Stephen Mejias

Dear Readers,

I admit it. When Jerry commented to last">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/041408really/">last week's entry, saying that vinyl wears out with every single trip around the platter, it kind of shook me up. My heart raced and blood rushed to my head. I began to sweat. What had I done? What was I getting into? How would I afford this? Had I stepped into AlexO's bottomless pit?

Ahmed Gallab is perhaps best known for his work in Caribou, Of Montreal, and, most recently, Yeasayer, all bands which combine electronic elements with more organic sounds to get listeners thinking and moving on the dance floor. But Gallab is also keeping busy with his own project, Sinkane.

After a bit of hiking, our friendly web monkey, Jon Iverson, took a seat on an old, wooden bench, which had apparently been made just for him.

I've been working on the Buyer's Guide. Again, I find myself getting all tangled up in the content. Goodness me. My focus shifts away from the cold cells. I lose sight of borders, completely forget about column width. And find myself wondering:

Perhaps the greatest praise anyone can let loose upon any silly piece of audio gear is that it inspires the discovery of new music. Right? Alright then. The Rega P3, in all its ashen splendor, does this for me. So much so that I'm going broke. I feel as though I'm single-handedly (with one hand behind my weary back, that is) revitalizing the record industry. I've spent so much money on new (used) records that I could've purchased my own P3 by now. In fact, I've decided that that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to buy my own P3. I'm in the office now, wishing I was home with the P3. I'm proofreading Michael Fremer's review of the P3-24, which will appear in our July issue, and I'm thinking, I'm going to buy this thing.

After Boo Boo’s, we made our way to Cheap">http://www.cheapthrills.biz/CT/">Cheap Thrills, another excellent San Luis Obispo location filled with books, movies, and music. Upstairs is where they keep the delicious vinyl. I’ve never seen a better selection of country music. I was so tempted to buy every Bobby Bare, Willie Nelson, Charlie Pride, Merle Haggard, and Tammy Wynette album they had.

The gorgeous gatefold opens up to show watercolors of The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney. In the left sleeve, you'll find a glossy lyrics sheet and a complete promo CD!