[]eep]

"I need a fine wine and you, you need to be nicer"

This title says a lot. Their debut album was way too sweet and stylish. More mannerism than creative. This album really shows them off as adult Rock. Call it trouble in paradise. 'Upload' or 'Stepford wives' or 'Hunger games' or simply waking up to real life. The titles show a lot: teardrop, overload, little black cloud. Yet it is not depressing or negative, rather the opposite. Full of energy and strength. It's a message of hope.Things will turn around.

There is only one thing that keeps bugging me that often happens with English music by non-native speakers. Pronunciation. It's only 1 word. She sings "loosin' a friend" when she means "losing". I guess there's not much difference between letting go and untying...

The album is from 2005 when everything was still positive and rosy. And lp's were rare. I'm glad it finally came out on vinyl. It deserves it.

Full of energy is also how it sounds; very clean. Very good recording. A bit dry. But oh my, it sounds so fast. Bass is impactful. It's like in the matrix with the white background, just like the cover. Everything is clearly highlighted in their own space. Vibrant colors without distractions.

The sleeve is gatefold with 1 LP. Lots of photos, full lyrics. Thick printed inner sleeve. Pressing and mastering is great.

Music: 10
Sound: 9
Pressing: 9
Packaging: 8

Highly recommended

Edit: I forgot to mention... Only €20

 

[]eep]

I'm wondering... Has anybody used, enjoyed or even celebrated 'Record store day' 2023? I only see live recordings and other fillers but nothing interesting. Heck, I don't even have a record store anywhere near.

Last week I had my glasses fixed, just picked them up. I bought them 10 years ago but I was still recognised and greeted as a valued customer. Not trying to sell a new frame, which kind of surprised me, but just fixed them. New glass, new nose bridges, aligned and cleaned. Not treated as a number but as a friend.

I ordered some records now online. Amazon and a local mailorder. I mean, the records are fine. I'll show them when I get them. But aren't we being robbed of the experience of what it means to be alive? Interact with real people. Only big tech and no more mom 'n pop stores.

I was really happy to see another one of my favorites on vinyl. 'Things to make and do'. Just released. Review as it gets here...

 

[The Jester]

A lot to be said for dealing face to face where possible, don’t have anything in my system that I haven’t bought from a store first hand, closest I got was when building my transmission line speakers and decided to order some silver in oil caps and flat ribbon in wax paper inductors from a specialist online store as they didn’t have a retail store presence, around $300 worth, so put the order in with delivery address and waited for an invoice price … got a call later from the guy and said he’d noticed my delivery address was my work address, and the mower shop he uses was just around the corner so he’d drop the parts into me … no delivery charge on the invoice … as you say, customer service first hand ..

 

[mystaiced]

I have a local record store, but didn’t even bother going to record store day this year. I tried going last year, but you had to wait in line for hours and by the time I got to the counter, the record I wanted was gone. So it wasn’t worth the hassle. I eventually found the record on Discogs. So this year I didn’t even bother looking at the list. I’ve found some good sellers on discogs that have all the RSD stuff. I prefer treasure hunting for records at the local re-use it shops and thrift stores

 

[]eep]

Another old album I just bought. 25 years old already, yet it's still fresh. It's not a hot record or something really memorable. But it might be exactly what you need. It is exactly what is says on the cover:

Strange though if you look at it: it took them 17 years to bring out on vinyl. I wonder what that turntable is...

It's jazzy pop, with a tinge of reggae, western, indian (Barat, not American), soul and ambient. Very relaxed, good music. And a pleasant real female voice, someone who can really sing. No autotune crap, no beats, no samples repeated to death.

Pressing is really great. So quiet. Recording is very good too. A real aural pleasure. One special mention: the record slid out of the (thick printed paper) inner cover with easy. Very clean and non static. Usually they stick to the sleeve like a snail on the window.

I'm not going to slap any numbers on this one. It's great. Look it up and see what you think.

 

[CJG888]

Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference, methinks…

 

[CJG888]

The arm is a Vestigial, and the coffee table is by G-Plan. So 1970!

 

[]eep]

Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference, methinks…

Of course! I was fooled by the lp on it.

Just got the rest. My cover pussicat of course had to bomb the shot... "Whatcha doin'?"

In dutch we call that a 'hoezenpoes': a pretty model used to attract attention for your cover. Often cheap 'best of' and 'top 40' collections. But strange how the dirty minds on this forum see that word as offensive and needs to be censored. What is a female cat called? My cat is very modest and decent. (I didn't misspell 'pussicat').

Anyway. The hype sticker was covered up. Moloko is pressed by Music on Vinyl and is an audiophile limited to 2500 pressing on splatter vinyl. Mine is numbered 391. A nice low number.

 

[mbphotox]

As someone who's probably seen and tested it all:
What product would you use to treat the rubber mat on the Yamaha GT-2000?

Mine has, like most owner's from what I could gather, a distinct smell to it. Rather unpleasant, to say the least.
Warm water with a mild soap didn't affect it, though. And the mat is perfectly smooth to the touch.

Since it's that special shape that extends into the massive groove of the platter, I cannot just replace it. (and the mat from the GT-5000 is around 300 USD, no thankyou)

 

[]eep]

As someone who's probably seen and tested it all:
What product would you use to treat the rubber mat on the Yamaha GT-2000?

Mine has, like most owner's from what I could gather, a distinct smell to it. Rather unpleasant, to say the least.
Warm water with a mild soap didn't affect it, though. And the mat is perfectly smooth to the touch.

Since it's that special shape that extends into the massive groove of the platter, I cannot just replace it. (and the mat from the GT-5000 is around 300 USD, no thankyou)

A difficult question. There are several options available to treat rubber. But you don't want to use that on a plattermat because it would change the interaction with the vinyl. No grease, aetherial fluids, oils or waxes. No vaseline, no cockpit spray.

Rubber is a compound material of different organic molecules. It is slightly porous but watertight because it repels water (fatty vs polarized). Soap is a container name for molecules that can bring both together with a long organic fatty tail with a polarised head. So it won't penetrate rubber. The smell you mention has probably superficially penetrated. Enzymes would work too.

I think the best option is to use a washing detergent, use hand warm water (40° C) let it soak for a while and use a strong brush (Nagelbürste) after that. For detergent I would use washing powder like Vanish Oxi-Action (das kennt Ihr auch? Wie Biotex), oxidising and contains enzymes (to break down proteïne residue). Enzymes damage >42°C, like a fever. So handwarm. And soak, einweichen.

hope my chemistry education is good for something

 

[]eep]

Things are looking up on ordering from China.

I had to pay €13 VAT. Plus the normal €305. Nice as a spare.

 

[mbphotox]

A difficult question. There are several options available to treat rubber. But you don't want to use that on a plattermat because it would change the interaction with the vinyl. No grease, aetherial fluids, oils or waxes. No vaseline, no cockpit spray.

Rubber is a compound material of different organic molecules. It is slightly porous but watertight because it repels water (fatty vs polarized). Soap is a container name for molecules that can bring both together with a long organic fatty tail with a polarised head. So it won't penetrate rubber. The smell you mention has probably superficially penetrated. Enzymes would work too.

I think the best option is to use a washing detergent, use hand warm water (40° C) let it soak for a while and use a strong brush (Nagelbürste) after that. For detergent I would use washing powder like Vanish Oxi-Action (das kennt Ihr auch? Wie Biotex), oxidising and contains enzymes (to break down proteïne residue). Enzymes damage >42°C, like a fever. So handwarm. And soak, einweichen.

hope my chemistry education is good for something

fun fact: I have a MSc in Chemistry and Molecular Biology and teach the former to Highschoolers

But material sciences are very far from my field of expertise, especially cleaners. I do have Vanish Oxi Action at home. Didn't think to use that one, to be honest.
Someone somewhere mentioned it could be because it's polyurethane (the smell is reminiscent of piss.. and most owners of the GT-2000 I have asked reported "that smell" from their mats. )
Someone used Vinylex to treat the mat and reported the smell to have been dealt with. But that stuff isn't available in Europe.
Would something like Nigrin's rubber protectant and cleaner work too?

 

[]eep]

Well, I went to construction (architecture) after that so material science is part of that. Pff, I remember a headstrong teacher who felt threatened and didn't want to give me a 10 for chemistry... But that was 40 years ago almost. I forgot a lot since then.

I didn't realise it's poly-urine, hence the smell. That means it's decomposing (UV over time). I would still go the enzyme route. I advise against rubber protectant. That gives a slippery surface and might stain on your LPs.

 

[]eep]

Moloko - Things to make and do. A short review.

A great British dance album. Quirky and artistic. Not just Dance but some great tunes and great open sound. It starts after the intro with that dry saxophone coming from the empty room. One of my all time favorite songs: 'The time is now' starts with a single Spanish guitar with a foreboding low drum beat. Then comes Roisins voice, then come the violins and the songs keeps building in tension and size. And after the finale when the violins are vibrating comes the tingling piano that makes the song linger 'let's make this moment last'... Brilliant. The album ends on a strong beat with their hot single, a remix of 'Sing it back' from their previous album that is more poppy, but it is more fleshed out and works so much better. Not all songs are this calibre, some are really quirky and sometimes plain weird (Indigo). But it's captivating and fun. And it has a drive.

The recording was already really good. The mastering is done well. It is a digital recording from 2000, so there's no analog magic there. It just brings out the best. Pressing is great. Two thick discs in purple and red splatter vinyl. Although you can't see much of an effect. It looks pretty much solid soft purple (not vibrant but rather pastel) as the colors are so close. Bad choice IMHO but who cares. It sounds perfect.

The sleeve is single with a 4 page lyrics sheet and 2 lined black paper inner sleeves. Good choice. Better than sticky printed paper sleeves.

As always Music on Vinyl did a great job. Price is €35. I'm very happy I finally have this on vinyl in such great quality.

Music 9
Recording 9
Pressing 10
Artwork and packaging 8

 

[]eep]

Cassandra Wilson - Blue light till dawn

I bought this album because ... I remembered it is 'beautiful'. And strange enough it was only €16. And on Blue Note, which is a recommandation by itself. I listened to some pieces, especially 'I can't stand the rain' (nostalgia trigger, great song) on Qobuz and I liked what I heard. 5 stars on All music (fwiw, often a good indicator).
Two days later I opened up the package. It's a double album, a beautiful gatefold. The hype sticker is a bit different from the other older classics releases because this is not all analog. It's clearly a nineties digital recording. 1993 to be more precise. Pressing and artwork the same high standard as the other BN releases.

I put on the first record. It sounds beautiful. Dark background, spacious, open. But all very deliberate, restricted, artificial. And the music is a beautifully crafted 'new interpretation of the original'. Very artsy, very nineties, very 'audiophile'. And I mean that in a very negative way. Now it dawned on me; it's that audiophile music I kept hearing on shows that everybody (reviewers and expositioners) are telling us sounds so beautiful. As we say in dutch: I'm so fed up with it, it's coming out of my nose.

I played two sides, partially. Yup. I can't stand it. It's that endless doodling, tingling coïtus interruptus 'audiophile' muzak. I can't stand it. That record is worn for me, I can't stand it. And that is my personal opinion, very subjective.

The sound is artificial, superficially great but like there's a glass ceiling on it. It is veiled somehow. Syrupy and dampened. Like 'we found the sourcerers stone of audio' and this is the best you'll ever hear. Then I put on Cannonball Adderley that I bought together. A recording from 1957, 36 years earlier, all analog, and it totally destroys that notion. It's 'the emperor's clothes'.

Sometimes the original doesn't need reinventing. Caveat emptor.

Music: 4
Recording, mastering: 8
Pressing: 10
Artwork and packaging: 9


PS: just to show I don't always give positive reviews.

PS2: I follow Melinda " Hi, this is Melinda". She mentioned in a review another classic: Bandaid - Don't they know it's Christmas. That song is like aural waterboarding to me, Tantalus torture. I hate it. That's a word I use very, very sparingly. I once worked in purchasing for shop-interior manufacturing. They had a PA system that played the same music all day (due to BUMA rights tax or something radio was forbidden). The same 1 hour tape and every hour the same "don't they know is Christmas..." AARGH!
As Elon Musk said after his famous 'GFY...Hi Bob':
"I care about the reality of goodness, not the perception of it. And what I see all over the place is people who care about looking good while doing evil" (quote of the decade IMHO). Like Shakespeare said: 'to be, or not to be'. No wannabe.

Keep it real and enjoy.