When I was a kid all I cared about was buying music.

Every week when I got paid from whatever dinky job I was working (solely to support this cd-purchasing habit), I would cash my check, head to the mall and salivate down the aisles of Best Buy until I picked out whatever obscure-ass shit my 7th grade self was listening to.

By the time I graduated high-school I had a massive music collection which I kept alphabetized in a humongous booklet. I was meticulous with my CDs; they were in perfect condition.

In college I was spoiled and able to get new music for free from the radio station I DJed at. This was around the same time that Metallica started ruining free music distribution for everybody- and my college campus didn’t allow file-sharing programs- so the radio station thing worked out nicely. Plus, being a college student meant I was way too poor to shell out $17.99 for an album that may or may not suck.

Now, at age 23, I’m in a position where I can afford to pay for my music. And with Itunes becoming the predominant (and reasonably priced!!!) way to get such things, I’m back on the cd-a-week bandwagon. Giddyup!

Check out what I’ve been digging on over the last few weeks…

EOTO – Live in Colorado 9/17/10 (2010)
I first saw EOTO last summer at Nateva festival and was blown away by their late night set (that ended with me stumbling back to my campsite at 5 a.m. confusedly). The band is comprised of two members of the String Cheese Incident, with the whole idea of their sound being live improvisational electro / dubstep / hip-hop. Because of this, you can imagine why listening to any one of their three studio albums doesn’t do the band much justice. I figured the next best thing to seeing them live is listening to their album “Live in Colorado,” (recorded live… in Colorado). I downloaded the 2-disc show in an effort to find some new gym music and it was exactly what I needed- this shit puts you in the ZONE. It’s also awesome for commuting in the city because I can turn it up and zone out to it on the subway. House-y enough to get down to and soothing enough to calm my frayed nerves after a long work day. Can’t wait to see these dudes lives again, hopefully this festy season.
Check out: Zummyl, Relapp, Fakoff

LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem (2005)
In a Benjamin Button-like turn of events, the first time I was introduced to LCD Soundsystem was at the band’s final show on April 2 at Madison Square Garden. The moment the concert started I was kicking myself that I had let such an awesome band slip under my radar. Why didn’t anybody tell me about them!?!?!? Regardless, my disappointment didn’t stop me from immediately purchasing their 2006 self-titled debut. Featuring songs like “Daft Punk is Playing At My House” and “Losing My Edge,” this album channels the rhythmic-artsyness of the Talking Heads, and the funky- albeit jaded- sing/speak style of the Dismemberment Plan. If you read between the lines there that basically means all my favorite elements of music combined into one band. One of the only positives in the whole, “falling in love with a band that just broke up” situation (besides discovering sweet music), is that if I go through their discography slowly enough, by the time I get to the end maybe they’ll be ready for a reunion show.
Check out: Too Much Love, Losing My Edge, Disco Infiltrator

Screaming Females – What if Someone Is Watching Their TV? (2007)
The first time I heard the Screaming Females was back in 2009 when they opened for The Deadweather at the House of Blues in Boston. I very clearly remember thinking, “I need to check these guys out when I get home,” but it wasn’t until last month (ahem- 2 1/2 years later) when they were featured on an episode of “Last Call With Carson Daly” that I finally bought one of their albums. “What if Someone Is Watching Their T.V.?” is the second release from the 3-piece band (comprised of two dudes and one bad-ass chick), and was also the second album that they self-produced. At 10 tracks coming in right under 36 minutes, this CD just friggin’ rocks. Both the vocals and instrumentation on the album have this very harsh but pleasant quality to them. This is best exemplified in a song like “Humanity Arranged,” where in one breath front-woman Paternoster yells “I’m sorry that you are weak,” but is backed by a poppy riff that makes the song totally catchy and accessible. I can’t get enough of this CD and am hoping to catch them when they play an NYC gig in June.
Check out: Theme Song, Humanity Arranged, Starve the Beat