Bought a bunch of $3 records

This is two weekends in a row that I've payed cash money for music, working my way through the bargain bins at two local used CD stores. I got some good stuff, too, and because I was sort of on hiatus at both Blurt and Dusted (over now, I got assignments from both this weekend), I actually had some time to listen to the stuff.

My favorite is Graham Parker's Acid Bubblegum, the return to bile-and-amplification album for this chronically under-rated songwriter. I really like "Obsessed with Aretha" in which we learn that no one has quite as much soul as the Queen of Soul, including her latter-day, car-commercial-appearing, big-band-supporting version of herself. (But "Sharpening Axes" is pretty good, too.) Looks like the reviews on this record were mostly negative...whatever.



I also got A Date with the Smithereens, which okay, is just fair and not nearly as good as Especially For You (which I love). It does have its moments though, like "Miles from Nowhere" which is the best psychedelic Who since the Who stopped doing it round about 1969.



And I bought an early Ted Leo EP (he was still on Ace Fu at this point, whatever happened to that label?)called Treble In Trouble, mostly notable for the blistering and topical (for 2000) "Abner Louima Vs. Governor Pete Wilson".


That was weekend before last. This weekend I only bought one, which is still in my bag, but I'm kind of psyched about it. It's Railroad Jerk's 1995 EP Bang the Drum.

Oh, yeah, and despite having pirated the files, I also picked up a physical copy of Nick Cave's Push the Sky, which is my favorite thing so far this year. (It was not a $3 record.) How about you? Heard anything good lately?

Steven Cerio's Magnificant Pigtail Shadow

I've been listening to the soundtrack from Steven Cerio's The Magnificent Pigtail Shadow a good bit lately, the musical accompaniment to what looks like a very trippy movie, conceived by Cerio and narrated by Kristen Hersh. My friend Michael Duane (he of Dustdevils and Dustdevil and Crow) plays some guitar on it...it's a kind of shimmery, mysterious, atmospheric thing, very pretty but hard to get a real grip on. (I'm thinking that the narration probably makes more sense in the context of the film.)

Anyway, I found the trailer for the movie online and thought I'd post it.


Cerio teaches at Syracuse now, though he is best known, musically, for his long-time collaboration with the Residents. He has played drums for a lot of interesting bands and artists -- Dee Dee Ramone’s Sprocket, Railroad Jerk and Drunktank on record and live with Jad Fair (Half Japanese), Ron Asheton (Stooges), William Parker and Jemeel Moondoc. He's the main force behind Atlantic Drone (which Michael is also involved with and which sounds very similar to this soundtrack.