arem

From Merge Records:
 

Hot off the heels of sold-out shows at London’s The Borderline and LA’s Moroccan Lounge, West London native Hollie Cook unveils the January 26 release of her third full-length and Merge debut, Vessel of Love. To mark the occasion, Cook has dropped two songs from the album: “Freefalling” and “Survive.”


Pre-order Vessel of Love on CD or pink translucent Peak Vinyl in the Merge store, from these digital music providers, or these participating independent record stores. All pre-orders will receive a Hollie Cook button, while supplies last!
The tropical pop chanteuse has already cemented her position as one to watch this year after the release of lead single “Angel Fire” in July. The first taste of the new album received rave reviews from international outlets such as Mass Appeal, Clash, and Je Ne Sais Pop, and the track was playlisted on BBC Radio over the summer. Hollie’s vibrant, spirited take on lovers rock radiates positivity, allowing her to transcend the confines of a genre.
“Freefalling” finds Hollie’s sultry vocals positioned against a rocksteady beat, alluring synths, and a crooning brass section. Though the lyrics describe the intricacies of heartbreak, an unwavering sense of bliss prevails throughout, and the result is a life-affirming, feel-good jam that exudes enough warmth to keep burning all autumn long.
“Survive” is best described by Ms. Cook herself: “literally the most simply sincere love song I have written. Sometimes there's no other way to express how you feel about someone.”
In addition to touring the world for years with Ari Up in the pioneering female punk band The Slits, Cook previously collaborated with renowned dub producer Prince Fatty on her first two solo albums: her self-titled debut and its acclaimed follow-up, Twice. Singles such as “Milk & Honey” and “That Very Night” saw Hollie gain critical exposure via BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, 1Xtra and Radio X, culminating in a hypnotic television appearance on the prestigious Later… With Jools Holland. By enlisting the esteemed producer Martin “Youth” Glover—whose credits include U2, Paul McCartney, and Pink Floyd—to oversee her latest LP, Hollie has unlocked a maturity in her ever-evolving sound. 
With supporters rallying from every corner, including Fred Perry’s Subculture, Jocks & Nerds, and Vanity Fair, Hollie Cook is gearing up for a triumphant year ahead with Vessel of Love, so expect to see her on top of the tropical throne of pop in 2018!
  Pre-order link: http://www.mergerecords.com/vessel-of-love
 
 

Ikea used to make a cabinet with drawers that were perfect for 7" storage called the Robin, it was really affordable but of course they discontinued it years ago. If you can produce something like this for a reasonable price I bet you'd get a lot of business.
 
 

Ikea used to make a cabinet with drawers that were perfect for 7" storage called the Robin, it was really affordable but of course they discontinued it years ago. If you can produce something like this for a reasonable price I bet you'd get a lot of business.
 
 

Ikea used to make a cabinet with drawers that were perfect for 7" storage called the Robin, it was really affordable but of course they discontinued it years ago. If you can produce something like this for a reasonable price I bet you'd get a lot of business.
 
 

The Lounge is excellent and should be a big improvement on the built in stage. You are making a nice step up with the Orbit so maybe wait a bit and get used to the sound of the new table, but save money for the Lounge in the meantime. It's well worth the money.

My new turntable arrived today, could not be happier with how it sounds and the cart isn't even close to broken in.  BIG shout out to Soundstage Direct for being so rad and easy to work with.  Setting this up took 10 minutes.
 
VPI Scout 1.1 w/ 2M Bronze
Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum
Bowers & Wilkens CM8
Kimber 8TC's

I feel like not one post in this thread (including ROBO's post) mentioned that this sucker is 45RPM. I just threw this on and was shocked to find this out. 
 
In other news, this master sounds pretty amazing. There's a great deal of clarity. I've never played another copy from the first press on the setup I'm currently using but I feel like there is definitely some major work put in to this new master. So much space and room for all the crazy shit that's going on in every song. 
 
Anyway, this master is pretty  exciting. There was an energy in one of the guitar passages in "Ghost Key" that buzzed so potently, I though something was vibrating in the room I was in. Just finishing side B and I'm impressed so far. 

I use the Moongel to clean my stylus before every listening session, It works just like the Zerodust and gets your stylus totally clean without messing with brushes or fluids. And you get 4 or 5 pads in a pack which will last you a very long time. 

Actually you can fit a Bronze or Black stylus on the Red/Blue cart. However, the cart body on the Bronze/Black are different from the Red/Blue body, you need the Bronze/Back cartridge to get the full performance of those styli. There is a review of the full 2M line here, including putting the high-end stylus on the lower-end carts:
 
http://www.theapplechap.com/TheAppleChap/Blog/Entries/2011/7/13_Upgrading_to_the_Ortofon_2M_Red_or_Blue.html
 
http://www.theapplechap.com/TheAppleChap/Blog/Entries/2011/7/28_Upgrading_to_the_Ortofon_2M_Bronze_or_Black.html

The paper lined sleeves hold their shape much better, plastic sleeves on their own are more annoying than paper sleeves IMO.

A couple updates.
 

 
Upgraded my Rogue Sphinx to a Sphinx V2.
Got a GREAT deal on a pair of demo ATC SCM11s.

It's not really about me being offended or hurt, it's about how stunned I am that people still believe the freedom to use this word flippantly for shitty internet jokes is more important than having just a tiny little bit of respect for fellow humans.
 
The fact is that hundreds of thousands of people have suffered extreme intimidation and violence by people who love to use this word. Every night people are followed home from bars by groups of men screaming this word. Countless members of our communities end up in hospitals with cracked skulls and mental scars that never fade, and the perpetrators of these violent acts are shouting this word as they lay their boot in. Why would any reasonable person just not use such a pointless, useless word that causes so much hurt in the world? Is it really that much to expect?

It's easy to romanticize Judge 20+ years down the line but if you were around back in those days you know, they really did fuck things up pretty bad for a while. The only thing worse were the bands that tried to copy them.

No need for apologies, shit happens. Like I said, you have gone so far beyond what I would have reasonably expected it's amazing. I'm still super happy to be a RC member and proud to support what you are doing. Keep it up!

No need for apologies, shit happens. Like I said, you have gone so far beyond what I would have reasonably expected it's amazing. I'm still super happy to be a RC member and proud to support what you are doing. Keep it up!

True, I was making an assumption that since he is coming from a DJ/Turntablist background he probably isn't rocking a vintage all tube set-up or anything too high end. Apologies if I assumed incorrectly. I still say flip one and upgrade something else, a better cart, speakers, or amp will probably be a bigger improvement than going to the RP3.

Just picked this up on a whim when I saw it at my local shop. I was never a huge SK fan, I liked Dig Me Out but didn't feel compelled to get the other records. I have to say that halfway thru this record I am really enjoying it. Great recording and passionate performances.

Turntables without plinths are weird to me. I tend to anchor my pinky on the plinth when I lower the needle onto a record, I suppose one would get used to doing it without that support but I think my hands are too shaky for that.

When I met my wife she had a cat that she had owned for many years, who moved into my apartment when we got married. I had my records and DJ equipment in a room separate from the rest of our house and the cat never, ever went in there.
 
Jump cut to my wife and I finding out she was pregnant with our first kid, which happened on a Friday when I just happened to be leaving town for a week long mini-tour with my band. We weren't sure what we wanted to do about being pregnant and apparently my wife spent the whole week crying and petting the cat. When I got back from the tour I went into my record room and found that the cat had climbed up onto my turntables and mixer and pissed all over them. Luckily everything was covered to keep dust out, but still... The cat had never done anything like that before and never did anything like that again, it was definitely a deliberate act.
 
TL, DR: Cats are the devil.

I'm not saying lose your shit and threaten to bomb the label, but if I paid $130 or whatever you paid for that boxset and got it with a "giant gash" I would demand a new one, or a partial refund. Why are you (or any of us) just supposed to be cool with getting damaged goods at top prices? Like I said, yes shit happens and yes people aren't perfect, but people also have to make it right when problems arise. I cannot fathom being OK with less.

I'm not saying lose your shit and threaten to bomb the label, but if I paid $130 or whatever you paid for that boxset and got it with a "giant gash" I would demand a new one, or a partial refund. Why are you (or any of us) just supposed to be cool with getting damaged goods at top prices? Like I said, yes shit happens and yes people aren't perfect, but people also have to make it right when problems arise. I cannot fathom being OK with less.

No, you are the worst kind of person, people like you are the reason quality continues to decrease with regards to records and everything else in the world. If you just accept that fuckups are acceptable and nothing is perfect then nothing will be. Yes shit happens, but people have to be responsible for it, especially if they are charging a premium. Strive for excellence and have some fucking standards, I guarantee that the people you admire do.

I'm not cutting labels any slack for seam splits or corner dings, they are charging lots of money and trying to create collector interest by doing loads of variants,limited editions, and so on. If they want that kind of money I want my stuff to arrive minty. Depending on the item I may let small dings go but otherwise if I get damaged goods I'm definitely looking for them to make it right.

No, you are the worst kind of person, people like you are the reason quality continues to decrease with regards to records and everything else in the world. If you just accept that fuckups are acceptable and nothing is perfect then nothing will be. Yes shit happens, but people have to be responsible for it, especially if they are charging a premium. Strive for excellence and have some fucking standards, I guarantee that the people you admire do.