Best CD Store

LITTLE 5 SOUL has not only survived, it's grown from a stall in the Bazaar at Little Five Points to its current location, where you can always find owner Darryl Hicks chatting about everything from soul to house to classic hip-hop CDs. The store serves as headquarters for the local house and soul music scenes, too, with live performances, tickets to shows, and a chill atmosphere for connecting with other lovers of everything from Black Sheep's early '90s masterpiece to Quadron's recent debut. 1131 Euclid Ave. 404-653-0724. www.moodsmusic.net. less...

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into CRIMINAL RECORDS is that the high-set counters make the staff tower over you like gods of musical knowledge … either that, or tatted-up pharmacists. Instead of handing out Prozac, however, they’ll prescribe you the latest from Peter Bjorn and John or the Polyphonic Spree. Tucked between Junkman’s Daughter and Aurora Coffee, this L5P staple doubles as a comic-book shop, a magazine stand, a toy store and, sometimes, a concert venue. It’s got plenty of vinyl, material from local bands, concert DVDs and rare EPs from the likes of Death Cab and Kings of Leon. Plus, its ridiculously wide selection of graphic novels (it has more than most stores that just sell comics) means you can satisfy penchants for Brian Eno and Brian Michael Bendis simultaneously. less...

Can two music stores survive on the same street in a small hipster enclave? In Little Five Points, the answer is a resounding yes. Eric Levin has carved out a nice niche market for his CRIMINAL RECORDS enterprise, offering an impressive selection of domestic and import CDs. Oh, sure, DVDs, magazines, comics and toys are available, but this is the place for CDs. It’s rapidly turning into a great venue to catch a wide variety of live music, too. Criminal hosts a ton of cool, stripped-down in-store performances for your listening pleasure. After the set, get the artists to sign — what else? — their brand new CDs.
466 Moreland Ave. 404-215-9511. www.criminal.com.

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A city Atlanta's size needs a bright, mammoth, well-organized CD store, and Tower does an admirable job of fitting the bill. Of course it doesn't have everything. In these days of obscure underground rave DJ mixes and reissues of the most fringe artists, what retail outlet could? But it sure comes close, and even though you pay higher prices for the luxury of finding one of Frank Zappa's 70-odd albums, it's comforting to know that what little Tower doesn't stock, can be ordered quickly. It also carries an excellent selection of local, indie, import and special edition discs less...