"My god, everything sounds so much better analog."

Ah, John Vanderslice. Many fans here? I've been listening to and loving "Pixel Revolt" a lot lately, couple years or so down the road now, but just gets better the more I hear it. Nice sounding CD too, so thought I'd look up something about it since I knew it was recorded at his little studio in San Francisco by Scott Solter and mastered by Bernie Grundman ...

"My god, everything sounds so much better analog. It's probably partly a prestigious thing and partly a sentimental thing, but it's hard to let go of something that's had 60 or 70 years of people pouring their lives out trying to figure it out," he said. "When digital has that kind of experience behind it, it'll be great, but right now it's just miserable. And I say that as a guy that makes a lot of money off of digital."

http://media.www.iowastatedaily.com...hn-Vanderslice.A.Life.In.Analog-1846643.shtml

 

Interesting, thanks Davey!

I didn't know Tiny telephone was the last all-analog studio in SF. I wonder how many there are across the USA.

 

Not enough Vanderslice fans-I posted a thread about the 45 rpm release of Pixel Revolt that got buried in a day never to re-surface. This album was one of the best of that year, both sonically and artistically but JV still remains just below many peoples radar. I think if Clientelle fans heard this album they'd love it.

 

oh you speak the 'magic word'...i'm going to check this out...

 

loved this bit in that interview

"It's like the difference between a Wolf gas oven and a microwave," he said. "Somebody can say, 'What's the problem, the food's hot,' you know? That says a lot about where it's at right now."


listened to sound samples on amazon and ordered this album. thanks for the tip on this artist. I think i'm gonna love this one....

 

Boy, I bet that 45 sounds good. And yea, I don't usually get many (if any ) responses to my threads either, but I tend to post about these kind of somewhat little known artists and records I like, and I think most music people have to discover records on their own, they just seem to mean more that way. So I don't take it too personal

 

I like that quote.
Thanks for the tip, Davey, I'm going to check him out.

 

The covers look better when analog too.

 

Yeah, I had to laugh - been doing some needle-drops, but still make tapes for
the car ('92 Camry, stock player) - listened to the Aja (Cisco) I put to tape
- damn, I could'nt believe how good it sounded. And my car is quiet.
Vinyl to tape - I'm a believer!

 

Very cool music. My sort of thing entirely. Lots of tunes to be heard on his MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/johnvanderslice

 

Yea, it is very good. And thanks to Jason, I just ordered the 45rpm, 2-LP 180gm set from Barsuk yesterday. Didn't know they would still have them available. A little pricey at $21, but way less than one of the audiophile labels. Saw a nice writeup too ...

http://www.avguide.com/private/tas/159/golden_ear_music.pdf

John Vanderslice: Pixel Revolt.
Vanderslice and Scott Solter, producers.
Barsuk 44 (two 180-gram LPs; also available on CD).

John Vanderslice is an analog fanatic to the point of 86ing the ProTools rig from his old-school Tiny Telephone recording studio in San Francisco, stockpiling tape in his apartment during the Quantegy crisis, and beseeching his label to issue this, his fifth and best album, on 180-gram vinyl (500 numbered, double-gatefold LPs sold out in six days). So you can be sure Pixel Revolt sounds great, as deep and detailed as any pop record in recent memory. More importantly, Vanderslice exploits technology for profoundly human ends: The obsessive placement of meticulously orchestrated sound well serves brilliantly conceived and realized songs that explore left-field themes (a star-struck stalker, a wounded soldier losing his sense of mission in Iraq, an escaped pet bunny, a journalist’s encounter with an Iraqi hooker, a detective who suspects his colleague is a serial murderer, and more) in sometimes metaphorical, sometimes literal language. A film buff as well as guitarist, keyboardist, and affectingly sweet and vulnerable vocalist, Vanderslice understands how even auteurs rely on collaboration. For Pixel Revolt, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats helped with the lyrics, David Berman of Silver Jews came up with some titles, and avant-jazz cellist Erik Friedlander did the string arrangements. Vanderslice’s musical alter-ego Scott Solter took care of abundant miscellany — E-bowed guitar, tape manipulation, organ, vibraphone, hand drums, Wurlitzer, church bells, “sky saw” guitar — that helps make Pixel Revolt feel as classic as David Bowie’s Hunky Dory or Eno and Fripp’s Another Green World, while more than measuring up to hip contemporary standards.

 

Show me the waveform!

 

I like John Vanderslice a lot. I picked up that record at one of his shows last month in Boston.

 

Analog is real. Digital is a hollow clone like one of the Michael Keatons in "Multiplicity." Analog will return someday.

 

Keep on telling yourself that...

 

Eyes closed:
Analog will return someday.
Analog will return someday.
Analog will return someday.
There's no place like home.
Oops, I mean...
Analog will return someday.
Analog will return someday.

 

Yeah, sure

 

thanks to you and JasonK for speaking up about this album. Its incredible in more ways than I could ever say. One of the best records I've heard from the 21st century thus far.

Amazing album and I had no idea this guy existed until your thread.

thanks.

 

Hey I noticed on his website, he's offering the vinyl only song from Pixel Revolt as a download. As I didnt buy the vinyl, I'm glad to have found this...there are a few other downloads as well in case anyone wants to check him out..


http://www.johnvanderslice.com/html/mp3_bsides.html

 

John Vanderslice also happens to be one of the nicest guys you're ever likely to meet. His albums always end up being my favorite of whatever year they are released, and Pixel Revolt on wax is a STEAL at $21. It is among the very best sounding vinyl I own.

Glad to see the guy getting a little overdue attention around here.

 

Thanks for the feedback. It's always fun for me to find a new artist that fits so well with my taste in music, no doubt the same for others. Bonus when it sounds so nice too. Lots of good records get talked about around here.

 

bord, have you heard his latest Emerald City, and if so how would you place it in reference to Pixel Revolt and Cellar Door, which are the two I have now? A friend from another board said it equaled Cellar Door as his favorite, though I'm partial to Pixel Revolt. I've only heard bits and pieces from the first two, but haven't heard anything I didn't like.

 

Hmmm. Interesting point. I never really thought of it that way.

 

Hey Davey,

You can hear and download 4 live Emerald City tracks and also read a review here

http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1147/john-vanderslice

 

Thanks guys! I ordered the vinyl of Pixel Revolt. I'll try that first then move on to Emerald City or Cellar Door if I like it as much as I liked the samples so far.

Always keep looking for new music, you might surprise yourself.