All the trouble you looked for all your life.

The genius boys of Spoon combine so many tasty sounds on last year's Transference that it is hard to pick which track is my favorite. The whole album is a good one for walking in the cold.

Sweet as can be.

Nellie McKay has a new CD--a Doris Day tribute comprised of delightfully stripped-down (no Broadway-esque arrangements here...and no "Que Sera Sera" either, for which I'm grateful) jazz numbers and a completely adorable photo spread in the liner notes. Nellie's voice is perfectly suited to songs such as these and it makes for a very enjoyable listen, although nothing can quite top her debut album: "Get Away from Me" (best title Ever.)

Why the world goes slow.

Who but Regina Spektor could pull off a gorgeous & catchy song that just so happens to contain the phrase "macaroni pieces"? Regina Spektor makes beautiful music, and she is sort of weird. If you've listened to any of her other albums in entirety, then you know both of these things. If you haven't, then this is as good a place to start as any. Far is her fifth release (her second major-label one) and boasts the same insanely catchy melodies, lovely piano and vocals, and, well, weird stories as her other work. There might be a few too many songs here but when she's good, she's good and therefore it's forgiveable. 4/5 stars.