Let’s discuss any and all music here. Got a new artist who’s rocking your boat that you want to talk about? Post a video! Found out about that unearthed Coltrane album that has the jazz freak in you losing your mind? Lay it out for us! Have a theory about what your favorite band might do for their next album? Let’s hear it! Anything and everything music-related goes here.

This week’s discussion prompt: Crate Digging

How often do you look for or buy music at actual shops these days? Do you have any spots in your area (be they proper music stores, thrift stores, or some other type of place) where you regularly look for music? When’s the last time you went crate digging? And what did you find?

While the convenience of streaming and/or downloading music as well as purchasing records and CDs online cannot be overstated, as an old I still enjoy digging through the bins on the off chance of stumbling upon something unexpected. But sadly the number of places to buy second-hand records and CDs in my area has dwindled; as of this writing there are only two stores left that sell used CDs and records, and their selection has been fairly stagnant in recent years. And while I’ve enjoyed the spoils of Tsutaya (a major DVD/CD rental chain) gradually phasing out that aspect of their business and selling off their old rental copies dirt cheap, obviously that will only last for so much longer as well.

A couple weeks ago I felt like hitting the bins and decided to go on a bit of an excursion to a Tsutaya outside of my area that I heard was closing soon. Unfortunately I found nothing of interest there, but on the way back I spied a tiny second-hand shop that I’d never been to before. While the refrigerators and washing machines outside indicated that they probably didn’t have much in the way of CDs or records, I stopped in on a whim and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a bunch of CDs. Many of them were still in the original shrink wrap, and selling for only 50 or 100 yen each. Then I saw a sign that on top of that, they were having a 20% off sale.

So, I bought some CDs!

One of those CDs was Analog by an artist called Solveig. I saw that it was produced by Tore Johansson (probably best known for producing The Cardigans) which combined with the super low price was enough to get me to buy it. And I’m glad I did! Most of it is slickly-produced pop in the style of The Cardigans and catchy as hell.

But like The Cardigans, Solveig dabbles in other genres as well. “Timemachine” is a propulsive dance track that might well be an album highlight for me.

So if you happen to be a fan of The Cardigans or Johansson’s production work in general, I’d say Analog is well worth checking out.

Solveig Sandnes was a Danish singer born in 1973. She started out with a band called Lovebites, leaving the band after their debut was released to pursue a solo career, going on to release two albums and several singles. Sadly, Sandnes passed away in 2018 after a twelve-year struggle with breast cancer.

As always, any and all music-related posts are welcome. Have fun, and rock out with yr guac out!