Culture shot: 10 cheese-free love songs

Love is in the air this week, and the cheese is definitely flowing faster than the wine.

I think a holiday to celebrate your sweetheart is a fantastic concept. We could all use a little reminder to slow down and focus on each other, and probably more than just once a year for Valentine’s Day.

What I can live without, however, are the lame decorations, uber sappy cards, jumbo boxes of thunder-thigh truffles, and bad love songs.

I’d like to share a small sample of my favorite modern love songs, sans cheese. It’s a pretty safe bet you won’t hear these dedicated to JoJo from Daryll on Delilah’s radio show Thursday night.

1) Iron & Wine: Naked as We Came
2) Iron & Wine: Lion’s Mane
3) Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism
4) Mason Jennings: Be Here Now
5) Ray Lamontagne: Hold You in My Arms
6) Regina Spektor: Samson
7) The Weepies: Take it From Me
8) Damien Rice: Cannonball
9) Alexi Murdoch: All My Days
10) Ryan Adams: Two