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Apparently, distributors are now unloading so much of their back catalog that even future Hall of Fame bands like REM are popping up as cut-outs. I mean, Reveal makes sense. But Monster?
I resisted the urge to buy a second copy of favorite albums like Bettie Serveert's Palomine and Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque. I noted that my dearly beloved Pavement has still managed to avoid the ignominy of the clearance item. And I laboriously narrowed down my many desired purchases to a finely honed couplet.
The first CD is a 1982 Tuxedo Moon compilation featuring Suite En Sous-Sol, Time To Lose, and Short Stories, purchased in honor of the delicious one telling me about the band in the first months of our relationship.
The second CD, currently playing in the other room, is the album Silur by the German -- and formerly East German -- band Tarwater. Several Tarwater songs are available on Epitonic.com and have become staples of my mix CDs. Silur's "Watersample" -- you can download the MP3 legally here -- is a particular favorite. I never saw Tarwater in Tucson stores, however. So imagine my delight to get one of their records for $5!
Taken as a whole, the record is even better than the tracks I'd heard had led me to imagine. It's dreamy and edgy at the same time, with a "roll" that escapes most electronically inflected acts.
I couldn't be happier with my bargain birthday present to myself.
Anyway, you Tucson locals might want to overcaffeinate and head over to CD City -- Campbell, just north of Glenn -- to see what they have in stock. This Tucson Citizen story gives you the goods on CD City and other places to get bargains on clearance and/or closet-cleaning culture.
Mode: salty
Muse: Tarwater's Silur in the living room
