Stephen Mejias

More Cassettes

Stephen Mejias Feb 27, 2013 First Published: Feb 27, 2013

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Cassettivity, the new cassette-only distribution site. At the time, Cassettivity had 10 labels on its roster; now it has 14. You can also now sort Cassettivity’s offerings by “ease of listening." I think that’s cool. Currently, Cassettivity’s easiest listening experience can be found in Manchester’s The Potomac (Sixteen Tambourines), while the hardest comes via Yvonne Lovejoy’s Voice Studies 8: This is Yvonne Lovejoy (My Dance the Skull).

Stephen Mejias

Ask Me Anything: Reddit

Stephen Mejias Feb 13, 2013

A shot of me at the recent Consumer Electronics Show. The headphones are Skullcandy's Aviators. Photo: Robert Deutsch.

Tomorrow afternoon, from 3 to 5pm EST, I'll be joining the Reddit social news and entertainment website for an "I Am A" question-and-answer session. Participants can ask me anything pertaining to Stereophile magazine or, I suppose, life in general. I'll do my best to answer intelligently.

Tune in here.

Stephen Mejias

Matmos: The Marriage of True Minds

Stephen Mejias Feb 11, 2013 First Published: Feb 11, 2013

Back in September, I told you a bit about Matmos’s The Ganzfeld EP, which blew my mind and promised many more great things to come.

It’s been a long wait, but The Marriage of True Minds, Matmos’s eighth full-length album, will be released by Thrill Jockey on February 19th. My complete review will appear in our April issue, but you can stream the entire album right now through Pitchfork Advance.

Stephen Mejias

Cassettivity

Stephen Mejias Feb 08, 2013 First Published: Feb 08, 2013

Interested in new cassette releases, but don't know where to start? Cassettivity is a cassette-only distribution site, founded by music lover Dave Sandifer. In 2013, a cassette-only distro might seem like an odd venture, but I was delighted to see it: I’ve had a difficult time keeping up with the many new and exciting cassette-only labels&#151they’re often extremely obscure and titles are often extremely limited&#151so an intelligent distribution channel makes good sense.

Stephen Mejias

Behind the Scenes: What the Brothers Sang

Stephen Mejias Feb 07, 2013 First Published: Feb 07, 2013

Even though my own band has recorded and released a handful of CDs and EPs, the act of making music remains mysterious and awesome. I love it. I’ll never get tired of watching musicians create.

Here, we get a behind-the-scenes look into the making of Dawn McCarthy and Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s upcoming album, What the Brothers Sang, inspired by the music of the Everly Brothers.

Stephen Mejias

Relax, Listen, and Learn

Stephen Mejias Jan 25, 2013 First Published: Jan 25, 2013

Because it's rad.

I found this over at Mark Betcher's "Unearthed in the Atomic Attic" blog, where you can actually hear the album's entire second side. Fun stuff.

Stephen Mejias

Long Live High-End Audio

Stephen Mejias Jan 24, 2013 First Published: Jan 24, 2013

While we contemplate high-end audio’s long, slow, and stinking death, Magico, manufacturer of high-performance, high-priced loudspeakers, is in the mainstream press: USA Today ran an article earlier this week, which asked, “How much would you pay to bring music to life?”

Stephen Mejias