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The Audiophile

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High-definition video transformed movies and TV, and high-resolution audio is changing music, thanks to 3D surround sound and better quality. Each week we publish an in-depth interview with the musicians and engineers making music better, where stars such as Steve Aoki, Imagine Dragons, Foo Fighters talk about their latest releases … and how new HD is helping making them awesome.

james mercer the shins pointing

Embracing the ’80s and flipping the script with The Shins frontman James Mercer

The Shins completely reworked all eleven songs on their 2017 album, Heartworms, for The Worm’s Heart, and band mastermind James Mercer thinks the Flipped versions are better overall.
starsailor press

Naked but never nihilistic, Starsailor charts a course for indie soul

nick heyward

How new wave legend Nick Heyward transformed his musical doodles into songs

Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold is down with Beach Boys covers, but not with going to Mars

joss stone light pattern

Joss Stone tossed the script (and recorded her dogs) for ‘Project Mama Earth’

slowdive neil halstead orange light

Pop a cork and sit down. For Slowdive, vinyl is all about the ceremony

Silverplanes filter

Silverplanes jet into the ‘Gulfstream’ of modern listening, one EP at a time

Barenaked Ladies ed robertson tyler stewart jump

Barenaked Ladies cut loose and show it all with ‘Fake Nudes’

The Bloody Beetroots Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo dj

For the Bloody Beetroots, sometimes building bridges means tearing down songs

audiophile cut chemist

How deep is your crate?’ DJ Cut Chemist digs down on ‘Die Cut’

cheetah chrome dead boys now grimace

As loud and snotty as ever, the Dead Boys are keeping punk alive

the audiophile lee ranaldo violin guitar

From early Macs to vinyl, Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo digs his tech relics

Gord Downie suit

Friends, admirers, and collaborators remember Canadian rock legend Gord Downie

Gord Downie leaves behind a recorded legacy with The Tragically Hip that is based in the grit and groove of the finest rock has to offer, along with his beyond-vivid songwriting.
Dhani Harrison guitar

His father did it with sitar, but Dhani Harrison proves EDM can heal, too

An EDM-tinged aura that expands on his film and TV compositional work permeates all throughout Dhani Harrison’s first full-fledged solo album, IN///PARALLEL.
Tom Petty bw coat

Remembering Tom Petty with an unreleased interview on gear, recording, his legacy

The late Tom Petty discussed the sound he was going after in the studio, what makes for a good engineer, and what his vision of The Heartbreakers’ future was.
Neil Finn drama shot

Ever wonder how an album is made? Neil Finn live-streamed the process

Out of Silence shows Neil Finn in the moment as a live-streaming music creator, and he plans to continue to utilize the platform to launch new music.
Kaki King acoustic

Backed by an orchestra, Kaki King shape shifts yet again on ‘Live at Berklee’

Avant-guitarist Kaki King discusses the philosophy behind Live at Berklee, how to bring classical performance and composition into the modern era.
Deer Tick logo

Deer Tick returns from hiatus with a double-barreled dual album release

Deer Tick is stronger than ever, as evidenced in their two new albums. Acoustic songwriting dominates Vol. 1 and punk-like abandon thunders forth on Vol. 2.
audiophile living colour vernon reid  2017 photo by karsten steiger

Furious times call for furious songs on ‘Shade,’ Living Colour’s righteous return

Living Colour’s new genre-defying album Shade examines a constant dialogue about what it’s like being an American in today’s topsy-turvy modern times.
Brownmark of The Revolution point

The Revolution carries Prince’s purple flag forward … with a little more bass

The Revolution discusses the Purple Rain band’s studio techniques when recording with Prince, the missing bass on When Doves Cry, and what’s next.
Corin Tucker light

The party is the show for Corin Tucker and her Filthy Friends

Guitarist/vocalist Corin Tucker discusses how her new band Filthy Friends keeps their songs feeling current in today’s ever-changing socio-political climate, the current status of Sleater-Kinney, and how to challenge yourself as an artist whenever you play live.
Steven Wilson dramatic color stage

On ‘To The Bone,’ Steven Wilson crafts accessible songs that transcend time

Steven Wilson discusses his new album To the Bone, the secrets of post-modern sound construction, and how to make music feel timeless.
the audiophile vok interview band guitar getty

Vök drummer Einer Stef on the ‘Icelandic sound,’ Björk covers, and their first LP

Vök drummer Einar Stef discusses the band’s process, and which Björk covers it should do.
the audiophile black grape 13889

Mellower but still a madman, Black Grape’s Shaun Ryder is all about the music now

Black Grape frontman Shaun Ryder talks ‘Pop Voodoo,’ signing vinyl the “right” way, and how his kids currently view his musical legacy.
charles spearin broken social scene interview flickr

Broken Social Scene’s ‘Hug of Thunder’ brings 18 artists together for sonic harmony

Broken Social Scene reconvenes every few years to make beautiful music together, just as they’ve done on their new album, Hug of Thunder.
Audiophile Battle Tapes Josh Boardman on a couch

From floppy disks to $500 music videos, Battle Tapes did it their way on ‘Form’

Battle Tapes mastermind Josh Boardman wanted to flip the sonic script while working of Form, the genre-busting EP that follows up 2015’s Polygon.
Styx Tommy Shaw pose

Styx crosses solar systems and generations on ‘The Mission’

On their new album ‘The Mission,’ Styx revisits the space optimism of 1977’s ‘The Grand Illusion’ with a new mission: Mars.
Matthew Sweet in home studio black and white

‘Tomorrow Forever’ is a long album for an impatient era, but Kickstarter loves it

Matthew Sweet turned to Kickstarter to record Tomorrow Forever, a 17-song forward-thinking melodic riff-fest that somehow never feels long.
shannon mcnally black irish interview 2017 5 head

Shannon McNally busts borders and opens minds on ‘Black Irish’

Shannon McNally straddles the line between songwriter and song interpreter on ‘Black Irish,’ and isn’t afraid to state the obvious.
Matisyahu reinvents his beatbox reggae style.

‘Undercurrent’ isn’t a Matisyahu album, it’s a soundtrack for life

Matisyahu, the noted Jewish reggae/hip-hop beatboxer who’s taken live improv to another level with his new album, Undercurrent.
audiophile magpie salute rich robinson 3

Oh, the inhumanity! Rich Robinson of Magpie Salute on the tragedy of autotune

The Magpie Salute, led by Rich Robinson, founding guitarist of The Black Crowes, grooves along like the best jam-masters do.
giles martin on sgt pepper at 50 the beatles feat

Finally in surround after 50 years, ‘Sgt. Pepper’ is getting better all the time

canadian trio close talker upped the recording ante on lens fb lrg 1

And then there were 3. Now a trio, Close Talker do more with less on ‘Lens’

something else is the cranberries greatest hits resurrected press 2017 2

Less is more on ‘Something Else,’ The Cranberries’ greatest hits resurrected