We interviewed John Cale in issue #156 around the time of his previous release, Mercy. He has just released POPtical Illusion, a collection of synth and keyboard heavy tunes that carry a heavy, and at times angry message about the state of the world. That is not to say that that Cale has lost all hope and there is optimism that we can still bring about change. POPtical Illusion was produced by Cale along with longtime artistic collaborator Nita Scott.
If you want to stay in business you need to record all kinds of bands, including those you don't care for. (This is actually a shock to some people. It is. They don't last long, and their refusal to work with anyone except bands they hand-pick is...
In the never-ending, century-old battle between corporations and content producers: I give you the latest bit of pro-artist activism. This is taken directly from the Grammy Foundation's website:
Tell Congress to Save Music and Stop the "Pandora...
Check out the new track, “Domestic Workers Song,” from Dawn Landes. The song was originally written in 1939 but it’s still relevant and timely, and the recording is a fun sing-a-long romp with nods to The Band and the upstate NY...
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One of my favorite records of 2024 to date is Phosphorescent’s Revelator. It’s a beautifully recorded album, featuring Matthew Houck's timeless songwriting and lyrics plus gorgeous arrangements. I was hooked the first...
After 20 years at the Davis Square location (and a previous 15 years on Albany Street), Boston’s Q Division Studios had to close its doors in July of 2021. Through the years, Q Division was host to a diverse group of artists, including Aimee...
Thanks for this guest post by John Morand
I wasn’t surprised when I heard that Daniel Johnston had died. It was 9-11 and for me, there would always be a connection between Daniel and 9-11. In the days after the attack, when...
Subconscious Auditory Effects (SAE) is a term I have cobbled together to encapsulate a broad range of phenomena in this barely-studied field of inquiry. An SAE is any measurable effect on a person caused by a sound, or change in sound, that is...
On May 31st, 2022 we lost synthesis pioneer Dave Smith. Tape Op contributor Alex Maiolo wrote this lovey tribute to remember him by.-GS
Don Buchla, Robert Moog, Tom Oberheim, Delia Derbyshire, Peter Zinovieff, Roger Linn, Hiroaki Nishijima,...