Stephen Mejias

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I now pronounce this Sonic Youth Month. It will be good. To celebrate the release of their new album, The Eternal, the band visited their old friend, Jools Holland. Here they are, the greatest band of all time, performing "What We Know."

Alright, back in action. Montreal was a blast. Seriously the most fun I've ever had at a hi-fi show. This was due partly to the fact that we didn't have to adjust to a different time zone, partly to the overall laidback, friendly atmosphere, and partly to the smaller, less demanding size of the show. And I didn't even get sick!

Puerto Rico was wonderful, as always. We stayed at a place called Bello">http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p145641">Bello Horizonte, a comfortable home away from home, hidden atop a palm-covered hill in the sandy town of Rincon, where every road leads to the ocean. (I highly recommend it. The house sleeps six in three bedrooms, has two bathrooms, a wide-open patio with two hammocks, a very fine grill, washer and dryer, and a pool that looks down the hill and onto the nearby beaches. Full disclosure: My aunt rents the house; so, yeah, I want you to go there and give my aunt your money.) Our days were spent by the pool or on the beach (or at the bar on the beach), relaxing and laughing. My favorite moment was walking into the glittering, blue-green sea, with a six-pack of Coronas in one hand and a coconut in the other.

In November's "Aural Robert" (p.154 in the print mag), music editor Robert Baird sees technological advancement as the major cause for the decline of the independent record store. He writes:

Remember that">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/my_bat-lightning_heart/">that crush I had on Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan?

It's really serious. I mean, in the beginning, you might give yourself a $25 spending limit, knowing very well that you'll find a little spot on the floor, alongside several others who'll be furiously rifling through the dollar bins. You'll almost certainly come away with a nice little stack of a dozen or so beautiful vinyl LPs. And that's all you'll need, really. That's all you'll need.