A bland exterior belies the rich cache of media goodies available at this Bay Area independent music store transplant. Just beyond the glass doors, post-grunge rockers and heroin-chic hipsters stand in line to sell vinyl, cassettes and CDs they've outgrown to knowledgeable, edgier-than-thou staffers. Kitschy, nostalgic oddities, album covers and vintage rock posters (say, the Doobie Brothers) are plastered over almost every inch of wall on the hangar-like space. The first floor is abuzz with said hipsters picking through well-stocked racks of new and used pop/rock records and CDs, and just beyond this central collection, a varied population sifts through jazz, classical, blues, opera, lounge, hip-hop, rap, New Orleans, country, folk and an astounding array of world music (yep, even Baltic). A moderate stage sits among it all for the occasional in-store performance, while in a shrouded loft is a stash of soundtracks (just about any title you can think up) and DVDs, with an expanse of genres including gay, cult and children's titles. A smattering of affordable movie posters is on hand as well, parked next to the scanner-activated listening stations. Price-conscious logo beanies and T-shirts complete the euphoric experience at what Rolling Stone proclaims the world's greatest record store. --