For me, my love of modern music truly started with the usual stroll into Virgin Megastore Southend on a Monday morning on the way to college. I didn't really know of anything out that week, but amongst all the usual junk and the largely terrible pop of the 90's, I spotted this little gem of a cover:

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/9d2878007ffd6141a76279d54da4d9d0/67386.jpg

I didn't really know who Arab Strap were, just that some band called Mogwai were getting loads of press on the same label. So I bought it for about £1.99 and stuck it on that night.

I don't think it was an immediate thing, but I remember realising about 4 weeks later that I'd had it on loop ever since that day. By now, 'Here we go' had blossomed into a song that would forever change my musical listening and steer me down far more unconventional and subtler heartfelt roads, whereas 'Trippy' had opened my ears to the possibility of 8 minute long seedy stories, guitar freak outs and hints of electro.

I probably already owned records that had utilised all of these styles beforehand, yet this is the one that stayed with me.

I still get that same weird sense of nostalgia just by opening it's now severely cracked jewel case, looking at the paper insert and rate it as the most important 'chance' record I'll ever buy. I feel a bit sad that the Monday morning rush to the record shop has sadly been lost when it comes to singles and EP's, but it's all part of progress I guess. I just hope that it also doesn't mean an end to surprising discoveries like this one...

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How's about you?