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Album Reviews
Beirut’s New Hadsel LP Sports an International Flair That Beautifully Realizes the Glass/Eno-Like Scope of Bandleader Zach Condon’s Vision on Vinyl
Mark Smotroff  |  Jan 20, 2024  |  2 comments

Musician, composer, singer, and producer Zach Condon has somehow found a way to mesh the sounds of pump organs, real acoustic horn sections, ukuleles, drum machines, world-beat oriented percussion, and synthesizers into a distinctive blend that is immediately identifiable as the group called Beirut — a sound that bears a genuinely international flair processed through adventuresome recording situations. Read on to find out why ace reviewer Mark Smotroff feels Beirut’s new album Hadsel may be Condon’s most complete statement to date and why it’s so well-suited to spinning it again and again on vinyl. . .

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Interviews
Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney Tells Us Why Their Gut-Wrenching New LP Little Rope Sounds So Powerful on Vinyl, and Why QC’ing the Test Pressing Had a Lot to Do With It
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 19, 2024  |  4 comments

The impetus for Sleater-Kinney’s powerful, personal, and punishing new LP Little Rope — out today, January 19, 2024, on Loma Vista — emerged from a devasting event experienced by one of their co-founding bandmembers. During a recent Zoom interview with AP editor Mike Mettler, Sleater-Kinney vocalist/guitarist Corin Tucker discussed why listening to test pressings remains such an important part of the band’s process, who the “bigger” audiophile in her family is and which high-end turntable proves the point, and why gauging the correct microphone distance is absolutely crucial for how her commanding vocal range is captured in the studio. . .

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News
David Bowie’s Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth) Limited Edition LP Is an RSD Exclusive Earmarked to Arrive on April 20, Featuring Four Non-Ziggy Stardust Tracks
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 17, 2024  |  3 comments

The Starman takes to the skies yet again — or rather, he’s taking another spin (or three) on our turntables. To that end, Parlophone has just announced the release of David Bowie’s Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth) as a Record Store Day LP exclusive on April 20. Read on to find out about the source material and to see how the Waiting tracklisting differs from that of Bowie’s seminal 1972 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars album. . .

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Analog Gear News
MoFi Electronics MasterDeck Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 16, 2024  |  4 comments

Some of our favorite turntable masters are back at it again — and MoFi Electronics latest offering, the MasterDeck turntable, is the proof. Read on to see all the specs and features of the latest and greatest ’table designed by MoFi Electronics maestro Allen Perkins. . .

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Album Reviews
The Late, Great Les McCann’s Never a Dull Moment! – Live From Coast to Coast 1966-1967 180g 3LP RSD Collection Is One Sweet Soul-Jazz Swan Song
Mark Smotroff  |  Jan 12, 2024  |  2 comments

Les McCann — the noted pianist/singer/composer who passed away at age 88 on December 29, 2023, just before the new year arrived — enjoyed a long, celebrated career that began in the late 1950s and continued well into the 21st century. We celebrate his legacy by taking a look at Never a Dull Moment! – Live From Coast to Coast 1966-1967, a 180g 3LP set released on Record Store Day back in November comprised of many dynamic, galvanizing live tracks culled from of-era performances in Seattle and New York City. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why Never a Dull Moment truly lives up to its name. . .

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AAA VinylNews
Craft Recordings and Acoustic Sounds Announce the Next 12 AAA 180g LP Titles in Their Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds Series That Will Be Released Throughout 2024, Commencing February 23
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 11, 2024  |  2 comments

Craft Recordings and Acoustic Sounds have just announced the latest entries in their rightly acclaimed Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series. An even-dozen AAA 180g 1LP titles will be released all throughout 2024, starting on February 23. Read on to see which titles will be in this rightfully acclaimed AAA LP reissue series, and when they’re coming. . .

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Analog Gear News
Music Hall MMF-9.3 SE Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 10, 2024  |  0 comments

While CES 2024 rolls on, we wanted to take some time to tip our collective analog hat to Music Hall — the brainchild of noted product designer Roy Hall — a company that has been making sweet music, er, sweet gear for us all since 1998. Back in December 2023, the company announced a change in ownership — a new venture named Turntable USA, who plan to uphold Music Hall’s reputation for making high-quality products. Read on to see how we honor the company’s 25-year-plus legacy and what’s to come with our look at what Music Hall’s penultimate MMF-9.3 SE turntable has to offer right here, right now. . .

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Analog Gear News
Transparent Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 09, 2024  |  11 comments

As CES 2024 continues ever onward, we wanted to take a moment to highlight quite the cool turntable that perfectly reflects the M.O. and core identity of the company that makes it. Meet the Transparent Turntable from the same-named Swedish company initially known for making (you guessed it) Transparent Speakers. Read on to see all the specs and features for the duly and quite accurately labeled Transparent Turntable. . .

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Analog Gear News
Seen at CES 2024: Victrola Stream Sapphire Turntable
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 08, 2024  |  8 comments

The press day for CES 2024 is officially underway, and one of the first analog-centric product announcements comes from Victrola, who are officially unveiling their new Stream Sapphire turntable. Read on to see all the specs are features for the storied company’s latest vintage-styled and streaming-capable model, and when it will be available. . .

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Album Reviews
Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings Receives Ultimate 70th Anniversary 180g 3LP Restoration of Complete 1953 Performance by The Quintet in Toronto, Including the Original Tapes Without Charles Mingus’ Bass Overdubs
Mark Smotroff  |  Jan 05, 2024  |  2 comments

The May 15, 1953 performance at Massey Hall in Toronto by The Quintet, five of the most important mid-century change agents who transformed jazz music as we know it today — Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell, and Max Roach — is incredible on so many levels. Celebrating that historic concert’s 70th anniversary, Craft Recordings have issued a 180g 3LP package called Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings, and it may well be the final word on this iconic moment in music history when five titans of jazz performed on the same stage together for the first and only time. Read Mark Smotroff’s review to see why the expanded Hot House belongs in your collection and on your turntable. . .

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