Current music

I used to have capsule reviews of recent purchases on this page, but they were too much trouble to maintain, so don't count on them. Discs that are particularly good are marked with an asterisk (*), though very recent purchases may not have been listened to enough to get this ranking; discs that represent music I used to have in other formats, or compilations of the same, are marked with (R).

There can't be anything more boring than reading a list of someone else's CDs, and the only reason they are here is that I'm quite isolated as concerns music, and would welcome correspondence if you've recently purchased any of these discs, or are contemplating doing so. I tend to make most of my purchases while visiting Berkeley, as the stores there have generous return policies.

These listings do not include classical music, which forms an increasing fraction of my purchases.

Recent purchases (Waterloo, September 2006-present)

Low: Drums and Guns (*)

Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity

LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver (*)

New York Noise, Volume 3 (anthology)

Recent purchases (Hollywood, Berkeley, August 2006)

As Mercenarias: O Comeco do Fim do Mundo (*)

The Futureheads: News and Tributes

New York Dolls: One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This

Asobi Seksu: Citrus (*)

Blonde Redhead: Misery Is A Butterfly

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones

Tom Ze: Estudando o Pagode

Seu Jorge: Life Aquatic Studio Sessions (*)

Devo: Greatest Hits

Weakerthans: Reconstruction Site (*)

The DFA Remixes, Chapter One

The Roots: Home Grown Volume One

Mos Def and Talib Kweli: Black Star

Common: Electric Circus

Dead Prez: Let's Get Free

DJ Cheb i Sabbah: As Far As (a DJ mix)

Jamie Lidell: Multiply Additions

Rent: Movie Soundtrack (selections)

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Compact Jazz (Verve)

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Finest Hour

Enon: Lost Marbles and Exploded Evidence

Echo and the Bunnymen: Heaven Up Here (R)

Ian Dury: New Boots and Panties! (R)

The Jam: In The City (R)

Sonic Youth: Sister (R)

The Breeders: Pod (R)

Talking Heads: Talking Heads '77 (R)

The Smiths (R)

The Pogues: Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash (R)

The Pogues: If I Should Fall From Grace With God (R)

Amalia Rodrigues: The Essential Collection

Amalia Rodrigues: The Very Best Of

Wire: On The Box 1979

Television: Marquee Moon (R)

Recent purchases (Waterloo, Ann Arbor, New York City, September 2005 - July 2006)

Thom Yorke: The Eraser

Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped (*)

Mission of Burma: The Obliterati (*)

The Sexual Life of the Savages (Soul Jazz compilation) (*)

The Flaming Lips: At War With The Mystics

Echo and the Bunnymen: Ocean Rain (R)

Echo and the Bunnymen: Porcupine (R)

Pixies: Trompe Le Monde (R)

Talking Heads: Fear of Music (R)

Tropicalia (Soul Jazz compilation) (*)

Deerhoof: The Runners Four

Not Alone (Durtro/Jnana MSF-benefit compilation)

New York Noise vol. 2 (Soul Jazz compilation)

Elvis Costello: Armed Forces (R)

Belle and Sebastian: The Life Pursuit

Recent purchases (Berkeley, August 2005)

New Pornographers: Twin Cinema (*)

Blind Willie Johnson: Dark Was The Night (*)

Arthur Russell: Calling Out Of Context

Orange Juice: The Glasgow School

ShelleyDevoto: Buzzkunst

Out Hud: One Life To Live

Jamie Lidell: Multiply (*)

Lali Puna: I Thought I Was Over That (*)

Architecture in Helsinki: In Case We Die

Maximo Park: A Certain Trigger

Bloc Party: Silent Alarm

The Essential Miles Davis

Miles Davis: Sketches of Spain

A Certain Ratio: The Graveyard and the Ballroom (R)

Echo and the Bunnymen: Songs To Learn And Sing (R)

Recent purchases (Waterloo, April to July 2005)

Sleater-Kinney: The Woods

Stephen Malkmus: Face The Truth

M.I.A: Arular (*)

Yes: Close To The Edge (R)

Beck: Guero (*)

Caribou: The Milk of Human Kindness

Recent purchases (Berkeley, March 2005)

Dizzee Rascal: Showtime

LCD Soundsystem (*)

Junior Boys: Last Exit

Blood Brothers: Crimes (*)

Camper van Beethoven: Telephone Free Landslide Victory

Low: The Great Destroyer (*)

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

John Cale: Hobosapiens

Select Cuts From Nation (compilation)

Medeski, Martin, and Wood: End of the World Party (just in case)

The Futureheads (*)

Les Negresses Vertes: Le Grand Deballage

The Kills: No Wow (*)

The Homosexuals: Astral Glamour (compilation)

The Wedding Present: Take Fountain

DFA Compilation #2

Enon: High Society (*)

Kranky: Kompilation

Lou Reed: Metal Machine Music

Blurt: The Fish Needs A Bike (R)

The Cure: Boys Don't Cry (R)

R.E.M.: Murmur (R)

R.E.M.: Reckoning (R)

R.E.M.: Reconstruction of the Fables (R)

Husker Du: Warehouse (R)

Recent purchases (Berkeley, August 2004)

Deerhoof: Milk Man

Deerhoof: Apple O'

Xiu Xiu: Fabulous Muscles

Raveonettes: Chain Gang of Love

Notwist: Shrink

Radiohead: Pablo Honey

My Bloody Valentine: Loveless (R)

Pixies: Bossanova (R)

The Fall: 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong (*)

Minutemen: Three-Way Tie (For Last) (R)

Monochrome Set: Westminster Affair

Adverts: Crossing The Red Sea With (Ultimate Edition)

The Commitments: Volume 2

Homosexuals: The Homosexuals CD (*)

Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet (R)

Prince and the Revolution: Purple Rain (R)

!!!: Me And Giuliani Down By The Schoolyard

Loretta Lynn: Van Lear Rose

Fiery Furnaces: Blueberry Boat

Dizzee Rascal: Boy in Da Corner

Recent purchases (Berkeley, May 2004)

Les Savy Fav: Inches

Of Montreal: Satanic Panic in the Attic

Mission of Burma: ONoffON (*)

Outkast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Black Flag: Damaged/Jealous Again

TV on the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

Lali Puna: Faking The Books (*)

Deerhoof: Reveille (*)

The Walkmen: Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone

Rocket From The Tombs: Rocket Redux

The Dictators: Go Girl Crazy

Gillian Welch: Revival

The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy: Distressed Gentlefolk (R)

The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy: Draining The Glass (1982-86) (R)

Recent purchases (Berkeley, December 2003)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell (*)

Strokes: Room On Fire (*)

Hot Hot Heat: Make Up The Breakdown

The Rapture: Echoes

Belle and Sebastian: Dear Catastrophe Waitress

Idlewild: The Remote Part

Kinky: Atlas

The Clash: Singles (R)

The Band: Greatest Hits

Captain Beefheart: Mirror Man sessions (R)

Bob Dylan: Bringing It All Back Home

Bryan Ferry: In Your Mind (R)

King Sunny Ade: Juju Music (R)

The Dismemberment Plan: Emergency & I

Sufjan Stevens: Greetings From Michigan

The Notwist: Neon Golden (*)

The Replacements: Stink (R)

The Replacements: Sorry, Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (R)

Husker Du: Eight Miles High EP (R)

Recent purchases (Berkeley, August 2003)

Out Hud: Street Dad (*)

Manitoba: Up In Flames (*)

Essential Logic: Fanfare in the Garden (compilation, R)

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: Pig Lib

Wire: Send

Wire: Chairs Missing (*)

Lucinda Williams: World Without Tears

Love: Forever Changes (*)

Yes New York (compilation)

New York Noise (compilation)

Monochrome Set: Best Of (Cherry Red compilation)

Recent purchases (Waterloo/Toronto, spring/summer 2003)

Radiohead: Hail To The Thief (*)

New Pornographers: Electric Version (*)

Tindersticks: Waiting For The Moon

Buzzcocks: Buzzcocks

Residents: Duck Stab

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland (R)

Gillian Welch: Time (The Revelator) (*)

Outkast: Stankonia

Pixies: B-Sides

David Bowie: Station To Station (*)

R.E.M: Eponymous (R)

That Petrol Emotion: Manic Pop Thrill (R)

Less recent purchases (Berkeley, December 2002)

Bill Laswell: Deconstruction: The Celluloid Recordings

Asian Dub Foundation: Facts and Fictions

Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights (*)

Liars: They Threw Us All In A Trench And Stuck A Monument On Top (*)

Liars: Fins To Make Us More Fish-Like

Erase Errata: Other Animals

Less recent purchases (Waterloo, fall 2002)

Sleater-Kinney: One Beat

Sigur Ros: ()

Sonic Youth: Murray Street (*)

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: B.R.M.C.

The Hives: Veni Vidi Vicious

Hot Hot Heat: Knock Knock Knock

DJ Shadow: The Private Press

Less recent purchases (Berkeley, August 2002)

Misia: Ritual

DJ Cheb i Sabbah: Krishna Lila (*)

The Vines: Highly Evolved

Jimmy Cliff: We Are All One (Best of)

David Bowie: Heathen (*)

Cornershop: Handcream for a Generation

Peter Tosh: Scrolls of the Prophet (Best of)

Astor Piazzolla: Luna (live)

The Hives: Barely Legal

Ash: Free All Angels

The White Stripes (self-titled)

The White Stripes: De Stijl

Idlewild: 100 Broken Windows (*)

Wire: Read and Burn 1 (*)

Stephen Malkmus (self-titled)

The Only Ones: The Immortal Story (R)

Psychedelic Furs: Should God Forget (compilation) (R)

The Smiths: The Queen is Dead (R)

Patti Smith Group: Radio Ethiopia (R)

Magazine: Secondhand Daylight (R)

The Fall: Psykick Dance Hall (R)

Gang of Four: Entertainment (R)

Mutants: Fun Terminal (R)

Less recent purchases (Waterloo, January-July 2002)

Moby: Play

Tabla Beat Science: Live in San Francisco (*)

The Ultimate Billie Holiday (Verve)

David Bowie: Ziggy Stardust (R, not the 25th anniversary edition)

Elvis Costello and the Attractions: This Year's Model (R)

Less recent purchases (Berkeley, December 2001)

White Stripes: White Blood Cells (*)

The Strokes: Is This It (*)

Asian Dub Foundation: Rafi's Revenge (*)

Femi Kuti: Fight to Win

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra: Liberation Afrobeat Vol. 1 (*)

Belle and Sebastian: I'm Waking Up To Us (EP)

The Beta Band: Hot Shots II

Jah Wobble and Bill Laswell: Radioaxiom -- A Dub Transmission

Cesaria Evora: Miss Perfumado

Dexy's Midnight Runners: Searching For The Young Soul Rebels (R)

Velvet Underground: Loaded (R)

Neil Young: Tonight's The Night (R)

Less recent purchases (Waterloo, September 2001 to December 2001)

Talvin Singh: Ha

Sigur Ros: Agaetis Byrjun (*)

Less recent purchases (Berkeley, August 2001)

John Oswald: Plunderphonics 69/96 (*)

Manic Street Preachers: Know Your Enemy

Manic Street Preachers: The Holy Bible (*)

Elvis Costello: My Aim Is True (R)

Serge Gainsbourg: Forever (2-CD compilation)

Gidon Kremer: Tracing Astor

Primal Scream: Exterminator (*)

The Clash: Super Black Market Clash (R)

Stephane Grapelli: Improvisations

Thelonious Monk: Ken Burns Jazz

The B-52's (R)

Brian Eno: Ambient 1/Music for Airports (R)

Less recent purchases (Waterloo, September 2000 to August 2001)

Jazz Butcher Conspiracy: Glorious and Idiotic

Thelonius Monk: Best of Monk (Blue Note) (R)

Radiohead: Amnesiac (*)

Lucinda Williams: Essence

Belle and Sebastian: Jonathan David EP (*)

Atlantic Rhythm and Blues (Volumes 7 and 8)

Radiohead: Kid A (*)

Tabla Beat Science: Tala Matrix (*)

Godspeed You Black Emperor!: Levez Vos Skinny Fists Comme Antennas to Heaven

Motown Forever (40th Anniversary Compilation)

Minutemen: Post-Mersh (Volume III) (R)

New Pornographers: Mass Romantic (*)

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: The Ultimate Collection

D'Angelo: Voodoo

Tommy Boy Greatest Beats (Volume I)

PJ Harvey: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea

Bang On A Can: Music For Airports (Brian Eno)

Less recent purchases (Berkeley, December 2000)

Luaka Bop: Zero Accidents on the Job (10th anniversary compilation)

Sheila Chandra: Moonsung (RealWorld retrospective)

Luxuria: Beast Box (R)

Medeski, Martin, and Wood: The Dropper (*)

Lounge Lizards: Queen of All Souls

Minutemen: Post-Mersh Vol II (R)

Flipper: Generic (R)

Uptown String Quartet

Material: The Road to the Western Lands (remixes)

Sacred System: Nagual Site (Bill Laswell)

Less recent purchases (Berkeley, August 2000)

DJ Krush - Code4109

Gravikords, Whirlies and Pyrophones (Ellipsis Arts compilation)

The Lounge Lizards (R)

The Lounge Lizards - No Pain for Cakes

Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump (*)

Kid Koala - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Jazz Butcher Conspiracy - Excellent! (R)

Bachir Attar - The Next Dream

Great New York Singles (R)

Sleater-Kinney - Chainsaw

Older purchases (Waterloo, March - August 2000)

Belle and Sebastian: Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant (*)

Billy Bragg and Wilco: Mermaid Avenue, Volume 2

Asian Dub Foundation: Community Music (*)

Sonic Youth: NYC Ghosts and Flowers

Sleater-Kinney: All Hands On The Bad One (*)

Eric B. & Rakim: Paid in Full (The Platinum Edition)

Belle and Sebastian: Three EPs (*)

Godspeed You Black Emperor!: Slow Riot for New Kanada EP (*)

Older purchases (New York City, March 2000)

The Clash (original British version) (R)

Was/Not Was: What Up, Dog? (R)

Minutemen: Post-Mersh Volume 3 (R)

Femi Kuti: Shoki Shoki

John Otway and the Big Band: Live (R)

Velvet Underground: Loaded (R)

Older purchases (Waterloo, September 1999 - March 2000)

Beck: Midnite Vultures (*)

Sonic Youth: Goodbye 20th Century

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: The Dust Blows Forward (*)

Jim O'Rourke: Eureka (*)

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: X-Tra Acme (*)

David Bowie: Low (R)

Older purchases (Berkeley, August 1999)

Postpunk Chronicles - Going Underground (Rhino comp) (R)

Postpunk Chronicles - Scared To Dance (Rhino comp) (R)

DJ Cheb I Sabbah - Shri Durga

Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin (*)

Go-Betweens - Bellavista Terrace (best-of comp)

Tom Ze - Fabrication Defect (*)

The Best Of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island (*)

The Fall - The Peel Sessions (R)

Patti Smith - Horses (R)

The Pogues - The Rest of The Best (R)

Belle and Sebastian - Tigermilk (*)

Pavement - Terror Twilight (*)

Nav Ensemble - The Eternal: Variations on Joy Division

The Beta Band (*)

Mogwai - Come On Die Young

Os Mutantes - Everything Is Possible (best-of comp) (*)

Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy

Beta Band - Three EPs (*)

Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia (R)

Lamb - Fear Of Fours

Older purchases (Waterloo, September 1998 to July 1999)

Belle and Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap (*)

PJ Harvey - Is This Desire? (*)

Smiths - Louder than Bombs (R)

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Acme (*)

Medeski, Martin, and Wood - Combustification (*)

Arto Lindsay - Mundo Civilizado

Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

Talvin Singh - OK

Frank Black and the Catholics

Transglobal Underground - Rejoice Rejoice

James Brown - Foundations of Funk - A Brand New Bag 1964-1969 (*)

Julian Cope - World Shut Your Mouth

Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue (*)

Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On a Gravel Road (*)

Lucinda Williams - (Self-Titled)

Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock

10,000 Maniacs -The Wishing Chair (R)

Tom Waits - Mule Variations (*)

John Zorn - The Circle Maker

Chemical Brothers - Surrender

Cibo Matto - Stereo Type A (*)

Edith Piaf - The Essential

Beck - Mutations (*)

Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (*)

Minutemen - Introducing The Minutemen (R)

Even older purchases (Berkeley, December 1998)

Godspeed You Black Emperor - f#a#inf

Beleza Tropical 2 (*)

Julian Cope - Saint Julian

Cesaria Evora - Cabo Verde

Prince - 1999 (R)

Medeski, Martin & Wood - Shack-man

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (R)

Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (R)

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (*)

Leroy Jenkins - Solo

Public Image Limited - Second Edition (R)

The Pastels - Illumination

Lee Dorsey - Freedom for the Funk (compilation)

Portishead - PNYC live (*)

The Smiths - Meat Is Murder (British version) (R)

Kronos Quartet - The Complete Landmark Sessions (Monk/Evans)

Much older purchases (Vancouver, August 1997 to August 1998)

Guided by Voices: Mag Earwhig

Kronos Quartet: Early Music

Red Hot + Rio

Pixies: Doolittle (R)

Mary Margaret O'Hara: Miss America

The Primitives: Best Of (R)

Mike Watt: Contemplating the Engine Room

Bis: The New Transistor Heroes

The Mekons: Rock'n'Roll

Bill Laswell: City of Light

NovaBossa: Red Hot on Verve

Al DiMeola: Plays Piazzolla

Wedding Present: Tommy

Ash: 1977 (*)

Red Hot + Latin

Sleater-Kinney: Dig Me Out (*)

Fatboy Slim: Better Living Through Chemistry

Peter Gabriel: Shaking the Tree (R)

Margaret Leng Tan: Art of the Toy Piano

John Zorn: The Big Gundown

Beck: Odelay!

Orange Peels: Square

Belle and Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister (*)

Replacements: Let It Be (R)

Sleater-Kinney: Call the Doctor (*)

Radiohead: OK Computer (*)

Portishead: Portishead (*)

Van Morrison: Astral Weeks (R)

Cornershop: When I was Born for the 7th Time (*)

Julian Cope: 20 Mothers

Tindersticks: Curtains

Ash: Trailer

Roxy Music (R)

Van Morrison: Best of (R)

John Zorn: Masada Live

Material: Seven Souls (*)

New York Dolls: Rock'n'Roll (R)

What's Up Matador

Third Rail: South Delta Space Age (*)

Teardrop Explodes: Wilder (R)

Violent Femmes (R)

Roxy Music: For Your Pleasure (R)

Dinosaur Jr: You're Living All Over Me (R)

Spring Heel Jack: Busy Curious Thirsty

Spring Heel Jack: 68 Million Shades of

Anokha: Sounds of the Asian Underground (*)

Morrissey: Bona Drag

Pretenders: Singles (R)

Cesaria Evora: Cesaria

Replacements: Pleased to Meet Me (R)

Planet Squeezebox

Return of the DJ, Vol. II

Housemartins: Now That's What I Call Quite Good (R)

Talking Heads: Sand In The Vaseline (R)

R.E.M.: Dead Letter Office (R)

Tricky: Angels with Dirty Faces

Sonic Youth: A Thousand Leaves (*)

Husker Du: Everything Falls Apart (R)

Husker Du: Candy Apple Grey (R)

Husker Du: Flip Your Wig (R)

Wynton Marsalis: Blood On The Fields