sureshot

1. Shellac at Pritzker Pavillion. One of the most surreal experiences of my life: seeing Shellac play a free show before 10,000 people in a public park. Even more surreal: most of those people stuck around until the end (families with kids and out of town tourists included). The band was ON, sound was some of the best I've ever witnessed, and it was truly a historic evening in the annals of Chicago underground rock I won't soon forget. Three cheers for the city having the balls to book this show. 2. The Jesus Lizard at Metro. Yow was injured for this show, and it was still one of the most v

There can be. I think the main advantage is it gives you a far more expansive soundstage and reduces distortion. Wheras with closed headphones, the sound feels trapped inside your head, which can also become fatiguing. The tradeoff is that they leak sound (not good for use in public), and typically have weaker bass. Thats my understanding anyway.

really? i thought it was the best thing they've done.

First of all, it is possible for an album to be overhyped by critics and not be picked up by the mainstream. Again, to my ears the album is nothing special. The first instrumental track was intriguing and caught my attention, but the rest I just found incredibly boring (and no, Im not incapable to enjoying "quiet" music. I own more ambient and drone albums than I can count). I dont think its bad by any means and for a debut by an act as young as they are its pretty impressive. But it definitely wont make any of my year end lists. And as far as the World Cup goes, 95% of the world shuts down

Most overrated album of the year.

Yea, that was another good one. Think I read somewhere that was shot on Mt St Helens. A lot of the other stuff was in PA.

The movie was good, but its one of those that I really have no desire to see again. Its just so unrelentingly bleak. Of course the book is the same way, but the poetry of the writing kind of distracts you from what they're actually going through. I will say this: the cinematography and locations were absolutely incredible, and worth the price of admission alone. There arent many wide angle shots of the landscape, but when there are..whoa. That abandoned highway overpass made my jaw drop. The scene when they arrive in the city (I want to say it was shot in New Orleans? Not sure) was also incred

Thanks, they were taken at the Indiana Dunes

Some odds and ends I devevloped last night. Excuse the shit scans

Seeing as how I will be gainfully employed again beginning next week after a 6 month "vacation", Ive been thinking about treating myself to some electronics gear. I guess I'll preface this by saying Im not sure what my budget is, mainly because the audio world is so daunting. Im willing to spend some dough within reason, but I dont need top of the line. I can say with certainty I dont give a shit about surround sound. The primary usage will be for music, mostly vinyl. But outside of that, Im unsure of where to turn. The main components I think I'll need are: speakers turntable amp/preamp (or

No.

I present to you: The Blackbody. Some choice quotes: If this is some elaborate parody of audiophiles, its absolutely brilliant. And if this guy is somehow making money off of them...he's even more brilliant. Remember kids, get 2 or 3! They're small.

I get what you're saying, but I dont see how practical it is to haul an amp on your morning commute down the subway. Just seems like overkill to me. Obviously there are some models which wont perform well without an amp at all...in that case I woldnt recommend them for portable use. The Sony V6's however have low power requirements so you can still at least use them for that purpose. That is one of their commonly cited strengths, and if you plan on just buying one set of reasonably priced audiophile grade headphones for both home/portable use, its hard to go wrong.

I've heard a lot of good things about those, but they are an open design which pretty much means I cant use them on the train or anywhere in public. One of these days though Im going to bite the bullet and get some SR225i's for home use

Nice! Be sure to let us know what you think. Keep in mind a break in period is pretty standard, and you will find the sound settle over time. And hey, if you decide you dont like them, worst case scenario is you're only out $60.

Again, I dont understand why someone would pay hundreds of dollars on a pair of cans when you can own the Sony V6 (identical consumer version of the MDR 5706), which is likely the exact same pair of headphones the studio engineer used to produce the album. The V6's are a steal $65...or around $90 for the MDRs which give you a gold plated plug and a "Professional" sticker on the side. They are built like tanks, and the only thing you will likely ever need to replace are the earpads (which are notorious for flaking apart over time). If you do need to replace a part, you are provided with a blowo

Im not familiar with that particular pair, but I will say 80% of what you're paying for with Bose is advertising.

The only pair you will ever need. They have been the industry standard for decades for a reason.

Most new LP's these days come with a free digital download of the album.

The expensive turntables are usually direct drive...the stuff you see DJ's using. It allows for instantaneous stop/stars, the ability to adjust speed, and to scratch/play records backwards, etc. Theres no reason an average consumer needs a Technics 1200. Lets face it, turntables are an ancient format. By this point in the game, even the low end belt driven models have been perfected to do an adequate job. In fact, the vintage stuff being sold in garage sales or sitting in your grandmothers attic is the best possible gear you could pick up.

Compared to CD players, the choice of a turntable is obviously more important. But unless you plan on being a professional DJ, theres absolutely no reason to shell out $500 on that component. I still maintain that if you're going to spend money on a home stereo setup, the most important thing is first and foremost the speakers, secondly the receiver, and lastly the turntable. A good set of speakers can make the difference between night and day. You may be able to discern a difference in turntable, but I really think people put too much emphasis on it.

Neato, watching now

According to Kliph, Michael forced Warner Bros. to redo the mastering on the vinyl to make it sound better. Therefore its release has been pushed back to late October/ Early November.

A- from the AV Club http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-flaming-lips-embryonic,33921/

I doubt it. The Lips and WB always seemed to have a special kind of relationship. I mean, they let band produce Zaireeka fer christsakes. And even if they were on an indie label, I doubt the Lips would care much. That seems to be the route most bands are taking these days anyway.