I keep coming back to a few Flobots tracks I acquired from the good lady Frog. I think I may need to possess the album soon, the same 3 tracks (one being the intro) need a little more album around them.

OH! Thank you Mum, for my HMV *spits* voucher!

I did a day's work for my old boss, who now runs the rather triffic Music Magpie, and went in with the full intention to shop my little heart out. I accrued a dozen second-hand CDs, and my boss, bless his soul, gave me the lot in exchange for a handshake and the promise of a pint.

Included in the pile were '3 Feet High And Rising' by De La Soul, 'Person Pitch' by Panda Bear, 'Feels' by the Animal Collective, 'Beaster' by Sugar, 'Star' by Belly, 'Mick's Tape' by Cassetteboy, and a couple of cheeky label samplers. These, and the others that have temporarily slipped my morning-fugged mind, went on the stereo the very next day, and rocked my sorry ass. Good times.

...and because I'm sat in the dumps at the end of Self-Pity Town, I've bought myself even more CDs. A spot of Deerhoof and Erase Errata should make a nice musical Brillo pad to scour away my ills...

Person Pitch!!

It's been floating around my bedroom for the past week or so. Good for homework, good for walking, good for makeouts.

Currently, however (being occupied with none of those activities) I'm listening to my "These Songs, Despite Being from Different Eras, Are About the Same Thing" playlist--the last pair was "Circus" by Tom Waits and "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan.

Yeah, 'Person Pitch' is generally lovely, and soundtracks most pleasant occasions very nicely. Much like the Fleet Foxes album, actually. Nicey nicey.

I listened to 'Other Animals' by Erase Errata for the fourth time since Wednesday this morning. I've got a serious thing for them right now, and am planning to pick up the rest of their back catalogue ASAP. Their shuddering brand of noise punk is just what I need. Saw-edge guitar, rattling drums and yelping female vocals - more please!

[EDIT] Self-restraint is not one of my virtues. I bought their other two albums within minutes of making this post. Mmm, noisy noisy...

Now, this is a slice of genius. I'm currently listening to my colleague's mobile phone, as he has a collection of his own music upon it. It's all chip music he made a few years ago (under the name of FeganMeister), so it largely sounds like theme tunes from 8bit console games, and it's actually very good. These tunes are crying out for a slamming techno remix...

[EDIT] ZOMG!!! He's made a version of the A Team theme! Too. F@cking. Cool.

Yowza. Attended a four band gig last night because my old drinking buddy from uni is the bassist from one of the bands, and had an even better time than I expected. I'd only heard of one of the bands (other than the one my mate's in), but they were all good. Horowitz (two guitars, drum machine, rickety old-school indie-rock) gave a strong opening set that made the PA bleed; The Pete Green Corporate Juggernaut (C86 indie-schmindie, with my mate on bass) were gloriously jangly and infectious; Lovelust (suspiciously neat hairdos and a bewildering array of effects pedals) came on like Embrace crossed with Spiritualised, but much better than that suggests (they made the walls throb - nice); and The Manhattan Love Suicides (three cheeky chappies and one gorgeous Debbie Harry-alike frontlady), who out-fuzzed the Jesus And Mary Chain and gave it some truly remarkable rocking.

It was a killer night, but this morning my ears are screaming at me. I've got the cotton wool head and the constant 'eeeeeee' that speaks of a gig well enjoyed.

I gave myself a little musical hair-of-the-dog this morning with 'Pink' by Boris, but I don't think it works that way, sadly. Today at work will be interesting...

Rozi Plain. Over and over and over. Yuuummmm.
InKy, I now take earplugs. I'll go sit in the boring corner.

I wasn't expecting that level of loudness in so small a venue. The whole place was vibrating. Brilliant, but wince-inducing. Unlike Rozi Plain, who is just brilliant.

I like standing next to stacks so I feel the bass vibrate through my stomach. But I want to be able to hear when I'm older

I've been listening to erstwhile Milky 6th Finger frontman Bungee Nipple's new solo album, 'Anal Papercuts'. Very conceptual. Available now(ish) from Banjomouse Record House.

In real life, I've been all over Erase Errata again. I like that I can fit the entire album into my walk to work, sometimes with time to review my favourite tracks (which, from 'Other Animals', would be 'Tongue Tied', 'Marathon', 'French Canadia' and the awesomely-titled 'How To Tell Yourself From A Television').

Day off on Wednesday, and an increasingly large stack of tuneage, including more Errata (woo!), 'Expert Knob Twiddlers' by Mike & Rich (mu-ziq and Aphex Twin respectively - brilliant 'Downfall'-inspired cover), an album by The Acorn (courtesy of Rough Trade Shops), and an album of Belle & Sebastian BBC sessions. Tasty platters.

I'm pretty sure that entire post could be re-cast as a dirty euphemism.

Today's failing of a linguistics quiz and subsequent breaking of a very nice shoe was brought to me by Architecture in Helsinki, who struggled valiantly to lift my grouchy mood for the duration of the walk home. Currently listening to Pharoahe Monch--- "Desire" is making me sip my gumbo with gusto. ("Still get it poppin even without Artists & Repetoire / Cause Monch is a monarch only minus the A & R / When my brain excells, your train derails / Pop sh*t, I'ma make you feel the clips like Pharell")

An excessive amount of Diego's Umbrella, Flobots and mewithoutyou has been playing lately.

So good he said it thrice.

I've felt a bit French this morning, so I inserted Camille into my ears, and then followed her up with Sonny J, whose track 'Enfant Terrible' has really lifted my year. Infectious doesn't even begin to cover it.

elph - me? Euphemisms? Never! It's not as if I pepper my posts with double entendre. Indeed, were I to see any of the like amongst my writings, I'd whip it out immediately.

I REMEMBER WHAT I NEEDED TO ASK YOU! Do you have Sonny J's EP/ Albumen or something or nothing? Because I would like a copy ^_______^

I am listening to The Cure, The Smiffs and Joy Division- I am exceptionally happy and it has been a wonderful day! And for some reason, I really want to eat mustard.

*goes to the kitchen to find something to eat with the mustard*

Better than that, I have the album 'Disastro' and the limited edition bonus CD 'Earwax', which is a 50 min mashup of all kinds of mad shite. I'd be happy to apply them both to a disc and wing them in your direction.

Am I right to be concerned that you want Sonny J's egg white? It'd be a bit too sloppy for the Jiffy bag, surely

I'm currently listening to the Smashing Pumpkins "Zeitgeist" album. I downloaded it yonks ago and promptly forgot I had it until one of the tracks popped up on random play yesterday afternoon. I'm only halfway into the first song and it's all good so far, but I shall update after further listenage.

Plop it in a CD case, it will be fiiiiine.
I am listening to the Cure and other gothy punky rock bands. It is both amusing and happy

You could fry it, actually. If you're really nifty you could make it CD shaped so it'd fit the case exactly.

Zeitgeist was all good, right up until my router (which also does the wireless stuffs) crapped out. Bah

I'll fry it up for you, Daria. With a little salt to taste. The perfect eggy.

I got all the planned listening done that I mentioned back on the 17th, and boy howdy were there some doozies in there. The Acorn proved to be swoony and mellow with an undercurrent of lovely; the Mike & Rich offering sounded exactly as you'd expect something from such electronic luminaries to sound (ie odd, brilliant, and oddly brilliant); the B&S sessions were great, being much the same as the album versions but with added schmindie wonkiness, and the full live show that came as a bonus CD was even better - worth buying for the cover of 'I'm Waiting For My Man', which features a bloke called Barry who was plucked from the audience to provide vocals; and, finally, the Erase Errata album was flipping fantastic, more ploshed and less noisy than the earlier stuff, and now on its sixth time around my ears since yesterday.

I also picked up a three-pack of Alice In Chains albums to fill a noticeable gap in my collection. Classics all - 'Dirt' is such a killer album all round.

Yay music!

This young chap. He is called Matt Panera, and is AWESOME. Reminds me of the music Mr. E Spoon makes.

Sycamore Smith is the CD spinning away right now. Good crappy roads and snowy weather music.

Erase F@CKING Errata AGAIN. Seriously, this stuff is like crack to me right now. I've been getting withdrawal symptoms whenever I stop listening to them...

I did, however, give ear to Rozi Plain last night in a quieter moment. Definitely a highlight of the year.

Obviously, I'll be making time for some Pixies later today. It's only right.

Three tracks let loose into the intertubes by our very own Spoon. They bring back very happy memories of the summer, being made breakfast (I still don't know how you managed to make something that was like maple syrup out of nothing) and my birthday party.

Husky Rescue - Summertime Cowboy

..which isn't coming off repeat until i'm ready to let it.

nyuk nyuk. Devilish little number, isn't it? I think it's mostly down to the whip-cracks.

I've been torn between the usual Errata (collection complete now, including the remix EP, but not the rare split 7"s. One day...), a spot of Monster Magnet, and a touch of The Bug.

Wire ('Pink Flag') and David Devant And His Spirit Wife ('Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous') this morn. I was feeling a little 'arty'. Good stuff.

Lots and lots of ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - mostly 'The Secret Of Elena's Tomb', 'Source Tags & Codes', 'Worlds Apart' and 'So Divided' - in celebration fo the fact that their latest EP dropped through the letterbox yesterday. Not listened to it yet, but I'm too excited for words already. New album soon! Woo!

Lots of PJ Harvey, Will Oldham (in all of his many many forms) and Smog. Taaaasty.

The lovely sound of my fan over a peaceful stomping from upstairs in the backround as I lay in bed.

Gooooood. See Mata - it's not just lesbians that listen to PeeJ. Unless I've grossly misjudged Daria and Wytu's relationship...

I've been spinning my 'Up' playlist, which, in tandem with large amounts of cold and flu drugs, is the only thing that's been keeping me upright during my trek into town to finish my shopping. It's full of uptempo goodness, such as the Ramones, the Go! Team, Beastie Boys, DJ Format, and other joyous things that my dribbly brain is struggling to remember.

I think I should go home now. I'm feeling a leeeeetle bit faint...

I'm listening to some more of the FeganMeister's chip-bending tomfoolery. He's made a tune almost entirely from the noises made by a badly-abused Speak & Spell. It's bloody brilliant, and very, very noisy.

In the morning I had a bit of Pavement. 'Terror Twilight', to be precise. My love for that band, and that album, knows no bounds.

A lot of Damien Rice. It seems to have a sedative effect on me.

And there's a really annoying high pitched squealing coming from one of the computers here...

Bill Irvine again, loving the DigereeDoo blues blue edge guitar... and Frank Turner. I NEED TO PLAY GUITAR

My favorite Beatles song (only because its the only Beatles song on my ipod, *sniffles* I really should have more...), I Am The Walrus.

Big pile of CDs needing attention, as ever. I've made time for a Dirty Sound System edits collection (Rough Trade exclusive! ZOMG!!!), 'Eight Arms To Hold You' by Veruca Salt, 'Versus' by Kings Of Convenience (a surprisingly good remix collection) and a home-made comp from my old university drinking buddy.

The latter contains a song that I've been unable to shift since I heard it. It's a lovely, sweet little twee indiepop jobby by Slow Down Tallahassee called 'Kiss Me Again', and the genius lies in the fact that it goes from lovey-dovey cuteness ('Kiss me again/But not like a friend/Put your ever-loving arms around me') to unbridled filth ('Put your lips between my hips/And let the motherf@cking good times roll') without breaking its stride. Brilliant.

On the strength of that recommendation, I just hunted it down on last.fm and had a listen. Genius. ("I don't really care about the three little words / But I'll spread 'em if you said them now")

Currently listening to a lot of Madeleine Peyroux and the Strokes.

Nice work, elph! Now expect several days of finding yourself whistling the refrain without realising.

This morning I listened to Girls Aloud and Bomb 20. Not a collaboration album, sadly. Now that would be genius...

Death From Above 1979 for the morning (I've got 'Little Girl' as my early shift alarm tone, so it got lodged in my brain), followed by some Stella Maris - specifically their cover of 'Lucifer Sam', which I find delightfully daft.

Today I am listening to the painful silence of overtime!

I have however seen my last patient for the day and just have to wait until everyone else is finished for my lift home!

Randomising the PC playout today as Ryn and I tidy the house has resulted in contributions in the last half hour from Faithless- Spider Crocodiles & Kryptonite, Manfred Man- The Mighty Quinn, Paul McCartney- Jet, Paolo Nutini- New Shoes, Iron Maiden- Can I Play With Madness, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole- Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World, and E-Z Rollers- Walk This Land.
I think I'm being karmicaly rewarded for washing the windows and doing the hovering!

Sigur rós

(need I say more?)

But snoo! Which album?

I've needed some bounce today, so I've had Cibo Matto, Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip and Cypress Hill on the go. Bounce sufficiently restored.

All of them! But mostly ágætis byrjun, which is about the only one of their albums I don't legally own!

Right now listening to Funeral for a Friend but I've got it on random so who knows what's next!

You know, for the longest time, I didn't have a kosher copy of that. Bought all the rest - even that weird-ass remix jobby they did of 'Von' - but not that one, which I had a shonky CDR of. I finally cracked and bought it, along with a Sugarcubes best of. Quite the Icelandic double-header.

I am being the classiest Elphaba and listening to jaazzz. Bought my dad the Peyroux album I've been sitting on for a month and am making a companion album of all the originals that she covered. Christmas is awesome.

Currently--well, currently it's actually Flogging Molly because "No More (Paddy's Lament)" comes after "No More" by Billie Holiday. But before it was Josephine Baker. Yum.

That's a sweet idea elph. I'm sure he'll love it.

I've been picking around listlessly at my collection, settling on a bit of Boris, 'D.A.N.C.E' by Justice, 'Move Your Feet' by Junior Senior, and a spot of Julian Cope.

I hope so Xmas gifts are always scary/fun--you never know if they'll love it or think you're absolutely ridiculous.

Yann Tiersen's Amelie soundtrack is telling me it's holiday time, and I believe him.

Mmm, Yann Tiersen. He makes some very pretty musics.

I listened to two versions of 'That's Not My Name' this morn - the original Ting Tings one, and Dizzee Rascal's Live Lounge session version. The latter is comedy gold, with some nice lyrical changes (They call me 'Blood'/They call me 'Rude Boy'/They call me 'Oi'/They call me 'Mate') set off against Dizzee's natural charm. Good gear.

Afterwards, some lovely randomising, until the fact that I'd been watching some of the second series of House this morning made me flip some Massive Attack on - 'Teardrop', of course, and then 'Karmacoma'.