So it turns out the HMV gift cards only work in the retail stores and not in their online store. So Birdy Nam Nam wasn't an option. And no matter how much I like Lemon Jelly, $30+ is too much for a CD.

In that case I turned my attentions to what was in stock and ended up with DJ Shadow The Outsider and Kid Koala Your Mom's Favorite DJ.

I've only given each a brief listen but both albums are ok. The Outsider relies on guest MC's a little too much but most of the tracks seem to have good rhythm (and a few have some crazy weird beats). The Kid Koala album is what I've generally come to expect from him. So close to greatness but he zigs where I would have liked him to zag. But I always find myself appreciating the effort and feeling like I'm letting him down by not appreciating it enough.

The only truly annoying part is that the entire album is only 2 tracks, each over 15 min's long. (And a 3rd 5 second track) The liner notes (which are always fun to read with Koala) explain how it harks back to his original demo tape and it's two 15 min sides.

But honestly, I don't really care. It's 2006 and track numbers could have been used to break up the songs without having to make a gap. Plus the gap is there between most already! I've going to have to try and find time to split the tracks up myself. Or maybe I can just download them pre split for me.

I also picked up a use copy of OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Every time I see a OutKast video I'm impressed with them but I didn't know where to start with their albums. I really enjoy Hey Ya so this seemed like the best choice. I hope it doesn't let me down.