Courtesy of Washington Post.

Did I risk my life driving in a lightning-infused hail downpour just to get this record? Yes, I did. Was it due to my amazing ability to always procrastinate? Of course. As a second semester senior, at this point, not procrastinating on every last task would just be a lack of commitment to the one skill I truly learned in college.

The Shop: Som Records, U Street Corridor

Som isn’t my favorite, but it has its merits. Usually my only trips here are for time wasting before/after/during Black Cat shows, as a way to eschew boredom. Before this visit, I don’t think I had ever purchased anything here, most likely due to their non-existent punk section. As I‰’ve made clear in previous rants, a lack of expertly separated shelves, organized by sub-genre, just makes me anxious. Som‰’s great for used jazz records and new releases, which have their place, but the best thing I find about the store is the simple fact that its less popular than the other local spots for my kind of records. This means the occasional hardcore gem could be hiding untouched in their racks of rock records, making for a fun and potentially very satisfying hunt. Actually, my favorite thing about Som has nothing to do with their records, but the fact that they once gave me a free ticket voucher to see New Found Glory at the Fillmore and that was rad. The store forever has my loyalty for giving me a chance to watch Turnstile watch Chadball run around the Fillmore.

The Find: TV on the Radio- Young Liars EP

My knowledge of indie rock starts with the entire Bright Eyes discography and ends promptly at one TV on the Radio song I heard in 9th grade. I could probably count the number of quintessential indie records I’ve ever listened to on one hand, but that one TV on the Radio song from my high school days ranks among my top 50 favorite songs of all time. The song is “Ambulance‰” off of Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, known to my record shopping buddy as “That One Song I Like, You know, The One with the Do‰’s‰” because I can never remember its name. Like I said, my indie rock knowledge is kind of totally pathetic. As for finding this record, I assumed I would enjoy it based on my love of that one song, and luckily I was right, since this one EP cost me my full $10 budget. Every song is fantastic, although unsurprisingly, the one I like the most sounds the most like “Ambulance,‰” a cover of the Pixies’ “Mr. Grieves.‰Û

Overall Verdict:

Great Record. Great Band. Great Shopping Experience.