10 Years
Today is my 10th anniversary with <i>Stereophile</i>. Hmm…on the way home today, maybe I’ll buy myself a nice beer. Or a record…
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Blue Note 45s and the Sunday Times
I have an <A HREF= http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/arts/music/08jazz.html? >article</A> in the Arts & Leisure section of this past Sunday’s <I>New York Times</I> about vinyl reissues of Blue Note jazz albums mastered at 45 rpm.
Video: "Heathen Child," Grinderman
On Tuesday, September 14th—two days before my 33rd birthday—<a href="http://www.anti.com/artists/view/43/Grinderman">Anti- Records</a> will release <i>Grinderman 2</i>, the second studio album from Nick Cave’s heathen child, Grinderman. And we are in for a treat. The review will appear in our October issue, but I’ll just let you know now: The album is violent, powerful, horrifying, and hilarious.
Gradient Helsinki 1.5 loudspeaker
A clever engineer with an interest in home audio says that the real obstacle to high-fidelity sound is the adverse and unpredictable way in which speakers interact with most domestic rooms. To address that need, he brings to market a loudspeaker that disperses sound in a new and original way. Controversy ensues. Controversy endures.
Data Density Eats Tweaks for Breakfast
Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898), the Prime Minister of Prussia who brought about the unification of Germany, was not a nice man. But he was no dummy, either. One of his most prophetic remarks was in response to a journalist's question about what Bismarck thought to be the single most decisive factor in modern history: "The fact that the North Americans speak English."
Recording of August 2010: Jasmine
<B>Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden: <I>Jasmine</I></B><BR>
Keith Jarrett, piano; Charlie Haden, double bass<BR>
ECM 2165 (CD). 2010. Manfred Eicher, exec. prod.; Keith Jarrett, prod.; Martin Pearson, eng. DDD. TT: 62:54<BR>
Performance *****<BR>
Sonics *****
What do record labels need to do to survive and thrive?
CD sales are down, online sales and streaming services are inching forward, and most record labels are in a world of hurt. What do record labels need to do to survive and thrive?
And Yet Another
Why Not? One more shot of our favorite Muswell Hillbilly
Whart Size Does Ray Davies Wear?
It’s a truism that writers naturally do not want to swallow, but dammit it’s true: a picture like the one above can be worth more than a thousand words.
Roberto Bolaño's 2666
<i>Photo: Melissa Horn</i>