I’ve been fortunate to get a bunch of really great albums and what better time to go through a few of them than in your Washington DC hotel room, going on your second hour wait for a Domino’s pizza.

The first one that I’d like to talk about is Maximo Park’s “Missing Songs.” I enjoyed the 2005 release “A Certain Trigger” quite a bit and I was happy to find this jem in my mailbox.

More a companion piece to A Certain Trigger that a full-fledged Maximo Park album, Missing Songs is meant to act as both a treat for hardcore fans and a welcome addition to the collection of new converts.

Hitting the stores on February 21st, you’ve got some time to wait for this to be available at a record store near you. For those looking to get a sneak preview, Stereogum put up an MP3 and brief review of “Missing Songs” as well.

UPDATE: Take Your Medicine has another track for you to preview!  Oh yeah, their album covers and t-shirts kick ass, see for yourself.

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The fact that $4 gets anyone any enjoyment in the world these days sometimes amazes me. Proof comes in the form of Pet Politics album on Catbird Records, an offshoot of one of my favorite blogs, the Catbirdseat. The “In My Head EP” is only four songs long, but I’ve listened to it at least that many times since I received it yesterday. If my praise doesn’t get you to order the last copy (I’m serious, there’s only one left, go here to get it), I would also like to point out that Pet Politics has gained praise from *Sixeyes and My Old Kentucky Blog.

Yes, the $4 even includes shipping, and here’s an MP3 from the Catbird Records site:

Pet Politics – The Ghost Mary & Her Friends (MP3)

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Pizza’s here, and it’s free! No big surprise it was a two hour wait. They claimed they tried delivering it once, but a woman in my room said “we didn’t order any pizza.” If there is a woman in my room, it’s news to me. Today’s been a real strange one anway, so if I can step outside the music and just complain for a minute that would be great.

Sometimes, I have obligations that don’t allow me to get flights directly into Regan International Airport in Washington DC, and therefore have to fly into Baltimore and take a taxi into DC. I’ve done it a few times, but tonight was a complete mess. My cab driver had no clue about how to get to DC, made me call the hotel, I got directions, made me write them down, which I did, and then he manages to get us so fricking lost I thought I was going to be late for my 10 am meeting tomorrow. At one point he pulls the car over, and frantically looks at a map next to him, points to 6th street, which I remind him has nothing to do with any directions that I gave him, which he replies that we need to find “R” in order to get to 6th, and again I plead that we are trying to get to “E” street. I remember at one point having one ipod earbud in one ear, talking on my cell phone to the Marriott front desk lady, and reading a map all while this guy is yelling at me about 6th street.

He got so frustrated at one point (after the fare exceeded $60) that he suggested I get out of the cab and find a more knowledgeable local cabbie. I called the hotel a total of 5 times, and each time he grew impatient. I was upset because I really like to catch up on some albums (like the ones above) on these marathon cab rides. Anyway, about an hour and a half later, and $80 lighter, I check into my hotel for the week.

After finishing typing this, I see this article on Yahoo news about a New York city cab driver who is writing a blog about her daily duties. It’s called New York Hack.