Like Noah, I've been frequenting the iTunes music store, sometimes for shame purchases (as noted below), but also, increasingly, to lurk in the iMixes section, a fascinating feature that allows iTunes users to post their own mixes for mutual downloading and critique. The most popular iMixes seem to be the ones that serve some useful function, such as those that compile otherwise unavailable movie soundtracks. On that principle, I've only uploaded two of my own mixes so far: Urgh! A Music War, which collects some songs from the brilliant 1981 concert film of the same name, and Closer, my attempt at a relatively complete soundtrack to this fascinating movie, which oddly enough isn't commercially available. (And yes, I included Suzanne Vega's "Caramel.")

Music store users can rate iMixes on a one- to five-star scale, and there's a separate section for the top-rated and most popular mixes. Out of curiosity, I downloaded one extensive and highly recommended list entitled "I Heart Death Cab for Cutie," and it's pretty great, with a bunch of songs that I'll no doubt cannibalize for my own mixes in the coming year. (High points include "Not for All the Love in the World" by The Thrills, "I Don't Believe You" by The Magnetic Fields, and "If She Wants Me" by Belle & Sebastian.) If you ever have the chance to download it, it's well worth the forty bucks.