From the first night we arrived in Seattle, there was one site I had to see. We drove past it, and I just about lost my mind with happiness. It was easy Street Records, a music store which was obviously a haven for indy artists as well as a fully loaded used CD and DVD shop. Whenever I visit a new city or location, I love visiting the local used music/movie haunts. You never know what Out of Print or rare goods you’ll find or what price they’ll ask for them, so I try to stop in those shops whenever I get a chance.

Despite two failed attempts, the third time was a charm when my In-laws and I made it to the store Sunday Morning after breakfast. The store was nearly as amazing as I had dreamed, lacking only in the department of DVD pricing (they were asking $10.99 for a lot of discs you could easily find for $5). Overall, however, it was an amazing store. I scored some good, some bad, and some ugly; and I will share my thoughts on my purchases below:

Jason Mraz, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. - Pretty much a perfect album. Mraz is game for not only the standard indie flavor of folk and alternative but also a variety of genres including reggae, pop, and rap. His blend of sounds and vocals creates an album that is always interesting and engaging.

Moby Last Night - The most recent release from the famed DJ/Electronica/House Technician is a disappointment at best. The beats, stylings, and mixes are not only banal but actually rather headache-inducing. This is a far fall from the great, experimental album, Play, and I found only a handful of the 14 tracks (”Hyenas”, “Degenerates”, and the titular “Last Night”) remotely on par with Moby’s varied catalogue from the 1990s.

Moby, 18 - Not nearly as good as Play, but much more in line with it than the recent, Last Night. Many tracks here are rehashes of what he’s already done (and been done better, I might add). For example, “In My Heart” is “God Moving over the Surface of the Waters”, only it attempts to be a dance song; and “Signs of Love” seems to stem from the exact same template as “Into the Blue”. This doesn’t mean the songs on 18 are necessarily bad, but with better ones already available, I was disappointed. Standouts here include the soft “Fireworks”, “Extreme Ways”,and “18″– 3 outta 18 tracks is pretty lousy.

Memento , music from and inspired by the motion picture. This is solid–real solid. The album’s primary strength is, of course, the actual score and not the “filler” tracks used to pad the album’s running time. I probably would’ve been happier with an All-killer-no-filler 40 minute album, than the trackjumper I got; but oh well, it’s still solid overall.

SIDENOTE - I am really sounding like a musical elitist in this. I’m really sorry. If you punch me next time you see me, I’ll know why.

P.M. Dawn’s, Of the Heart, Of the Soul, And of the Cross. Hit and Miss, really. I enjoy some songs while could easily do without others. Through and through the album is always interesting, and I never felt like I was listening to the same old thing; however, with experimentation come failure and like all of PMD’s album’s, I only found a handful of tracks I’ll enjoy on a regular basis. “Watcher’s Point of View”, “Paper Doll”, and “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” are all highlights and overall the album was fine.

Alicia Keys’ As I Am. As Always. Good.