Not quite Pearl Jam.  Not quite Swearing at Motorists.

New acquisition Wednesday (Updated Thursday):

New acquisitions, aplenty!

The Flatlanders, Live '72.  Oh my!  A gem of a discovery... from the liner notes:  "On the night of this performance, only fifteen or twenty people were in the audience (a good crowd for the '72 Flatlanders)."  Makes me wonder if some of the small-set shows I've seen may yield legends sometime in the future.  Recording quality is good, even through my pitzy PC speakers.  Jimmie Dale's high lonesome featured on most songs.

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Who Is This America?  Fans of the legendary Fela Kuti will find much to love here.  This was pointed out to me by D-Funk at Grimey's.  It's the sort of album that sells itself -- a perfunctory listen on the in-house system was about all it took to get me to grab this one.  I had to wait until they restocked, but it wasn't a long wait.  Catch Track 3, "The Indictment."  From the same people bringing you Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.  If I've not mentioned them before, let me throw out that recommendation again (and again, courtesy of D-Funk).  Antibalas can be found on Ropeadope.com or Antibalas.com.

XTC, Transistor Blast.  4CD set of their BBC recordings.  My favorite bit may be the John Peel intro on disc one:

"Hello, my name is John Peel, and on tonight's programme, we're playing cuts from The Slutes, The Slots, The Groan, Exploding Truss, The Blues Bastards, one from The Geckos, uh... Hubert and his Pie-Tones, The Ear, The Nose, The Throat, uh... the Cassowaries from Hell are here; uh, and Inevitable Groin.  Uh, a couple of tracks by up-&-coming beatnik groups tonight... Frank and the Sandalmen, uh, and the Goatees.  The Goatees, incidentally, will have you trading in your parkas and Arab t-shirts for Beduins and Sloppy Joe, limit twelve them, I'm going to assure you.  So, on to tonight's first guests, and they're XTC, uh, and they're here to answer all allegations that they're 1979's answer to The Baron Knights. Well, see what you think."

I am but a mere piker.  John Peel, the hipster's hipster.

Anyhoo -- recording quality, excellent.  Track selections -- excellent (despite some cross-pollination with Fuzzy Warbles).  I think this one's OOP, but I was able to find this for $35 used.

(Coat of Many Cupboards is in the mail!)

Beastie Boys, To the 5 Boroughs.  Y'know, they might want to drop the self-aggrandizing hip hop cliches.  Their political stuff actually works.  I've thought that since Ill Communication, but then again, I'm not one to think that music shouldn't reflect one's politics.  Songs about children and puppies are another matter.  Those are almost never acceptable.  Regarding the album:  I like the more stripped down production here.  In a way, it seems like a tribute to Jam Master Jay's bare-bones style of mix.  Whether this is intentional, I cannot glean from the liner notes.

Nick Lowe, The Convincer.  Yep.  I'm convinced.  Actually, I'd become convinced once I'd found a copy of Party of One.  How I missed Lowe for so long will have to remain one of those personal mysteries.  I doubt that this album has scanned many more more than 20K copies, but as I can be oft-quoted as saying, that's fucking criminal.  Lowe deserves to be recognized as something more than a sidemouse.  Slated to visit Nashville's Belcourt Theatre on 9/21. I have my tickets. 

Sonic Youth (DVD), Corporate Ghost.  Videos from the DGC years, beginning with Goo.  I had no idea most of Goo was out there in video format.  I was especially tripping on the video for "My Friend Goo." Sounds great played really really loud.

Well, hell.  I know that there's more.  I just can't recall what.

GBV final touring schedule is out.  Five legs, 25 stops.  Pick one.  Go.

(If Naz is reading this, I'm considering Carrboro. And if Alan is reading this, I'm also considering Athens.)