it feels like i have the world at my fingertips

Truth be told, if I could work one place for the rest of my life (and money was not an issue) I would live and die by Dearborn Music One day I hope to open a music store that is even half as cool as that place, seriously. There was at one point in the summer where we would all wake up Saturday mornings groggy eyed, with clouded, hungover brains and easily spend anywhere from 20-50 dollars a week.

I've since cut back for financial reasons, but I still like to go there from time to time and splurge. Does the word splurge sound weird to anyone else? And I've somehow managed to work it into this post twice now.

On to the albums:

First we have Gold by Ryan Adams



Most people that aren't huge Ryan Adam's fans have either never heard of him, or have only heard the single that got him some commercial success, "New York, New York". If you didn't like that song, worry not friends, because no two Ryan Adam's songs are ever the same. In fact, that may be the most upbeat song on a record with gems found at every turn. Adams' music has always had a real country influence, but I would never go as far as to throw him into that category. The way he writes his songs and tells his stories are incredible, and his voice really shines on this album. Some standout tracks are "La Cienega Just Smiled" and "Gonna Make You Love Me".

here is a live video from Austin City Limits a few years ago:



Next we have The Photo Album by Death Cab For Cutie



As most of you may know, I am a huge Death Cab For Cutie fan. Their music is near perfect to me, so you may find yourself reading a lot of recommendations to listen to them from me. I think the thing I like most about this record is how unpolished it sounds at times. As I've mentioned before, Transatlanticism is my favorite album by them, but I will always hold a special place for this record. It's so funny how older Manchester Orchestra really reminds me of older Death Cab, specifically this album. If you're new to this band, I would really check out some of their newer stuff first just to see if you like their sound before moving to the older albums like this one and We Have The Facts and We're Voting Yes Some standout tracks on this album are "Steadier Footing", and "Information Travels Faster".

Next up is The Heart Of Saturday Night by Tom Waits



You will hate Tom Waits at first. You may think his voice is awful. You may think the sounds you hear on any of his albums are ridiculous. But I promise you, one day when you don't even realize it, it will hit you out of nowhere and you will suddenly realize that this man is brilliant. He's unlike any other artist I've ever listened to. His voice is harsh, like he'd been smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day just to sound that way (which I'm told he's tried before). The thing about Tom Waits is that when he was first starting out, he wasn't so different from other things that were out at the time. But as his career went on, he was constantly changing his sound and growing as a musician. This album, along with one of his earlier ones Closing Time make for the perfect soundtrack to any night spent at a dive bar, drowning yourself in your sorrows. It also has a nice jazzy vibe to it that keeps the music upbeat, even if the lyrics are drowning themselves in their own sorrows. Do yourself a favor and check out Mr. Waits and maybe, just maybe, one day you'll thank me. Below is a video that a fan made out of a song off this album. While the video is so-so, the song is fantastic.

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