Posts by granitecyclist

The Blackwater Fever - Over Broken Bones

A little bit of American neo-prog...😁

won't Cry Over you

I'm Waiting here

Lhasa de selo - Love came here

Blackwater Fever - Devour

The Fumes - Cuddle Up The Devil

Let's keep this review series moving along...😁

Reignwolf - Are You Satisfied?

Glass Animals - Exxus

Des Rocs - Used to the Darkness

This Canadian duo really captures that classic vibe, much like The Black Keys or The White Stripes

The White Stripes

Since I'm already diving down this rabbit hole, here is another great Canadian duo I stumbled upon...

The Blue Stones - Rolling with the Punches

Warhaus

Stand

Halloween is just around the corner...

It doesn't really matter. Sure, why not.
(though I suppose those who aren't checking in at their own risk might not quite grasp what's actually going on from the title alone)😁

The legendary space rock pioneers Hawkwind are celebrating an incredible 50 years of making music! With David Brock serving as the sole original member in the current lineup, they’ve just dropped their latest album, "All Aboard The Skylark."

Flesh Fondue

He's still got plenty of life left in him... (from the new album, "Colorado")

Neil Young with Crazy Horse - Milky Way

And I guess "Swans" have released another (should I even say it?) fantastic album, "Leaving Meaning"

Swans - It’s Coming It’s Real

Or maybe "The Hanging Man"

Well, looks like some coincidences popping up in the off-topic section for off-topic EPinkfairies...😉☕

SevaMirogojcek said:I suppose there are plenty of reasons why things might sound worse, especially since back in the 80s, people were still figuring out how to work with the cd- format. And then you have those remasters and all that...

I used to own some very early pressings from 1988 and 1989. I never really had any issues with them skipping or anything, though I did sell them about seven years ago. They always felt a bit thinner to me—a quieter sound, I guess. But whenever I’d drop the needle on a record, everything just sounded louder and punchier, almost like it had more life in it, you know? On the other hand, I still have some CDs from 1991—Castle included, along with a few others—and they honestly sound pretty great even today. There isn't much of a noticeable difference compared to vinyl, at least when we're talking about reissues that were originally released on vinyl long before they hit the CD format.

From the 1993 releases onward, when bands started recording albums digitally, those CDs generally sound perfectly fine. But then, somewhere between 2000 and 2005, they started this whole obsession with volume and compression. It's called the 'loudness war' if you look it up on Wikipedia, and it basically ruins both new releases and reissues. Why? I honestly have no clue. And you don't even have an alternative once the records themselves aren't using analog sources anymore. So, I guess everything just sounds worse than it used to.

In my opinion, CDs were actually at their peak for sound quality during the 90s in most cases. I'm not saying nothing better came later, but the 90s really were the golden age for CD audio quality. Those 1991 editions already feel a step up from the 80s era. Maybe things were even slightly better between 1993 and 1995, which seemed to be the absolute sweet spot.

I don't quite get why they started messing with things like this later on, especially since so many people complain about it. I can't see any logical reason why they wouldn't have just kept doing what they did in the 90s. Since it's obvious to everyone that it sounds worse, maybe it's just easier manufacturing or some way to sell us something subpar under the guise of "improved" quality, or who knows what kind of trickery. Often, these remasters try to force a level of loudness that just isn't present in the original, making it sound artificial. But I suppose that's true for everything; quality tends to degrade in every product eventually. TVs, refrigerators—everything seems designed to break after a certain amount of time. You don't see any modern Whirlpool fridges lasting 50 years anymore. There has to be some level of sheer stupidity involved in why they choose to degrade everything.

Man, the other day I tried a Hershey's chocolate bar and tossed it immediately; if that's related to the state of things, then call me Peter Pan. Even the local bakery treats have been ruined lately... they've become total disasters. It feels like everything considered a "product" is being messed with. This trend has been creeping in since around 2000...

SevaMirogojcek said:Yeah, I explained that, but the problem is people constantly skip over posts, so I end up having to copy and paste my own thoughts.

"Because there's a big difference between analog vs. digital in the studio, where both have their pros and cons. And then there's the medium itself—vinyl vs. CD. The analog spectrum is wider, but it doesn't matter if the human ear can't perceive it, since a CD covers exactly what the human ear is capable of hearing. That so-called 'warmth' of vinyl is really just the distortion produced by the record itself; essentially, a CD has a cleaner, more sterile sound, which might feel unnatural to the human ear simply because our hearing isn't perfect. Plus, with a record, you need top-tier equipment—which most people don't have—on top of a good pressing, solid mastering, an old analog release, and a fresh needle. Even then, after every play, a record starts accumulating measurable interference."

So, if your goal is to achieve a sound profile superior to a CD—specifically that frequency spectrum most people can't even perceive while maintaining perfect clarity—you’d essentially have to swap out your needle and your record every ten listens or so. At that point, the audible interference starts to creep in, creating noise that a CD simply doesn't have. Of course, that’s only if you’re chasing a sound better than digital. But really, who can actually afford that kind of listening experience? Not to mention, you'd need a top-tier amplifier and high-end speakers to make it worth it. That’s why I maintain that, in practice, vinyl isn't actually "better" sounding than a CD. In a real-world scenario, you'd have to perform all those maintenance steps constantly just to stay ahead of the digital quality, which is pretty much impossible.

Then again, there are CDs available in 96/24-bit, even though 16-bit is more than enough, especially when you're listening to rock and roll.

My conclusion is this: I honestly think it's a bit misplaced, maybe even a little pretentious, to claim that people can actually hear the difference in quality between digital and analog.

What I can agree on is that the "color" of the sound is different. But talking about differences in definition or frequency spectrum that the human ear can't actually detect feels a bit silly to me.

You might see a technical difference on paper, but if 99 percent of the people on the planet can't hear it, then it doesn't really matter. A master tape isn't a record, and high-end reel-to-reel machines definitely offer a wider spectrum than a CD, but we're back to the same question: how many people can actually perceive that?

For me, the interesting part is the tonal color. As far as the spectrum goes, if I can't hear anything outside of the 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range, then a CD already covers that entire spectrum anyway.

Basically,
it’s just what I suspected—out of the 200 or so people who have checked out this thread, maybe three or four are actually buying music.
It seems like Americans just want everything for free.
There’s a real lack of appreciation for musicians and all the hard work they put in.
And I don't think that's just because of the economy; it feels more like a general mindset that many generations have been raised with.
Piracy is thriving, and honestly, it's at its most tempting when it's totally free.🙄😉

ruggedharbor17 said:... I actually have some copies that Castle released back in 1991...

Right,
but do you still pick up music nowadays, or was it mostly just back in 1991?🤔

It seems like everyone listens to music these days, but I suppose the real question is how much people are actually willing to set aside every month to own original pieces of art.
Does anyone here on Reddit actually buy music on physical media—whether that’s vinyl, CDs, DVDs, or even cassettes—or do you mostly just stick to streaming services?

Or is most music just consumed via Justin Bieber or maybe downloaded through shady sites...
Vinyl isn't exactly cheap lately (usually running at least $25 or $30), so I totally get why a high schooler might struggle to shell out that kind of cash every single month just to pick up two albums or CDs.
(It feels like younger listeners today tend to focus on individual tracks rather than sitting down with a full album.)

Say someone really wants to own an album by, say, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (since their discography is a bit more niche), but do fans of artists like Lady Gaga, U2, or Queen here in the States actually buy "physical formats"—which is such a cold, corporate way to put it!—or do they just quickly stream everything on Justin Bieber and suddenly consider themselves huge music experts?

Also, does anyone here listen to, or perhaps even support, those various interesting indie or underground acts over on Bandcamp? Have you ever donated to help keep a small band afloat? If so, who would you recommend?

Anyway,
do you find yourselves buying music on a regular basis, or do you mostly just listen through various free sources because you aren't quite ready to start spending real money on it?☕

Morgan Brown4 said:Yeah, that gets on my nerves too.
I never understood why people hate on multiplexes and claim they "destroyed cinema"... And then they start rambling about how those old little rooms had "soul" and modern multiplexes are just dead and soulless... Look, I don't give a damn about the room. I came to watch a freaking movie, for God's sake!

Maybe you can complain about the programming—you know, the obsession with blockbusters and Oscar bait—but thank God, they do still offer art and indie films. It's just that those movies usually don't stay on the schedule for long... While the new Star Wars or Avengers movies run for months after their premiere...
It’ll never make sense to me why someone would travel to Europe or an old-school movie theater (where those movies take up slots that could be used for something else) if the same thing is playing at AMC...

Not like we have a movie theater at home anyway...

I honestly think you’d find it pretty boring. You wouldn't have that whole "crowd" to deal with—you know, the ones throwing popcorn at you, loudly munching on burritos, or constantly checking their phones to ask everyone, "Hey, where you at?"☕😉

Supreme Court Rules: Banks Illegally Raised Interest Rates on Swiss Franc Loans

The Supreme Court released a ruling today stating that the decisions made by banks regarding variable interest rates on Swiss Franc loans—specifically those occurring between January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2014—were not legally sound. It seems the reasoning is that these institutions failed to align their "variable rate adjustment practices" with the specific requirements set out in the Consumer Credit Act.