Went to CD Game Exchange yesterday, and made quite a score. For 95 cents (4 cd's, so 24 cents each on average), tax included, I got:
Readers Digest Pop N Country Christmas...3 cd set featuring everybody from Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Buck Owens to Ella Fitzgerald, the Beach Boys, Burl Ives, and Dean Martin.
Also, got the Lucksmiths 2001 release:
At this point, the Lucksmiths seem fated to a lifetime of comparisons to Belle & Sebastian â?? granted, both bands share a common sensibility distinguished by the same cynical lyricism, gorgeously immediate melodies, and gilded harmonies, but with the stunning Why That Doesn't Surprise Me, the Lucksmiths have plainly staked out their own territory as well. Marty Donald is as good as any songwriter going â?? the opening "Music to Hold Hands To" and the sun-kissed "Broken Bones" in particular are as memorable as any pop songs you're likely to hear this year or any other, buoyed by lilting acoustic guitars and wordplay that recalls vintage Morrissey in both its savage wit and poetic grace. Indeed, for all the classicist elements of the Lucksmiths' aesthetic â?? ringing, Byrds-like melodies, "sha-la-la" vocals, elegant string arrangements, and the like â?? Why That Doesn't Surprise Me also boasts a uniquely postmodern edge that turns pop conventions on their ear.
