Sounding like a breakfast tea-party between the Black Keys and the Shins, Bahamas is the perfect zone out tune smith to let you forget your worries and stresses. All the Time is their latest single, and it is getting heavy rotation on indie stations around the country:

Next up we have The Rosebuds, stepping it up a notch over their previous albums. With the help of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame, The Rosebuds are bringing the noise that drives and pulses. This album is already 8 months old but is just now getting picked up and shared around. And deservedly so.

If Elliott Smith had received 4 and half more hugs during his formative years, you’d likely be left with something sounding similar to Any Shauf. His harmonic melodies and skeletal arrangements bring an intimacy to his music and keep you glued to your headphones. Sing on you sad bastard.

For the southern rockers out there, this one is for you. Alabama Shakes are back with a little dirt under their fingernails and it is better than ever. They must have spent their time between albums doing nothing but listening to James Brown and eating okra. This is the realness.

I’ll just let this YouTube comment sum up our last entry in today’s list – “Good n heavy. You can stay in this piece of shit prison planet, being lied to by a bunch of sissies, but as for me, im following Jesus. Its personal. And it sounds like youre just another slave to the dragon. Good luck with that. C-ya on the flip side sillies”

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Experiment. This is by far the most expensive way, but you’ll never learn without trying. Find a good store with a reputable return policy and if you see something that strikes your fancy and fits into your budget, go for it. Its fun to go from business casual to goth ninja to Americana. Don’t immediately put off a certain style without trying it because it may be the coolest thing since sliced bread. There is never a dull moment when experimenting and after all, fashion is supposed to be fun.

Browse. Go into stores and feel the fabrics. It sounds a little weird and you might look ridiculous feeling up clothing, but it will give you a grasp of how the piece of clothing will lay on your body. This will give you a leg up shopping online, instead of questioning what oxford cloth feels like you will know. Fashion forums are an excellent source for exposure to fashion—serving as a guide towards your fashion nirvana. I got my start on Reddit’s /r/malefashionadvice and I highly recommend it for beginners (they also have a section for developing your own personal style). Other such outlets for fashion are styleforum.net, superfuture.com, and askandyaboutclothes.com; however, these sites tend be less accepting of beginners.

Patience. When I first started caring about what I wore I bought so many clothes that I thought were cool, only to realize two months later that I’m never going to wear them again. Start slow and pace yourself. The rise of fast fashion has made finding your style ten times easier. If you have ever been in an H&M, you’d be surprised how inexpensive some of the clothing is. Now, you get what you pay for, but it is easy to buy a piece and decide whether you love it or hate it at a small price.

Confidence. People will notice that you’re changing what you wear. Some might compliment you, some might make homophobic slurs. Be confident in what you are wearing and be proud that you’re learning something about your clothing desires. You owe it to yourself to look good, and no one else.

Perception. This point makes the confidence part sound invalid—but used correctly—I think it plays a major role in finding yourself. Perception is how you want others to view you. So, if you want people to take you seriously at a business meeting, wear a suit. If you want to look like you’re going to the gym, you wear athletic shorts and an old t-shirt. The point is to consider using clothing as an extension of your personality.

The exploration of oneself should be fun; it should be a journey that will take as long as it needs to. Even if you do find what you truly love, never stop growing. Continue to experiment with higher quality goods or maybe even take a chance on a random Kickstarter campaign. At the end of the day though, its just clothes.

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Worse Than Gutter Water: Arrowhead, Aquafina, Dasani, Poland Spring, Nestle, Crystal Geyser, Store Brands

All these brands start life as normal municipal tap water, then get filtered through what must be an overweight and eczema-ridden teenager’s sweaty socks. Arrowhead tastes like cement gravel, Aquafina and Dasani both have a greasy quality to them, and store brands taste like straight tap water at best. Basically, if it’s sold in giant 24-packs steer clear if you love your taste buds.

Decent Mid-Level: Fiji, smartwater, Evian

In a pinch, these will do you fine. Fiji is a step away from being in the “only good enough for plants” category above, as it is sickly sweet and so oily that it coats the mouth. Fiji is my last resort water. Evian and smartwater however are solid waters with both a pleasurable mouth-feel and no describable taste. If you’re not a bottled water drinker already, these are a good place to start your journey.

Best in Class: Acqua Panna, Voss, Anything You’ve Never Heard Of

Acqua Panna is my jam. This is by far the best bottled water that’s widely available and my go-to choice whenever I find it. It tastes just like water should: absolutely nothing. It is like swallowing the void, and it refreshes your tongue and throat for the another bite or the next mile. Voss meanwhile has the amazing ability to feel colder than it has any right being. It is like they’ve bottled liquid cold fusion and given it Norwegian style. Either of these are great beverages, but know going in that to try one of these means never being able to drink the store brands ever again.

And of course, there are all number of crazy glass-bottled wonders from the virgin Ozarks or melted icebergs that run $10 an ounce that are quite good. They are fun to try, but so rare and expensive as to make the pleasure of drinking them not the water but their very rarity and expense. I generally default to tap water in a restaurant before I spring for one of these bottles-with-a-backstory.

Now go drink up!

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