because these things are good and you should see them (aka, clicky):

alex at Close Your Eyes does an excellent audio round-up of Sufjan Stevens's work, through the ears of someone who is bedazzled and still exploring.

pop has posted a lovely, honest quote by radiohead's Jonny Greenwood: "You know, there's a certain Tom Waits song that whenever I hear it I, you know, it just... it makes me talk in this inarticulate way that I'm using now. It's so good. It seems to me quite disingenuous to be embarrassed about it. . . . [Music] should be ambitious, and good music does deal with life and art and all these wonderful things. I used to be ashamed talking about it, but now I just think it's fraudulent to pretend otherwise." It's worth reading the whole thing. Greenwood's expressing that intangible, enthusiastic feeling of oh-my-art-is-wondrous that i am so often struck by. he's smitten and can't find the words. It makes me glad.

Audio Lunchbox. I can't believe I had never encountered this before: a music shop with $0.99 (US) tracks, $10 albums. Everything's on DRM-free 192 kbps mp3, available internationally, on any platform. It's indie labels (obviously), but there's everyone from Anti (Tom Waits) to Badman (Hayden), Troubleman Unlimited (Tussle), Absolutely Kosher (The Wrens), and Koch (2Pac, Lamb, The Kinks). Like the iTunes Music Store, but available to Canadians, and even less restrictive. Hooray! (a little weak on world/jazz/classical/hip-hop, though...)

(my first round of $0.99 recommendations: The Mountain Goats, "Family Happiness"; The Wrens, "Happy"; Tussle, "Don't Stop"; The Long Winters, "Cinnamon"; Solomon Burke, "Don't Give Up On Me"; Tom Waits, "Alice"; The Weakerthans, "Our Retired Explorer..."; Hayden, "Dynamite Walls"; Pedro the Lion, "When They Really Get to Know You They Will Run"; Kepler, "The Changing Light at Sandover"; Elliott Smith, "Division Day")