Stephen Mejias

The April 2011 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands. I’m especially excited about this one. In fact, I kinda wish I could create an enormous high-resolution, illuminated reproduction of the cover and drape it over one entire side of the Empire State Building. That’s how much I love this issue. Yesterday afternoon, I walked over to 4 Times Square and handed a copy of our April issue to my dear friend, Jaime, the photo editor for a very popular woman’s magazine. She was equally impressed.

You see those warm, happy colors and those delicious, little loudspeakers on the cover of our April issue? Those things make girls happy. And when girls are happy, dudes, the world is a better place.

I resisted at first, but Cold Cave's Love Comes Close became one of my very favorite records of 2009. The album also led me to one of New York City's darkest, spookiest, and most welcoming record shops, Hospital Productions, a fantastic source of underground noise, industrial, and experimental work on CD, LP, and, good-god-almighty, cassette.

Cold Cave's new album, Cherish the Light Years will be available in similarly fine record shops on April 5th, but Matador Records has provided a free stream, so you can listen now.

What the world needs now:

“Super Duper Rescue Heads,” from Deerhoof’s latest album, Deerhoof vs. Evil, available now from Polyvinyl.

Last night, Yo La Tengo performed at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey. All proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales went directly to Peace Winds Japan. In addition, the band matched all merch sales, except for that money spent on their friend Amy’s delicious cookies, joked lead guitarist Ira Kaplan. “We’re not crazy.”

Forum member, “tmsorosk,” asks: “Do audiophiles like music?”

It seems a strange question with an obvious answer until you stop and think about it. So many conversations between audiophiles focus on gear and sound, but leave music&#151that thing which should fuel our passion&#151lost in the jet-black background.

Ever notice when you and your audiophile buddies get together the conversation is usually 90% equipment and sound, and 10% music? We have been building, tuning, and voicing these systems for decades. Shouldn't the talk be more about music now?

Do you agree? Disagree? Why? Share your thoughts in the forum.

Just moments after receiving my press badge for High End 2011, I received my copy of Vivian Girls’ new album, Share the Joy. Because I’m a big fan of Vivian Girls, I had pre-ordered this album upon Polyvinyl’s announcement of its imminent release. I typically stay away from pre-orders&#151too many times I’ve pre-ordered an album that, for one unknown reason or another, never gets released&#151but Polyvinyl makes the process easy, painless, and inescapably enticing by providing an immediate download of your order.

This morning I received my press badge for High End 2011. The show takes place at the M.O.C. Events Center (Lilienthalallee 40) in Munich, Germany; it opens on Thursday, May 19 and closes on Sunday, May 22.

I was going to write that I don’t know what to expect, but then I thought about it and I realized that I have some ideas: Long days, hard work, lots of hi-fi, potential communication problems, beautiful people, beautiful music, beautiful beer. And that, actually, sounds a lot like home.

The 2011 High End Show in Munich, Germany, will be the first hi-fi show I’ve attended outside the US, and will mark my first trip to Europe since studying abroad at Wroxton College in Oxfordshire, England, in 1998. While I dread&#151seriously dread&#151going to Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, I’m really looking forward to Munich. I’ve never been to Germany.

For more information on High End 2011, visit the website.