Aural Hodgepodge

First, an update on the alphabet experiment. We are nearing the end of the ‘A’ section. Yes, you read that correctly! It’s been over three months since we began listening to our entire music collection in alphabetical order and we have not yet completed the first of 23 letters. And we have been listening at a steady rate. The last album we heard contained three works by Arvo Pärt, including Fratres, part of which played as Susie walked down the aisle during our wedding. On our new speakers it sounded incredible. And I had not given much listening time to the other pieces on the disc. I’m glad I finally did. I continue to be impressed with Pärt’s work. While his work doesn’t really break any new ground, it is consistently gorgeous.

Also regarding the alphabet experiment, Susie has finally started her own blog, dedicated solely to this sonic endeavor of ours. Check it out here. Her first post will make you laugh, albeit at my expense. What can I say? Ani Difranco is not only an amazing feminist, but she’s a great musician who is constantly pushing herself musically. Well, at least up until the past few years. Maybe she’s getting tired?

Second, Sasquatch is happening tomorrow. I am very much looking forward to hearing Pavement, Shabazz Palaces, Broken Social Scene, Vampire Weekend, Brad, and Patrick Watson. I’m also looking forward to hearing new bands. The last time I went to Sasquatch I heard Grizzly Bear for the first time. I’ve since seen them live in Seattle at Neumo’s. It didn’t quite come close to what they did at the Gorge, which still impresses me to this day. It’s typical for daytime performances at outdoor festivals to lack the right mood for a band like GB, but they soared that day, there vocal harmonies flying across the vast crowd, and sounding as sweet as could be. I’m hoping to be wowed again this year by someone new to my ears.

And finally, in my ongoing search for the best sound, I have learned that both my laptop drive and my dvd player are far superior to the portable cd player I have been using for years. The difference in sound quality is remarkable. For those of you who know about hi-fi equipment this is probably obvious, but for the rest of you who, like me, have been using the same cheap setup for years, unaware of the possibilities, try this out for yourself!