A Glass of Wine and a Good Book

Greetings, gentle readers...

I recently stumbled across a fascinating article / slide show on the Huffington Post. The piece was a simple nine-part primer on how to find a good bottle of wine. Written by Adam Morganstern, this step by step instructional was eye-opening, but for me, it was not about wine, it was about books. (Here is the wine article).

I recently ended a fifteen plus year career in bookselling. Over that time, I worked for three popular chain bookstores (okay, only two are popular in the US) and a now defunct music chain. Above all, I have been a lifelong lover of books, devouring up to three novels a week while working a full-time management gig. Though I worked for chains, I, like many of the book lovers still toiling 'in the system,' had a deep appreciation for independent stores. I am currently residing in Seattle, and the indies here are superb.

As I was reading the wine article, I was noticing just how similar the art of wine buying / selling is to the art of book buying / selling. I also realized just how far chain bookstores have strayed from the basic tenets of selling books.

In the very first slide, Morganstern says to avoid stores that carry more liquor than wine. In other words, a true wine store, one that a customer can trust, will not diversify, or get bogged down in other product. When I left, the chain bookstores were coming dangerously close to devoting more space to 'other stuff' than the books. Overpriced candy lined the register aisle, knick-knacks and tchotchkes took up a whole department, and the kids section was converted into a toy warehouse. How could customers take us seriously as a bookstore if we couldn't?

He then says that the customer should avoid stores where you see only big name brands, that the more you don't recognize the better. This is also true of bookstores. Maybe it's unfair to criticize chain stores for only carrying the big name brands. After all, these big superstores once started out as small boutique mall stores that would only carry the big bestsellers. But, now that big box superstores are all over the map, they have the room to deepen the selection. But, before I left, the company that used to employ me had systematically returned that depth of selection to carry MORE copies of the brand name stuff. The justification? The more places we can stack up, face out and highlight the brand names, the more they'll sell. I get it. It's business. But, every store is going to carry Catch-22, every store is going to carry War & Peace, but not every store is going to carry Something Happened or Resurrection. Usually only the independents will carry even those somewhat popular novels from very well-known writers. If a store carries The Alexandria Quartet and a wide selection of Italo Calvino's work, I'm happy.

The third slide seemed innocuous enough, a whiff of common sense about good customer service, and then I read the last beautiful line. "Good salespeople are attentive to what you're looking for and respectful of your budget." If there was ever a maxim that chain stores did not follow, it is this one. The very last thing on the minds of chain bookstore higher-ups is to respect their customers' budgets. Upsells and add-ons were and are the name of the game in the chains. From that aforementioned candy to the toys, it was all about how big a bookseller could make the purchase.

"People used to know their butcher and baker. Supermarkets have eliminated these relationships, but with wine you still need to know the person selling it to you. It's not like buying crackers or soda." Amen. Nor is buying books like buying crackers and soda. Buying books requires just as refined a taste as buying wine, in my opinion. "Beware any wine they can't tell you anything about or haven't personally tried." I was floored by this statement, mainly because of the situation in bookstores right now. Before I left, there was a program in place to forcefully sell one title to every customer. I, like many booksellers, believe that there is a different great recommendation out there for every customer. These may happen to overlap at times, but I could never imagine that it would be appropriate to blanket recommend one book. Most of the time, in fact, nearly all of the time, booksellers were not provided a preview of the book, much less the time to actually read it, before being asked to recommend it. If there was one thing that went against my very nature, instincts and philosophy as a bookseller, it was this.

There are four slides out of the nine that deal with "Starting a relationship with the staff." In chain bookstores, this is virtually impossible. The amount of turnover is staggering. Furthermore, it has long been a contention in the chains, a struggle between those who know books and those who know selling. It has always been and will ever be. Thus, those in corporate feel that those who actually know books and can speak about books to customers, are too introverted to do so, and should not be hired. Instead, they seek people who can sell, clerks who have previous retail experience, regardless of the experience. Again, selling books is not like selling soda and crackers, but the chains sure want to believe that it is.

The thing is, I've received the kind of service that Adam Morganstern recommends from several independent bookstores, and that kind of service requires intimate knowledge. This is the one piece that chain bookstores are missing from their establishments. I know that some independent stores in Seattle require a book knowledge test before the interview. Brilliant. I once asked at a management training session if someone had ever considered such a test, and if anyone had ever figured out the cost effectiveness of giving someone with high book knowledge a little more money vs. how much it costs to train a new employee with no book knowledge. No one could answer me.

Over the years, chain bookstores have repeatedly gone through the rumors of merging, of collapsing, of dying out completely, yet none of these have come to pass. I fear this is a reflection of the idea that not many people read books anymore. Maybe this has always been true, and I've just been deluded into thinking otherwise. My hope is that more people read books, and when they do, they frequent a store they can trust, who know books, love them and respect them.

Wednesday's Playlist 6-2-10

Frightened Rabbit- “Head Rolls Off (Live)”
ELO- “Showdown”
The Black Keys- “I’m Not the One”
Foals- “The French Open”
Led Zeppelin- “Out on the Tiles”
Josh Ritter- “Girl in the War (Solo Acoustic)”
Big Star- “Blue Moon”
F#@$ed Up- “Anorak City”
The Jam- “But I’m Different Now”
The Wyrd Sisters (Jarvis Cocker, Phil Selway, Johnny Greenwood)- “This is the Night”
The Beatles- “Sie Liebt Dich”
John Coltrane- “Giant Steps (Take 5, Incomplete)”
LCD Soundsystem- “Time to Get Away”
Liars- “No Barrier Fun”
Harvey Milk- “I Did Not Call Out”
Little Dragon- “Runabout”
The Wyrd Sisters (Jarvis Cocker, Phil Selway, Johnny Greenwood)- “Magic Works”
The Cure- “Cold”
Captain Beefheart- “Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes, I Do”
Yeasayer- “The Children”
Radiohead- “Ripcord (Live)”
New Order- “Elegia”
Morrissey- “Certain People I Know”
Wham!- “A Different Corner”
Iron & Wine- “Naked As We Came (Live)”
LCD Soundsystem- “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”
The Time- “Jungle Love”
Gnarls Barkley- “Crazy”
Foals- “2 Trees”
New Order- “Your Silent Face”
Tyondai Braxton- “Uffe’s Workshop”
Happy Birthday- “I Want to Stay (I Run Away)”
Righteous Brothers- “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”
R.E.M.- “Houston (Live)”
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion- “Full Grown”
Foo Fighters- “Everlong (Acoustic Version)”
Tallest Man on Earth- “Pistol Dreams”
The Beatles- “All You Need is Love”
Broken Social Scene- “Sentimental X’s”
The Decemberists- “Sleepless”
Radiohead- “Stop Whispering (US Version)”
The Kinks- “Waterloo Sunset”
Beastie Boys- “59 Chrystie Street”
Pretenders- “Everyday is Like Sunday”
Nas- “The World is Yours”
Prince- “Purple Rain”
Sigur Rós- “Untitled 1 (aka Sigur 1) (aka Vaka)”
Ra Ra Riot- “Suspended in Gaffa”
Converge- “Worms Will Feed / Rats Will Feast”
Leonard Cohen- “Waiting for the Miracle”
LCD Soundsystem- “On Repeat”
The Dismemberment Plan- “Superpowers”
Animals- “She’ll Return It”
Broken Bells- “Citizen”
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists- “Bartolomeo and the Buzzing of Bees”
Ed Harcourt- “Fireflies Take Flight”
Ricky Nelson- “I’m Confessin’”
King Khan & BBQ Show- “I’ll Be Loving You”
The Rapture- “House of Jealous Lovers”
Blur- “Jubilee (Live)”
Bear in Heaven- “Casual Goodbye”
The White Stripes- “300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues (Live)”
Radiohead- “Palo Alto”
Hot Chip- “Transmission”
Gorillaz- “Starshine”
Duran Duran- “Ordinary World”
Paul McCartney- “Pipes of Peace”
Morrissey- “Disappointed”
Skeeter Davis- “The End of the World”
Refused- “Worms of the Senses / Faculties of the Skull”
Pretenders- “2000 Miles”
7 Worlds Collide- “The Cobbler”
Gorillaz- “Monkey Racket”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- “Done All Wrong”
John Coltrane- “Our Delight”
Galaxie 500- “Sorry”
Radiohead- “Idioteque”
Peter Gabriel- “Excuse Me”
Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty- “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”
Tindersticks- “Piano Music”
My Morning Jacket- “Golden”
Elbow- “The Bones of You”
Mott the Hoople- “Sweet Jane”
Depeche Mode- “Work Hard”
Modest Mouse- “Ocean Breathes Salty”
Nada Surf- “Love Goes On”
Tindersticks- “Another Night In”
The National- “Gospel”
Beanie Sigel- “The Truth”
Sufjan Stevens- “Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid)”
Belle & Sebastian- “I’m Waking Up to Us”
RJD2- “2 More Dead”
Duran Duran- “Sound of Thunder”
Depeche Mode- “Two Minute Warning (Live)”
Little Dragon- “Constant Surprises”
The Chemical Brothers- “Saturate”
The Venus in Furs- “Ladytron”
Pixies- “Is She Weird”
Aphex Twin- “Bucephalus Bouncing Ball”
The National- “Slow Show”
Fatboy Slim- “Right Here Right Now”
Wilco- “Radio Cure”

Tuesday's Playlist (06-01-10)

Modest Mouse- “Black Cadillacs”
Tom Waits- “Singapore”
Flight of the Conchords- “Hurt Feelings”
Foals- “Alabastr”
New Order- “Dream Attack”
U2- “Elvis Presley and America”
Bear in Heaven- “Drug a Wheel”
Elton John- “Your Song”
Baroness- “A Horse Called Golgotha”
Wham!- “Blue (Live)”
Tears for Fears- “Pale Shelter (Extended Version)”
James Murphy- “Dear You”
Iron & Wine- “Waitin’ for a Superman”
Q-Tip- “You”
Harvey Milk- “Roses”
Buffalo Springfield- “Broken Arrow”
David Bowie- “Silly Boy Blue”
Tindersticks- “Sexual Funk”
Arthur Brown- “Fire”
Sigur Rós- “Med Sud I Eryum”
Wilco- “Pieholden Suite”
Nada Surf- “Janine”
Classics IV- “Spooky”
Mew- “Repeaterbeater”
Kermit the Frog- “Rainbow Connection”
Radiohead- “Subterranean Homesick Alien”
Yo La Tengo- “More Stars Than There Are in Heaven”
Elton John- “Sisters of the Cross”
David Bowie- “Jean Genie”
Haircut 100- “Love Plus One”
The Beatles- “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You”
Bon Iver- “Flume”
Jay-Z- “Face Off”
The Trash Can Sinatras- “January’s Little Joke”
Spoon- “Vittorio E”
Grizzly Bear- “Southern Point”
The Lightning Seeds- “Pure”
Sea Wolf- “Orion & Dog”
Band of Horses- “Laredo”
Liz Phair- “Polyester Bride”
Madonna- “Celebration”
The Whigs- “Need You Need You”
Tom Waits- “Since I Fell For You”
Travis- “Indefinitely”
The Jam- “The Bitterest Pill”
Colin Meloy- “We Both Go Down Together (Live)”
Radiohead- “The National Anthem”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- “Going Under”
Radiohead- “Life in a Glass House”
RJD2- “Smoke and Mirrors”
Elton John- “Amoreena”
Ricky Nelson- “I’m Walkin’”
Pete Escovedo & Sheila E.- “The Ballad of the Sun and the Moon”
Liars- “Here Comes All the People”
Madonna- “4 Minutes”
Funkadelic- “You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks”
Lilys- “Mistery School Assembly”
The Lonely Island- “Normal Guy”
My Brightest Diamond- “Queen”
Durutti Column- “Mirror B”
Big Star- “For You”
Kanye West- “Gold Digger”
Albert Hammond- “It Never Rains in Southern California”
Gwen Stefani- “Hollaback Girl”
Scissor Sisters- “Do the Strand”
Dum Dum Girls- “Baby Don’t Go”
Morrissey- “I’d Love To”
Doves- “Words”
New Order- “Confusion”
The Magnetic Fields- “Walk a Lonely Road”
The English Beat- “Monkey Murders”
Calexico- “Wave”
Danger Mouse- “Justify My Thug”
The Strokes- “The Modern Age”
The Swell Season- “If You Want Me (Live)”
R.E.M.- “These Days (Live)”
Harlem- “Number One”
Bell Biv Devoe- “Ain’t Nut’in’ Changed!”
The Senate Arcade- “Tourist”
Sebastian Tellier- “Fantino”
Doves- “Catch the Sun”
Neko Case- “I Wish I Was the Moon”
Dusty Springfield- “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”
Beulah- “Comrade’s Twenty Sixth”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood- “Watching the Wildlife”
Health- “Triceratops (Acid Girls Rmx B)”
The Decemberists- “The Rake’s Song”
Nine Inch Nails- “Just Like You Imagined”
Björk- “I Go Humble”
Wilco- “Nothing’severgonnastandinmywayagain”
Ra Ra Riot- “Ghost Under Rocks”
INXS- “Do Wot You Do”
Peter Gabriel- “Start”
Bright Eyes- “We Are Nowhere and It’s Now”
The Beatles- “Octopus’s Garden”
The Beatles- “Only a Northern Song”
Can- “Pinch”
Creedence Clearwater Revival- “Down on the Corner”
Jónsi- “Sinking Friendships”
Graham Nash- “You’ll Never Be the Same”
Rufus Wainwright- “Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk”
Stricken City- “Tak O Tak”
Ricky Nelson- “Old Enough to Love”
Nirvana- “Swap Meet”
Paul Weller- “Lullaby für Kinder”
Serge Gainsbourg- “Ah! Melody”
Phoenix- “Lisztomania (A Fight for Love 25 Hours a Day Mix)”
Clem Snide- “I Got High”
Queens of the Stone Age- “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret”
Big Star- “Stroke It Noel”
Elton John- “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
Gorillaz- “19-2000”
Les Savy Fav- “Hello Halo, Goodbye Glands”
The National- “All Dolled”
Rufus Wainwright- “This Love Affair”
Blur- “To the End (Live)”
Tindersticks- “The Other Side of the World”
BLK JKS- “Paradise”
Stricken City- “Bardou”
Future of the Left- “Team:seed”
Elton John- “My Father’s Gun”
Passion Pit- “Better Things”

Monday's Playlist

Yes, I had to work on Monday, so I made the most of it with this shuffle, which seemed heavy on the covers of 80's tracks.

Gorillaz- “Lil Dub Chefin”
Atlas Sound- “Criminals”
Tears for Fears- “Broken”
The Psychedelic Furs- “Heaven”
Erasure- “Hallowed Ground (Live)”
Japandroids- “To Hell with Good Intentions”
New Order- “Mesh”
Guided By Voices- “Chasing Heather Crazy”
Spandau Ballet- “Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (12” Version)”
The Rolling Stones- “Sweet Black Angel”
Garbage- “Cherry Lips (Roger Sanchez Remix)”
Frank & Moon Unit Zappa- “Valley Girl”
Richard Hawley- “Some Candy Talking”
Free Energy- “All I Know”
Prince- “Sign O’ the Times”
Dusty Springfield- “When the Lovelight Starts Shining Thru His Eyes”
Talk Talk- “Talk Talk”
CSS- “Let’s Make Love & Listen to Death from Above”
The Dismemberment Plan- “Come Home”
Dusty Springfield- “Mockingbird”
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson- “Search Your Heart”
Bigbang- “One Step at a Time”
Grizzly Bear- “Fine for Now”
Radiohead- “True Love Waits (Live)”
The Dan Band- “ABBA Medley: Mamma Mia / Fernando / Waterloo”
Haysi Fantayzee- “I Lost My Dodi”
Richard Hawley- “Soldier On”
Seefeel- “Acrobat”
New Order- “Doubts Even Here”
The Killers- “Believe Me Natalie”
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis- “The Journey (from ‘The Road’)”
The Cardigans- “Erase & Rewind”
Les Savy Fav- “Reformat (Live)”
Red Sparrowes- “A Mutiny”
ELO- “10538 Overture”
Prince- “When Doves Cry”
Lorraine Ellison- “Stay With Me (Baby)”
X-Clan- “Funkin’ Lesson”
7 Worlds Collide- “Duxton Blues”
Nouvelle Vague- “Ca Plane Pour Moi”
Grant-Lee Phillips- “The Killing Moon”
U2- “Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)”
Edith Piaf- “La Vie en Rose”
Radiohead- “Killer Cars (Live)”
Led Zeppelin- “Misty Mountain Hop”
Portishead- “Sour Times”
Kings of Convenience- “Power of Not Knowing”
Oingo Boingo- “Sweat”
The Senate Arcade- “Yo Tengo Ambien”
Gorillaz- “Clint Eastwood (Phi Life Cypher)”
The Jam- “It’s Too Bad (Demo)”
‘Til Tuesday- “Sleep”
Dirty Projectors- “Depression”
OK Go- “What To Do”
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova- “The Swell Season”
Otis Redding- “Rock Me Baby”
Supertramp- “Breakfast in America”
Animals- “Pretty Thing”
Garbage- “Only Happy When It Rains”
Tom Waits- “Red Shoes”
Torche- “Triumph of Venus”
Beastie Boys- “Heart Attack Man (Live)”
Richard Hawley- “As the Dawn Breaks”
Prince- “Raspberry Beret (12” Version)”
José González- “Time to Send Someone Away”
D’Angelo- “Send It On”
Tom Waits- “Time”
The Bird & the Bee- “I Hate Camera”
Rival Schools- “Grunge Model”
Kings of Convenience- “Me In You”
Haysi Fantayzee- “Sister Friction”
New Order- “Bizarre Love Triangle”
Jimi Hendrix- “The Wind Cries Mary”
The Stone Roses- “Bye Bye Bad Man”
F#$@ed Up- “Ban Violins”
The Hot Rats- “Pump It Up”
Minor Threat- “12XU”
Wild Beasts- “Empty Nest”
Beulah- “Warmer”
RJD2- “Gypsy Caravan”
The Allman Brothers Band- “One Way Out”
The Killers- “Midnight Show”
Sigur Rós- “Hafsól”
Bill Callahan- “Santa Maria”
Rogue Wave- “Be Kind & Remind”
Old 97’s- “Crash on the Barrelhead”
Seahorses- “Love is the Law”
The Beatles- “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”
Happy Mondays- “God’s Cop”
Surfer Blood- “Fast Jabroni”
Gonjasufi- “Dust”
Turin Brakes- “Emergency 72”
Paul Weller- “111”
Air- “Night Hunter”
Radiohead- “Lucky”
The Jam- “Sounds from the Street (Demo)”
Imogen Heap- “2 - 1”
Soft Cell- “Youth”
The Morning Benders- “All Day Day Light”
Bibio- “Abrasion”
Jay-Z- “Off That”
Creedence Clearwater Revival- “Poorboy Shuffle”
ELO- “Shine a Little Love”
Zeus- “Heavy On Me”
Led Zeppelin- “Gallows Pole”
X- “Back to the Base”
Nirvana- “Scoff”
Wham!- “If You Were There”
Silversun Pickups- “Lazy Eye”
The Beatles- “Honey Don’t”
Jr. Walker & the All Stars- “Cleo’s Mood”
Surfer Blood- “Neighbor Riffs”
F#$@ed Up- “I Don’t Wanna Be Friends With You”
Field Music- “It’s About Time”

Friday's Playlist

The Bird & the Bee- “I’m a Broken Heart”
Massive Attack- “Paradise Circus”
Wham!- “A Ray of Sunshine (Instrumental Remix)”
Coldplay- “Politik (Live)”
Ricky Nelson- “I Can’t Help It”
Squarepusher- “My Sound”
Radiohead- “We Suck Young Blood”
The Clean- “Twist Top”
Calexico- “The Guns of Brixton”
These New Puritans- “C. 16th ±”
Duran Duran- “Is There Something I Should Know (Monster Mix)”
Graham Nash- “Sad Eyes”
Jamiroquai- “If I Like It, I Do It”
Animals- “Cheating”
Zan- “I Ain’t Going Out Like That”
Modest Mouse- “The World at Large”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- “Contender”
Madonna- “Miles Away”
The Morning Benders- “Pleasure Sighs”
These New Puritans- “Attack Music”
Les Savy Fav- “Rodeo”
Gene- “Speak to Me Someone”
Vitalic- “Polkaniatic”
Jaydiohead- “Dirt Off Your Android”
Oscar the Grouch- “I Hate Christmas”
The Dears- “Warm and Sunny Days”
Led Zeppelin- “Wearing and Tearing”
Madonna- “Justify My Love”
Kiss- “Rock and Roll All Nite”
Richard Hawley- “Don’t You Cry”
Bee Gees- “Marley Purt Drive (Alternate Mix)”
Wham!- “Nothing Looks the Same in the Light (Instrumental Remix)”
The Jam- “The Night”
Young Galaxy- “Firestruck”
Depeche Mode- “Stjarna”
The Jesus Lizard- “Elegy”
Sugababes- “I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor”
Tindersticks- “Raindrops”
Q-Tip- “Heels”
Nirvana- “Blew (Live)”
Goldfrapp- “Lovely Head”
Dr. Horrible- “Bad Horse Chorus”
Big Star- “When My Baby’s Beside Me (Live)”
Jesse Harris- “The Secret Sun”
Phoenix- “Long Distance Call”
Aimee Mann- “Nobody Does It Better”
The Beatles- “I Saw Her Standing There”
Broken Bells- “Untitled Bonus Track”
Jens Lekman- “The Opposite of Hallelujah”
Thom Yorke- “Hearing Damage”
Atlas Sound- “Logos”
Styx- “Mr. Roboto”
RJD2- “The Sleepaway”
Foreign Born- “Vacationing People”
Madlib- “Black Renaissance (For Harry Whitaker)”
Jason Boesel- “Hand of God”
Super Furry Animals- “Juxtaposed With U”
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs- “Bell Bottom Blues”
Beastie Boys- “5 Piece Chicken Dinner”
Quasi- “Sea Shanty”
The Decemberists- “The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)”
Lodger- “Always Round Here”
Suzanne Vega w/ Joe Jackson- “Left of Center”
The Jam- “Pity Poor Alfie / Fever”
Tindersticks- “Jism”
Metallica- “Damage, Inc.”
OK Go- “Shooting the Moon”
Flying Lotus- “Arkestry”
Patrick Park- “You’re Enough”
Bright Eyes- “Devil Town”
Ryan Adams- “Wonderwall”
The Dismemberment Plan- “The Face of the Earth”
Local Natives- “Airplanes”
Broken Social Scene- “KC Accidental”
Genesis- “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”
Jay-Z- “Politics as Usual”
Wreckless Eric- “Tonight is My Night”
Wolf Parade- “Shine a Light”
New Order- “Kiss of Death”
Cream- “I Feel Free”
Baroness- “A Horse Called Golgotha”
Melissa Auf der Maur- “The Key”
The Beatles- “I’m a Loser”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- “Cheated Hearts”
Spoon- “Got Nuffin”
Tindersticks- “Marbles”
Chris Cornell- “You Know My Name”
John Coltrane- “What Is There To Say?”
Sunny Day Real Estate- “Pheurton Skeurto”
The Beatles- “Dig a Pony”
Franz Ferdinand- “Do You Want To”
Cat Power & Karen Elson- “I Love You (Me Either) (Je T’aime Moi Non Plus)”
Vampire Weekend- “Mansard Roof”
Dr. Horrible- “Instrumental Credits”
Elton John- “Talking Old Soldiers”
Radiohead- “Go To Sleep”

Thursday's Playlist

Here's my playlist for Thursday, May 27th, 2010

New Order- “1963”
The Trash Can Sinatras- “Funny”
Public Enemy- “I Can’t Do Nuthin’ For You Man”
David Bowie- “Rubber Band”
They Might Be Giants- “Snowball in Hell”
The Jam- “In the City (Demo)”
David Bowie- “When I’ve Five”
Harvey Milk- “Merlin is Magic”
Melissa Auf der Maur- “Father’s Grave”
New Order- “All the Way”
Joanna Newsom- “You and Me, Bess”
Son Volt- “Sometimes”
Okkervil River- “For Real”
Maxi Priest- “Some Guys Have All the Luck”
F#$@ed Up- “Teenage Problems”
These New Puritans- “Time Xone”
The White Stripes- “Jolene (Live)”
Keane- “Somewhere Only We Know”
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse w Vic Chesnutt- “Grain Augury”
Big Star- “Blue Moon”
Animals- “Maudie”
Missing Persons- “Mental Hopscotch”
Bowerbirds- “Ghost Life”
The Jesus Lizard- “Killer McHann (Live)”
Alicia Keys- “Love is Blind”
Yaz- “Situation”
The Clean- “Franz Kafka at the Zoo”
Big Star- “Femme Fatale”
Four Tet- “Circling”
Tindersticks- “Don’t Look Down (Live)”
Cocorosie- “Smokey Taboo”
Santigold- “Lights Out”
Lo Borges- “Aos Baroes”
Bee Gees- “Still Waters (Run Deep)”
The Magnetic Fields- “Seduced and Abandoned”
U2- “The Three Sunrises”
Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon- “It’s That Wu S@#!”
Marilyn Manson- “Minute of Decay”
Deerhunter- “Nothing Ever Happened”
Garbage- “Only Happy When It Rains”
R.E.M.- “Houston (Live)”
Sunny Day Real Estate- “8”
Chicago- “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love”
The Beatles- “Wild Honey Pie”
Radiohead- “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”
The Flaming Lips- “If”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood- “TheWaves”
Arctic Monkeys- “Potion Approaching”
The Pixies- “Here Comes Your Man”
Madonna- “Vogue”
Nouvelle Vague- “Too Drunk to F#$@”
The Avett Brothers- “Dancing Daze”
Tindersticks- “Before You Close Your Eyes”
Cold Case- “Heaven Was Full”
Sufjan Stevens- “To The Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have an Idea Concerning Your Predicament”
Genesis- “Throwing It All Away”
Espers- “The Road of Golden Dust”
Thomas Dolby- “Hyperactive (Heavy Breather Subversion)”
Radiohead- “Meeting in the Aisle”
Bee Gees- “Suddenly”
Corinne Bailey Rae- “Venus as a Boy”
Laura Veirs- “Spelunking”
Eels- “I Need a Mother”
Keane- “We Might As Well Be Strangers (Lamacq Live)”
Pink Floyd- “What Do You Want From Me”
The Antlers- “Wake”
Osso & Sufjan Stevens- “Year of the Ox”
Radiohead- “Videotape”
Red Hot Chili Peppers- “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”
Radiohead- “Lozenge of Love”
Led Zeppelin- “You Shook Me”
The Dan Band- “Free Your Mind / I Am Woman”
Kim Carnes- “Bette Davis Eyes”
Iron & Wine- “Southern Anthem”
Galaxie 500- “Way Up High”
Aaron Neville- “Tell It Like It Is”
The Beatles- “You Like Me Too Much”
The Smashing Pumpkins- “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”
The Chameleons- “Perfume Garden (Demo)”
Beastie Boys- “Bodhisattva Vow”
Coldplay- “God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Live)”
High on Fire- “Ghost Neck”
Cold Cave- “Love Comes Close”
The Beatles- “Another Girl”
New Order- “Lonesome Tonight”
Beastie Boys- “Finger Lickin Good”
Iron & Wine- “Hickory”
Bee Gees- “The British Opera”
Fleet Foxes- “Blue Ridge Mountains”
The Beatles- “You Really Got a Hold On Me”
The Jesus & Mary Chain- “On the Wall”
Blur- “End of a Century (Live)”
Roxy Music- “2HB”
ELO- “Hold on Tight”
Marilyn Manson- “Gibberish”
Keane- “This is the Last Time”
Foals- “Spanish Sahara (Sonar)”
The Tallest Man on Earth- “Over the Hills”
Foals- “Tron”
Garbage- “Milk (Massive Attack Remix)”
The Decemberists- “O New England”
New Order- “Dreams Never End”
Bay City Rollers- “Saturday Night”
Neil Finn & Johnny Marr & Lisa Germano- “Turn and Run”

What I Listened to Today

Since I haven't posted in a while, I thought I'd share what I've been listening to while at work: (This was about half a day)

Jarvis Cocker- "Angela"
Them Crooked Vultures- "Warsaw, or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up"
Broken Social Scene- "All to All"
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse w/ David Lynch- "Star Eyes (I Can't Catch It)"
Minor Threat- "No Reason"
The Drones- "Cold and Sober"
Genesis- "The Colony of Slippermen"
Madonna- "Express Yourself"
Nirvana- "Floyd the Barber (Live)"
Genesis- "Abacab"
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- "Gentle Sons"
Karen O and the Kids- "Wideaway"
Graham Nash- "King Midas in Reverse"
The Who- "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Big Pink- "Love in Vain"
Stiff Little Fingers- "Law and Order"
Mastodon- "Ghost of Karelia"
Broken Bells- "Trap Doors"
New Order- "Salvation Theme"
John Coltrane- "Blues to Elvin (Alternate Take)"
Simian Mobile Disco- "Cream Dream"
John Coltrane- "The Night We Called It a Day"
The Chemical Brothers- "Keep my Composture"
Wham!- "Love Machine"
The 88- "Love You Anytime"
Fleet Foxes- "Innocent Son"
John Coltrane- "But Not for Me"
Converge- "Effigy"
Four Tet- "My Angel Rocks Back and Forth"
Hot Hot Heat- "Bandages"
The Kinks- "Little Woman"
Stevie Wonder- "For Once In My Life"
Harvey Milk- "I Did Not Call Out"
Duran Duran- "Planet Earth"
Ringo Starr- "You're Sixteen (You're Beautiful and You're Mine)"
Nouvelle Vague- "Friday Night, Saturday Morning"
Gorillaz- "All Alone"
Morrissey- "Journalists Who Lie"
Ed Harcourt- "These Crimson Tears"
Efterklang- "Full Moon"
Jay-Z- "All I Need"
Bee Gees- "One"
Efterklang- "Harmonics"
Yo-Yo Ma- "Kreisler / Liebesfreud"
Neil Young- "Helpless (Unplugged)"
Vitalic- "See the Sea (Red)"
Keane- "Somewhere Only We Know (Live)"
Radiohead- "Creep"
Radiohead- "I Can't (BBC Radio 1 Evening Session)"
The English Beat- "Save It For Later"
Imogen Heap- "Little Bird"
Wreckless Eric- "Veronica"
Owen Pallett- "Mount Alpentine"
Goldfrapp- "Alive"
Clogs- "We Were Here"
Field Music- "Each Time is a New Time"