NEW REKKIDS: My wife and son are up in Detroit at my folks' place for the long weekend, so I had a chance yesterday to go spend a couple hours at Tower Records. After quite a bit of time on listening stations, I realized there are a lot of bands I like one song by, and very few bands worth buying whole albums from. Here's what I bought:

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS, PHANTOM POWER
Really it was the production that just leaped out of the headphones and grabbed me. I don't have the foggiest idea what the songs are about, but they sure sound nice.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT, WANT ONE
Great production again, and even despite his voice (which I don't love) I just had a sense this record was more ambitious and accomplished than most of the rest of the junk in the store. This is the one I've had on in the car for the past 24 hours. It's really amazing and deep and I trust I'll be listening to it for years. The man is a composer. I'm just sort of amazed by what I hear.

COPELAND, MEDICINE TREE
I picked it up, put it back, picked it up, put it back. And finally left with it. Pretty, post-Red House Painters style songwriting, with an extra coat of emo guitars (layered, bright, big) laid over the top. Nice harmonies. A prettier version of Hum, maybe.

G UNIT, BEG FOR MERCY
Look, I loved like three songs on the 50 Cent disc. And when you're driving 'round town in a big black car you gotta have some G-funk boomin' from time to time. Front to back, this may be a more solid record than 50's.

I also really liked songs by Mae and Hey Mercedes, but I couldn't bring myself to plop down eighteen bucks for their discs.