Of Flat Eric and other wild things...

Dear Derek,

You are the most awesomest version of awesome. Imagine my surprise, returning from lunch back to work yesterday, when the office was quiet as death (trying to get everything done before the long weekend) and finding a sweet little box addressed to me. This box, no less, was full of CDS! Not just one as I would first think, but many many more! Yipee!
As Alfred and I sit here eating graham crackers, I want to thank you a million for the prezzies. I'm going to rip them all onto my computer and then promptly distribute them to the various stereos in the house as well as work and the car. This is fantastic. The Kwanamas CD cover is really nice, I like the typed touches and the cereal box cover. It makes me wish I was in Minneapolis to start an artists collective with you. (By the way, Maija has moved to NE, so go by the store and give her a hi, she should be there next week).
This is going to be a pretty quiet weekend for Alfred and I, since we are home alone, so we'll definitely get to go through all of your goodies. Because I have windows and cannot Mojo you, I'll give you the following suggestions to run, not walk, and listen to.
1) You have no idea how much I needed it when you gave me the links to the Current and other places to download last summer. I continue to download almost every day now and a new one I've come upon that I think you would highly enjoy (if you do not already) is Rcrdlbl. They have an awesome variety and update many many new posts a day (oh, and for you ipod people, a podcast every week).
2) I've been really into a hip hop mode lately, which has surprised the bejeesus out of Maija. Two of my new faves are Kid Cudi and the Cool Kids. If you go before they post on Monday, Cool Kids' "88" should still be on the Current page. My fave Kid Cudi is "new new" and "Day N' Night (Crookers Remix)", which you can probably find on rcrdlbl.
3) New Futureheads is f-ing out of this world. I never saw why people didn't like Pinkerton and also didn't see the supposed "2nd album curse" with the Futureheads. Nevertheless, they've come out with their new album and it has the strength and ferociousness of their debut.
4) I've somewhat surprised myself at coming to like the new French Kicks. I was a fan of their One Time Bells, but didn't particularly like the direction they went in afterwards. Recently, I found myself repeating the songs off of their new album. They did a fairly nice little show for Daytrotter recently.
5) The Virgins remind me of the dark and sexy groove of Jonathan Richman when he was still in the Modern Lovers. Nuf Said.
6) Los Fancy Free is a kick-ass psychedelic-type band from Mexico. Some of the most unique stuff I've heard in a while.

More that would take too long to write about each individually: Spinto Band, Mystery Jets, Phantom Planet, Young Knives, The Wedding Present, Magic Bullets, France Has The Bomb, Teenagers, Dr. Dog, and Robbers on High Street.

Hope some of this stuff are things you haven't heard yet, cause I know that you are all over everything all of the time.
Thanks again for being so awesome. I'm going to publicly proclaim your awesomeness by posting this letter on my blog. Just cause.

Sincerely,
*mara*