing a private session in my basement for me and my friends. Well, except that one friend who always gets too drunk and lights his hair on fire while trying to light his cigarette. Wait….no…he was there too. It's just not the same without him.

By the time the fifth and final track was over, the initial aggravation of the day was gone and I settled into the Conor Oberst album. I had listened to this album as well, but mostly just in the background. I have been a fan of Bright Eyes for a while, but was REALLY disappointed at their set at Coachella a few years back. Mos Def rocked it hard that year, but that's another story. Since seeing the Coachella, my interest in Bright Eyes and Conor Oberst dwindled and I was a little sketchy about his new album, but I was genuinely surprised. I already knew it was different that the Bright Eyes material, but didn't hear the Dylanesque styling of some of the songs until I put the headphones on. It was a nice surprise. It reminded me of the Coachella performance except it didn't suck. It still had the rawness that a lot of his songs have had, but didn't have the boring awkwardness that was so prevalent at the show.

I will say that having a better experience with headphones isn't 100% guaranteed. I haven't tried it, but I seriously doubt that listening to Kriss Kross' Totally Krossed Out with headphones would make the experience any more enjoyable than it already is. Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

A few of my headphone favorites are, well, any Radiohead album, the Into The Wild soundtrack and Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. Try it for yourself, if you haven't already and let me know what you think. If you already know the goodness, let me know which albums you like best.