Truly Stunning Vinyl Album

Two LPs by J G Thirlwell aka Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel: “Nail” and “Hole”.

“Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel” is a nom de guerre of J G Thirlwell, an Aussie musician who wrote, performed and produced 4 albums under that name by himself. A brilliant, in demand composer (he’s been commissioned by The Kronos Quartet, among others), these LPs must be heard to be believed. Imagine the sound of someone creating a musical cacophony by dropping several tons of sheet metal from a ten story building onto a busy city street, using that sound to quote everyone from surfer music bands like Jan and Dean to nursery rhymes to swing to krautrock to Sibelius and everything in between, with a vocal growl like Frankenstein, and whatever volume you might have been imagining this might be, just quadruple it, all while keeping the gas petal pressed to the floor for 45 minutes without ever ever letting up. Seemingly a musical omnivore, Thirlwell devours everything and spits it back out in a scrap heap of sonic chaos, twisted beyond recognition. His oblique yet subversive lyrical themes don’t make his music any more palatable for the faint of heart. This is the sound of unfiltered imagination, absolutely unencumbered by notions of commerce or accessibility. In fact it can double as a great way to clear a party.

THAT is what this sounds like. It’s a wall of sound that makes Phil Spector’s sound like you are listening through tin cans and a string.

It’s brilliant genius and it’s not ever ever ever going to be for everybody.

@larryi 

I had been collecting MoFi for years. 

At one point, I thought that I was noticing that the sound quality had become thinner, less airy and detailed. 

Finally, the controversy over the digital step erupted. And I said “ah hah!”.

I now not simply prefer SS original press or NM original press or Analog Productions, I buy only them. Except for AP, I avoid all reissues. 

@larryi

Regarding the MoFi one step.

I had been buying MoFi releases for a decade or so. I personally found that they were not always better than if you had a well cared for original pressing.

At one point, I found that the sound quality had deteriorated on new releases. I didn’t understand why. But they sounded like digitally mastered vinyl pressings, which tend to be lacking in atmospherics, texture and sometimes even dynamics. And so I stopped buying them.

Years later, I heard about the one step controversy. And I said “Heh heh …”

Maria Duenas “Beethoven and Beyond” on Deutsche Grammophon.

- Stunning once in a generation musicianship by Maria on violin.

- Impeccable recording engineering

- flawless vinyl pressing

I just saw her solo debut at Weill Recital Hall (Little Carnegie Hall, just to the left of Carnegie Hall, seats maybe 200) with the nearly equally young Russian pianist (21 and 24 respectively) Alexander Malofeev this past Tuesday.

I have not seen someone so talented at such a young age since I saw the pianist Mauricio Polini, also at Carnegie, some 50 years ago. She brings a staggeringly aggressive and overpowering energy that shifts gears to equally tender passages with confident ease. Her bow control is unlike anything I have ever heard: she is able to extract multiple textures out of individual notes, even as she bends those very notes, deriving emotional nuances well beyond the reach of lesser artists.

If you don’t believe me, read this:

https://www.vulture.com/article/maria-duenas-new-york-recital-debut-carnegie-hall-weill.html

https://bachtrack.com/review-maria-duenas-alexander-malofeev-carnegie-hall-new-york-october-2024

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/15/arts/music/maria-duenas-carnegie-hall.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare