Picks and Clicks

I'm adding a new category here to the Thom Zahler blog, one that I call recommendations. I don’t really want to get into writing full-blown reviews for too many things. If I don’t like it, I’m probably not going to talk about it. But there are a lot of cool things out there, and when I stumble upon one, I’d like to share it with you.

Here, I’ve got two. One was introduced to me by Christine, the oh-so-tasty Caribou Coffee granola bars. I’m a fan of their coffee (though my Starbucks baristas and baristaettes keep me coming back to there), and am now a fan of their snack bars. I’m hooked on the mint chocolate ones, which have just the right amount of coffee bite, and at 175 calories, they’re not crazy bad for you.

The other is a CD I bought from iTunes recently. I’ve been a big fan of Captain Tractor since I stumbled upon them on a Due South soundtrack. But they’re a Canadian band, and their CDs are hard to find in the States. Apple’s iTunes knows no such boundaries, though, and you can snag their CD in digital format for just $9.99. Their album North of Yellowhead is the first complete album I bought off iTunes, and man, do I like it.

It’s hard to explain the Captain’s sound. Kind of Celtic/rock/Canada/folk. It’s punchy and, more importantly, a lot of fun. These guys don’t take themselves seriously. Heck, to coincide with the album’s release, they even made their own North of Yellowhead beer. Unfortunately, that doesn’t dispense across the computer.

So, coffee bars and Canadian CD’s. I recommend ‘em both.