Remember how it was all supposed to be? And how the distance between that supposed and that of your here and now is the breadth of the America you inhabit? Imagine all that distance and the places in between which are passed through--once, twice at most--but never lived. Have you ever loved it all, all of America, not only because it seems like it's no less sensitive to your condition in between these places, but also because you're fairly confident it could kick your ass without question? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then worry not: since all the music explaining these lives and places is now just "information," it's that much easier to return to and cherish.

On March 10, three albums by Richard Buckner (Bloomed, The Hill, and Impasse) will be available as digital downloads from the Merge Records site (and presumably other places that trade in such stock as well). He will also be touring this coming Spring in support of these somewhat overlooked masterpieces. Though my introduction to the man came when he embarrassed Kris Kristofferson by way of superior tribute (#7 down: "Loving Her Was Easier"), I quickly covered these Buckner gaps in my catalog. Here's your chance to do the same.