Once a month I go out and buy some music. You know: in the store, CD in hand, and actually purchase items. While it’s a longer discussion, I really do like having a physical product and an interaction with a real person when I buy music. Call me crazy…
Anyway, here’s what I bought, and they all come VERY highly recommended:
Belle & Sebastian – LateNightTales (2006)
Give an artist the opportunity to pick ‘n’ mix their own favorite tracks, and odds are something amazing, something obscure, and something awful will result. This album has all of that and the liner notes go in depth into their decisions. If you only hear The Peddlers perform “On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)”, this disc is still worth 10x what you paid for it.
Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection (2008 Deluxe Edition)
I’ve heard this album a thousand times. Everybody has. But the bonus disc contains a (shockingly good) unreleased track (Sisters of the Cross) and lays out the basic piano demos for what became classic tracks. It’s fascinating to see the changes, progress, and development from start to finish.
Ron Sexsmith – Exit Strategy of the Soul (2008)
I sat transfixed on the floor of a packed Austin, TX bar to see Ron Sexsmith back in 2004. I would do it again and again. Songwriting doesn’t get better than this. If you’ve just broken up with someone, want to find that someone to fall in love with, or need any excuse to open a bottle of wine and just sit back … this album is it. Absolutely incredible.
