I have a love- hate relationship with record stores. I’ve worked in them on and off throughout my adult life. As a kid, growing up in the midwest during the 1980s and ’90s, record stores were a lifeline to a world that excited and inspired me. They were a place where I could, safely, explore myself through an ever-evolving web of sounds and ideas. At the same time, they were occasionally halls of shame, ruled by egocentric gatekeepers who wanted to judge me for my unsophisticated tastes. I always hated that “too cool for school” record store clerk who never missed an opportunity to express his encyclopedic knowledge of every obscure recording know to humankind, never failing to comment on your choices with the suggestion of (in his opinion) a much better album by the same artist.

I always strived to be the kind of record store clerk that I loved; one that started an interaction with questions about what “I” liked. The best ones could always find that perfect complement or stretch to a favorite genre or artist that slid open portals to entirely new worlds of sonic discovery. A good record store clerk will ask you if you need assistance and if the answer is no they will give you the space to dig freely at you’re pace.

Listening and discovering music is your unique path. Don’t let anyone dictate where that path leads you based upon what “they” think is cool. Just listen to your heart and try to stay open to what resonates with it.

I hope this month’s playlist serves you in your search for the music in your life. – Thanks for listening, MMM

This month’s playlist includes songs by The Strokes, Big Black, Sarathy Korwar, Zia Ahmed, Mirande, Andol, Fiona Apple, Gus Seyffert, Sonic Boom, Good Saint Nathanael, Oneohtrix Point Never, Sandy (Alex G), Boby Dylan, TWILIGHT Prince, Nicholas Britell, Clem Snide, Lucinda Williams

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