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I have a problem.  I’m totally overwhelmed when I go into music stores.  As soon as I walk through the door, I immediately forget all of the music I was excited about, then I burn out after ten minutes of flipping through the racks.

Never the less, I like owning physical media (and having control over how it’s ripped into my music collection), and used CDs are a heck of a deal these days.

So, a few weeks ago I started planning.  I put together a list of albums that were only partially represented in my collection, or were low quality rips … then I called my buddy Tom.

Tom is “that guy.”  You know — the kid in elementary school who was listening to Fugazi and Suicidal Tendencies when the rest of us were discovering Michael Jackson.  He was the kid in high school who actually had opinions about bass players and producers, and could produce lyrics from a discography of thousands of songs without a moment’s hesitation.  He’s been in (or worked with) bands for as long as he’s been able to pick up drum sticks (or a guitar, or a keyboard).  His room was (and is) piled with crates of vinyl, stacks of CDs, a wild assortment of instruments, and various musical paraphernalia.

Anyhow, I gave Tom a mission:  help me find new music, and start developing a sonic curricula for Mr. E.

We walked out of Everyday Music with 30 albums.  It’s all good, but there are a few stand outs.  In no particular order …

The Geraldine Fibbers, “Lost Somewhere Between The Earth And My Home” – Post-rock meets punk meets country?  Holy crap, it works.  I don’t track lyrics very well, but Carla Bozulich’s voice is amazing.  Circa 1995.

Jamie Lidell, “Multiply” – Stunning vocals, great production, a healthy twist of modern electronic and DJ dojiggery.  If you like the sound of Gnarls Barkley, old Stevie Wonder, and … well … if you like music, you’ll probably like this.

Yann Tiersen, “Amelie” – The sound track to Amelie is one of my favorite aspects of the movie.  It’s quirky, happy, playful music.  

Unkle, “War Stories” – I think Unkle is one of the best collaborative groups of all time.  ”Burn My Shadow” with Ian Astbury is particularly haunting song, and has a killer video.

They Might Be Giants, “Here Come the ABCs” – It’s the ABCs in a form I can get down to.  I sure hope Mr. E appreciates it.

Yo-Yo Ma, “The Cello Suites” – I love the cello, so I guess this one is a bit of a shoe-in.  Wonderful stuff.

There’s a pile more to dig through.  I’m a happy camper.

Any recommendations you’d like to make?