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What I Heard: 2022
December 2022
It was the year live music was supposed to be back. And it was, in some senses—although pandemic-related restrictions continued to play havoc with musicians’ travel and festival schedules, and artists continued to reflect on the theme of “What the hell just happened?”
XTC, Curated
December 2022
Andy Partridge, the chief songwriter and coleader of the band XTC, has a chip on his shoulder about being from Swindon, a city of 233,000 in Wiltshire, about 70 miles west of London, England. In 2016, he explained why to an interviewer from Louder: “To the English, anything that comes from Swindon must have comedic value. And I think it’s held us back terribly.” He went on to say that if the band had been American, or even came from the northern city of Manchester, birthplace of many great English groups, it would have been held in higher esteem. “We were f**king brilliant,” he asserted: “One of the greats.”
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PMC's Dolby Atmos Immersion—"An Exciting New Way . . . to Hear and Experience Music
November 2022
Dolby Atmos is a new surround-sound format that uses objects instead of channels to place sounds around the listener. The result is a far more immersive listening experience that can scale from small to large systems far better compared to what traditional surround-sound formats can provide. In this video, PMC chief technical officer Oliver Thomas describes the Dolby Atmos mixing studio the company has set up in London, then brand ambassador and mix engineer Heff Moraes describes what Dolby Atmos is, how it works, and why he’s so excited by the potential it provides. As Moraes says in this video, “Dolby Atmos is a really exciting, new way for consumers to hear and experience music in a completely different way.” Watch and find out what the fuss is about.
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Mali Obomsawin: "Sweet Tooth"
November 2022
Out of Your Head Records OOYH 017
Format: 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV download
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Indigenous culture of all forms is gaining prominence, particularly in Canada—a country that is in the midst of a process of “truth and reconciliation” with its Indigenous Peoples. In the past, Indigenous musicians from the continent many call Turtle Island, like Link Wray and the members of Redbone, were rare; today, young artists like The Halluci Nation, DJ Shub, and others are receiving widespread exposure.
Exploring Indie Improv through the Zidoo Neo S 4K UHD Media Player
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.
October 2022
Most of us shift between multiple media sources as we move through our day.
As a creative resource for several marketing agencies, I’m immersed all day. I spend a lot of time developing video scripts, reviewing motion graphics and proposals for accompanying music, and editing presentations. The rest of the time, when I’m writing, I like to have a soundtrack to match the task and my mood. And then, there are all those music videos and bits and pieces of video from artists’ electronic media kits to keep track of, as well.
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Various Artists: "Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen"
October 2022
Blue Note Records 0602445659920
Format: 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV download
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In September, at a New York City event to promote his new autobiography, Rolling Stone cofounder and longtime publisher Jann Wenner responded to a question posed by host Bruce Springsteen: Who did he regret never interviewing for the magazine? Wenner didn’t hesitate: “Leonard Cohen.” After a pause of a few seconds, he added: “And Elvis.”
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Meitner Audio: Expanding High-End Hi-Fi's Reach
September 2022
Amadeus Meitner is a DJ and a fan of electronic music. He is also the son of legendary audio-designer Ed Meitner, who founded EMM Labs and Meitner Audio, two brands that make world-class digital-to-analog converters, as well as other high-end hi-fi electronics.
Re-experiencing Jimi Hendrix's Epic Debut through the Marantz Model 40n Integrated Amplifier
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.
September 2022
Jimi Hendrix turning 80. It’s unfathomable, of course. Would he be dipping into hip-hop? Playing his hits in casinos? To quote one of his later compositions: Who knows?
Spirit, Curated
September 2022
Spirit is not exactly a forgotten band. Two of its songs, “I Got a Line on You” and “Nature’s Way,” have been constants on classic-rock radio playlists. Beyond those tunes, however, the typical rock fan probably hasn’t heard much from a group whose first four LPs rank among the best of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Perhaps Spirit’s eclecticism ended up limiting its appeal. At times its music could be pegged as progressive or hard rock, but it also included elements of jazz, folk, and even classical music. For all its ambition, Spirit wrote memorable songs that should have led to a much larger following.
Fix It in the Mix: Mixing
September 2022
Woo-hoo! You made it through the recording process, but your work’s not done yet. Now you have to take all those separate tracks and turn them into something other people can listen to—and, ideally, something they want to hear. This process is called mixing or mixing down. The mixdown stage can seem daunting at first, especially when you have many tracks to mix. However, with practice, it’s not that big a deal on a modern digital audio workstation (DAW). It’s easier if you’re also the person who did the recording—you’re already familiar with the tracks, and you were probably working on the mix during the recording. But that’s not essential, and for this column I’ll be assuming that someone else recorded the tracks. The same principles apply to both situations.
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Jon Irabagon: "Rising Sun"
September 2022
Irabbagast Records 021
Format: 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV download
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By rights, tenor saxophonist Jon Irabagon should be as well known to jazz fans as peers Chris Potter, Mark Turner, or Joshua Redman. A 44-year-old Chicagoan who moved to New York City at the turn of this century, Irabagon won the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 2008, played alongside guitarist Mary Halvorson—one of the most-lauded jazz performers of the past decade—and has been a member of trumpeter Dave Douglas’s high-profile quintet for a number of years. Irabagon has a highly recognizable sound, impressive technique, and a broad scope of musical expression, as demonstrated on 13 albums under his own leadership. Yet, he continues to stay just under the radar of many listeners.
Dafnis Prieto's Expanded Horizons and the Totem Kin Play Tower Powered Speaker System
August 2022
Vintage hi-fi components may be having a moment, but design-conscious dwellers of contemporary homes likely prefer a sound source that matches the aesthetic of their Miele steam oven and Minotti seating system. If your chic downtown apartment is more sleek finishes than the period wood of my 130-year-old abode, the super-clean look of the Totem Kin Play Tower stereo speaker system ($2250 per system in US or Canadian dollars) will likely appeal to you. My review sample was in the company’s Satin Black finish, and with the grilles removed, the two 5″ soft-dome woofers on each speaker gleamed. Each speaker also has a 1″ soft-dome tweeter.
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Tyshawn Sorey Trio: "Mesmerism"
August 2022
Yeros7 Music 0195269159801
Format: 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV download
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In an era where digital advertising, social media opinions, and all sorts of other “content” vie for our attention, the ability to disrupt has become a sought-after skill in the 21st century. Composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey is a master of disruption.
The iFi Audio Zen One Signature and Go Bar Open the Door to Charles Lloyd’s "Chapel"
Note: for the full suite of measurements on the iFi Audio Zen One Signature from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.
Note: for the full suite of measurements on the iFi Audio Go Bar from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click this link.
July 2022
At 84, reed player Charles Lloyd has expressed himself in a wide variety of settings over his long career, and has always found an audience, whatever his role: Eric Dolphy’s replacement in Chico Hamilton’s popular band; the trendsetting leader of his own group in the ’60s, with youngsters Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette; godfather of the Big Sur musical tribe, which included members of the Beach Boys; or as one of several saxophonists who have been viewed as the successor to John Coltrane. Coursing through everything he has done—and a large factor in how he has maintained his audience all these years—has been a sense of quiet spirituality.
