OK, so I might be a sell-out, but I found some stuff I really liked and bought it.
First off, I snagged a couple of old singles. The first one is called "Superman" by Lazlo Bane, the theme to the TV show Scrubs. It's just kind of a fun song that makes it OK to be vulnerable and not perfect. The other one is Hoku's "Perfect Day" from Legally Blonde. Yeah, it's cheesy pop, but how could you not feel good about it?
In the album category, I snagged three. The first is Fiona Apple's new Extraordinary Machine. She still has an enormous head, but she still sounds sexy as hell. I glossed over her second album, but this one is a winner. I really dig it. There's a lot of very different textures on it, but it's all very much her.
I took a chance on getting Liz Phair's new Somebody's Miracle. She's been around now for at least a decade, and honestly she's never grabbed me, but I previewed the tracks and this one I liked. She's just got that girl rocker sound that's fun to listen to. I'm sure it'll continue to grow on me.
Finally, I got Nickleback's All The Right Reasons. Yeah, this one for sure qualifies as frat boy rock, but my inner (and hopefully secret) Def Leppard fan really digs their sound. This is much better than 2003's The Long Road. What stands out is that the lyrics show off some of the best rock writing since 80's era Bon Jovi. I know it's a sappy tune, but the current single "Photograph" is a really, really great song.
Overall, it's a real relief that 2005 is shaping up to be a good year for music. It has been a rough year and I need the tunes to get me through it. My 2005 playlist keeps growing, and I feel like I'm growing with it.