I got an iPod a few months back and have been busy filling it up with music from my CD collection but, up until last weekend, I hadn't tried downloading anything off the iTunes music service yet. I'm not really sure what took me so long because now it's taking every ounce of will I have in my body to stop buying and downloading music. Here's a quick look at what I downloaded over the weekend:

Green Day - American Idiot

What's this? Nine minute tunes on a Green Day album? Instrumental sections? A *cough* concept record? Luckily Billy Joe & Co. pull off all of these things with aplomb on this new disc. The crunch that has become their trademark (and fostered a million clones) is still present, as is Billy Joe's gift for criminally catchy melody.

Brian Wilson - Smile

The legendary followup, nearly 40 years in the making, to the Beach Boys' masterpiece Pet Sounds is as densely packed with vocal harmonies as you might expect, and brings together that 1960s surfer boy mentality with some present day studio and performance mastery, defining a sound that bridges both time periods wonderfully.

Richard Bona - Munia (The Tale)

I caught Richard Bona on tour with guitarist Pat Metheny a few years ago and was blown away. In addition to being a world-renowned bassist, Bona is a gifted singer and percussionist. With Metheny, he only played only one song on bass the entire night (spending most of his time on percussion), and still stole the show with his passionate mastery of every musical instrument he touched. This is one of his later releases and is filled with driving rhythms and beautiful vocals.

Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime

Now I'm dating myself. This metal opera is a minor masterpiece from the late 80s and I happened upon it by accident while browsing iTunes. I hadn't heard it in years and was surprised (nostalgia notwithstanding) by how good the album works as a self-contained piece, without really sounding that dated. Sure, some may balk at Geoff Tate's screeching vocals but the songwriting, performances (especially the drumming of Scott Rockenfield), and production makes this a classic in my book.