I’ve reached a critical point in my quest for new-ness. For some time I haven’t bought much music, new or old, relying instead on the constantly rotating shopfront of sites like Elbows and Hype. Sure, there is the occasional trip to a record store or two, and the necessary purchases made. But I strive for something new. Not new as in recently released, but new as in something to stir an untouched part inside.

So I’ve come up with a solution. Not a perfect one by any means, but something to spur on purchases of artists and albums that I would never pick up in a shop. So, once a week I will purchase about three albums from Amazon, aiming at around twenty quid for the bunch.

Using a random number generator and Amazon’s recommendation system (honed over about half an hour of clicking ‘I love this’ and ‘I’m not interested’) I’ll hopefully discover some new artists, and some stuff by folks I love that I’ve never got around to buying. And then I’ll go and bore you all by sharing the results…

Week 1

#1 Recommendation Number 42
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (1972)

First up was an absolute classic, and a shameful demonstration of paucity of records like this in my collection! I’d heard most of this before, but was moved by the scope of the record; from the opening swoon of the sublime Five Years through the raucous Ronson-rock of Suffragette City. Since receiving it a few days ago I’ve listened almost non-stop, revelling in the glitter of one of Bowie’s (and music’s) masterpieces.

Rating:

MP3: Moonage Daydream

#2 Recommendation Number 68
Fleet Foxes - S/T (2008)

I was glad to get a 2008 release into the trio, and after giving this a couple of spins I’m more than happy with it! It was hard to ignore the hype preceeding the record’s release, and in many ways it is justified. We listened to this album driving along some narrow country lanes in the sunny South Downs, an ideal match for the rural mood on show. The songs are hard to pin down, their influence lying somewhere distinctly mid-Atlantic. Singer Robin Pecknold’s voice wears a little then midway through, with some of the backing getting a little mock-tudor.

Rating:

MP3: Oliver James

#3 Recommendation Number 137
The National - Alligator (2005)

Boxer was one of my favourite records of 2007, so having Alligator pop up as the third selection was great. And guess what, it didn’t disappoint. The sound is clearly theirs, with the tunes occupying the same space as Boxer, yet with a little less refinement. Alligator also contains a great run of tracks through the spine of the album, with Baby, We’ll Be Fine and Friend of Mine being album highlights, meaning that despite it’s relative length the record never sags.

Rating:

MP3: Karen

Next week’s purchases are already winging their way to Jealousy HQ, with Mogwai, Allman Brothers and Godspeed You Black Emperor making the second bunch on the Random CD Challenge