melancholy descriptions of simple 3D environments
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posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - PopArt (The Hits). 7 days ago
This is a beautiful set but the remastering is a bit flat - the details don't sparkle like they do on the original LPs, or even the Discography vinyl, though they have good bass and mid-range here. Maybe just a bit too compressed, in keeping with the era ... See full review
posted a comment on Radiohead - In Rainbows. 16 days ago
So...if anyone has a damaged or incomplete set and is willing to sell me a copy of disc one (mine has some pretty distracting noise or non-fill all over side two) then please message me?
posted a comment on Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album. 23 days ago
Oh that's interesting - wonder why they'd do that? Can you share the source please?
posted a comment on Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album. 24 days ago
Is the pixellation on the cover of this and I Care Because You Do deliberate - like a middle finger to fancy design - or were the LP covers just made from files that were too small? I've got the original pressings but it's the same on the reissues I've ... See full review
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour.. about 1 month ago
If it's any consolation, that sibilance on A5 is a problem on the original PCSD 113 too.
posted a comment on Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion. about 1 month ago
Not for me - maybe later pressings were less good but the copy I bought in Jan/Feb 2009 still sounds insanely good - a swirling and enveloping wall of sound with the higher-frequency details (lyrics, samples, percussion) shimmering on the surface. It's a ... See full review
posted a comment on Radiohead - In Rainbows. about 1 month ago
Yeah, my side B is very noisy - when I bought it new in 2007 I had a much lower-end turntable and it wasn't so noticeable then, but now it's pretty overpowering in quieter sections. Tracks B1 and B2 are just about OK but it's very obvious throughout B3. ... See full review
posted a comment on Kylie* - Kiss Me Once. 2 months ago
But pressings never need to be this loud, and DJs surely only make up a small fraction of record buyers (also frankly I can't imagine the context in which a vinyl DJ would be playing 2014 Kylie album tracks, but maybe that's just me). Aphrodite, on a ... See full review
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - Monkey Business. 3 months ago
Fantastic pressing, their best set of remixes since Say It To Me and the first time an original B-side has appeared on a PSB 12" since the early 90s. Best single package from Hotspot so far.
posted a comment on ABBA - The Singles (The First Ten Years). 3 months ago
How does it sound? I've had a few UK copies and all have suffered from inner groove distortion on side A in particular, so if there's a better sounding Scandinavian press I'll take it!
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - Super. 4 months ago
Hold on - there's a US pressing? Three more words
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - Hotspot. 5 months ago
Sounds like a defective copy - try exchanging it maybe? I don't have any distortion on this album other than a very slight fuzz in the final few rotations of B5 as the bells fade.

Edit: sorry, misread "weaving" as "wearing"! If you mean it sounds like ... See full review
posted a comment on Blur - Leisure. 5 months ago
On this pressing, at least, side two is mastered significantly louder than side one - I keep forgetting and deafening myself when There's No Other Way starts. (Mine has "manufacturers property/not for sale" on a sticker on the back of the outer sleeve, ... See full review
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - Hotspot. 5 months ago
Yeah it's a relief after the poor quality control on the Super LP - my first copy of this sounds great, but I got through four of the last album before I found one not plagued by non-fill
posted a comment on Arcade Fire - Everything Now. 6 months ago
I mean compression and EQ during mastering, both of which can be done in the analogue domain (but almost certainly weren't). I've not read anywhere that this was an analogue recording - that's cool if so, but not what I'm talking about and at any rate ... See full review
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - Burning The Heather. 6 months ago
I wouldn't usually expect a seven-inch to be an audiophile release but this is a really great pressing - you wouldn't know it wasn't a twelve-inch from the sound alone. The kick drums, bass and percussion on Decide are absolutely thudding, while the ... See full review
posted a comment on Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady. 6 months ago
Yeah, this record sounds really, really great. I think there's a slight pressing defect at the start of the title track which muffles the sound for a fraction of each rotation for the first 30 seconds or so (as though the record were dirty, except it ... See full review
posted a comment on Kali Uchis - Isolation. 6 months ago
Had to get my copy replaced due to scratches and scuffs - maybe due to the large amount of debris that had made its way into the inner sleeve - but the second one was better (not perfect), and the actual cut is great. I had none of the distortion ... See full review
posted a comment on Electronic - Raise The Pressure. 6 months ago
Pretty decent actually. Needs turning up on a good system, but it's still punchy and defined. It's more of an indie record than the debut anyway and the dance tracks are softer and denser even before you get to the pressing - it's not like there are ... See full review
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk. 7 months ago
Mentioned this already in a review of I Get Along CD2, but what an absolute banger Being Boring becomes on the Nightlife tour. These live tracks are all well worth hearing, for the new vocal counterpoint in Always On My Mind especially. But Being Boring ... See full review
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - I Get Along. 7 months ago
The live version of Love Comes Quickly on this disc is a half-forgotten gem - like Being Boring on the Nightlife tour, midtempo songs can suddenly become enormous grooves on PSB tours (not that this one wasn't already completely irresistible).
posted a comment on Prefab Sprout - From Langley Park To Memphis. 7 months ago
Can't comment on this album, but my Life of Surprises reissue from the same series suffers from the same problem on side D. I imagine they were all pressed around the same time since they were released simultaneously.
posted a comment on Prefab Sprout - The Best Of Prefab Sprout: A Life Of Surprises. 8 months ago
Sounds great and the artwork looks good, but I've got what sounds like some unpleasant non-fill on D2. Anyone else? I'll exchange it if there are good copies out there...

Edit: I'm onto my second copy (from a different retailer, so likely a different ... See full review
posted a comment on Wham! - Music From The Edge Of Heaven. 8 months ago
A1 sounds pretty muddy on my copy of this, even though the other tracks are all perfectly clear. Is it like this on all masters of this album or was the Japanese label sent dodgy tapes?

Edit: OK, I've just listened to digital versions of the title track ... See full review
posted a comment that has since been deleted. 9 months ago
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - Super. 10 months ago
So...for the most part there are copies of this out there that do sound good, but has anyone come across one without IGD and a general loss of top-end during B6? It's enough to be a significant distraction from the music during at least the "clouds ... See full review
posted a comment on Cyndi Lauper - Twelve Deadly Cyns ... And Then Some. 10 months ago
Agree with this - even a copy I once bought in decent condition was pretty thin sounding and sibilant (and normally I'm in favour of lower volume pressings so long as the background is quiet, so this isn't some "press everything on nine 45rpm discs" ... See full review
posted a comment on The Cure - Standing On A Beach - The Singles. 10 months ago
Are the Australian releases the only CD versions of this album called Standing On A Beach rather than Staring At The Sea?

Edit: doh, sorry, I can now see there's a Mexican CD with the same title
posted a comment on Thom Yorke - Anima. 12 months ago
No problems with distortion here - and for the user who asked about kit, I'm playing back with an ortofon 2m bronze stylus/cartridge weighted at 1.5g. This setup was good for my Moon Shaped Pool as well, which has always sounded clean to me. Perhaps I've ... See full review
posted a comment on Röyksopp - Melody A.M.. 12 months ago
The total running time of this LP is about 41 minutes - it could easily have fit onto two, loud, sides with the order restored. The split segue is really strange - almost like no one listened to the proposed vinyl tracklist before it was pressed. It ... See full review
posted a comment on Björk - Post. 12 months ago
Haha yeah. I've never known a (recent) album with so many minor variants on vinyl - there are probably still like 20 we don't know about.
posted a comment on Travis - The Man Who. about 1 year ago
See my comment on the 2018 release but basically - Greg @ FT definitely isn't in the original deadwax because Greg Moore didn't work at Finyl Tweek in 1999. I think the release on discogs claiming to be a 1999 edition without the bonus 12" is actually a ... See full review
posted a comment on Travis - The Man Who. about 1 year ago
I think the matrix number listed on discogs for the 1999 single LP release is wrong - Greg @ FT refers to Greg Moore, who wasn't at Finyl Tweek in 1999 if it even existed then - he was at Masterpiece (see the deadwax for his various mastering credits in ... See full review
posted a comment on Hot Chip - A Bath Full Of Ecstasy. about 1 year ago
It's a visual gag right? The colour is gone and all the artwork for the back cover, two inner sleeves and four record labels has been removed and superimposed on the front instead, where it's useless. Even the black is missing from the vinyl. I think the ... See full review
posted a comment on Doves - Lost Souls . about 1 year ago
So psyched to finally own this as I got into Doves (like a lot of people I guess) with The Last Broadcast, so I missed out on the LP first time round. Worth the wait as it sounds brilliant and the artwork looks great at full size - so much better than ... See full review
posted a comment on Fiona Apple - Tidal. about 1 year ago
Totally agree that it sounds incredible - one of the most striking records I've heard. But it's not AAA - the VMP website includes a detailed account of the album's remastering and pressing and describes it being transferred to a "super high-res" digital ... See full review
posted a comment on Garbage - Version 2.0. about 1 year ago
Don't completely agree with this. You're more likely to get inner groove distortion (to a greater or lesser extent depending on your setup) on a louder cut split across four sides than on a single disc, as the increased amplitude is harder to track over ... See full review
posted a comment on Garbage - Version 2.0. about 1 year ago
Interesting! Do you mean the version of YLSF here is different from the original CD and vinyl, or that the vinyl and CD are different from each other? I only know the 1998 vinyl version and I'm considering upgrading, but if the mix is different I ... See full review
posted a comment on Garbage - Garbage. about 1 year ago
No - it plays at 33rpm. And it sounds great!
posted a comment on Pet Shop Boys - Agenda. about 1 year ago
Mine's the same (ordered from the PSB online store) - plays perfectly and sounds great, but it's quite badly warped and can't be good for my turntable. I'm gonna file it in between two other records on a tight shelf and hope it flattens out over time.
posted a comment that has since been deleted. about 1 year ago
posted a comment on Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen. about 1 year ago
Very pleased with the way this sounds (quiet background, dynamic and clear pressing) though I've not heard an original - and for the prices they go for in decent condition, I'll stick with this at least for the time being. But does anyone else's have a ... See full review
submitted North And South - I'm A Man Not A Boy. about 1 year ago
posted a comment on Erasure - Wonderland. about 1 year ago
It's kind of a shame this is sourced from.the butchered US version - it bumps off the two darkest songs in favour of a short B side and the album is over almost before it began. Push Me Shove Me is the throbbing heart of this record and Pistol is its ... See full review
posted a comment on North And South - Breathing. about 1 year ago
If anyone's got the cassettes I'm very interested in buying them! I had them back in the late 90s but at some point they were lost or given away. There's a couple of mixes on them that you can't get anywhere else and I'd really like to hear again...
posted a comment on Let Loose - Let Loose. about 1 year ago
Sure, it's a picture disc, so it's got a fairly high noise floor, but this is a good sounding cut by Orlake in Dagenham, which specialised in picture discs and coloured vinyl. It's detailed and has a decent bottom end, despite the tracks being fairly top ... See full review
submitted Take That - Everything Changes. about 1 year ago
posted a comment on David Bowie - Heathen. about 1 year ago
Agree the original sounds great, but the the MOV version is identical - it's pressed from the same plates as the 2002 cut. So they both sound equally good.
posted a comment on Rhianna - Get On. about 1 year ago
You're v welcome - love this album so I was delighted to find it too :)
posted a comment on Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends. about 1 year ago
Funny - I've just spun it again after a few years, a house move, a couple of stylus changes, a clean, a check of the downward tracking force - and it sounds loads better than it did to my memory when I wrote the above. Maybe I just had the setup slightly ... See full review