Stephen Mejias

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Stephen Mejias

Moderat: II

Stephen Mejias Aug 07, 2013 First Published: Aug 07, 2013 0 comments

Moderat is made of Apparat’s Sascha Ring and Modeselektor’s Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary; as the album title suggests, II is their sophomore release. This is no slump, however, and the music these men make together is seamless and true: It does not sound like two distinct visions forced together, but instead reflects a natural progression of shared ideas, a tangle of conflicts, tensions, and parallels brought together to create something exhilarating.

Stephen Mejias

Looking Forward: Matana Roberts' Coin Coin, Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile

Stephen Mejias Aug 06, 2013 First Published: Aug 06, 2013 0 comments

Matana Roberts is a rare talent&#151a saxophonist, storyteller, and singer with a distinct voice and powerful vision. Her 2011 release, Coin Coin, Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres, shocked me with its uncompromising combination of beauty and violence. Listening to it&#151anyhow, anywhere&#151is a singularly moving experience. My complete review of Coin Coin, Chapter One appeared in Stereophile’s November 2011 issue and I later named it one of my favorite records of that year. It sticks with me still as one of the most thrilling and seemingly important records I’ve ever heard.

Today, Constellation Records announced Roberts’ follow-up, Coin Coin, Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile, to be released on October 1.

Stephen Mejias

The Big Dream & “The Vastness of the Small Corral”

Stephen Mejias Jul 10, 2013 First Published: Jul 10, 2013 0 comments

David Lynch's The Big Dream will be released by Captured Tracks on July 16th. If Crazy Clown Time, David Lynch's successful 2011 solo debut, is any indication, we're in for a surreal and haunting treat: heavy starlit skies, empty highways, torch songs, and reverb-drenched blues. You can ask Michael Lavorgna about that.

Stephen Mejias

Video: Julia Holter's "In the Green Wild"

Stephen Mejias Jul 09, 2013 First Published: Jul 09, 2013 0 comments

I've been enjoying Julia Holter's Loud City Song. Mark your calendars: The album, Holter's third, will be released by Domino Records on August 20th. Previously, we heard the delicate opener, "World."

Stephen Mejias

Payday Albums: 6/28/13

Stephen Mejias Jun 28, 2013 First Published: Jun 28, 2013 0 comments

It’s been just over a month since my last Payday Albums post, but it feels much longer than that. I had been trying to spend less money on records, so that I could actually spend more time listening to the records that stood quietly on my shelves. A valiant endeavor, if I do say so myself, but one that didn’t really work out as intended: Instead of spending money on records, I spent money on books. I almost posted a Payday Books list, but I figured the grumpy old audiophiles would stone me for reading.

Stephen Mejias

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: "Despair"

Stephen Mejias Jun 24, 2013 First Published: Jun 24, 2013 0 comments

Simple, beautiful, majestic: The video for Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Despair," the second single from their recently released Mosquito, has the band on top of the Empire State Building, rocking joyously as the sun rises over the unreal city.

Stephen Mejias

The Landfill Harmonic

Stephen Mejias Jun 17, 2013 First Published: Jun 17, 2013 0 comments

"My life would be worthless without music," says one young member of the Landfill Harmonic, a music program for the children of Cateura, Paraguay.

Stephen Mejias

Aidan Baker: On Music, Sound, and Already Drowning

Stephen Mejias May 30, 2013 First Published: May 30, 2013 0 comments

Aidan Baker. Photos: Leah Buckareff.

Aidan Baker’s Already Drowning is our “Recording of the Month” for June 2013. In preparation for our review, I asked Baker a few questions about the album. We discussed literary and musical influences, the songwriting and recording process, and the importance of sound.&#151SM

Stephen Mejias

Payday Albums: 5/24/13

Stephen Mejias May 24, 2013 First Published: May 24, 2013 0 comments

Jenny Hval. Photo: Kasper Vogelzang.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t made much progress since the last Payday Albums post: I keep buying records, but the days don’t get any longer. What’s up with that? The number of LPs in my collection that have gone unplayed is growing dangerously large; soon enough, my collection will be made mostly of unplayed LPs. Meanwhile, I’m just plain running out of shelf space. What’s a guy to do? Buy a massive hard drive and convert to computer audio?

Hmm . . . I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

For now: Today’s payday. These are the albums I bought.

Stephen Mejias T.H.E. Show Newport 2013

21 Tracks for Newport Beach: A Playlist

Stephen Mejias May 24, 2013 First Published: May 24, 2013 0 comments

T.H.E. Show Newport Beach will be held May 31 through June 2, at the Hilton and Atrium hotels, near Orange County Airport, in Irvine, California. John Atkinson and Jason Victor Serinus will cover the show for Stereophile.com, while Tyll Hertsens and Michael Fremer will represent for InnerFidelity and AnalogPlanet.

Jason asked if would send him a flash drive carrying a few demo tracks that he might use to audition systems at the show&#151a fun idea, however one that I can’t successfully realize: At this time, I have no real library of high-resolution (or even CD-quality) digital files, nor do I have proper means of ripping CDs. Simply put, while I do plan on building a proper computer-audio system, I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’ve been busy hanging out with girls and cats, decorating the new apartment, and admiring the Mets’ ability to find creative ways to lose close games. Give me a few more months.