I pledge allegiance to Circuit City.

I have been bitten by too many incompetent Best Buy employees over the years that I almost always head to the red building over the blue. [Most notably, after reading in Newsweek that Best Buy was going to be an outlet for the original iMacs, I went into the store in Flint, Michigan, and asked to see them. The "manager" of the computers area told me that Apple filed for bankruptcy a month earlier and was going out of business unless Acer bought them. ?!?!?!?]

But, invariably, I am sometimes the lucky recipient of a Best Buy gift card. I would never look a gift card in the mouth, so I'm willing to step in that store, avoid talking to the employees, and buy something that I really want.

Last winter, though, I didn't want to just rush in and buy a GameBoy game I'll never play, or some over-hyped CD that I feel obligated to grab. In an effort to avoid those situations, I kept waiting and watching the sales. Then, through my own indecision and inactivity, I luckily discovered Best Buy's Find 'em First week. This is a one-week promotion where they have all sorts of cutting edge CDs on sale for 7.99. Sometimes, there's even a gem available for 6.99.

That's good gettin' right there.

The first time I went in there with a $50 card and walked out with The Streets, Cat Power, Motion City Soundtrack, Kaiser Chiefs, and two others that I can't remember right now.

Yesterday, I hopped on in and grabbed: Aqualung, Amy Winehouse, Alfred Hammond, Jr., The Good, The Bad, and the Queen, and The Fratellis...

Walking out with that much music from one purchase makes me feel slightly hedonistic. Not too much, but just enough to be able to enjoy the overkill of the moment. It's great, and it's the only reason for me to seek out the yellow tags of the Double B.

Go check out the sale www.bestbuy.com, and then go buy some, and then come back here and assail!

And note: If I didn't have gift cards, I'd go to Circuit City and have them PriceMatchPlus the heck out of the sale, and get the CDs even cheaper! Ha!

And note again: If the CDs aren't what I hoped, I can always get my money back by putting them on half.com!

And note again again: If you think I bought a CD that you think I won't enjoy, please go see if I'm listing it on half.com! I'm "durandkid" over there.

Okay, peeps. All assail!

I've gone on a new music binge again.
I've collected over a hundred new songs since January 1st. And that's not including the 6 new albums I just bought yesterday. 2007 is turning out to be a very good year!!!

Most of the songs have been sought out, but there's a few that I came across that were totally "found." Most of these are okay, but there's been a few standouts. One of them, I absolutely adore, but not for AC1-type reasons. The song is delightful, quirky, and has this one quality that continues to make it resonate at the top of the playlist...

The song is The Aquabats' "Fashion Zombies." It's a very catchy tune, and very witty. It's about the effort, the life commitment inherent in going Goth. It doesn't make fun of or poke fun at Goths, it just posits the mysteries that us Goth-outsiders have to ponder when encountering Goth gangs.

"Who can blame them? They walk through asphalt cemeteries, in Zombie Fashions! They must have been born that way!"

And though the song gets me rocking, and can elicit constant smirks, there's this one little thing about the song that keeps me coming back for more.

Once the chorus begins, there's this percussive downbeat that I have never heard before. It's not a base drum, it ain't no cymbal or any other kit piece. It's this hollow sound that ties off hard at the end. It only lasts one beat, but it propels the song forward at an amazing clip while it's thumping away. It's so present, it tends to make the rest of the song seem slow.
I have a really hard time describing it. But if a bunch of Goths cornered me and asked me to describe it, I'd call it the Squish.

Maybe the 'Bats chose it because it has a sort of Shaun killing zombie hordes sound to it. Maybe it's the sound of blunt objects hitting the undead. I'd love to know how it was made, and why it's not heard in every song in the world.

Three other perfect touches that really elevate this song: There's a playful synth at the beginning. Fun. There's goth choral tones over the chorus. Nice. And there's a Thriller-style spoken word rumination as the final bridge of the song. Perfect.

But give me the Squish, and I'm a happy man.

All assail.

I didn't understand the hype around Bloc Party when they first hit the scene a few years ago. They seemed all right, but I gravitated more towards the Kaiser Chiefs. Presented with all the options at the time, I was way more into "I Predict A Riot" than I was "Banquet."

But man, I was listening to "Song for Clay (Disappear Here)" today (it even woke me up as my alarm song this morning...) and suddenly, I got it. They do really have something. It just clicks. And this song in particular really has it all going right.

I read the review of their new album Weekend in the City in Spin this week, and they actually put them down for trying to make every song epic. Again, going from the lead single, if they can keep that epic work up, more power to 'em.

And, man, speaking of not getting it: I thought the name of the band, Bloc Party, was also a little rote back when I first encountered it. Especially since they really don't seem to be partying too much. But now I get it. It's clever on many levels, and I can't believe it took me two years to see it!

But now that I'm slowly wising up, you can expect to see a similar post about TV on the Radio in as little as 18 months! :-p

All Assail!