Phil's Superpower of Enthusiasm

So I still haven’t made it back home so I haven’t had a chance to dig into the data living on my home music server about what I listened to in 2023, but here’s my first crack at a top ten list for the year. 1 “First Two Pages of Frankenstein” by The National. Was there any chance in the world this album wasn’t making this list? With most of the band off doing independent projects (notably Matt Berninger’s solo album and Dessner’s work with T-Swizzle), I’ve been a little apprehensive about the length of time it’s been since 2019’s excellent “I Am Easy To Find”. I didn’t need to be. This album is stellar, front to back. In particular, “Ice Machines” is a true throwback to the Boxer era (my favorite of their albums), and “Your Mind is Not Your Friend Again” has lived in my subconscious for months.  “Lahai” by Sampha. I first heard Sampha’s “Like the Piano” on Roon Radio when it came up a couple of times in one day, and I’ve been absolutely obsessed with that track since. This album i...

  [ [ MSRP $250 , $199 on direct from Status on Father’s Day sale] [ Tl;dr:  These headphones are really inconsistent in sound quality; they sound amazing for some tracks and genres, and pretty lousy for others. The biggest problem with them is that they’re in the same price bracket as some really exceptional offerings that they just can’t really compete with. When they’re good they’re great; when they’re not, they’re really not, and I am clearly not their target audience (though they’re marketing pretty hard to me, all the same).] Scores: Cost-agnostic: 6 out of 10 Denalis Cost-sensitive: 3 out of 10 Denalis Intro.  Four or five people have asked me about these as I’ve posted various reviews of true wireless earbuds over the last few months and I’ve been seeing their ads a lot, so I decided to give them a shot when I saw them on a pretty decent (20% off) sale right before Father’s Day. Depending on what you listen to and how you listen, these may be right up your alley. ...

[ MSRP $149 , purchased at full price in October on Amazon, price matched down to $80 in November when they went on Black Friday Sale. Currently $99.99 at most retailers ). [ Tl;dr: Great true wireless earbuds at the $99 price point, only okay at MSRP. Pretty good sound isolation, reasonable ( but non-defeatable ) active noise cancelation and passie noise isolation. Like most Beats products, the bass is a little boosted but not distractingly so, and it plays pretty well in the Apple ecosystem. These live in my gym bag and I use them in environments where I would worry about using my AirPods Pro 2 . They’re great for that.] Scores: Cost-agnostic: 5 out of 10 Denalis Cost-sensitive: 8 out of 10 Denalis (at $99.99, 5 out of 10 Denalis at MSRP) Intro.  Quick , short review because I just realized that I never actually reviewed them in the fall. Good, solid headphones with good, solid sound and decent active noise canceling. Perfect for the gym or other loud environments where you don’...

[ MSRP $180 , purchased on sale (which they regularly are on) and renewed for $109. These are the open-backed version of the DT 770 Pro (MSRP $160). Available in 80 and 250 Ohm versions.] [ Tl;dr: I really like these headphones. They’re not headphone I’ll carry around with me, but I’m pretty sure they’ve dethroned the Massdrop x. Sennheiser 6XX as my go-to/daily driver at my desk in my home office. They greatly benefit from external amplification, but they’re even pretty acceptable sounding with a cheap iPhone dongle. Color me impressed, especially at the price.] Scores: Cost-agnostic: 8 out of 10 Denalis Cost-sensitive: 10 out of 10 Denalis Intro. I picked up the DT770 Pro (the closed back version of these) when I started a new job that required me to be in the office a lot (mid-pandemic). I particularly wanted them to be able to block out a lot of office noise, and they worked pretty well and I mostly liked the sound. However, unless I’m in a super noisy environment or a comple...

It was a pretty weird year in music for me, as I spent a lot of time trying to listen my way through my dad’s vinyl collection but still managed to hit more than 1,200 hours of music streaming along the way. That journey sent me down the rabbit hole pretty frequently on older artists like the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and even some bands that don’t start with “the.” Nevertheless, I found some time for new music, and here are the ten albums from 2021 that I think you should listen to if you haven’t already: “Screen Violence” – Chvrches (electro-pop): I’m probably always going to put a new Chvrches album on my list anytime they release one, but this is genuinely a great album and shows growth for the band. “Good Girls” is a brutal call to arms, “How not to Drown” a really interesting collaboration with Robert Smith, and Lullabies a nice throwback to their first couple of albums. “Hotel Surrender” – Chet Faker (electro-pop): always been a fan of Nick Murphy, and this was a nice b...

It’s that time of year again, so here’s my top ten albums of 2022. As always, curious to hear where you agree or disagree, or what I’ve missed this year. Rating everything on a scale of 10 possible Denalis this time. Phil’s 2022 Top 10 albums 1)       “angel in realtime.” – Gang of Youths. This album broke my heart and rebuilt it over and over. It’s a beautiful mediation on loss, grief, parents, and purpose, and the opening track (“You in Everything”) is on my no-random-shuffle list lest it come on when I’m working or driving or can’t stop to listen and tear up. I’m sure y’all are tired of hearing me rave about this album, but it’s truly an exceptional piece of art, and my life is better for knowing it. 27.5 out of a possible 10 Denalis. 2)       “Midnights” – Taylor Swift. It’s super weird to me that Taylor Swift makes my list again, but this is a great album. “Anti-hero” is the track everyone raves about, but honestly I think “Maro...

The 2010 Chateau Pre La Lande Bordeaux (originally $13, I believe?). Opened and decanted immediately before dinner. Nose: Red fruits, a little pencil eraser, and acetone on the nose (but not in an unpleasant way). If I hadn't looked at the bottle, I'd probably have assumed this was 2018 or 2019. Still very dark purple in color, good legs.  Palate: Good fruit-forward flavors, pronounced but mellowing tanins. Had an interestingly minty note on the palate when first opened, but that appears to have disappated over the last hour or two and mellowed into ... stone fruits, I think? Particularly into slightly underripe nectarine. Very pleasant, particularly for the price. I'll look for more of these in future Garagiste offerings. Pairing: Served (excellently) with a prime ribeye, garlic mashed potatoes, and well-roasted beets; held up to the fattiness and richness of the beef and the garlic mashed potatoes and the sharpness of the beets, and is growing ever more pleasant as it...