And then I bought...

Slowly getting the hang of this. Found the way to change the time setting to my own EST. Pictures soon come, and links, too.

But for now, it's back to the sounds. Recent acquistions, for the OCD Year in Music list.

The kids (teenage girls, age 14 and 18) were asked by their uncle for a list of new CDs they would like for Christmas. And so, on Friday, the following came into the house:
1. Ryan Adams - Love is Hell
Immediately made a copy for my own use. Worth it if only for the cover of Oasis' "Wonderwall." Looking forward to hearing the rest.
2. Ashlee Simpson - Autobiography
It's too easy to mock the girl. If she hadn't blamed that SNL debacle on her band, I might have let the thing slide. It's been clear for a long while that SNL doesn't require Pop Tarts to sing live; she was just the poor kid who got caught. The booing incident almost made me feel sorry for her, but then the "La La" video is constantly being broadcast behind my back (I work in the same room where the younger watches MTV) and I want her Taken Down to Chinatown. I tell my sweet Grace that if she likes the CD, that's fine. I just want her to realize that her Ashlee is like my Monkees - a face on a sound that someone else deserves credit for. (And the Monkees were genuinely funny.) If only Ashlee's parents had let her pursue her dancing (supposedly she was good enough for a prestigious scholarship, which they rejected so they could concentrate on -gag- Jessica's career), we would all be spared this nonsense.
3. The Diary of Alicia Keyes
Gracie's other choice. Luckily, she has wider taste than just the latest TRL favorites. And five years from now, she may still be listening to this one.

Saturday brought one promotional delivery:
4. Aztec Two-Step - Days of Horses
I know them. In fact, saw them in concert ages ago, at a college show which, if I were to date myself (and I don't need to, I have a husband) was over 25 years back. I was quite fond of them then - "Faster Gun" remains a favorite love song (I haven't heard it in years, but I could sing the first verse and chorus for you now). Dimly remember a musician friend who played with them recently telling a story about one of them being a jerk, but I'd have to check the details and get back to you on that. I don't hold out high hopes for the album - folk-hippies don't age well - but the publicist is a sweetheart, and I'll give it a listen.

[Intermission. I go upstairs to make a cup of tea, and my husband is having trouble getting the Bose to play a Benny Goodman CD. I make it go (didn't fix it; it just worked) and we dance to the opening track. I said I was a lucky woman.]

Sunday. A mix of Click and Brick purchases.
5. The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Friday morning, Terry (the hubby) sends an email from his office: "Do we have the Arcade Fire? It sounds very me." I remember hearing about them after the fact, from the CMJ festival in NYC last fall - a big front page Arts section article in the NY Times about them being the It Band of that week (I hadn't heard them mentioned once while I was there.) Later on Friday, I catch an NPR segment on the band, and I hear what Terry was responding to. Literate material, Bjork-ish vocals, some Talking Heads, some Echo and the Bunnymen, some Jam in their R&B tribute mode. He picks up the album at Borders and immediately calls me on the cell phone to make sure I don't buy it while I'm out.
I'm scouting ideas for next week's preveiw column for the Washington Post and curious about the Decemberists, another CMJ buzz band (this one I've heard of; on my list to check out, but I didn't make it to the show). Terry knows there's a trip to a music store in my immediate future. But he has beaten me to this one.

6. The Decemberists - Her Majesty the Decemberists
Lucikly, before giving in to a Best Buy visit (alas, the closest music retailer in our town), I remember to check my emusic account, the online service at which I get 40 tracks each month for a mere $10. Before iTunes, Rhapsody and the legal version of Napster, there was emusic, which initially offered an insane unlimited grab-and-burn selection from mainly obscure and indie labels. I've kept my membership, but occasionally need to remind myself to get my money's worth before each billing cycle ends (there's no rollover, so Emma often jumps online the last day and clears out the credit). I have room for 9 tracks, so I grab that much of "Her Majesty.." and indulge in a "booster pack" of 50 more tracks for $14.95, to be used at any future time. So I can complete the 'brists CD and others (to follow). I'm glad to finally catch up with this charming band - Modern Victoriana folk/rock? A kinder, gentler, sober-er Pogues?
One unfortunate element of downloading music is the lack of liner notes, so I visit the Decemberists' website and find, along with lovely old-fashioned illustrations, photos of a band that dresses in vintage costumes and handle-bar mustaches, wwith links to McSweeneys, Orangina official drink!), Death Cab for Cutie and Russian Prison Tattoos (alas, that link doesn't work).
I love them already.

[intermission. I make changes, additions, edits, and then a computer glitch - plus some operator error - loses them all. Aargh. As best as I can recall..]

7. The Dears - Protest (EP)
One of the nice elements of emusic is that, at 25 cents per song, you can explore anything you're curious about. I plug into the search engine the name of this band, who've been aired on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" (high recommendation) and out pops a 4-track EP, and one song is 12-minutes long. That's value!

8. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
Leo (I feel like I can call him Ted) was a star at the CMJ daytime panel on Music and Politics. I have some earlier songs of his, and had him pegged as a bright popster, but now he appears to be concerned with some serious shit. This CD reportedly takes direct aim at Bush and co. The silver lining in the cloud of current political horror is that there's going to be some great art to come from the opposition.

keep your ears open.
thanks to anyone who made it this far with me!