i know starting a thread about music that i actually like might seem strange on DiS these days but i dont care ...

i guess its partly cos of some of the bands and artists my dad listens to that im a bit more willing to accept folk straight off than the average "rock fan" ... but seriously some of this newer folky stuff is superb. call it alt.folk, alt.country, singer/songwriter or even emo if you must, its great music that i think is nicely crossing some boundarys. these guys all seem to be more concerned with getting their heads down and simply writing really good songs, which is surely most of the point about being a musician.
coupled with the 'new americana' it means theres some really good smart new music for people to check out.

iron & wine
brighteyes
willy mason
arcade fire
the good life
rilo kiley (at the poppy end of things)