Comments on: Notes On The Post-Holiday Retail Landscape

By: T'Challa

T'Challa — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:58:52 +0000

I was pleasantly surprised with a gift certificate to FreakBeat Records, in Sherman Oaks, CA. It's one of the very precious few well-stocked indie record stores in the metro L.A. area, especially in this post-Amoeba world.

Anyone in the area would do well to check them out:

[www.freakbeatrecords.com]

The .99 vinyl section is awesome, btw.

Happy holidays, y'all!

By: Luke N Atmaguchi

Luke N Atmaguchi — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:10:03 +0000

$10 Starbucks gift card towards [not!] supra-ironic Sonic Youth celeb-celected compilation. Ready response to “I got you something” blind-siding.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:52:20 +0000

Because I was unable to go home for Christmas due to a massive snow storm in Seattle, I treated myself to a musical shopping spree.

I supported my local indie retailer since Seattle has great record stores!

Spent two hours looking around to come out with 8 CDs, 2 magazine and 1 DVD.

Purchases included:
Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Continued
Tapes N Tapes - Walk it Off
Black Kids - Party Traumatic
Helio Sequence - Love and Distance
Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
Elbow - Asleep in the (I had this, but not an actual copy of the CD)
Fugazi - 13 Songs (Used)
Cooper Temple Clause - Kick Up The Fire and Let the Flames Break Loose (Used, lost my old copy)

Three Days - Jane's Addiction DVD.

This months issue of Spin and Q.

Merry Christmas to me!

By: natepatrin

natepatrin — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:35:44 +0000

I wasn't on either end of any actual music gifting, unless you count the stuff I bought for myself accompanying Matos on his aforementioned Electric Fetus trip -- including a $6.99 super-bargain-price copy of The Time's Ice Cream Castle. I did ask for and get a handful of music-related books, though, including that Hang the DJ book of lists that was mentioned here a couple months ago.

By: Christopher R. Weingarten

Christopher R. Weingarten — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:27:19 +0000

I got six OOP rap records that were sitting in the record store of my hometown since their release dates in 1988-1994. Some of them had no shrinkwrap because they were taken out of the LONGBOX 20 years ago O_O

By: Ned Raggett

Ned Raggett — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:54:21 +0000

I thought the New Order reissues were themselves being reissued. (That’s why I haven’t bought them yet myself.)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:26:26 +0000

Something I noticed recently that really shocked me – and I think I was already vaguely aware of it on a phepheral level: the local FYE has a used CD section that’s just slightly smaller than the new CD section. Which is crazy somehow. Because just about anything you could want that’s relatively mainstream that came out three months back or earlier can be had for $7.99 or less. And yet that store is never, ever jammed. Even at Christmans. Which makes me kinda sad, and I don’t even like FYE that much.

By: highlifer

highlifer — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:11:28 +0000

I got my husband a Hunter S. Thompson Gonzo boxset (not really music but it is on CD.)

He will make his annual Dead cd, a compilation of songs by those who died in 2008. It's a popular number (people start asking 'are you doing the dead cd again' about this time every year.) You can't start too early, cause you'll miss Eartha Kitt.

By: the rich girls are weeping

the rich girls are weeping — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:07:32 +0000

@Chris Molanphy: In hindsight, I kind of wish I'd asked for the New Order reissues.

By: SAShepherd

SAShepherd — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:33:50 +0000

Christmas isn't a huge gift-giving holiday for us, but I did get some checks which I will be using shortly to get an iPod touch. So that's, uh, music-related, right?

I've asked for music in the past (the in-laws like to give something in the physical realm beyond just a check), but typically I find it easier just to take money and buy music where I want to, when I want to, than to ask one of my family to do the whole "walk into [name of store] and ask if they have [not obscure but not Billboard 200 album] and then pay $20+ after tax" thing.

By: CloudCarrier

CloudCarrier — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:19:29 +0000

My brother sent me Ice-T's Home Invasion along with his disowned copy Chinese Democracy, which he felt "needed a better home during these troubled times" - I was happy. Mom and Dad received new copies of Mamma Mia! and Hercules & Love Affair respectively as per their wish lists, and I indulged my gift cards on one of those slightly botched Replacements reissues (Tim), Liquid Swords and the last Kelly Willis record, all with change to spare.

Also, my loving brother admitted to me over the phone that he bought just about every featured song played during the first season of True Blood on impulse, all except the Cowboy Junkies cover of "Sweet Jane". I laffed.

By: Lieutenant 030

Lieutenant 030 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:14:45 +0000

Got the best music-related gift I’ve had in ages: a USB turntable.

By: Chris Molanphy

Chris Molanphy — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:09:47 +0000

@Michaelangelo Matos: Oh, yeah -- I forgot about Technique. I'm ignoring that one. I like that album fine, but I've owned it for years and doubt the remaster is going to bring anything new to it for me.

I'd never owned copies of Movement or (more embarrassingly) Low-Life and Brotherhood. Those were my gifts. I'm half-tempted to pick up PC&L even though I don't need it per se.

By: mackro

mackro — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:02:32 +0000

@Al Shipley:

That Led Zep box may remain my favorite, most functional box set ever. It's all their studio albums, plus some bonus tracks on the [i]Coda[/i] disc to fill in the few holes, and that's it. And it sounds great.

Perfect!

By: Tenno

Tenno — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:59:50 +0000

I bought my friend a Big Black album, and then because Zia records was having a buy 3 used get one free, I proceeded to get two Ministry albums, a Swans album and Eluvium.

A good haul if you don't mind me saying =)

By: Tauwan

Tauwan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:54:59 +0000

No one ever attempts to straight up buy me music cause they know I stay busy throughout the year keeping up on new releases and gobbling up music like its my job. I did receive one 20 dollar gift certificate for Amoeba that I used to purchase It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 3 on DVD, and that new !K7 Tapes disc from The Rapture. I also walked to Best Buy on Friday to cop the new Keyshia Cole and wound up walking out of the store with both that and HBO’s Generation Kill miniseries and EXTRAS: The complete series. (Sucker for Best Buy’s 50% off all HBO sets every.time.)

By: Jess Harvell

Jess Harvell — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:44:47 +0000

a handful of used cds were bought for other members of the family, but i don’t think i’ve received/asked for music for the holidays since i was 19 or 20. (and as my cd-r wielding sister ransacked my itunes on christmas morning, i realized the pointlessness of buying her the raphael saadiq album already lurking on my hard drive. except, you know, in the “keeping the industry alive one $8 purchase at-a-time” sense.)

By: Michaelangelo Matos

Michaelangelo Matos — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:31:03 +0000

@Chris Molanphy: Not yet--no CD player in my hotel room, and my laptop's drive has been acting up. However, the couple songs I listened to on headphones sounded astonishing: not just because I love that music dearly, but the remastering had the warmth of well-pressed vinyl and all the vivid detail of good digital. I am excited to play it at my happy-hour DJ gig for sure.

(Also, there are five New Order reissues.)

I got Raftery's book for my sister the karaoke nut. She loved it. (And I got my other sister the U.K. Aftermath, Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, and Exile on Main Street.)

By: the rich girls are weeping

the rich girls are weeping — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:29:50 +0000

@the rich girls are weeping: Oh, duh! And my mom got me a Buddha Machine, which was better than any album that came out this year, for reals.

By: the rich girls are weeping

the rich girls are weeping — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:29:05 +0000

Music? Music? I guess the closest thing to a music gift was that my best friend visiting from Austin brought the Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester Christmas CD that she got from Amazon.de, but she took it back with her. Oh, and my mom bought herself a Chopin box set. We're so worldly over here.

My little sister got me some SWEET headphones, so I can look like one of the cool kids on the subway now, that was nice.

Other than that, she and I spent a lot of time watching MTV Hits, or videos from her iPod connected to the TV, debating the merits and demerits of pop in 2008. Happy to report that we both loooove Kanye, Katy Perry and Pink, but are split on The Ting Tings and The Veronicas (she loves 'em, I hate 'em). Then again, she's 20, I'm 32. The generational split is all too clear there.