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Late on Saturday, the last night of SXSW, I somehow ended up having a pint with a mixed party of American and British band members, only one of whom I knew previously, when suddenly the subject of the British government’s support of the arts came up. Seems these four young lads, and their frontwoman—one stunning fulfillment of my perky blonde English chick singer fantasy (oh my)—hadn’t used their money to come all the way to Texas. No, the government had picked up the tab. The fact that they were vaguely ashamed—because being on the dole is unhip and kind of the opposite of DIY—told me…
There is a pile of boxes in my office. Nothing unusual. Boxes are a fundamental aspect of our lives here at Stereophile, a fundamental aspect of the lives of most audiophiles, I imagine. Inside these boxes, however, there are no amplifiers, no loudspeakers, no turntables. These boxes hold the packaging materials for our Attention Screen release, Live at Merkin Hall.
The large boxes contain the discpacks; the small boxes contain the CD booklets. I’ll be sending all of these boxes to Lori Wesson, our longtime customer service rep at JVC, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where all…
Have you guys seen “Date Night,” the new comedy starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey? I’m thinking about going to check it out because: 1., Steve Carell is funny; 2., Tina Fey is hot; 3., Parts of the film are set in my college town of Teaneck, NJ; and, 4., There are scenes featuring a hi-fi made up of Meridian’s DSP7200 Digital Active loudspeakers, Reference 800 DVD player, and G68 surround controller.
So, you can take your sweetheart to the theater and freak out when you see a pair of shiny loudspeakers.
In somewhat similar news, Stereophile publisher, Keith “The 78 Killer”…
Comparisons to a young Bob Dylan are inevitable. There’s the same sort of defiance, the odd insouciance, the long lines of poetry squeezed out and hacked out and blown out like kisses, too. The guitar work is very good—scintillating at times and always passionately wrought—but it’s the voice that gets you. The voice—childlike but crotchety as hell, delicate but yearning, beautiful but completely wrong. The voice is what gets you. Kristian Matsson is The Tallest Man On Earth; he plays rock and roll, and plans to be forgotten when he’s gone.
He swears…
Longtime Stereophile contributor and well-respected child psychiatrist, Larry Greenhill, is a fan of Insane Clown Posse.
Yes. He is.
And
now
I
see
why:
Dude! Here is the video for “Miracles” from the album Bang Pow Boom. Larry Greenhill likes the bang pow boom, and now I do, too. I now understand where Juggalos are coming from. I’m going to “go” Juggalo and find me a Juggalette GF. I feel this. Rainbows, dude. I don’t wanna talk to a scientist.
Magic: It's everywhere in this bitch.
Photo:Jason Creps
Success has as many definitions as there are people who strive for it. In the case of Neko Case, her idea of success, at least so far when it comes to albums, is great, resonant lo–key collections of what you’d have to call modern folk or countrified indie rock tunes that showcase her bigger than you’d expect alto voice which is always recorded with some amount of echo added and often in tandem with her harmony partner, Kelly Hogan. That’s the same Hogan who’s out on tour right now with Case and Jakob Dylan in support of his record Women + Country.
Case…
This week only, we can stream new music from Beach House. “The Arrangement” comes from the A side of Beach House’s “Zebra” 12-inch, made special for Record Store Day (this Saturday, April 17!).
And, if you haven’t already, you should also look into Beach House’s new full-length, Teen Dream. It’s perfect for a sunny spring day. The beautiful double-LP package comes with a DVD, featuring a video for each song on the album.
The Eskuche 33-1/3 headphone. On May 3, buy a pair of these and get a limited-edition Best Coast 7” single. Pitchfork told me, via Twitter.
Ah: Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino has fun when she’s with Ronald McDonald. Hmm. Here’s the video for Best Coast’s “When I’m With You,” directed by Pete Ohs:
Best Coast’s debut LP is due out later this year. On May 3, however, the band will release a limited-edition 7” single. To get it, you’ll have to buy a pair of super-stylish Eskuche headphones. Prices start at around $60. Eskuche?
The “33-1/3” is an on-ear headphone that draws inspiration from the industrial design of the 70s hi-fi stereo era and carefully combines it with modern audio specs. The…