Sweet and sour. Unique instrumentation. I remember walking into the old Listening Booth record shop in the Richland Mall and hearing "Underground" over the store's stereo system. I thought it was possibly the Residents? Why on earth is the Listening Booth playing the Residents? The clerk told me it was the new Tom Waits album. I bought it on cassette.
2. "English Settlement" - XTC
Some consider this to be thee XTC album -- I'd be one of them.
3. "XO" - Elliott Smith
Some beautiful music-it's sad that we won't hear more. Turns out that the Elliott's old band Heatmiser opened for the Milkmen way back when at the Caberet Metro in Chicago.
4. "Chutes Too Narrow" - The Shins
It's rare that I like a CD from start to finish-this happens to be one of them.
5. "Ballads" - Dexter Gordon
I love the cover photo too.
6. "Let It Be" - The Replacements
A time traveling disc for me. This takes me back to West Philly in the mid-eighties.
7. "Love Songs" - Jean-Paul Sartre Experience
A kiwi classic. Great songs for both sunny and rainy days.
8. "Bach: Six Unaccompanied Cello Suites" - Yo-Yo Ma
For lazy Sunday mornings while drinking coffee and reading the NYTimes (dead tree edition).
9. "Better Can't Make Your Life Better" - Lilys
Not a dud song in the bunch here.
10. "My Aim Is True" - Elvis Costello
Contains one of my top 10 songs of all time-"Watching the Detectives". This one takes me back to my early punk and new-wave days.