Holiday Shopping Guide + Staff Picks

We like to think we're a lot kinder than the High Fidelity crew, but one thing we do share in common with Rob, Dick and Barry—aside from the obvious—is that we love making lists of the music we love. Maybe it's just comes with the territory, but there is something so satisfying about recommending music to folks, especially when they come back later, tell you they dig it and that they want more.

It's fun to discover, and we love facilitating that discovery. In our latest DCD Newsletter, we provided the Slacker's Guide to Holiday Shopping, and at the tail end of that, we threw in a few personal recommendations. Check out the whole mess below and please, whenever you're feeling adventurous, ask one of us for a suggestion. We're always happy to point you in an interesting direction.

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APPETIZER
First things first, let's talk stocking stuffers. We've got plenty of things that'll fit in the oversized socks hanging above your mantle. From gift certificates (available in any denomination), to the "I Still Buy Records" RSD t-shirt (more info), to multiple styles of headphones, to concert tickets (Ticket Alternative venues [now including Eddie's Attic!] and cash only, please), to 33 1/3 books (we've got about 20 of these in stock at the moment), to the just-released Oxford American music issue, you've got options.

ENTREE
Yum, right? Kinda got you hankering for more? Well, for your main course this evening, we have a lovely selection of box sets. Seriously, do you realize how many box sets we have? We have tons. Variety is the spice of life, they say, and boxes like these will fill you up nicely. But don't overdo it! You've got to save some room for...

DESSERT
For your final course, how about something sweet and a little less pricey? Maybe a selection from our vast and eclectic (Ghostface to Wanda Jackson, High on Fire to the Traveling Wilburys, Hendrix to Mumford & Sons) vinyl selection? Or you could sample some recommendations from each member of the Decatur CD crew:

Warren: Wilco's The Whole Love, Tom Waits' Bad As Me, Gillian Welch's The Harrow & the Harvest, Cass McCombs' Humor Risk, King Crimson's Discipline 40th Anniversary
Eliot: McCoy Tyner's Inception/Reaching Fourth, The Spits' IV (vinyl), Dead Boys' Young, Loud & Snotty, Emitt Rhodes' Recordings 69-73
Austin: Soul Jazz's New Orleans: The Original Sound of Funk, 1960-75, The Men's Leave Home, XTC's Skylarking, The Undertones' An Anthology, TV on the Radio's Nine Types of Light
The Security Chicken: Songs to Make Dogs Happy

The Best Albums of 2008: Young Eliot

Austin thought his little green plastic frog was cute, but this little Indian kid is waaaay cuter. And my list of 2008 records is way better, too:

1. King Tuff Was Dead [The Colonel Records]
Tweeked out pop with a punch. Every single one of these bizarre songs could get stuck in your head--and it all comes wrapped in a day-glo cover that will probably blind you.
2. Wavves [**** It Tapes]
So vinyl got too popular in '08 and the hipsters had to turn to cassettes, with this self-titled tape as the cream of the crop. Noise-pop not unlike Times New Viking, but better and more fun. It's a shame that Pitchfork has already hyped this band into oblivion.
3. Wax Museums [Douchemaster Records]
The Wax Museums are four kids from Denton, TX that play catchy, snotty punk with a great sense of humor. This is their first record since 2007's "Claw you Like a Cat" 7" to capture the frenzy of their live show.
4. The Okmoniks - Part Fever!!! [Slovenly]
While the rest of the internet was busy slobbering all over Nobunny's Love Visions, his band released a record that's every bit as catchy, rocks harder and has a ridiculous (but fun) organ. Bonus points for putting the exact same tracks on the A and B sides.
5. The Pets - Misdirection [self-released]
No frills, no gimmicks. This is straight-ahead punk with melody. It's not going to blow you away on first listen, but you'll keep wanting to spin it over and over.
6. Blank Dogs - The Fields [**** It Tapes]
If you weren't listening to lo-fi noise pop in 2008, then you were probably listening to synth punk. Prepare for Blank Dogs to blow up with their 2xLP from In the Red in '09. Of the many B. Dogs releases of '08, this one has the most stand-out songs.
7. Gentleman Jesse [Douchemaster]
I would say something, but when even David O'Brien, the AJC's beat-writer for the Braves digs this record, I don't think it's necessary.
8. Quintron - Too Thirsty 4 Love [Goner]
This record is just a blast. I'm a big dorky white guy and it still makes me want to dance. Their show at the Eyedrum with the Carbonas may well have been the best of '08. Electronic cajun pop punk.
9. Dead Luke (Sky Fi Industries)
A tape of scuzzy weirdo synth punk (count the adjectives!) that snuck out right before the end of the year and has been in my walkman ever since.
Token Jazz Record. David Murray & Mal Waldron - Silence [Justin Time]
This wasn't 2008's highest profile generational jazz crossover (Kenny Garrett's Sketches in MD w/Pharoah Sanders takes that cake), but it was the best. With an incredibly full sound from just tenor and piano, Silence provides the perfect balance of hard bop and Murray's more outsider tendecies

Just missed: Bill Dixon w/the Exploding Star Orchestra, Nomo, TV Ghost, Thee Oh Sees, Apache, Weakends, Times New Viking, Spooks, Goodnight Loving, Pumice, the Black and Whites, Baby Shakes, Thomas Function, Stolen Minks, The Magic I.D., Francisco Lopez, and Sex/Vid

The Best Albums of 2008: Austin

Austin is tired of lists. He's all listed out, frankly. List, list, list. But back in those heady days of ought eight, back before he swore to never make a list again (for at least a couple weeks, that is), he made the one below. His favorite albums of 2008:

1. Gentleman Jesse - s/t [Douchemaster]
2. No Age - Nouns [Sub Pop]
3. The Black and Whites - s/t [Douchemaster]
4. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark [Astralwerks]
5. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours [Goner]
6. Torche - Meanderthal [Hydrahead]
7. Deerhunter - Microcastle [Kranky]
8. Man Man - Rabbit Habits [Anti-]
9. Mahjongg - Kontpab [K]
10. Vivian Girls - s/t [In the Red]

Next up, Young Eliot!

The Best Albums of 2008: Warren

Better late than never, right? And so it begins: Decatur CD's favorite albums of 2008. Over the next week or so, we'll unveil our year-end lists. Today's comes from one Warren Hudson, who you may know as the proprietor of our humble little indie shop. His list is in absolutely no particular order, and, as usual, one of the selections wasn't released in the year in question. But hey, think of it as "The top 11 albums Warren listened to in 2008, most of which also came out in 2008." Without further ado, then:

Thomas Function - Celebration
Nick Cave - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Eccentric Soul: The Young Disciples
Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal
Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Telltale Signs
Blitzen Trapper - Furr
She & Him - Vol. 1
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
Charlie Haden - Rambling Boy
Grachan Moncur III (2007)

Next up, Austin! Stay tuned...

Twenty songs Austin really loved this year

Above: Jens Lekman

Boy howdy. If you think there were a lot of albums this year, you should try thinking about how many songs there were. Austin did a calculation*, and he determined that 4,321,093 songs were released this year. Consider yourselves lucky that he narrowed it down 20. Then again, to be fair, his individual tracks list changes about every 15 minutes. That said, consider this, then, a snapshot of a handful of really awesome songs. OK! Enough! Enjoy!

1. Jens Lekman - "A Postcard to Nina"
2. Muscles - "Ice Cream"
3. LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"
4. Chromeo - "Tenderoni"
5. White Rabbits - "The Plot"
6. Animal Collective - "For Reverend Green"
7. Rihanna - "Umbrella"
8. Panda Bear - "Bros"
9. Rich Boy - "Boy Looka Here"
10. Radiohead - "Bodysnatchers"
11. Justice - "D.A.N.C.E."
12. Amy Winehouse - "Rehab"
13. Jay-Z feat. Nas - "Success"
14. Blitzen Trapper - "Wild Mountain Home"
15. Book of Knots feat. Tom Waits - "Pray"
16. Patrick Wolf - "The Magic Position"
17. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - "The Toro and the Toreador"
18. Spoon - "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb"
19. Of Montreal - "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse"
20. Band of Horses - "Plans" (Grizzly Bear cover)

* He actually did no such calculation.

Decatur CD's chronologically ordered in-store performances of 2007

All things considered, we're still a baby indie retail store. That being said, we had a ton of in-store performances this year...more than any year in our existence. It's something we truly love to do, and something you can expect much more of in 2008. Enjoy this chronologically ordered list, and feel free to click on the links to view photos from each respective show:

1. Rising Appalachia - January 21, 2007
2. Papa Mali - January 26, 2007
3. Jim Threlkeld - February, 20, 2007
4. Blake Guthrie - February, 27, 2007
5. Tommy Womack - March 3, 2007
6. Modern Skirts - April 7, 2007
7. The Floating Coats - May 25, 2007
8. The Back Yardbirds - July 6, 2007
9. Peter Case - September 2, 2007
10. Kodac Harrison and Kristin Markiton - September 7, 2007
11. Techung - October 17, 2007
12. Richard Parsons - November 8, 2007
13. Georgia Fireflies - November 9, 2007
14. Romantica - November 10, 2007
15. Silver Lakes - November 11, 2007
16. Jeffrey Foucault and Caroline Herring - November 17, 2007
17. Art Rosenbaum - December 20, 2007
18. David Stephens - December 20, 2007
19. Swing Set - December 22, 2007
20. The Floating Coats - December 22, 2007

Eliot's top five Kiwi records of 2007

Eliot has a bit of a thing for New Zealand and its music. After hearing The Dead C, he knew he and the Kiwis would be a match made in heaven. And after receiving the Flying Nun 25th Anniversary box set for Christmas 2006, an obsession began. Here are his favorite New Zealand records of 2007:

1. Pumice – Pebbles
2. The Terminals – Last Days of the Sun
3. Birchville Cat Motel – Astro Catastrophes
4. The Dead C – Future Artists
5. David Kilgour – The Far Now

(Editor's note: Although Young Eliot is far too good for such pedestrian ventures as TELEVISION, it should be noted that New Zealand comedy duo Flight of the Conchords made quite a splash this year both critically and comercially. If you haven't seen the show, we stock the DVD. If you'd like a sampling of their hilarious music, we stock the EP. Also, the guys have a full-length album in the works that's set to drop on Sub Pop in spring 2008.)

Eliot's top 10 Japanese psych records of 2007

Above: Acid Mothers Temple

Leave it to our very own long-haired lover of crazy rock 'n' roll to deliver a list of the very finest of 2007's Japanese psychedelic albums. We encourage you to open your mind and tune in to any of the following:

1. Sachiko M – Salon De Sachiko
2. Astro – Astral Orange Sunshine
3. Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO – Nam Myo Ho Ren Gye Ko
4. Otomo Yoshihide – The Prisoner
5. Ghost – In Stormy Nights
6. Sachiko - Kunado
7. Boris w/Michio Kurihara – Rainbow
8. Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO – Crystal Rainbow Pyramid
9. LSD March - Constellation of Tragedy
10. Boredoms – Super Roots Vol. 9

Eliot, Austin and Kerry's favorite odds 'n' sods, reissues and box sets from the foul, twisted year of twenty ought seven

This is probably the least scientifically put together list of them all. Eliot, Austin and Kerry basically threw their picks into a pile, shuffled them around and then waited to see what fell out of the hat first. Very great stuff, though. Have a look:

1. Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
2. Sandy Denny – Live at the BBC
3. Joy Division - Closer/Unknown Pleasures
4. Albert Ayler & Don Cherry – The Hilversum Session
5. Lisa Germano – Lullaby for Liquid Pig
6. The Sly & the Family Stone catalog/box set
7. Just about anything the Numero Group put out this year
8. Pylon - Gyrate Plus
9. Betty Davis - Betty Davis/They Say I'm Different
10. The Art of Field Recording box set
11. The Modern Lovers - s/t
12. Ornette Coleman – Live at the Hillcrest Club
13. The Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
14. Townes Van Zandt - various
15. Magazine - Real Life
16. Sun Ra – Strange Strings
17. Leonard Cohen - various
18. Michio Kurihara – Sunset Notes
19. Magnolia Electric Co. - Sojourner box set
20. The King Khan & BBQ Show

The Security Chicken's top six records of ALL TIME

Hello, friends. I hope you have been enjoying the lists so far. Warren, Austin, Eliot and Kerry are nice people and all (I mean, I'd hang out with them if I had nothing better to do), but they're awfully simple-minded when it comes to music. So many opinions, so little substance. That's why I'm going to bring the noise with this post. Behold! My TOP SIX RECORDS OF ALL TIME!!!!111:

1. Songs to Make Dogs Happy!
After discovering this gem of an opus of a transcendent moment in the history of recorded music just last year, and having had a full 365 days more to bathe in its utter genius, I realized that it's the greatest set of songs ever pressed to plastic. This is cold, hard, ragged fact, not opinion.
2. Monster Ballads Xmas
Skid Row doing "Jingle Bells." Faster Pussycat's rendition of "Silent Night." L.A. Guns mandhandling "Run Rudolph Run." Enough said. OR, better yet, Enuff Z'Nuff (who is also included on this collection, rocking the hoo-ha out of "Happy Holiday")!
3. James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
My life is brilliant since finding this singer-songwriter. This album is beautiful, it's true.
4. The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World
Frank Zappa wasn't kidding when he called this band "better than the Beatles." I mean, seriously, have you listened to Zappa's music? That guy never joked about anything!
5. Yanni - Live at the Acropolis
With a 'stache like that, how could you say no?
6. Michael Bublé - Call Me Irresponsible
You'd have had to call ME irresponsible if I hadn't included this one. Zing!

Top six Eliot Vs. Warren argument albums of 2007

More than a few customers have witnessed the stubborn glory of an argument between Eliot and Warren. These two have gone to the mat over the worth of Ozzie Smith, the alleged guilt/non-guilt of Michael Vick and various other sports issues.

Thing is, music is even more contested between the duo. It's naturally a very subjective topic on its own, but these guys can find a way to argue about almost anything (even the age-old debate of cats vs. dogs). That being said, we won't go into the details of each of these albums. Just know that Eliot and Warren do not agree on any of them:

1. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
2. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – Raising Sand
3. Joanna Newsom – Ys Street Band EP
4. Scat Cat – Tikin’ Out Da Frame
5. Otomo Yoshihide – The Prisoner OST
6. Robert Wyatt - Comicopera

Austin's top eight ATL musical discoveries of 2007

Still a relative newbie to the south, Austin really threw himself into the local scene this year, catching plenty of shows, sampling CDs here at the store and spending far too much time hopping from MySpace page to MySpace page. As such, he found a lot of great Atlanta bands. Keep in mind, though...many of these acts have been performing for quite a while in their own respective ways. Austin used a "if I haven't heard it, it's new to me" mentality for this list. Enjoy some of his favorite local discoveries from 2007. They run the gamut from old timey bluegrass to doom metal, so be sure to click on the links and sample the music from each act's MySpace page. Support your local musicians, y'all:

1. The Coathangers
2. Zoroaster
3. Gentleman Jesse and His Men
4. Stonerider
5. Scars
6. Georgia Fireflies
7. The Carbonas
8. Pistolero

Eliot's top four 2007 records involving Mike Watt

This one is awfully pertinent considering the former Minutemen bassist just turned 50 yesterday. (Hazzah! Here's to 50 more years!) Eliot is a big fan, and Mike Watt's a busy man, so this list was pretty much a no-brainer. Bask in the glory of Watt's 2007 output (after all, you try and think of another legendary 50-year-old punk bass player who played on four albums this year):

1. Unknown Instructors – The Master’s Voice
2. Banyan – Live at Lucy’s
3. Kelly Clarkson – My December
4. “The Stooges” – The Weirdness

Warren's 13 favorite albums of 2007, in no particular order, plus others?

Warren grumbled when he was told to name his favorite albums of the year. (The man is very busy and doesn't have time for these sorts of frivolous endeavors. Just look at him in the above picture. The guys is always working!) However, when pressed, he realized 2007 was pretty awesome. Here are a few of his favorites:

The National - Boxer
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
v/a - I'm Not There soundtrack
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Mavis Staples - We'll Never Turn Back
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Bruce Springsteen - Magic/Live in Dublin
Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
Sharon Jones - 100 Days, 100 Nights
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade
Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
...and others probably, too.

The top 11 albums Austin thinks you unfairly ignored in the year 2007

Austin is extremely tired of year-end lists. He's read something like 37 of them already, and it seems like there is a new one every day. Despite this fact, he knows he has a duty for Decatur CD, and by golly, he shall fulfill this duty. As such, he'd like to address a few albums he feels people haven't been listening to closely enough. Oh, and though he refuses to type up any descriptors about the following selections, he would be more than happy to talk to you about them. Just ask. But for now, enjoy:

Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
White Rabbits - Fort Nightly
Lil Wayne - just about anything
Clockcleaner - Babylon Rules
Spank Rock - FabricLive 33
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Muscles - Guns Babes Lemonade
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
Bill Callahan - Woke on a Whaleheart
Grinderman - s/t
Matthew Dear - Asa Breed

Young Eliot's top 40 (distributed/easily acquired) albums of 2007

Apparently, someone told Young Eliot that quantity is more important than quality, and that the really cool kids list a whole bunch of albums to prove their musical knowledge. We kid, we kid. Eliot is a fiend for the tunes, and as such, he listens to FAR too many albums every year. Have a look at all the stuff he's crazy about from 2007. And remember, Christmas is right around the corner:

1. Alejandro Jodorowsky, Ronald Frangapine, Don Cherry – The Holy Mountain Soundtrack
2. Akron/Family – Love is Simple
3. K-Rino – Book Number 7
4. Earthless – Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky
5. Don Cherry – Live at Café Montmartre
6. Nublu Orchestra Conducted by Butch Morris
7. Grachan Moncur III – Inner Cry Blues
8. The Busy Signals – s/t
9. Sir Richard Bishop – While My Guitar Violently Bleeds
10. MV & EE w/the Bummer Road – Green Blues
11. Charles Mingus & Eric Dolphy – Cornell 1964
12. Psychedelic Horseshit – Magic Flowers Drowned
13. Angels of Light – We Are Him
14. Pink Reason – Cleaning the Mirror
15. Times New Viking – The Paisley Reich
16. Meg Baird – Dear Companion
17. Sapat – Mortise & Tenon
18. Shellac – Excellent Italian Greyhound
19. The Fiery Furnaces – Widow City
20. Mark Sultan – The Sultanic Verses
21. Black Milk – Popular Demand
22. Mammatus – The Coast Explodes
23. Arve Henriksen – Strjon
24. The Time Flys – Rebels of Babylon
25. Super Furry Animals – Hey Venus!
26. Saturday Looks Good to Me – Fill Up the Room
27. Richard & Linda Thompson – In Concert, November 1975
28. Wooden Shjips – s/t
29. The Raspberries – Live on Sunset Strip
30. Supersilent 8
31. Magnolia Electric Co. – Sojourner
32. Dinosaur Jr. – Beyond
33. Magik Markers – Boss
34. Opsvik & Jennings – Commuter Anthems
35. Marissa Nadler – Songs III: Bird on Water
36. David Murray – Sacred Ground
37. Silver Daggers – New & High Ord
38. (tie) Linda Thompson – Versatile Heart
38. (tie) Richard Thompson – Sweet Warrior
38. (tie) Teddy Thompson – Up Front and Down Low

Kerry's top 10 albums of 2007

And here we go... Hold onto your e-hats, folks, because, as mentioned, we've got plenty to share with you. First up is the artist currently known as Kerry. Here are her top 10 albums of the year:

1. Radiohead: In Rainbows
2. Deerhunter: Cryptograms
3. Dan Deacon: Spiderman of the Rings
4. Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration (not really an album, per se, but that’s alright)
5. Akron/Family: Love Is Simple
6. Panda Bear: Person Pitch
7. Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity
8. Dinosaur Jr: Beyond
9. Richard Thompson: Sweet Warrior
10. Elliott Smith: New Moon

Stay tuned. Next up is Eliot's list...

We're making some lists, checking them twice...

Last year around this time, we went a little crazy. We did not one, but FIVE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) year-end music lists. This year, we're going quite a bit more overboard. The first batch of lists will come tonight or tomorrow, and it will keep going and going and going from there. Consider yourselves warned, y'all.