Many of the Computer Audiophile readers are well aware that my favorite band is Pearl Jam. I sneak Pearl Jam references in to my writing as much as possible. Another favorite of mine is Chicago Cubs baseball at Wrigley Field. I've made the trip from Minneapolis to Chicago more times than I've made a trip to the Metrodome right across town. Making this somewhat relevant to Computer Audiophile is the new Cubs anthem called All The Way from Eddie Vedder. Plus, the song is now available as a download from the Pearl Jam website. Unfortunately it's an mp3 at 256 kbps. But this song is all about the content and I'm sure I'd still have it on repeat if it was 8 bit mono and barely audible. Read more for the link and lyrics.
The new John Mellencamp album Life, Death, Love and Freedom was released today in the ΧΟΔΕ (CODE) format. The ΧΟΔΕ DVD containing the files also comes packaged with the Redbook CD release. Computer Audiophiles will be happy to hear the files are available in three formats. The formats are 256 kbps AAC and mp3, and 24/96 WAV files. I am working with the WAV files right now and will have more information about the experience very soon. Read more for some photos of what you'll find on the ΧΟΔΕ DVD.
The new HRx albums from Reference Recordings are unlike anything I've ever heard. While I did have high expectations for these releases I certainly did not expect anything this close to perfection. I am absolutely blown away by the sound quality. Everything from the crystal clear highs to the extremely accurate lows sounded fabulous. In fact all the typical audiophile adjectives that describe great sound are apropos for these albums. Read more to find out why this product might be the catalyst that kicks the high end audio world into gear and popularizes music servers like none other.
Even though this may be a little off topic I'm going forward with this review anyway. All of us are fans of music and this is surely about rock and roll. I've had my head buried in a book the last few days. We've probably all been there, reading a book you just can't put down as the world continues to spin around. Oblivious to everything else, like the book is all that matters. Along similar lines is the subject matter of the book I just finished. Fans of Motley Crue are no stranger to the band's struggles with addiction. Most famous is bassist Nikki Sixx's addiction to heroin. Read more for details of his book The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, and video podcasts from Nikki and others.
Shine A Light on Let It Bleed. Sound confusing? Well, that is exactly what I'm going to do in this article, as well as promote a documentary that has me very excited. Let is bleed is one of my favorite Stones albums. Everyone and their mother has heard most of the songs and really doesn't need another album review on this one. So, I will be comparing the ABKO SACD/CD remaster to the MusicGiants 24/88.2 Super HD download. Then as I mentioned above, I'd like to promote the new Martin Scorsese documentary Shine A Light. I've been waiting for this release ever since I watched the 1080p HD trailer on Apple's website. It looks fabulous and is even coming to IMAX theaters. Read more for all the details and videos.
Stereophile has posted its annual Records To Die For list. There are ten pages of albums, so you're bound to find something good to pick up/download this week. Personally I feel like I have been living in a cave because I've never heard of many of the recommended albums or artists.
Elvis Costello's North is an excellent album. The sound of his voice and the instruments on the album are impeccable. Until now, my only other experience listening to Elvis Costello was with his Best of ... First 10 Years album. I thought I would take a chance and purchased this album. I was pleasantly surprised. The album North is very different from his earlier stuff in that he is backed by horns, strings and drums. In fact, this album sounds a lot like it was released by the male version of his wife Diana Krall. The whole album has a very subdued sound and is one of those albums that can be played all the way through without skipping a single song.
Sonny Rollins' 1956 album The Sound of Sonny is another very fine recording from one of the best saxophonists ever. If you like the sound of Sonny's sax this is the album for you. The album features Sonny front and center on every song. Very few times does Sonny take a step back for anyone. One great exception is on the song "Just In Time." There is a little lull in the song with some mellow piano, but that is followed with a fabulous drum solo. The drums are sonically spectacular just like the rest of the recording. "It Could Happen To You" is the only Sonny solo track on the album. The song is 3:45 of pure Sonny sax. I absolutely love the lush sound of his tenor on this song. Music lovers looking for some jazz without too many instruments competing for the floor will surely want to purchase this album.
Rollingstone's Robert Levin has published an article titled The Death of High Fidelity. I must say there is nothing like catastrophizing. The article states, "The age of the audiophile is over." Robert Levine's article paints a very bleak picture of sound quality presently and in the future. He mainly touches on compression. Compression by mastering engineers and compression by consumers in the form of MP3s. Yes, this is a problem for audiophiles and for all music fans whether they know it or not. But, Levine's subtitle says it all whether he knows it or not, "The Death of High Fidelity - In the age of MP3s, sound quality is worse than ever." This suggests the age of MP3 is just that, a period of history. Or said another way, a fad. His pessimistic outlook formed by the people he interviews is a bit off. Listening to music is an emotional experience that predates the written word. Compression fatigues the listener and makes music unappealing. I don't think people are going to stop listening to music since it has been going on "forever." I do think consumers will stop listening to music that sounds unemotional and doesn't elicit an emotional response in them. Those looking to make a buck from music sales are going to do whatever it takes to sell music. In the long run this is going to be music that sounds acceptable to the average consumer. Many are mistaken when they believe current MP3s and highly compressed recordings are acceptable to the average consumer.
David Byrne has published a very interesting piece for Wired Magazine about the music industry. David discusses the traditional roles of a record label and why many of these roles are no longer needed. There are some very interesting charts in the article as well. One includes the breakdown of how each penny of a $15.99 disc is distributed. Artists on major labels bring home about $1.60 for every $15.99 disc they sell in a retail outlet. Over 50% of the $15.99 goes to marketing, label overhead, and retail overhead. An album sold through iTunes for $9.99 will bring in even less money for the artists on major labels. The breakdown is 14% artist, 30% Apple / iTunes, and 56% major record label. The major focus of the article is what David calls the six possible music distribution models. My take on the article is that the only constant right now is change. Nobody knows what is going to work in the long run or even what is working now, if anything. One thought put forth in the piece is that major labels may end up like banks, only there to advance money to artists, who outsource everything else to smaller operations. To me this leads nowhere, except back to where we are now. Smaller operations will want to grow and expand their business. The struggling labels/businesses will be gobbled up by the medium sized labels and so on, until we have another Sony Music. An electronics conglomerate that happens to own a music label. Certainly there is no silver bullet that will satisfy all artists and labels. But, I am certain that producing and selling automobiles you want to sell rather than automobiles the customer wants to buy has been a losing strategy for the American auto industry. Major labels should take a hint from this example. Good products sell themselves. Produce quality music and sell it to the customer however the customer wants to buy it and they will be in business.
