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May 22, 2006

My Incredibly Successful Trip To The Record Store

Six for six at Easy Street Records

So I can't in good conscience go on and on about my big haul at Easy Street Records and then not tell you what I picked up. (Note: if you've spoken to me in person in the past two weeks, some of this may sound familiar. But you can probably say that about most of what you find here. Anyhoo.)

As I said the other day, I bought six CDs without a single dud in the bunch. It was quite the haul. Details on my record-store booty:

Pearl Jam, Pearl Jam. The Pearl Jam thing is probably what got me in the door that day. I mean, sure, I hadn't bought a Pearl Jam record in a good long while (I think my last one was Vitalogy). But the buzz was that this one was different. Also, how do I say this...I NOW LIVE IN C@L AND THIS IS PEARL JAM. I'll allow myself a brief moment of "I had no idea when I bought Ten that 14 years later I would be living in the band's hometown." I mean, I felt like it was my outright civic duty to buy this album. And I have to say, I'm actually a bit surprised by it. I was honestly buying it out of obligation, but it turns out that it's pretty good. The rock songs don't quite rock like they did in 1992, but the slower tunes are pretty well-written (though the lyrics sound a bit silly at times). And there are a couple ballads on there that are downright pretty. I know. I didn't expect it either. But I'm into it.

The Secret Machines, Ten Silver Drops. At the risk of overdoing the Secret Machines thing, I'll just say that although I'm not sure that this record is exactly as good as Now Here Is Nowhere, it's still pretty good. I imagine my experience of the record is being influenced by my trip to the concert (the drums aren't actually that loud on the record, but I still hear them being really loud.) Right now I can't get over tracks 1, 3, and 5. And not just because they have cool lyrics about being depressed and hating everyone (I feel like these guys were about 15 years too late with all of that). Seriously, screaming "I hate pretending I'm like you" isn't really very well socialized. Still, I can see their point. Take that as you will.

The Streets, The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living. So I guess the Streets is trendy now? At the very least, it has its own sound, its own rhythm, and its own cadence. And the songs are kind of semi-witty, if only because they manage to make the inevitable "this is my first post-breakthrough record and I shall whinge about the pressures of my newly found fame" whinging seem funnier than average. Or maybe he's just British and I'm easily fooled. But it works, and if you haven't heard this style of hip-hop yet (I think it's called "garage" but don't quote me on that), it's worth a listen.

Wolfmother, Wolfmother. Uncle. You win. I feel like this record was absolutely shoved down my throat by some sort of niche next-generation music marketing machine. There's Wolfmother on KEXP. There's Wolfmother on my login page at MySpace. There's Wolfmother on the cover of my CMJ. FINE. I'LL BUY THE FREAKIN RECORD ALREADY. Though I thought this joke was a little played out already (have we forgotten The Darkness so soon?), the music actually is more specifically a White Stripes rip-off, which we all know is actually itself a rip-off of...oh, well, that's not a very interesting game, is it. Anyway, it's decent, and a smidge better than the last hot new MySpace band that they foisted on me (Arctic Monkeys).

Spankrock, YoYoYoYoYo. The listening station got me on this one. I knew I shouldn't have gone over there. Knew it. I had five already, and had no business buying a sixth. But then I picked up the headphones, noodled around for a bit, and found my way to Spankrock. Apparently they're sort of from Philly and Baltimore, which gives them a lot of street cred (and I don't just say that because I like The Wire). This is another group with its own sound, and some legitimate MC skills. At a certain point, I'll be too old for random hip-hop. But I don't see that happening as long as I'm living in C@L. If that makes any sense.

NOFX, Wolves In Wolves Clothing. I swear they've been releasing this same record for the past nine years. I don't even think they're changing the chords anymore. And I just keep buying them. The NOFX folder on my computer is completely out of control. Packed. It's ridiculous. And the funny thing is, the music doesn't actually matter to me as much anymore; I actually want to hear what NOFX has to say. They're sort of like the punk-rock Jon Stewart, in that they're pretty funny about politics and I tend to agree with them. They also seem to have carved out a comfortable little niche for themselves. They have their own label, and they manage to write a couple songs for each album about how happy they are that they don't have to deal with anyone anymore. They just get to do their own thing, make the same punk rock record every two years, and complain about the red states. Errr, okay. I'm buying.

Next on my list? The new Twilight Singers, the Raconteurs and this Gnarls Barkley thing. I'll keep you posted.

Posted by thatkid at May 22, 2006 11:43 AM under Stuff To Buy

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Posted by: pharoah at May 22, 2006 5:14 PM

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