I just got my latest delivery from DeepDiscountCD.com yesterday, and while I listened to all three of them shortly after opening the cases, my plan is to play the crap out of them today.
First up is the new one from Cat Power, "The Greatest", and I liked it on the first spin. She actually sounds upbeat on a couple tracks, so I was a bit surprise...ok, not really, I read a review that mentioned she did, and he was right. Next is the latest from Clearlake titled "Amber", and it sound pretty good so far, and a bit different than their previous release "Cedars". I think it was J who raved about that earlier CD and he was dead-on. Last but not least is "Arizona Amp and Alternator", the latest project by Howe Gelb, who many of you indie geeks know as the brains behind Giant Sand, and that's a good think. This record may be a true gem, although I really need to explore it a bit more, but it has all the elements I find appealing. It's my favorite of the three so far, but they will all likely be near the top of my list for 2006, although we're still not out 'o the gate.

Swish