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Featured Products: Music

Music to Code By | Music that Makes Jay Put on His Headphones | Music that Annoys the Lawyers

When you sit down to worsen your carpal tunnel and think like a machine for a few hours, you need just the right music. The Webmonkeys like a wide assortment of stuff, but we can pretty much agree on the following albums for achieving the right vibe for happy productivity.

Apocalyptica    Apocalyptica- Plays Metallica by Four Cellos
If you haven't heard this yet, you need to. "Harvester of Sorrow" never sounded so soothing.

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Bad Livers    Bad Livers- Hogs on the Highway
Nothing screams "high tech" like bluegrass. A Bad Liver helped Timz hone his banjo skills.

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Beastie Boys    Beastie Boys- Paul's Boutique
This album has that smoove, bold, MF attitude. Always a classic.

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Beta Band    Beta Band- The Three E.P.s
"An album that begs to be described with cheap, rock-crit comparisons ('It's a cross between Nazareth and Britney Spears with Fidel Castro on bass and Tom Arnold handling the turntables,' etc.) but can't. A densely layered collision of folk and sampled beats and jew's-harps and whatnot."
– Josh

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Burning Spear    Burning Spear- 100th Anniversary
This smooth reggae album also includes the dub version "Garvey's Ghost."

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Captain Tonic    Captain Tonic- Waiting on Buffalo
"The loneliness of the cornfields inside a broken glass. Echoes of Tom Waits, Nick Drake, David Bowie, and Donald Fagen. An auspicious debut album dwelling on the fringes of popular music."
– Nadav

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CCR    CCR- Chronicle
"Fogerty was way cooler when he was young and pissed off."
– Nate

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John Coltrane    John Coltrane- 1961 Complete Village Vanguard
"Just hearing the first few notes of 'Green Sleeves' can pull down my blood presure, plus it reminds me of all the good things about Christmas."
– Frew

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Cornelius    Cornelius- Fantasma
We probably listen to this one more than we need to, but it still hasn't lost its charm.

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Miles Davis    Miles Davis- Kind of Blue
"One of the most influential jazz albums ever made, this record is simply beautiful."
– Meghan

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Dub Specialist    Dub Specialist- 17 Dub Shots from Studio One
Awesome reggae dub mix from the legendary Studio One.

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The Fence Cutters    The Fence Cutters- Extended Play
"We like our banjo loud! It's a good thing Timmyz and his Austin band finally cut a new CD, because we've nearly worn out the last one (More Blue than Green)."
– Kristin

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The Folk Implosion    The Folk Implosion- Dare to Be Surprised
"Lou Barlow, the grand poobah of lo-fi, and ex-shrimper buddy John Davis roll out another strangely upbeat-downbeat-backbeat string of garage-folk ditties. This one has been a thau favorite for a long time."
– thau

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Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto    Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto- Sessions on Verve
"Astrud Gilberto's haunting voice makes me want to run away to Rio, at the same time making me understand I can't: Ah, the melancholy."
– Frew

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Jimi Hendrix    Jimi Hendrix- Blues
Really cool collection of heard and unheard Hendrix tracks.

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Robert Earl Keen, Jr.    Robert Earl Keen, Jr.- Live Album
"The Texas twang and quotable lyrics of Robert Earl Keen (childhood friend and former bandmate of Lyle Lovett) are smooth enough to make even Schlitz beer taste good."
– Evany

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Curtis Mayfield    Curtis Mayfield- Superfly
"Curtis makes me feel all groovy, and Rhino's package design can't be beat."
– Frew

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Medeski, Martin, and Wood    Medeski, Martin, and Wood- Combustication
"The Funky Meters with the lights out and a turntable for good measure. Is it jazz? Who cares?"
– Nadav

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The Modern Lovers    The Modern Lovers- The Modern Lovers
"Thrill! to this proto-punk classic. Someone said that band leader Jonathan Richman 'looked like Dustin Hoffman and moved like Mick Jagger,' but I think he looks more like Adam Sandler and rocks like Lou Reed minus the heroin."
– Nadav

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Willie Nelson    Willie Nelson- Red Headed Stranger
Not quite the dynamic duo of Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, but still pretty darn good.

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Pete Seeger    Pete Seeger- If I Had a Hammer: Songs of Hope and Struggle
"Great songs. And all the talk of 'company goons' and 'union scabs' tends to keep the man a little nervous, and that's right where you want 'im."
– Frew

Rating: (Only on rebellious mornings...)


Elliott Smith    Elliott Smith- Elliott Smith
"This rebel yin-yangster combines sweet tunes and bitter lyrics, creating the perfect music to work to in the quiet hours right before the coffee jacks in."
– Evany

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Peter Tosh    Peter Tosh- Honorary Citizen
Comprehensive Peter Tosh collection that doesn't harsh the mellow.

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Tom Waits    Tom Waits- Rain Dogs
"Tom Waits was once warned by his doctor that if he didn't stop straining his voice with booze and smoke, he'd end up like Frank Sinatra. 'What,' said Waits, 'rich and loved by women everywhere?'"
– Evany

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