Flaming Lips Get Embryonic With Their Noisy Roots

by Jason Hicks

The Flaming Lips started out as a band of deranged punks in Oklahoma City in the mid 80s, the core of which was formed by lead singer Wayne Coyne, his brother Mark and bassist Michael Ivins.  After Mark left the band, brother Wayne assumed the reigns of the group and got to work making the band a full time gig, which was a decade long process.  Musically, the band slowly learned to play their instruments and tame some of their more wildly bizarre tendencies, to a degree, before emerging with 1990's excellent In a Priest Driven Ambulance.

From there the Lips went through numerous line up changes, survived one hit wonder status after the single "She Don't Use Jelly" made an impact at alternative radio, staged audio experiments with garages full of cars playing tapes and released the remarkably refined The Soft Bulletin in 1999.  The Soft Bulletin was indeed an apogee for the band, as it was hailed by many as one of the best albums of the decade.  After 2002's well received Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, the Lips released At War With the Mystics in 2006, which was seen by many as a letdown considering the heights of orchestral psychedelic pop they had scaled on their last two outings.  However, it was almost inevitable that the Lips would have to come to terms with the nearly constant upward trajectory that they had been on for over twenty years.  By the middle of the 2000s there literally was nowhere for them to go but down, having become the consummate trippy freak out band of the mainstream, with songs licensed to commercials and the band regularly playing massive music festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo.

Which brings us to the recently released Embryonic and we find the band circling, in some ways, back to the rough and tumble acid rock that marked their earlier career.  Coyne recently remarked that the album began its life as free flowing jam sessions at member Steven Drozd's home studio, and that ebullient genesis is apparent.  This group of songs is the loosest and unstructured batch of tunes in quite some time, perhaps going all the way back to their 1992 major label debut, Hit to Death in the Future Head.  Suffice to say that it's highly unlikely that any of these songs will be popping up on salad dressing or computer commercials as other Lips tracks have in recent years, these are songs that must be heard in their entirety and numerous times in order to be fully grasped.

The album's seventy minute running time, the longest Lips album yet, provides quite a bit of material to digest as Coyne warbles under swaths of reverb while eerie synth sounds float in the mix and collide with pounding drums and distorted guitars.  In fact, this album is an audiophile's nightmare as many of the instruments have been recorded at levels much too high and the drums, basslines or guitar break up on nearly every track.  Do not be alarmed, there is nothing wrong with your speakers, it's just the Lips reveling in good old fashioned noise.  On one hand, I have to respect a mainstream album that completely disregards modern production standards, but I wonder if such a grungy sounding album has ever been recorded with such expensive equipment.  Although the cellphone interference present on "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine" makes me question if someone was indeed asleep at the wheel during the mastering process.  But I suppose that's just part of the Lips' prankster persona, we'll never know if they intended for Embryonic to sound as harsh as it does. 

What is clearly a purposeful decision is the complete lack of pop songs throughout the proceedings.  In fact nearly a quarter of the songs here are instrumental and on others like "Worm Mountain" and "The Impulse" the vocals are so heavily buried both in the mix and by effects that they are given no more weight than the other instruments that they jaggedly bump up against.  However, something resembling a hook does finally rear its head on the third to last song, "Sliver Trembling Hands", perhaps as a reward to those who have completed the journey thus far through the musical swamps of Coyne's imagination.  In fact the last three songs of the album compose a suite of songs that represent the strongest material on the album, which is indeed a rariety in an era of albums front loaded with singles and back loaded with filler.

Lyrically, some themes begin to emerge in the swirling sonic soup after a few listens, most conspicuously the nature of evil and how we should properly react to its presence in our lives.  Much of the press surrounding Embryonic has compared it to Miles Davis' exploratory 70s albums, but for me, at least in the abstract, it shares more of an aesthetic with the metaphysical space travels of Sun Ra.  A good chunk of the album deals with interstellar tropes, culminating with the album ending "Watching the Planets", which contains allusions to the galactic alignment of 2012.   While another motif of the album is about the search for a coherence to the underlying patterns and nature of the universe, in the end Embryonic is about acceptance as Coyne says "Oh, oh, oh/ Finding the answer/ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh/ Finding that there ain't no answer to find." 

When a voice intones during "Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast" repeatedly that "this is the beginning" it neatly sums up the Lips' glass-is-half-full philosophy.  While it could be argued that we are at an end point in many ways as a society and species, as long as their are those who remain on the quest for enlightened consciousness like the Flaming Lips, there is still hope that an unseen new chapter awaits us just beyond the horizon. 

Volcano Choir Unmap the Connection Between Ambient and Folk

by Jason Hicks

Volcano Choir is the new band that represents a collaboration between Justin Vernon (a.k.a. Bon Iver) and Collections of Colonies of Bees.  While I don't know much, or anything, about Collections of Colonies of Bees (other than opining that their name is quite unwieldy) the Bon Iver album, For Emma, Forever Ago is one of my favorites to come out of the neo-folk movement that has been gaining steam recently.  While that album was about as minimal as it gets, mainly consisting of one man with an acoustic guitar and some tasteful vocal overdubs, the debut album Volcano Choir album, Unmap, is a different animal entirely.

While it still does have a folky quality to it, this album is definitely one that will sit nicely with others in the "experimental" bin of your local record shop.  You know, that arbitrary section where you can find artists as disparate as John Zorn and Einsturzende Neubauten rubbing shoulders because the dudes behind the counter didn't know where else to file their albums.  There's no shortage of oddball noises here, with electronic beeps and loops eerily floating in an out of the mix.  Vocoder vocals, the analog precursor of the ubiquitous autotuned vocals, pop up on "Still" as they did on the Bon Iver album.  However, against an ambient backdrop, the effect is far more artful than the clumsy attempts at futurism that are currently dominating the airwaves.

Some tracks like "Mbira in the Morass" are a little too left field for their own good, consisting of nothing more than haphazard piano chords, thumb harp notes and random noises paired with unintelligible vocals.  At a scant 35 minutes the album can't really afford to accommodate throw aways such as this, but when it gets it right, like on the acoustic guitar and vocals with loops tone poem of "Husks and Shells", Unmap delivers impressionistic beauty like few other albums in recent memory.  Elsewhere, Vernon sings over vocal and guitar loops on "Seeplymouth" and "Dote" respectively.  Both seem fairly sparse on their surface, but upon closer listening reveal some subtle layers of vocals and sounds.

It's interesting that when the subgenre of "folktronica" first emerged in the late '90s/early '00s with artists like Four Tet and Manitoba, it was mainly electronic music with a few folky elements tossed in for color.  Now with records like this, and the work of artists like Animal Collective and Akron/Family, we are seeing the reverse come into vogue, music that is rooted in the folk genre thematically, but employs electronic flourishes to fill things out. 

Despite its experimental leanings, at its heart Unmap is about the beauty of the human voice, and to that end Vernon's soaring vocals serve it quite well.   While overall the album does feel a bit slight, it is long on ambition and serves as a uniquely engaging listen.  Seeing as how the two full length albums from Vernon so far have differed greatly, it will be interesting to see what direction his next project will take. 

Home Theater Week in Review, October 5-9, 2009: Sony Edge-Lit XBR10 LCDs; PS3 Slim.

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Another laid back week for home theater news, but Sony made a bit of a splash at CEDIA with their new XBR10 series of flat panels. Boasting truckloads of new school tech, like full 1080p resolution in an ultra thin design, wireless transmission, broadband Ethernet Bravia internet video connection, Motionflow 240Hz, and edge-lit LED backlighting, the XBR10s are stunning to say the least. Two models are currently available: a 47 inch at $4500, and a 52 inch model at $5000. Curiously though, Sony's opted not to include local dimming in the new sets; will this feature in upcoming models? Sony's always been at the forefront of video technology, so it'll definitely be interesting to see how the new flat panels compare with the last gen of local dimming sets, the XBR8. Get all the deets here.

Also, don't forget about the PS3 Slim that's been available for a minute now. Sure, there have been some  cuts as usual to get the size/weight/price down (geez, will we ever see PS2 compatibility again?), but keep this gaming unit in mind if you're an HT enthusiast: The slim now allows you to output true bitstream DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby True HD to your A/V receiver! 'Bout time. And at $299 for an all-in-one gamer and Blu ray spinner, not a bad value either. Check out the Engadget review for all the deets here.

Movie Releases for This Week.

DVD: The Proposal; Drag Me to Hell; Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season; Land of the Lost; Every Little Step; The Stepfather; Happy Birthday to Me; Futurerama: The Complete Collection; Objectified; Bob Dylan; Keep Your Eyes on the Prize; Warren Miller: Children of Winter; Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection, Vol. 7.

Blu-ray: The Proposal; Drag Me to Hell; Land of the Lost; Hardware; Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas; The Craft; Screwballs; Warren Miller: Children of Winter.

All Things Vinyl, October 5, 2009: Classic Records Royal Ballet and Beethoven Symphonies on Clarity Vinyl.

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Not a lot of vinyl news this week, but still some golden nuggets to report on: Classic Records just announced two fabulous new vinyl releases, the first of which being the highly sought after The Royal Ballet Gala Performances. Recorded in 1957 at Kingsway Hall, Royal Ballet features Ernest Ansermet conducting the Royal Opera House Orchestra in one their finest performances ever recorded. Many classical-luvin' audiophiles consider this to be one of Decca's finest recordings, and now Classic Records has reissued Ballet on their wondrous 200 gram, QUIEX-SVP Clarity vinyl formulation--and on 9 45-rpm discs no less. Sure, there's a non-45 rpm version of this album available as well, but if you love this music and treasure superb-sounding classical music from the golden age of LP recordings, you'll delight at all the musical and sonic riches this 9-disc set has to offer. Look for this set to be available October 16th at around $120.

Also coming soon from Classic Records is the complete cycle of Beethoven Symphonies with Josef Krips conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. That's right--all nine glorious Beethoven symphonies in one set! Originally issued in 1959 by Everest Records, the Krips Beethoven cycle is one in a series of Everest gems originally recorded onto 35mm master tape; Bert Whyte was at the helm of the original sessions and did a fine job of capturing all of Walthamstow Assembly Hall's rich reverberant decay, sense of scale and natural tonal balance. Rest assured Classic is coaxing as much sonic goodness as possible from this one: the set will comprise 10 200-gram Quiex-SVP Clarity vinyl LPs with mastering at Bernie Grundman. Look for the set to be available around Oct. 20th, $249 MSRP. 

Thom Yorke Date Added Tonight!

by Jason Hicks
Earlier this week I blogged about Radiohead's Thom Yorke putting together a new band featuring among others Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.  The band was scheduled to debut at the Orpheum Theatre this Sunday and Monday in Los Angeles.

But today just to further my theory that Yorke is aiming for complete interweb domination, he dropped the bomb on his blog this morning that he will be playing yet another show, which will be taking place tonight at the Echoplex, also in L.A.

Quoth Mr. Yorke, "so yes that band thats doesnt really have a name that im working with at the moment?????? have decided to do a warm-up show on Friday Oct 2nd around 9pm at the Echoplex in Los Angeles  Its not that big, it'll be total chaos and its kind of a rehearsal but .. if you are near by.. below is a link to get tickets. hope you get lucky with it."

Of course tickets sold out instantly online, but there may be a few available at the door.  So if you are in the area it may indeed be worth dropping by to see if you can get in to what promises to be quite a unique affair and an opportunity to see Yorke in the smallest room he has played in the U.S. since the Pablo Honey tour in 1993. 

In a crazy twist to the story Pitchfork practically plagiarized my blog for their coverage of the event. 

Check it out here where they say:  "Last week, if you told me Thom Yorke was going to debut his still-nameless new band with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers the same day Kid A was named Best Album of the Decade by some website, I probably would have directed you to WeeklyWorldNews.com."

Hmmm, sounds an awful lot like this, doesn't it?  "But if you had told me last week that Thom Yorke would be forming a band with Flea on bass I would've gone ahead and told you that you might want to check your tin foil hat for holes because clearly the CIA still has control of your mind."  Although their quote clearly isn't as witty as mine.

So Pitchfork, let me just say that this aggression will not stand and you'll be promptly hearing from my lawyer. . .         as soon as I get one.  Maybe after I finish cleaning my house this weekend. 

Home Theater Week in Review, September 21-25, 2009: More Arcam; LG Wireless LCDs; Toshiba Blu ray.

by Oliver Amnuayphol

If you liked the Arcam AVR600 receiver I wrote about in the previous post, check out their new pre/pro n' amp combo, The FMJ AV888 A/V processor and P777 amp. The processor checks all the right boxes with its awesome feature set: Wolfson 8741 Digital to Analogue converters across all eight channels; individual, multi-regulated power supplies; Burr Brown DRV134 balanced line drivers; and of course decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The P777 seems quite the brawny stunner as well: Twin oversize toroid power transformers feeding seven channels with separate secondary windings for each channel; twin transformer drive for the critical center channel; four Sanken bi-polar output transistors per channel; and over 1.6 kW of continuous power on tap, spec'd as 7 x 150 WPC into 8 ohms, or 7 x 230 WPC into 4 ohms. Here's a Cinenow video of Arcam's John Dawson waxing lyrical over this awesome pair. Both models available now.

In TV news, LG recently displayed a totally boss wireless LCD HDTV at the recent CEDIA expo, the flagship 55-inch, 55LHX. Connections from your gear are made from a supplied wireless media box then are streamed wireless to the set itself. And lest you think this set us all features, think again: the nearly inch-thick 55LHX features LED backlighting with local dimming, THX certification, TruMotion 240Hz technology, and IFccc calibration. The 55LHX should be available soon at a reasonable $4799; the H85 series debuting this fall will also feature wireless hook ups in 47-inch ($2399) 55-inch ($3199) sizes.  

With the hi-res format long over, looks like Toshiba's decided it was safe to return to the HD packaged media fold by showing off their soon to be released, first-ever Blu ray spinner, the BDX2000 ($249.99). True to their heritage of offering supreme bang for the buck performance, the BDX2000 will feature BD-Live Profile 2.0, 1080p/24fps capability, and HDMI-CEC control via Toshiba's REGZA link. Look for the BDX2000 to be available this November.

Movie Releases for This Week.

DVD: Monsters Vs. Aliens; The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Edition); Superman/Batman: Public Enemies; Management; Away We Go; Ultraman, The Complete Series; The Universe: The Complete Season Three; Shrink; Sense and Sensibility; Lies and Illusions; Super Mario World: Yoshi the Superstar. 

Blu-ray: Monsters Vs. Aliens; The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Edition); Superman/Batman: Public Enemies; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Away We Go; Labyrinth; The Dark Crystal; Management; The Universe: The Complete Season Three; Snakes on a Plane.

Thom Yorke Unveils New Band and L.A. Shows

by Jason Hicks

After setting the internet on fire last month with a new Radiohead single and a rumored EP that never materialized, frontman Thom Yorke revealed today that he has formed an impromptu band of sorts.  On his blog this morning, Yorke said that he put the band together to perform songs from his excellent solo album, The Eraser, as well as some new tunes.  Not only that, but the group will be performing a pair of dates at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles this coming Sunday and Monday on Oct. 4th and 5th.  As for what to expect, Yorke kept it fairly vauge, saying "we don't really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz ..well ...we haven't got that much material yet!"  If you want tickets, paying exorbitant prices on Ebay is your only option since the shows sold out within minutes of going on sale this morning.

The band consists of Yorke, longtime producer Nigel Godrich, session drummer Joey Waronker best known for his work with Beck, multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco and. . .  wait for it. . . wait for it. . . Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea!  Godrich of course is a no brainer as he's been working with Yorke and Radiohead for most of their careers and Waronker seems a logical choice as Godrich has also produced several albums for Beck.  But if you had told me last week that Thom Yorke would be forming a band with Flea on bass I would've gone ahead and told you that you might want to check your tin foil hat for holes because clearly the CIA still has control of your mind.  I mean Yorke isn't exactly known for his well developed sense of humor and on the other hand you've got Flea who has a history of performing wearing only a sock. . .    somewhere other than his foot.   Not only that, but musically they're pretty divergent as well.  I can't say I've ever listened to a Yorke or Radiohead track and thought to myself, "you know what this could use is some slap bass!"

While I'm sure that the formation of this band is no reason for Radiohead fans to panic, as I don't see it being anything other than a diversionary lark, it will indeed be interesting to see how it pans out.  Who knows, perhaps this will end up being a foil to Radiohead's seriousness for an extended period a la R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and the Minus 5. 

I myself hope that the show is taped and that I'll be downloading it by next week after which I can share my impressions with you, my beloved readers.  It makes one wonder what stunt Yorke will pull off next, a track dissing Kanye West featuring Taylor Swift?  I have to say, at this point anything seems possible.

Home Theater Week in Review, September 14-18, 2009: Arcam A/V Gear; Denon AVR-4810CI 9.3 Receiver.

by Oliver Amnuayphol

If you've been around the audio/home theater block a couple of times, chances are you've heard of Arcam, a UK-based manufacturer of enthusiast-oriented hi-fi/home theater gear. If you haven't, it may be high time you've acquainted yourself: Arcam has a long and well-deserved reputation for very high performance gear at unbelievably sensible prices--not a bad feat considering the exchange rate premium when purchasing their gear stateside. Lately Arcam's been making waves on the home theater front, such as with their AVR600 receiver. Part of their famed "FMJ" (Faithful Musical Joy) range of components, Arcam obviously have placed high priority on sonic goodness with the AVR600; in fact, many enthusiasts consider it to be one of the best-sounding receivers currently available--even surpassing many separates. Still, to compete in today's hotly-contested A/V marketplace one has to include the latest, most relevant features, which Arcam certainly have: Internal processing for Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio; Analog Devices ADSP-21366 & ADSP-21367 DSPs; and 5 in, 2 out HDMI 1.3 connections. Here's a clip of Arcam's CEO John Dawson talking about the new AVR600, courtesy of Cinenow. 

Hot on the heels of Onkyo announcing their "00" line of 9.2 capable receivers comes Denon's 9.3 channelreceiver, the AVR-4810CI ($2999). In addition to offering 3 sub inputs, the 4810 features the latest Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Audyssey DSX processing in addition to the now standard mix of A/V receiver features--like onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; HDMI 1.3 ins/outs with Anchor Bay VRS upconversion; Audyssey MultiEQ XT 8-point room acoustic measurement and correction; and Dynamic Volume and EQ. What's more, word on the street is this Denon features something the latest Onkyos don't: simultaneous operation of height and width channels. Whoa. With 12-channel preouts and a host of other featuers too numerous to mention, the Denon should prove to be a home theater tinkerer's delight. Look for the 4810 to drop sometime in October.

Movie Releases for This Week.

DVD:  Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection; Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf or Death; Ghosts of Girlfriends Past; Observe and Report; Wallace and Gromit: The Complete Collection; Adam Resurrected; Lymelife; O'Horten; Tulpan; Mandie and the Secret Tunnel; Rage.

Blu-ray: Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection; Shaun of the Dead; Wallace and Gromit: The Complete Collection; Observe and Report; Ghosts of Girlfriends Past; The Complete Monterey Pop Festival - Criterion Collection; Pierrot Le Fou - Criterion Collection; Lymelife.

Phish Find Their Joy

by Jason Hicks

Anyone familiar with the band Phish knows that they are primarily known for their improv heavy marathon live shows and their studio albums are somewhat of an afterthought in terms of their overall legacy.  So for the dedicated Phish fan a new album isn't necessarily cause for celebration, but instead an opportunity to critique the shortcomings of yet another failed opportunity to fully capitalize on compositions that are destined to shine in the live format.  Which isn't to say that all of their albums are bad, as some of them are quite good, but the band certainly has not produced an album that is an unqualified classic in the eyes of the music cognoscenti at large.

While their latest effort, titled simply Joy, may not be the career defining work that has thus far alluded them, it is their strongest entry in over a decade.  To find an album that challenges it in terms of presenting the essence of the songs represented we have to go back at least to 1998's Story of the Ghost and perhaps even 1996's Billy Breathes, the latter of which is regarded by many to be one of their best.  Granted the band has gone through not one but two hiatuses during that interval, so it may not be as impressive as it sounds, but guitarist and chief songwriter Trey Anastasio has always been prolific.  So despite the breaks, Phish still managed to put out three proper albums between Ghost and Joy.

The time apart from one another looms large here, as Anastasio spent a good amount of that period in rehab following a DUI arrest in 2006.  It's not hard to imagine what he's referring to when he sings "Got a blank space where my mind should be" in the bluesy rocker "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan".  Furthermore, when he says "Got a Clif Bar and some cold green tea" you can tell those words don't represent mere sustenance but instead are a metaphor for a man literally fighting for his life.  Elsewhere when he intones "I didn't sleep once for four days and three nights/ I once didn't stop for seven red lights" on "Twenty Years Later" it's even more clear that the second chance that Joy represents, both for Phish and Anastasio's general well being, has not come easily.   While lyrically Phish has for quite some time been moving away from the goofiness of early work like "David Bowie", whose only words are the titular British rocker's name along with "UB40", these songs represent the most personal and revealing Phish songs to date.  Considering that the members are all well into their 40s at this point, a bit of maturity and gravitas in their music is not only welcome, but suits the band quite well. 

Not that it's all doom and gloom, the album opener "Backwards Down the Number Line" is a bubbly tribute to the enduring friendship between Anastasio and longtime lyricist Tom Marshall that may be the catchiest pop song in the band's catalog.  Bassist Mike Gordon contributes the typically quirky "Sugar Shack" that features an upbeat calypso/island feel fused to his country-ish vocal stylings.  It also features a tastily in the pocket beat courtesy of drummer and band namesake Jon Fishman.  Elsewhere keyboardist Page McConnell gives his own cheeky take on the reunion with "I've Been Around", and alludes to a few troubles of his own "And the town threw down on me".  Darker themes reemerge on the album's other blues rocker "Kill Devil Falls", which takes bit more of a boogie woogie tack than the straight ahead blues of "Stealing Time".   The production throughout is fairly glossy, but not so much that it detracts from the overall aesthetic of the tunes, and some sheen is to be expected when employing producer Steve Lillywhite who made a name for himself working with the likes of U2 and Peter Gabriel in the '80s. 

Then there's "Time Turns Elastic" which has been maligned by many of the band's hardcore fans, and with lines like "I'm a submarine" and "Melody, shelter in the darkness/ Take hold of me now!" it's hard not to cringe while enduring its 13 minutes of prog-rock excess.  The outro verses and jam pack a punch, but unfortunately it's a case of too little too late as it takes over 10 minutes to get there.  The song had its genesis as a piece for a full orchestra accompanied by Anastasio on guitar that was first performed before the band got back together.  Apparently Lillywhite felt the album wouldn't have been complete without one of Anastasio's "epics" and so that led to it's inclusion, but it seems that it may have been better suited to have remained a part of his solo oeuvre. 

That one misstep aside though, Joy is indeed evidence that not only Phish is back, but that they remain creatively vital.  With a little luck Phish 3.0, as they have been dubbed by their tech savvy following, may just produce that masterwork album yet.  You can stream the album from the band's myspace page here.

Home Theater Week in Review, September 7-11, 2009: Anthem AVS and Statement series; Harman Kardon Receivers; Peerless Mounts.

by Oliver Amnuayphol

If you're looking for the cream of the crop in home theater electronics, be sure to put Anthem on your short list. They've been making fine quality, performance-oriented gear for years, and many A/V enthusiasts consider their Statement series among the best HT components available. They've recently updated their reference-quality D2v and AVM50v processors with the latest hi-res goodies, like internal Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio processing, 8 (!) HDMI 1.3c inputs and dual outputs, proprietary ARC room correction, and top-shelf Sigma Designs VXP video processing. Get all the deets courtesy of the Cinenow video clip here.

Speaking of quality A/V gear, Harman/Kardon's been known to make some themselves. Ever the sensibly-spec'd, value-focused brand, it's tough to beat H/K when it comes to sound quality-per-dollar, even if they've been slower than most to adopt the latest hi-res features. Well no more. With the hi-res capable AVR 3550HD and AVR 7550HD already in their stable, Harman/Kardon's added three more cracking new A/V receivers to their mix: the AVR 1600 ($599), AVR 2600 ($799), and AVR 3600 ($1199). All three models feature on board Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, HDMI 1.3 ins/outs, and of course high-current, all-discrete amplifier circuitry. The 2600 adds Faroudja Torino upconversion and Dolby Volume, while the 3600 add those features plus the Bridge III for your iPod/iPhone and second zone/mulltiroom capability. All three models available now.

As flat panel TVs get thinner, it's only natural their wall mounts should become more sleek and svelte as well. The folks over at Peerless have intro'd their new Flatwall series flat panel mounts designed to get your TV as close to wall as possible. Available in a range to fit virtually any flat panel size, the Flat wall mounts are also fairly easy to install. Check out the Cinenow video here for the skinny on the skinny mounts.

 

 

Movie Releases for This Week.

DVD:  X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Doctor Who: The Next Doctor; Wagon Master; Easy Virtue; Fame; Knights of Bloodsteel; Grace; Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L103; Essential Art House: Le Jour se Leve; Army of Darnkess Screwhead Edition; Trumbo; Nightwatching; Camille; Stick It.

Blu-ray: X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Van Helsing; An American Werewolf in London; Army of Darkness Screwhead Edition; Misery; Hero; Deep Impact; Easy Virtue; Amadeus; Grace; Varsity Blues; The Legend of Drunken Master; The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi; Iron Monkey; Camille.