Isn't it heartening when the Mercury Award winning album gets me a Turn Me Up thumbs up?

Listening to Elbow's The Seldom Seen Kid, the Mercury Prize winning-album the other day, and nonchalantly reading the insert that comes with it, it was heartening to see had the following declaration in there:

"Turn Me Up!™ To preserve the excitement, emotion and dynamics of the original performances this record is intentionally quieter than some. For full enjoyment simply Turn Me Up!"



It's evident through the album, especially on the opening track 'Starlings', which has a classic quiet-loud-quiet moment, that this is an artist who clearly appreciates the complexities of music making. I also suggest listening to his radio show on BBC 6Music if you wish to find out about similar artists, new as well as old. It's a hidden secret in the listening schedules that now needs to be shared more. Read more

Equal rights for Audiophiles!

Audiophiles get a bad press. Even the word conjures up images of old men in tweed, listening to LPs of train sound effects on turntables that pre-date the invention of the compact disc via valve amps and speakers the size of the average inner-city bedsit. Now, we’re not adverse to the odd bit of tweed, but we think Steve Guttenberg on CNET has the right idea. Being an audiophile is about having a passion for listening to music, and you don’t need a system costing thousands of pounds to do that. Yes you need kit that comes closer to the true intentions of the artists than those headphones that come with your mobile phone, but listening is a state of mind, and a great one to be in.
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