Have you been searching for a serious record store? Not one of those enormous, generic monstrosities where your most obscure find will be an early R.E.M. album, and surely not the place where all of the employees wear identical polo shirts and pounce on you the second you walk in the door. If you answered an emphatic yes, then Other Music is the place of your dreams. Snuggled between Broadway and Lafayette in Greenwich Village, Other Music has been New York City’s independent taste maker for years. If it’s hip and obscure, they have it, and not just on CD, either; there’s a good chance that you’ll find it on vinyl, and quite possibly on pink vinyl. A word of warning though: This place is not for the faint of heart. With delightfully confusing categories such as Out, La Decadanse and Then, you may have to risk an interaction with one of the entirely too-hip-for-the-room clerks to ask for assistance. With a bit of luck, though, they will only make you feel slightly silly as they condescendingly explain to you that of course Henry Flynt’s “Purified by the Fire” can be found in the Out section, right next to Albert Ayler’s “Holy Ghost Box Set.” This is one of the many charms of Other Music. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more knowledgeable staff anywhere. These people are serious with a capital S, and they expect the same from their patrons. There aren’t many major label releases to be found; for that, you can cross the street and go to the Tower mega store. You will, however, find all of the on-the-cusp indie artists that you’re looking for, including Sufjan Stevens, Belle & Sebastian and Death Cab for Cutie, thus ensuring the appropriate amount of street cred for your next iTunes party shuffle.