Chrisssss-massssss. Do they have Christmas in France?
Best movie.
Anyway, I figure this would give you some ideas on what to give the music snob in your life this holiday season. I've ranked them to inexpensive, moderate and big pimpin'.
Inexpensive (good for stocking stuffers):
Mixit CD Stickers: These nifty and colorful stickers are great to put on your Rob Gordon approved mix CDs. I personally like the stripes design. They come in a pack of eight and you can get them at any Container Store for about $7.
CD Wallpaper: I have these adorning my bathroom door. It's a good way to dispose on those unwanted CDs. Turn them shiny side up and you'll have an added mirror effect to your wall ... or ... do what I did. You can paint the non-playing side a single color (cheap $1 tempera paint), which adds a nice pattern to your wall. You can get this at Container Store or Bed, Bath & Beyond for around $8-9.
ISlice: As Seen on TV! This little tool easily opens up the pesky plastic wrapping around CDs. There's no metal involved so you won't cut your finger or poke your eye out. You can get a good deal on ebay for $5 or they sell them at Target.
CD Lift: Our good friends in Denmark came up with the sweet little gadget for lifting CDs from the jewel case and placing it on your device of choice. You press down on the center, the vacuum seal lifts the CD, you place in your player, press down again and it unlocks from the CD Lift. That website lists is at $16.95, but I got mine at Container Store for $8 so shop around. I like it because you won't bend the CD. The again, if the CD comes in a slip case, you just have to use your bare hands.
Moderate
The Departed Music From the Motion Picture: Towards year end, I'll start compiling my Top 5's of the year and this will probably be No. 1 Soundtrack of the year. Scorsese pours a lot of effort into finding the right music for his film, and this one he outdid himself with the inclusion of "Comfortably Numb" by Van Morrison. You know the song, so when you hear and see it in the context of the movie, it has a new meaning. You also gets cuts from Dropkick Murphys, Beach Boys, Allman Brothers and Patsy Cline. Actually, my favorite Scorsese soundtrack is for Casino.
PJ Harvey, The Peel Sessions (1991-2004): I made sure to pick-up a whole bunch of Peel Session releases while I was in London, but this one is available in the U.S. This is her in her most personal state, more bluesy and raw. You feel like she's right in the room with you. There was a great admiration between the two and this disc serves as a reminder of how amazing a singer-songwriter she is and as tribute to Peel, a DJ who the music world misses.
Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited: Here's a music snobbery double whammy, Serge Gainsbourg as covered by Franz Ferdinand, Jarvis Cocker, Cat Power, Feist, Portishead and others. That's what I'm talking about. You just listen to this and you automatically feel French. Then the person you give this to can go and discover other Gainsbourg material. Although James Iha's version of "Bonnie and Clyde" doesn't compare to the superior Luna version.
My Morning Jacket, Okonkos (CD and DVD sold separately): Filmed at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco, this concert film is a good representation of how far the Kentucky band have gone. At first they were just a bunch of long haired Southern rockers who jammed. Their 2005 album Z turned a lot of heads and showed them rising above that Southern rocker status. They're still the hairiest band in rock. Anyway, the DVD has a 5.1 mix so you can test out your sound system. It doesn't have any extras, but has a weird beginning featuring and old timey plantation party from like the late 19th century and some far animals. You have to see it.
Fossil IPOD Case: For a non-CD gift, this is my IPOD cover of choice from my favorite retailer, Fossil. This video IPod case is made from genuine leather. Features a clear window for the display, a cutout for the wheel, and a back clip for carrying it around. Accented with leather lace detailing and elastic sides. Measures 4.25"H x 2.5"L x .5". You can smell the classiness.
Big Pimpin ( $30 and over)
I probably saved maybe $5 buying getting these imports overseas, but you can get these with a little searching on ebay. A lot of good Canadian sellers have decent prices for these bad boys.
His N' Hers, Different Classes and This Is Hardcore: Special Editions, Pulp: The one thing I made sure, out of everything I wanted to buy, were these special edition released by Universal Music Group. The best is actually This Is Hardcore. It has a few b-sides that are fantastic like Cocaine Socialism, Tomorrow Never Dies, Like a Friend (which was on the Great Expectations soundtrack) and It's a Dirty World. Each double disc set comes with extensive linear notes from Jarvis Cocker that details each song and talks about his mental breakdown making This Is Hardcore. On His N' Hers, he talks about the attention the band was getting from signing to a major label. On their defining album, Different Classes, her tells a story about seeing his face on billboards all over London. If you want go the extra mile, pick up the Peel Sessions. The second disc on that is a full live recording that was so worth the high exchange rate.
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road: Special Edition, Lucinda Williams: Hopefully, I won't sound like Universal's bitch, but their Special Edition series are awesome. First off is the remaster original album. The second disc are all live tracks from the album. On top of that you get all the great notes about each song. The album, probably the best album put out by an American female singer-songwriter in the 90s, is an essential to own in any form for its defining of alt-country and Williams poeticism. This is available at a normal price in the U.S.
Radio One Live Lounge: This was a good discover that I bought at FOPP in Covent Garden. It's live tracks from the Jo Whiley show, mostly they are acoustic and about half are cover songs. I'm not afraid to say that the best track is The Automatic covering Kanye West's "Goldigger." (side note: I hate Kanye's music). The other is Franz doing their take on Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" Again, it can be gotten at a reasonable price ($25ish) on ebay. Here's the track listing:
1. Foo Fighters – DOA
2. Arctic Monkeys – Love Machine (by Girls Aloud)
3. Snow Patrol – Run
4. The Kooks – Crazy (by Gnarls Barkley)
5. Razorlight – Golden Touch
6. Corinne Bailey Rae – Munich (by Editors)
7. The Automatic - Goldigger (by Kanye West)
8. The Editors – All Sparks
9. Boy Kill Boy - Maneater (by Nelly Fertado)
10. Queens Of The Stone Age – No One Knows
11. Embrace – How Come (by D12)
12. James Blunt – If There’s Any Justice
13. Natasha Bedingfield – The Scientist (by Coldplay)
14. Kings Of Leon – Molly's Chambers
15. Jamie Cullum – Frontin' (by Pharrell)
16. Sugababes – Livin’ For the Weekend (By Hard-Fi)
17. Lemar – I Believe In A Thing Called Love (by The Darkness)
18. Will Young – Hey Ya (by Outkast)
19. Hard Fi - Tied Up Too Tight
20. Oasis - Songbird
Disc: 2
1. Coldplay – The Scientist
2. Lily Allen – Smile
3. Keane – With Or Without You (by U2)
4. K T Tunstall – Other Side Of The World
5. Franz Ferdinand – What You Waiting For (by Gwen Stefani)
6. Pink – Family Portrait
7. Outkast - Ms Jackson
8. The Futureheads – Hounds Of Love (by Kate Bush)
9. Jamelia – Numb (by Linkin Park)
10. Dizzee Rascal – Jus A Rascal
11. Lemon Jelly – Nice Weather For Ducks
12. Mylo – In My Arms
13. My Chemical Romance – Song 2 (by Blur)
14. The Coral – Dreaming Of You
15. Maximo Park – Gone Missing
16. The Bravery – Honest Mistake
17. The Streets – Let’s Push Things Forward
18. Basement Jaxx – Romeo
19. Orson – Push The Button (By Sugababes)
20. 50 Cent – In Da Club
What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977): This is the box set of the year courtesy of the good people of Rhino. The current issue of Rolling Stone has story behind the exhaustive four year process of compiling all the records.
That's it for me until next week. Gobble Gobble Wee!
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