Stephen Mejias

For awhile, we were at our wit’s end, feeling buried alive, but everything is okay now: We just finished shipping our massive October issue to pre-press. At 212 pages, it’s our largest issue since October 2008.

We’ll see the proofs on Monday. Until then, we can relax.

To help us do that, we have Cass McCombs’ “Buried Alive,” from the achingly beautiful Wit’s End.

This is one of Jaime's favorites, and Jaime is one of mine.

Cass McCombs' Wit's End is out now on Domino Records. The album is available on CD, LP, and cassette. (Yes, cassette!)

I've worked at Stereophile for eight years, and, in a time when people change jobs as often as they change cars or television sets, eight years is a pretty good stretch. In that time, I've taken part in some exciting and memorable things, from Home">http://www.stereophile.com/news/050205Day4/index.html">Home Entertainment Shows and Consumer">http://www.stereophile.com/news/010905ces3/index.html">Consumer Electronics Shows to the live recording of Attention">http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/907att/index.html">Attention Screen at Merkin Hall. But Stereophile is fifteen years older than me, and I missed so much.

There’s nothing like being pulverized by a Norwegian power trio in the morning. Thank you, Bushman’s Revenge. Your latest assault, Jitterbug, completely kills.

Some days just can't hold onto their hours. This day — Wednesday — has butterfingers. It feels as though only seconds ticked since I phoned Jon Iverson this morning. In fact, an entire day has gone by. People are walking out the door, saying "bye," without looking back. Meanwhile, I'd like to start from the beginning.

New York City's Matador Records rewards hardcore music lovers and promotes the growth of the music industry with their intelligent "Buy">http://www.buyearlygetnow.com/">Buy Early Get Now" plan. With BEGN, fans can pre-order upcoming albums through participating trustworthy retailers across the nation. In addition to the actual album, BEGN packages include exclusive bonuses such as MP3s, posters, band merchandise, and, a free, legal stream of the entire album weeks before the official release date. I like it.

Great Britain is dreaming of a silent night. A new recording of John Cage's controversial piece, “4'33",” stands a good chance of becoming Britain’s best-selling single during Christmas week. (Woo!)