Stephen Mejias

I know it's stupid of me, but I can't avoid feeling that, through a simple shared experience, I know these girls. So, when I see this video, I can only smile and feel proud.

Because, like a good fan, I pre-ordered the Vivian Girls' new album, Share the Joy, I can download the entire thing in MP3 form (320kbps, DRM-free) right now. And that is what I'm going to do.

"There's no substitute for good songwriting," he begins.

Do you own any warped records? I do, unfortunately. It’s always a major disappointment to find that a promising new record is warped. You could take it back to the store, of course, but who’s got time for that? Most often, I wind up keeping those sad, warped records, but I rarely play them. No fun, no fun.

I’ve often wondered about the Furutech Disc Flattener, but $2000 is a lot of money to spend on what is, essentially, an accessory.

So, I’m anxious to learn more about the new Vinyl Flat Record Flattener ($129.95). From the website:

If Vinyl Man had a shield, it would look something like the Thorens TD 309 turntable. But it would be orange. Or green.

In this nice piece, Arlen Schweiger, managing editor of Electronic House, describes the great amount of fun he’s enjoyed while getting back into vinyl. Even on a modest analog rig ($50 Technics turntable and $100 Cambridge Audio phono preamp), Arlen has had no trouble noting vinyl’s virtues, which in his experience include wider soundstages, better focused images, and tighter bass. Most of all, it seems, Arlen is enjoying hunting for outstanding bargains on used LPs and sharing his discoveries with friends and family. Be sure to check out the slideshow.

Dudes! We're in Las Vegas. This town is bananas, all sex and smoke and blurry light, gambling and booze and deep fried foods.