Thank you, Kevflynn (for the B-Side Records gift card that you gave me)

Last year in early March, Kevin bestowed upon me a lovely gift certificate for B-Side Records. This year in early March, I realized that the gift certificate was about to expire. I hurried down to State Street and came away with three CD's - in addition to the one I'd purchased the previous week, and the two more I would purchase later the same week. Altogether, I acquired six new albums. Here is a quick rundown:

The Minus 5, Gun Album: It's a solid album. A Minus 5 album. A handful of the tracks stand out for me. One contains my favorite line from the recent buying spree: "I'll kick your sister's ass." This sung by a man, mind you. But I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm not a big fan of Scott McCaughey's voice. I like Scott. I just don't love his voice.

Neil Young, On the Beach: The first Neil Young album I have ever purchased myself. I know, I know. Despite that, I was pleased to discover that I already knew half of the songs. I probably don't need to tell you that it's good.

The New Pornographers, Mass Romantic: Since seeing their show recently, it's only a matter of time before I own all of the albums. I enjoy listening to the whole thing, although I currently think the first half is stronger than the second. That's a common reaction to a new album, though, so we'll see.

Rhett Miller, The Believer: Contrary to predictions, some of the songs have grown on me since I first listened to the leak. There are a couple of tracks I think are legitimately good, and a few more I enjoy that are remakes of older songs. The good songs just make me kind of sad, though, because I still think it's a solidly mediocre record. The arrangements could be excused if more of the lyrics were good, and the lyrics could be excused if more of the music had a spark. But without either...

Glenn Kotche, Mobile: I mostly love this one, although after hearing them live so many times, a couple of the tracks will take some getting used to in canned form. And how often are you lucky enough to say that about a percussion record, really? I specifically enjoyed "Projections of (What) Might" much more in its live incarnation, as opposed to the muted drum beats on the record. But the record as a whole is excellent, and I love the liner notes.

Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood: Speaking of liner notes, I love, love, love this CD booklet. The CD is also top-notch. Once again I feel like it's front-heavy, with stronger songs on the first half, but that may just be because I love a few of the early songs disproportionately. Or maybe I just have a really short attention span? Time will tell.

There! I'm sure you can rest easy now that you have my opinions.