Since I moved a few months back, I have found myself with a slurry of CDs and nowhere to really put them. I’m working on importing them to digital format and then I’ll probably throw them in the attic.

Most of these CDs contain music I haven’t heard in a dog’s age or two. There’s a reason for this. For most of the 90s, I lived with an abusive sociopath who tried to kill me. When I finally shed him from my life, I didn’t want to listen to the music that reminded me of him. I just put it all away and found new stuff to listen to.

That’s not that uncommon since, my entire life, I have always sought out new music to listen to. It’s a hobby or a passion or whatever you’d like to call it. In any event, I find new music. It’s what I do. Generally, when finding new music, I don’t completely shun the music I found before. However, that chapter in my life was so incredibly awful that I just couldn’t or didn’t want to listen to it.

Every weekend morning for the past few months, I sit in front of my computer and talk to you and other people I know on the internet. While I’m busy talking to you, I import CDs. One after another, until I’m done with a stack. It all goes in my “recently added” playlist and I listen to it while I’m futzing about on the internet, drinking my coffee.

Every CD I import is a victory. It means that asshole Monster #2 hasn’t taken it from me. I have reclaimed it and it is mine, dammit. Today, I thought I’d share with you some of my small victories, one song at a time.

Smashing Pumpkins – Gish

This was the album that started it all. I wrote a post about how I was not going to let Monster #2 steal my music anymore. It felt damn good to listen to this album and take it back.

Tool – Undertow

This one was hard, partly because of that song. It’s about the abused turning into an abuser. Once I downloaded this album, I had to download all the rest. I used to absolutely adore this band and I still do, dammit.

Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral

If there’s one album that typifies my awful time spent with Monster #2, it’s this one. When it was released, Monster #2 was in a really moody phase. He didn’t leave the house much, but drowned his sorrows making terrible art and drinking. Oh, and he beat me.

The Charlatans – Melting Pot

Part of the 90s British invasion, I had completely forgotten about this band and this song. It was only after I downloaded and listened to it that I went “Oh, yeah!”

The Stone Roses – Self Titled

Manchester goodness. Oh, did I used to love this band. For some reason, their second album, Second Coming, made it into regular rotation, but their first album got lost in the shuffle.

Happy Mondays – Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches

More Manchester goodness. I completely forgot about these guys and most of the other Madchester stuff.

The Jesus & Mary Chain – Automatic

Holy hell, I forgot all about this album. I used to listen to this a lot.

Pigface – Notes From the Underground

One of the many industrial bands I couldn’t listen to along with Nine Inch Nails and the ones to follow.

KMFDM – Agogo

Ouch. This one took me back to the days. They weren’t always bad though.

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult – Confession of A Knife

I loved this band once upon a time and things went all sideways. Oh well, they’re mine now.

Primus – Pork Soda

I used to love me some Primus. And then one day, they just reminded me too much of Monster #2, so I just stopped listening. I just downloaded this album this morning.

Well, that’s about all the time we have for today. Enjoy.