So Much Music...

...so few hours in the day. what's been in the pile..."NP" as the kids say:
Eccentric Soul - The Big Mack Label the Numero Group label is on such a roll it's sick, i don't even look at what the album is anymore, if i see the cool package w/ the "N" on it, i get it. no letdown here; i hope if they ever run out of obscure labels to reissue they just start making them up.
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs yeah of course this is the classic, but sometimes we take classics for granted. went back and listened this morning in anticipation of seeing the man live in concert next week, and it really is nearly perfect.
Oakley Hall - Gypsum Strings best live band i've seen this year's newest record didn't hit me as immediately as the one before with the blue cover, but it has now caught up. great stuff on their site .
Hot Chip - The Warning been addicted to this record since the first time i skeptically put it on expecting to hear sub-Rapture dance-punk drivel and instead heard great songs performed in the style of a more soulful OMD, or maybe a high-school New Order without the faux naivete. awesome, i'm going to do a cover of "And I Was A Boy From School", i'm serious. i already started.
Lavender Diamond - You Broke My Heart and some other songs from the internet...when i hear "she's somehow affiliated with Devendra Banhart and the whole freakfolk scene" i don't exactly drop what i'm doing and crank up the old victrola, but i love a tremolo-less singing voice that's pure like this, it's really charming stuff. could become precious quickly but hasn't yet, anyway...
Bill Evans - Alone i can always, pretty much always, put on a Bill Evans record and be happy i did. i don't know if i'll ever UNDERSTAND what he's doing, but i'll never let that stop me. this is just him by his lonesome, no overdubs (though those records are good too), and it's beautiful.