So surprisingly enough, I have actually started buying CDs again. I’ve picked up a handful of CDs over the past couple months and thought I’d offer my opinion. First off, let me just say that there are a bunch of really good quality albums that have been popping up lately that are worth checking out.

1. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

I’ve actually had this CD for quite a why, but recently I’ve found myself giving it a lot of listens. When I first bought this CD I was a little disappointed, as it wasn’t your typical Ghost is Born, or Yankee Hotel, both having the similar style Wilco sound that we all know and love. This CD is a much more chill, soft, quiet CD. It is one of those CDs that grows on you the more you listen, and you find yourself appreciating it more you listen, it is a very soothing album. Every track is good but the standout for me is What Light.

2. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

First off let me just say that I spent $20 on this CD at Best Buy. Let me repeat: TWENTY DOLLARS! Yeah I know I got took, but I justified it because I was using a free gift card. I have no clue why this CD costs so much, maybe the fancy album cover and contents? Who knows. I do know that my PC’s CD drive couldn’t read the contents of the CD. This and another problem I had with another CD I bought (that I will get into later) leads me to believe they the record labels are using cheaper materials to manufacture CDs. Anyways, back to the album. This is a another great album that has a bite to it, I even like it better than the last Modest Mouse album (GNFPWLBN). Overall its just a fun album, a lot of upbeat tunes that are great to listen to. If you’re looking for one track to listen to, I recommend Florida.

3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

I absolutely love this album and cant stop listening to it. They recorded the album in an old church in Canada and include the church’s pipe organ in several tracks. That, in addition to an orchestra sound on several other tracks give this album a very rich feel. For the most part the album is pretty upbeat, however it does have a dark edge to it. Intervention and Windowsill are two of my favorite tracks worth checking out. The only beef I have with this is the quality of the disc. Not only did this CD fail to play in my friends truck while we were on a 16 road trip to Florida, but it has started skipping already and it doesn’t have a single scratch on it! I’ve contemplated returning it but I’m not sure Best Buy would take it back, has anyone tried returned a CD that they have already used before?

Thats pretty much it for the new albums I’ve picked up recently. I have a couple more on the way including the new Spoon and Rilo Kiley (for Amy). Here are a couple more that I’m looking to pick up:

Icky Thump - White Stripes
Our Love to Admire - Interpol
Easy Tiger - Ryan Adams
Wincing the Night Away - Shins

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If you are looking for a new way to find some new artists, I recommend checking out lala.com. Lala is primarily a music community based around trading CDs with other members, but the site has a lot of other features as well. One feature I find useful is the ability to create a playlist of various songs of your choosing. You can then publish your playlist so that others may listen in. These playlists offer a great way to find new artists. You can find playlists by genre, or by artist. Searching by artist will usually turn up playlists created by members that have similar taste in music but who may have found an artist which you have yet to hear. Lala also leverages its community of users to rank albums by popularity among users. This is usually another good way to find good albums, especially since the rankings are void of corporate influence.

To check out lala, go to www.lala.com, click on “Discover”. This will display popular albums (”Top Picks”) among users. To find playlists, click on “Discover By: Playlists”, you can then find playists by genre, or find playlists that feature a specified artist.