adamha21

This is music out of Lebanon, put out by the excellent Portland Label, Beacon Sound.  

http://www.wearebeaconsound.com/shop/disappearing-buildings

Awesome, awesome LP!

Deciding to unload my variant collection save for a few play copies and test presses that are special to me.  I have a complete Jakob collection so if something interests you and is not listed, let me know.   Erfo is not for sale  I have an almost complete Giants collection and a complete Beware of Safety collection.  I'm not listing those yet because I'm unsure of interest--if you are interested PM me.  I'm happy to work out deals.

https://www.discogs.com/user/adam.p.howell/collection?page=1&sort=added%2Cdesc&folder=1185984&limit=50

Jakob - Sines 

Red/Orange - $30

Red/Orange Haze - $30

Clear with Orange and Red - $30

Clear with Cream splatter - $30

3rd press black - $20

Test press (#30/50) - $50

Jakob - Solace

Graveface - $125

Graveface Test - SOLD

Midium Red /125 - $125

I also have CD's for Solace, Subset of Sets, and Cale:Drew

Hey man, 

I have a test press of Jakob - Solace for sale if you are interested.

Adam

Also, Evan, I can see where you are coming from on the drums. Two examples that come to my mind..

There are some moments on the album with some killer drum fills that always sound flat and leave me thinking ...man I wish they snapped more.  Could just be the mix.  Berlin is the best example, but there is another clear one, Earth Crawler maybe?

Berlin was awesome live and didn't suffer from a flat drum fill, but it definitely exists on the album so I totally get what you are saying.

1 hour ago, mrewest said:

It's the bass drum & toms that ruin the drums for me here.  They just sound so flaccid imo.  They have this weird dull sound to them that isn't present on their other albums.

 

Kind of surprised at the lack of love for Red Forest.  I love that album all the way until the closer.  Not a fan of that song.  

 

For me it's Above the Earth > Red Forest > S/T >>>>> Bones.

 

Had Bones come out in place of Red Forest, I might like it more but it just overall feels lazy to me.  Just a bunch of rehashed sounds with no real progression, except for Teeth & Glacier.

 

I also can't fathom how you guys think Berlin into One Sky is a smooth transition.  It's so awkward to me.  It feels like they wrote Berlin without ever knowing how to finish the song.  It's like they had a deadline to meet & just said "Screw it, the song ends here".

 

I also saw them for their album release show for Bones & it was probably the least impressed I'd been at one of their shows.  None of them looked all that into it.  Granted they've never been super amped up on stage, but they seemed less into it than normal.  I just see all these other post-rock bands improving their live shows each time I see them (Russian Circles, Caspian, even End of the Ocean) & don't get that with ITTCT.

Did you see them at the beginning or the end of the tour?  I caught them live too and it was everything I was hoping for.

I definitely love Red Forest, don't get me wrong. I just think the first two are better.

Above the Earth --> S/T --> Red Forest --------> Bones

Now for a band that looked like they didn't give a shit on stage...that's TWDY the last time I saw them. 

9 minutes ago, Gumbo72203 said:

That's probably my 2nd favorite piece from the album.  The title track combo I think has to take the top spot.  My all-time favorite song I have to give to "The Giving Tree" i think, followed by "They Speak With Knives".  But really Giving Tree > Berlin > One Sky Above Us is a perfect run of songs, that actually begins back with The Here and Hereafter preceding Iron Glacier.  Perfect flow for me. 

 

Yeah Zack has engineered all their stuff.  I didn't like the drum sound at first on Bones, but I've come to accept and be fine with it.  It's definitely polished, and gives the whole album a muted "gray" sort of vibe which I think fits the music. 

One point I will agree with you:

Giving Tree --> Berlin --> One Sky Above Us

is a terrific sequence and a terrific D side on the LP.  I've read a ton of people complain about the production of Bones and think it sounds like ass and especially on vinyl...  Always throws me for a loop, and I think it has to be the quality of the system involved.  I have a higher end "mid-fi" system, but Bones sounds the "best" on vinyl without a doubt, followed closely by S/T.  Red Forest and ATE/BTS are a step below and not terrific vinyl pressings in general on my system. I have to crank them louder than most albums, particularly ATE/BTS.

12 hours ago, Gumbo72203 said:

I'm the odd man out here in that ATE/BTS is my least-favorite, I think.  It's very good, but it's the low-water mark for me.  Maybe I need to listen to it more haha.  That'll be on tomorrow's spin. 

 

That debut EP though.... ohhhh man I could listen to that thing for daaaays. 

From Roots to Needles is my favorite track by them hands down.

1 hour ago, throwgncpr said:

^ So much this. The drums sound like butt compared to previous recordings. The snare really falls flat. I still haven't picked this up. The price + the lackluster production = it can wait.

Case in point how subjective everything is! Hah, granted I'm not a drummer, but I'm pretty sure Zack (the drummer) is the guy who has a big hand in all the mixing/mastering of all of their albums.  I didn't notice any real difference in the drums on Bones from any of their other releases.  As far as production goes, I thought this was their most "polished" album of any of them.

22 hours ago, mrewest said:

but overall Bones doesn't touch the first 2. 

Fixed that for you 

22 hours ago, mrewest said:

Goddammit this is their worst album by far.  I don't understand how people think this album touches anything they've done prior to this.  The flow of the album is terrible, Berlin ends way before it should & is a horrible song to transition into the closer.  The drums sound like absolute ass on this album which has always been my favorite part of the band on previous albums.  Every once in a while I revisit hoping it'll click but I just end up mad by album's end.  

 

Being an ITTCT completist, I'm thrilled they didn't press a million colors.  It was enough of a pain in the ass to track down the two marble greys (which are hardly different).  Not to mention having to order the Euro black simply for the different D-side etching.  

 

Anyways, there are some parts of the album I genuinely enjoy (Swallowing Teeth & Iron Glacier because they actually sound like progression for the band), but overall Bones doesn't touch the first 3. 

19 hours ago, batman said:

Idk man, I keep coming back to it.  Red Forest never clicked for me. 

I definitely liked Red Forest. They speak with knives is one of my top 3 tracks by them.  

I'm not as hard on Bones as Evan--I don't think it's their worst album by far.  It is an enjoyable album for me--especially after I watched them play some of the tracks live, which was really, really good.  With that said, it wasn't really anything new or interesting.  Kind of good background noise, but not one I find myself getting immersed in.  I think the disappointment is only in that it's just same ol same ol what we've heard before.

On 5/17/2017 at 9:38 AM, Gumbo72203 said:

In other news - Dunk! Records is pressing a whole slew of stuff for the festival.  We Lost The Sea - Crimea, The Quietest Place On Earth, and Depature Songs.  Meniscus - Refractions and War of Currents.  Lost In Kiev - Nuit Noire repress.  Really excited for "Refractions" on vinyl, personally. 

Yes to Meniscus! I hope A Thousand Arms gets distro of all these titles.

On 3/23/2017 at 10:15 AM, phantomtides said:

This topic is giving me such a woody.

 

I collected fiercely in the 1990s, in retrospect the best time possible since everybody was dumping LPs. I'd spend $100 or $200 at Jerry's in Pittsburgh or the various stores in Chicago, DC, the East Village, Vancouver, London, San Francisco ... and I'd come away with more LPs than I could carry. Sometimes I had to find a UPS drop-off before I got back on a plane. (There were no UPS Stores back then.)

 

The first of two kids arrived in 1999 and they took most of my time, so I've barely bought any vinyl in the last 15 years. But for her 17th birthday last year the older one got an RP-1 she can take to college ("university" for those outside the US), along with 50 or 60 duplicates from my stash. Seriously, nobody should leave home without Blood on the Tracks and Astral Weeks (green label, natch) at the very least. I've bought a few things here and there when I find nice stuff for less than $25 or even less than $20 per disk. (Seriously? $25 for a single LP? WTH?!)

 

I'm lucky enough to work from home, and we have a semi-finished attic, so the first shot is the view from my desk, and once or twice a day I climb into the chair to listen to one side as a break.

 

Rock and pop is on the left; jazz, blues, and a small batch of classical live on the right. We old guys have a lot of the gems, like the original Art Pepper on the rack to the left above the 'table. Warms my heart that so many youngsters are keeping vinyl alive.

 

 

 

 

By the way, the plural of vinyl is "vinyl." You no more pick up "vinyl" than you pick up "fishes" at the market for dinner. Stop me gnashing my teeth. Please.

 

Be good, kids. Enjoy what you've got. These are good times for music, if for little else.

 

If anybody cares: VPI Aries I with Lyra Helikon cartridge, Rowland Capri preamp, Rowland 102 amp (for summer), Mac Mini file server with Schiit Modi Multibit DAC and two hard drives (one a mirror of the other, backed up every day at 4AM), Quicksilver Audio Silver Sixty mono amps with stock EL-34s (for the cool months), Scansonic 2.5 speakers, Sunfire sub, DIY DH Labs cabling throughout. CDs in the background are all ripped to the server now, along with about 2000 live shows by various groups, especially the Grateful Dead. Anybody want the little silver disks?

I want the Art Pepper

On 3/7/2017 at 3:21 PM, drewvandal said:

How do you likes the Ares Phono Stage?  I'm still saving to upgrade my turntable but my next move after that is going to be to get a separate phono pre.  I am VERY happy with with built in Phono in the Cronus Magnum but eventually I want to go the Ares route.

I like the Ares.  I've had it about 8 months.  I previously had a battery powered Musical Surroundings Nova Phonomena 1st edition, which really was a good Phono stage.  The Ares definitely has a lower noise floor and is quieter.

There are some minor things about the Ares that bothered me with some low level hum in one channel and I was thinking about making a big jump to another Phono--but, I did some tube rolling and was much happier with the results.  I currently have Mullard NOS 12ax7's in the input stage and Radiotechnique 12au7's in the secondary stage. Both platinum grade from Upscale Audio.  The Mullards are pricey and honestly, overrated (I had a pair of Sovtek 12ax7lps) which I thought were almost as good or better until I rolled a pair of tubes in my Raven amp and found much better synergy with the Mullards.

There is a ton of hype surrounding Rogue Audio...and I think some of it is justified and some of it might be overrated compared to comparable brands.  From everything I've read the Ares is superior to the inboard stage on the Cronus Magnum, and they are pretty easy to find on audiogon for around $1,000-$1,200.

I think they are a good value at that price.

It's been a while since I posted a setup photo.  I think I'm finally at a place where I have some really good synergy.

Clearaudio Concept TT w/ upgrade PSU and Ortofon 2M Bronze

Rogue Audio Ares Phono Stage (Mullard 12ax7 and Radiotechnique 12au7)

Raven Audio Osprey (JAN Phillips, Mullard, and Brimar tubes)

Nola Boxers

Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies with upgraded PSU (no headphones right now, saving for Audeze LCD-X)

Listen to mostly jazz, post rock, some psych, electronic.

I also concur with what folks are saying about setup @Gumbo72203

A better setup makes a dramatic difference.

Also, vinyl has flaws...you either come to embrace them...or you stick with CD or digital.

I do agree with Gumbo that Faltre's best was after the first track. I haven't listened digitally, but the vinyl is immense.

Just chiming in on Faltre...snag one while you can.

Terrific pressing and cool package.

6 hours ago, Gumbo72203 said:

i hope it's not because they're all gone......

Sold out on bandcamp.  3 copies on discogs kinda pricey from Germany.

16 hours ago, omik11303 said:

Like I said, I'm definitely in, but I wouldn't be able to spearhead it. Judging by how little known these guys are, I think we can afford to wait until our other thread regulars chime in with their takes.

 

I will say, though, the pics of the vinyl on the Bandcamp page are absolutely beautiful. Between the screen-print, the matte black, the 180g wax, and the hand-numbering, I know I, at least, will be picking one up regardless.

I don't see the information about the vinyl on the band camp page, but I gave it a listen and that's a must buy!

You guys need this album!

That first track doesn't really do anything for me.

Listed a great phono pre a Musical Surroundings Nova.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/152308533373 

Was my starter system for about a year, breaking it up and selling individual components as I have upgraded.  Any interest?  I'll post more details and pictures today, but thought I'd see if there is interest here first before I post on eBay.

Late to the party on this one, anywhere to get a copy or someone who has an extra?

My tour press sounds by far the best.