i got to thinking today that i'm lucky i have limited free time or social life because, if i did, the well of new-music-listened-to would severely dry up. i'm on about my biggest music-buying kick since the days of serving as the friendly, long-haired record store clerk at evanston's second-finest music behemoth.

this past weekend saw me make no fewer than two trips to davenport's finest (service-, selection-wise) or second-finest (price-wise, by about a buck a disc), depending on your perspective, music retail behemoth. saturday saw the purchase of the new pornographers' electric version, while sunday saw the purchase of in the aeroplane over the sea, i believe a sixth-time purchase. on sunday, i also ordered the decemberists' castaways and cutouts (or is it the other way around?), owing to the fact that davenport's finest music behemoth had sold its only copy. i've also recently purchased uncle tupelo's no depression reissue, along with records by the streets, the white stripes, and senor dylan. again, good thing i don't have a social life!

tangentially, as i'm spending all this unnecessary money on music, i'm wondering if i'm the only person who appreciates a well-constructed album, and by album, i mean everything, which includes artwork and packaging and things like that, anymore. because, to me, its the having of the record that's cool. because, i've done the downloading thing and (even if i did have a burner) i just don't think it does it for me. i mean, seriously, dig the artwork for elephant and tell me that it doesn't improve the record. what a freakin' package.

that's all.