I just got back from vacation in St. Maarten and my listening pile has grown while I was away (thanks to some discs that I ordered).

DJ Z-Trip - "Live in LA"
Up, Bustle and Out - "Master Sessions Vol. 1"
Jimmy Buffett - "Don't Stop the Carnival"
N.E.R.D. - "Fly or Die"
Eric Clapton - "Me and Mr. Johnson"
Aerosmith - "Honkin' on Bobo"
Weezer - "Blue Album (Deluxe Edition)"
Nas - "Illmatic (10 year Platinum Edition)" (actually kind of glad this got stolen from me years ago so I don't feel as bad about rebuying it)

Should arrive this week:
Murs - "Murs 3:16 the 9th Edition"
Inhumanz - "Hell To Pay (Satanik Mashups)"
Blockhead - "Music by Cavelight"

No question this week, at least from me. I've got to get going and play catch-up on some work. Someone else feel free to come up with a question.

Connells - Fun & Games -- great album from one of those college bands that could just never make "the leap." Must be frustrating (or at least somewhat hard to fathom) to them that Hootie and the Blowfish are multimillionaires and they still make the circuit around Raleigh.
Barenaked Ladies - Everything To Everyone -- from the library. Their songs aren't bad (and I happen to like the song about the person who keeps receiving postcards with chimpanzees from a mysterious sender), but I've heard it once, I can return it.
Built To Spill - Keep It Like A Secret -- cuh-lahsssic...
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People -- It's nice, but I sense now that I'll probably sell it in a year or 2.
Spoon - Girls Can Tell -- I only picked this up recently, and now I'm really becoming a big Spoon fan. Them, Wilco, TMBG, and U2 are the only bands with albums I know/expect to come out this year that I would pick up without awaiting reviews.

I'm tempted to make the Question of the Day "comment on DJLinus' CDs", but I'll be nice and just do the traditional "comment on your own CDs" (see above).

Jolie Holland, Esconsida -- Even better than her 2003 debut, Catalpa. She still sounds like Billie Holiday gone Appalachian folk, but I think she's getting Tom Waits (one of her main cheerleaders) influence, too. Excellent.

Olivia Tremor Control, Black Foliage: Animation Music vol 1 -- I finally replaced my long-lost tape copy of this when they re-issued it 2 weeks ago. It really is one of my favorite albums. 60s-inspired psych-pop with field recordings and tape collages.

Devendra Banhart, Rejoicing in the Hands -- I've been listening to lots of folk lately, but this one is particularly incredible. He sounds like a warbly Jeff Buckley and makes definite nods to 70s British folk groups like Fairport Convention and Vashti Bunyan (who contributes vocals to one song). Someone suggested that I must be on Young God Records' payroll after I raved about this one and Angels of Light on a different forum.

Angels of Light, Everything is Good Here/Please Come Home -- Even though I've had this album for nearly a year, it just now is beginning to strike me as a really great record. I like this project more than anything he did with Swans.

Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food -- Even though I think Remain in Light is a better album (just for having the best 5 song sequence ever), I can sit through this album and not feel exhausted at the end. Not as punky as 77, but just as energetic, this is one of the reasons why I think the Talking Heads were allowed to suck later in their career.

David Byrne - Uh Oh My favorite of Byrne's solo discs (though I've only got Uh Oh, Look into the Eyeball and Grown Backwards). It's fun, it's funky, and its got the best song ever about a sex change operation ("Now I'm Your Mom").

Particle - Launchpad A good disc, and it reflects their live performance well. I was hoping they'd use the studio to their benefit a bit more, especiallly since Tom Rothrock acted as producer. A great album to play at a party.

Gary Jules - Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets I bought it for the cover of "Mad World" (from the Donnie Darko soundtrack). Overall, a pleasant listen. He's a good singer-songwriter. Nothing earthshattering but really good. The song "Barstool" is my favorite track for what it's worth.

The Coral I just bought this a few weeks ago, and I can't get enough of it. One of the best CDs I've purchased in a few months.

TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes I liked it when I bought it...I like it more now. Grows on you quickly and doesn't let go.

Desaparecidos - Read Music/Speak Spanish Very good but a bit too short. I actually like it better than most of the stuff Conor's released as Bright Eyes.

Susanna and the Magical Orchestra- List of Lights and Buoys

Supersilent- 1-3 (and 6)

Espers- s/t

Cyann & Ben- Spring

Olivia Tremor Control- Dusk at Cubist Castle and Black Foilage (I'm hooked on this stuff, too)

Clearlake- Ceders

Fennesz- Veince

rjd2 - since we last spoke promo

mew - frengers

kanye west - college dropout

dj shadow - endtroducing and private press

thievery corporation - mirror conspiracy

cocteau twins - heaven or las vegas

dj cam - mad blunted jazz

This week I am switching out a couple albums,

Probot - Probot
Eyedea & Abilities - E&A
Kanye - Still bumping West
The Vines
N*E*R*D - Fly or Die

Haven't been to Best Buy this week yet, so probably pick up another album.

Prince week:

Dirty Mind
1999
Purple Rain
Parade
Sign 'O' The Times
Love Symbol Album
Emancipation

My copy of The Gold Experience has disappeared and the used CD stores in town don't have it.