Music on the Mountain

In recent years, I've become accustomed to popping in one earbud and enjoying some tunes when spending time outside.  I know, I know, leave the technology at home and just enjoy the outdoors for the pureness and beauty it has to offer.  For me, music amplifies the emotion of the experience.  I've also found that I can listen to an album as background music during a trip, and from that point on, that album has the power to magically transport me back in time to that experience.  This new intimate association with a song or album is borderline creepy.  The last time I was on Denali, I had just picked up the new Santigold album, and to this day I might as well be slogging up that Kahiltna glacier whenever I here those songs.

I've also had a chance to identify some bands that are just plain outdoor all-stars for me, regardless of the experience or activity.  So with that, I give you my top three go-to bands with a lil taste of each:

Number 3:  Fleet Foxes

Number 2:  Band of Horses

Number 1:  First Aid Kit

So what will it be on the West Rib?  I've been in a music rut the past year or more, and my exposure to new artists isn't what it used to be, so it could end up being anything.  At least a couple times a year, I find myself riding the Iron Maiden wave for a month or two, so that's always an option.  My 2013 trip to Rock in Rio brings back special Maiden memories, in particular a short clip of the crowd around 1:17:37.

On a recent trip to the Devil's Path in the Catskills, Mr. Arthur Gorka reintroduced me to a music genre I haven't touched in about 15 years.  Could the likes of Carcass or my introduction into Swedish Melodic Death Metal be the answer?

Six days left...suggestions?