Over the past 16 months or so, my Google Search Console numbers have risen steeply for my 2014 / 2015 blog posts regarding Neil Young’s Pono Player.
Drilling down to the actual search queries, it seems this increase in visitation is attributable, in part, to people (mostly from outside the USA) searching for “porno player.”
Another fine single from Poppy! “Unknown” showcases her trademark astral approach to piano, dizzyingly paced and laced with strings and synths — a tantilizing taster from this June’s “Liminal” full-length. Perfect listen for a warm, foggy morning here in the inland East Bay, California.
This year’s music review wrap-up is now live on pt.audio. Thanks to Scot and Marc for spreading the word.
Happy New Year!
This year’s music review wrap-up is now live on pt.audio. Thanks to Scot and Marc for spreading the word.
Happy New Year!
Phipps Pt. is a duo made up of Jon Leidecker (a/k/a Wobbly) and Lovage Sharrock. Their new album, Songs We No Longer Sing, is released this Friday, October 31, on the Seeland label, an imprint known for, among other things, being the home of Negativland.
At first listen, Phipps Pt. purveys fragile folk-psych reveries. Experience the album on headphones a few times, and that impression fades. There’s a palpable, if abstract, tension in most of the songs. I expect the album’s intricacies will unfold further with more listenings, as there’s a depth and breadth here that doesn’t just fall in your figurative lap. I do know it’s one of the most interesting things I’ve heard all year.
I’ll go into wordier detail when I include Songs in my 2025 best-of column on Part-Time Audiophile in a month or so. Until then, please listen to the preview below, and consider picking the LP up via your favored record store or mailorder outlet, or via the band’s Bandcamp. Or at a live show.
My favorite recordings of 2025 have been posted on Part-Time Audiophile.
A healthy, happy and peaceful 2026 to all!
I bought Henri Torgue’s Le Prince Apatride after hearing it on the warehouse stereo at Greenworld Distribution in 1981. Archie Patterson of Paradox / Eurock mailorder had put it on, and I ran up to him and asked what the hell it was, could I buy it, etc.
I bought a copy and played it until it didn’t sound so hot anymore. I still have it. The surface noise is a bit much, but I still put it on every now and then.
I was a huge fan of Terry Riley’s “A Rainbow in Curved Air,”, and “Le Prince” sounded a little like a baroque take on Riley.
Parts of it … most of it … sounded like nothing else I’d ever heard.
Spalax released a dubious-origin CD of it in 1991, which I have, but I’ve always wanted a cleaner copy of the LP.
I bought another ‘near-mint” copy on Discogs a few years back, and it turned out to be trashed. Unlistenable. The seller credited my purchase and told me to keep it.
In April 2024, I was in Jenner, CA, (more specifically, Duncans Mills) bumming around tourists spots with Kate.
I saw a sandwich-board sign that said “Vinyl Records —> ”
The guy was running an antique shop with furniture, old Playboy magazines, comics, and other collectables.
He had two bins of LPs marked “PROG.”
Of course, I headed right to them, and began thumbing.
The owner told me it was an estate collection from a gentleman who worked for an east coast distributor of imports (JEM, I wondered?), and had passed away.
The impression I got was the gentleman the owner described was a hoarder.
His LPs were in a locked enamel cabinet. All the jackets were encased in those PVC sleeves. Y’know, like the ones I have all my LPs in.
Yeah. Those.
The dust cover of his turntable, a vintage Thorens, was caked in dust.
I picked the Torgue LP up for $20. It’s not “near-mint,” but it’s more than adequate.
I also got a clear vinyl copy of Synergy’s “Cords”, an LP I’d played into the ground in the late 70s.
I want to go back there and do more digging.
My partner, Kate, released a new CD EP, Another Night, in October 2024. While Kate’s been busy recording and releasing digital singles over the past few years, Another Night is her first release on physical media since 2015’s Save Me A Seat.
Another Night is receiving airplay nationally, and recently received a thoughtful and gracious review on Real Gone.
Each song is playable on YouTube, and the EP is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and all streaming services. And the CD and downloads are available on Bandcamp, as well.
Kate (with her full band, and as an acoustic duo) plays regularly around the Bay area. She’ll be also selling the CD and Bandcamp download cards at her shows.
I wrote about solo projects from the two guys who make up A Winged Victory for the Sullen.
Nelson Pass in 1978.
The Crux of the Biscuit: Nelson Pass’s Listening Grist on Part-Time Audiophile
