12/06/08

OK I suppose, but VASTLY overrated

by blarglebob

From all the hype gotten from this music store, from all the Easy Street bumper stickers and t-shirts I see all everywhere I go, I was expecting a lot more than what I saw. Truth be told, most of the music they carry is very commonly found at places like amazon, with virtually zero underground/hard to find music. At best, a few This Heat and William Basinski albums are about all I came across that generally cannot be found elsewhere. Not helping is the announcement of one of the employees to me that they will no longer be carrying any imported items. And, as someone who enjoys a good deal of metal, I have to say their metal selection is poor at best, stocking mainly Southern Lord/Hydra Head type stuff and the obligatory mainstream bands a la Judas Priest, Motorhead, etc. In fact, overall the only kind of music they carry is the kind that caters to the "indie" crowd, and little else. I also tried searching through their used CD bin, but it was so confusing and badly organized that I just about gave up on finding anything worthwhile.

It isn't a terrible store, by any means. As far as their stockpile on mainstream music is concerned, it's a notch above, say, Border's. The staff is usually pleasant, though I rarely needed to speak to them on many matters, except for returning a couple of CDs and selling them (another good thing, though I had the hardest time navigating their used CD section, selling CDs to them is a painless process; they take just about anything from you, and offer you decent money for your unwanted horde). Overall, not bad, but highly underwhelming considering the gross amount of hype. I also don't see this as being that much, if at all, better than Silver Platters, a store that is heavily derided by Easy Street fans for some reason. Why? They're worse in some ways, but better in other ways too than Easy Street (better metal selection and a tad more import-friendly too). I still do go here from time to time, but with few expectations this time.

10/09/07

If you live in or around Seattle, this is where you buy your music!

by cjcoffey

Easy Street Records is basically music heaven. The staff has always been very polite and eager to help me find whatever I'm looking for. You can find pretty much any album under the sun - if its out of stock, they'll order it for you. A couple times I've popped in to find what I wanted out of stock, so they gave me a discount voucher to use next time I dropped by to pick my album up. The atmosphere also adds to the whole experience - great store layout, design, background music, Queen Anne location, etc. Don't miss the awesome in-store performances too - Minus the Bear, Kaiser Cheifs, Tegan & Sara, NFG, etc - they have quite a few per year!

• Pros: Selection, Atmosphere, Friendly and Helpful Staff, In-Store Concerts
• Cons: Can't think of any!

04/16/07

Lazy+Attitude=Easy Street Employees

by joevandal2000

Easy Street was my music store. 10 minutes ago I left the store for the last time. I spent over an hour waiting for one of the three employees on shift tonight to review the music I wanted to exchange. Finally, I asked how much longer it would be. Another 15 or 20 minutes was the response. There were two other customers there and the girl behind the counter was trying to explain how busy Mondays are for them. It's a charming combination of laziness and self absorbed "my musical taste is better than everyones because I work at a music store" attitude. Easy Street can go to hell. I'm going to Silver Platter next time.