it. was. phenomenal.

We had decided to participate in Mutemath’s budding VIP experience (Free t-shirts, albums, first-in-line passes, etc…), and one of the perks allowed me to acquire a photographer’s pass to the show. The VIP tickets also let us into the venue 30 minutes before doors opened. As a result, we got awesome spots up front.

Now back to the phenomenal part; Mutemath puts on an incredible performance. It’s a team of very talented musicians, sound and lighting engineers, stage hands, and event coordinators working together to put on a show that’s nothing short of cinematic. As a musician, I can attest to the practically perfect performance (yea alliteration); the few errors that did occur were seamless and handled with creativity.

Below are some of my favorite photographs from the show. If you want to see the full set, check them out on Flickr.

Maudlin

Good Luck and Godspeed

http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/03/the-sizzling-sound-of-music.html

Berger then said that he tests his incoming students each year in a similar way. He has them listen to a variety of recordings which use different formats from MP3 to ones of much higher quality. He described the results with some disappointment and frustration, as a music lover might, that each year the preference for music in MP3 format rises. In other words, students prefer the quality of that kind of sound over the sound of music of much higher quality. He said that they seemed to prefer “sizzle sounds” that MP3s bring to music. It is a sound they are familiar with.

That “sizzling” has always driven me nuts in the lower quality stuff.

I remember wondering what audiophiles were up to, buying extremely expensive home audio systems to play old vinyl records. They put turntables in sand-filled enclosures with elaborate cabling schemes. I wondered what they heard in that music that I didn’t. Someone explained to me that audiophiles liked the sound artifacts of vinyl records — the crackles of that format. It was familiar and comfortable to them, and maybe those affects became a fetish. Is it now becoming the same with iPod lovers?

I can’t totally subscribe to this hypothesis. Because vinyl records are analog, they play a continuous audio wave that includes a bit of warm fuzz and crackle. Whereas digital audio is a mashup of samples from the audio wave; the sizzle and hiss created from the gaps between the samples. You may get a little noise with vinyl, but at least cymbals will sound like they do in real life.

(via: Daring Fireball)

LoPez’s self-titled EP has been released on Amazon MP3 and iTunes!

The new EP is available for just under $5. You can use the link below to get to the stores.

Buy it from Amazon MP3
Buy it from iTunes

Here are the piks… If you want to see more pictures from this show or hear their music, than check out their MySpace page.