Stereos for Every Room
Besides the reading I do here at Stereophile, I read a lot on the morning train. When Murakami is pissing me off with his cats and dead friends, I turn to the free dailies handed out by the dudes in the bright orange jackets standing outside the station. I pick one up and I say to myself, "I think I'll get a little stupid this morning." I go for Metro—"the world's largest global newspaper." Dressed in a cheery green and with a friendly font, it is clearly designed for those in jeans and sneakers, whereas AM New York is meant for the more serious suits.
Stian Westerhus: Pitch Black Star Spangled
Stian">http://www.stianwesterhus.com/">Stian Westerhus plays guitar in a band called Puma. Having enjoyed Puma’s latest album, Half">http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/puma_half_nelson_courtship/">… Nelson Courtship, a powerful assault on the senses, I was anxious to hear Westerhus’s solo work. I expected something brutal—even something frightening, something perhaps verging on the unlistenable—but Westerhus’s second solo LP, Pitch Black Star Spangled (Rune">http://www.runegrammofon.com/">Rune Grammofon RCD 2099/RLP 3099), is something else, something more.
Stick With Mono
http://www.youtube.com/v/iqlRd7-G448?fs=1&hl=en_US"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true">http://www.youtube.com/v/iqlRd7-G448?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="385">
Stillwater Artisanal & Lower Dens
We all know that good beer and good music make a beautiful couple, so it should come as no big surprise that craft brewer Stillwater Artisanal Ales is partnering with independent artists to create a new line of beers. The first of Stillwater’s Sensory Series is inspired by “In the End is the Beginning,” the closing track from Lower Dens’ recently released Nootropics.
Says Brian Strumke, Stillwater owner and brew master:
Stimulating Conversation
My copy of Sonic Youth's new album, The Eternal, arrived earlier this week. It's hard to imagine a more embraceable package of vinyl. We hit it off immediately. I mean, we really just sort of clicked. It was all very natural, very comfortable. It was, you know, easy.
Stopping In Pubs
We walked and walked and walked—stopping in pubs along the way—and gradually became more and more lost.
Stories for the Ages, Too
Tris McCall has some trouble getting a hold of Joanna Newsom. Apparently, he’s not the only one. Photo: Annabel Mehran
Strange and Ironic Paraphernalia
We catch up with Kristina to find that she's discovered Stereophile's "first and only pornographic publishing-foul."
Strange Thing
Strange thing about cassettes and vinyl records: Every now and then, while listening to them, I find myself wondering what’ll happen to them when I’m dead and gone. These beautiful things will outlive me and someday someone else will “own” them. What will that person think of me? Will that person think of me? What do my records say about me?
Stream Baby Stream: The Cherry Thing
Courtesy Neneh Cherry and The Thing
The Cherry Thing, the surprising album from vocalist Neneh Cherry and free-jazz trio The Thing (Mats Gustafsson on saxophones, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass, Paal Nilssen-Love on drums) will be released by Smalltown Supersound on June 19th.
We listened to “Dream Baby Dream” and watched the video for “Accordion,” and now, thanks to NPR’s First Listen series, we can stream The Cherry Thing in its entirety.