I got an email today from Bryan Ferry that his new CD “Olympia” had just been released and that I should go buy it. Which I wanted to do, right away. I’m happy downloading most CDs that I want, but I wanted an actual physical copy of this one, to go with the actual physical record-label copies I have of all his other CDs both as a solo artist and with Roxy Music. I figured I’d stop on my way home and pick it up. And that’s when I realized that Burbank, with a population of 108,000 people, probably no longer has a record store where I could buy this.

Yes, we have several stores selling used CDs (and LPs). And yes, we have a small music store that sells hip-hop and urban music. But Music Plus and the Virgin Megastore  went out of business, and The Wherehouse has devolved into a store that carries mostly used CDs and only a smattering of new releases. Best Buy carries some CDs, as do Target and KMart, but I’m not betting they’ll have this. Which means I would have to go to Amoeba Records in Hollywood to get this.

It seems odd in an era of more choices and more convenience to suddenly be faced with fewer and less. I guess I’ll wait a week before going to Amoeba, because then I can get Brian Eno’s new disk, which comes out November 1st, as well.

In which the band Atomic Tom compensates for having their equipment stolen — by substituting it all with iPhones. (Wish we’d had that option in the ’80s — would have saved a lot of effort lugging around all that heavy band equipment.)

Thanks to Joe Stafford for making me aware of this.

Brian Eno’s new album, Small Craft on a Milk Sea, comes out November 2. More information on the album can be found here.

If you’d like to hear the advance released track “2 Forms of Anger,” click below.

Brian Eno – 2 Forms Of Anger (taken from Small Craft On A Milk Sea) by Warp Records

Sad news for my wife: I can’t get enough of this.

I will try not to play it when she’s home or in my car with me.

My God, I love this song, and this video. Cee Lo Green’s new song is, in the words of my friend Terence Anthony, “Best. Song. Ever.”

Cee Lo Green is the vocalizing half of Gnarls Barkley (mutli-instrumentalist music whiz Danger Mouse being the other half), who are justly famous for the best song of the aughts, “Crazy.” Cee Lo is the finest soul singer of this generation. If you go to Cee Lo’s website and sign up for his emails, he gives you two free downloads. (Although not this song.) I recommend you do this, because they’re pretty terrific. Not as inspirational as this particular song — the video of which is required viewing, if anyone has any doubt as to the lyrical point he’s trying to make — but nonetheless marvelous.

I don’t know what genius put Cee Lo together with Danger Mouse, but now I’m thinking they’re the best pairing since… Lennon & McCartney? (And certainly better than Loggins & Messina. Or Hall & Oates.) Separately, each is a potent musical force. Together, they’re astonishing.

The other night my daughter and I watched the movie “Unbreakable.” This is one of my favorite movies. I respond to its central message — that if you don’t express who you really are, you will be lost — and to its driving metaphor:  that comic books reflect inner truths about us as a species. I was thrilled at her interest in watching his movie. When it was over, I asked her if she liked it. She said, “No. It was boring.”

A night or two later, I invited her to watch an episode of “Wonders of the Solar System” with me. When it was over she insisted that we never watch that together again, because it was boring.

Then on Sunday we were in my car when she suddenly perked up to a song playing on my stereo. “What is this?” she asked. “Raygun Suitcase,” I said, “by Pere Ubu.” “I don’t like the way he sings this,” she announced, adding, “I don’t like the way he sings ‘Kathleen’ or ‘Oh, Catherine, in fact, I just don’t like the way he sings.” In this way, she overturned 15 years of universal agreement in our household that these are wonderful songs, brilliantly delivered.

Did I mention that she just turned 12?

In which Peter Gabriel performs a heartfelt rendition of “Here Comes the Flood.”

Yoko Ono and whatever constitutes the latest rendition of The Plastic Ono Band will be playing Los Angeles the first weekend of October. I’ve been waiting 30 years for this, ever since I picked up the double album “Fly” and was absolutely blown away by it. And — I will be out of town that weekend. This presents yet another instance of needing that clone.

I guess this is as close as I’m going to get: a video shot from behind some guy’s head. (And it’s still terrific.)

Bryan Ferry + Phil Manzanera + Flea + Nile Rodgers = “Avalon”-era Roxy Music meets the dance floor.

I’ve written here before of my admiration for the work of music producer Danger Mouse, who is one half of both Gnarls Barkley and Broken Bells, and whom I consider to be this generation’s Brian Eno — a visionary musical force to be reckoned with.

Here’s an interview he did recently with KCRW about his recent collaboration with Sparklehorse and with David Lynch (who is also interviewed), “Dark Night of the Soul.” I highly recommend the album, which is the product of three highly interested disparate artists — Lynch, Danger Mouse, and Mark Linkous — as well as guest artists such as the Flaming Lips, Black Francis of the Pixies, Iggy Pop, and others.

I may also have mentioned it here: Two months ago, I caught Broken Bells in San Francisco. They were wonderful. Until that concert, I had thought that Danger Mouse was expressly a producer. But over the course of the concert, he moved to every position on stage and played each instrument — keyboards, drums, guitar. He did everything but sing, and did all of it well and, in a way, humbly. There’s as much or more great music today than there was in the 60’s — you just have to go find it. If it says “Danger Mouse” on it, you’ve found it.

I don’t agree with the politics of this video — I think Obama has accomplished a lot, especially given the challenges — but I have to say, this is a clever video, and a funny one. When was the last time you could put “right wing,” “clever,” and “funny” in the same sentence? Thanks to Joe Stafford for making me aware of this.