support

Listener-Supported

Dynamic Range Radio is listener-supported, just like NPR or PBS, and relies entirely on donations from people just like you to stay on the air. You won’t hear any ads in between songs on DRR, but the station needs to [...]

compression

Why Compression Sucks

Dynamic Range Radio is one of the few radio stations, internet or otherwise, that adds no dynamic range compression to its audio signal. To learn more about what this means and why I think Dynamic Range Radio offers the best [...]

sound quality

What Is Eclectic Radio?

Having been a fan of eclectic radio stations for many years, I’ve found that the term “eclectic radio” can be confusing for some people. I assume most people know what the word “radio” means, so the word “eclectic” seems to [...]

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Hear Your Voice On The Air

I’m getting a little tired of hearing my own voice on Dynamic Range Radio, so I thought it would be fun to get listeners recording their own station IDs and sweepers. As long as you have the ability to record [...]

 

Star Trek Into Darkness – A Review

Star Trek Into Darkness

Now that I’ve had some time to think about Star Trek Into Darkness, I’ve come to the conclusion that JJ Abrahms’ take on Star Trek is the cinematic equivalent of a meal from a replicator.

It looks and tastes vaguely like the real thing, but it lacks the personal flair that only a great chef can provide. It’s quick, easy, and functional, and it will satisfy your hunger for a few hours, but deep down inside you know it’s nothing but resequenced proteins, cobbled together by a machine that knows the genetic makeup of a chicken but can never truly understand the taste of chicken.

SPOILER ALERT: The next section contains spoilers

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Be Seduced By Caro Emerald

Caro Emerald is a terrific new Dutch singer whose first album “Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor” was a big hit in the UK and Europe in 2010 but has just now arrived in North America. Here’s the official video for “Back It Up” which was her breakthrough hit in Europe:

Back It Up

I’m not surprised Caro Emerald is so popular in the UK because she she occupies a space smack dab in the middle between Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse, and there are shades of Portishead on tracks like the fabulous and sexy “The Other Woman”.

And her official videos are fantastic, which doesn’t hurt either. Here’s the Saul Bass-inspired video for “That Man” which features plenty of familiar visual cues from the 60s.

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Recently Added Tracks – Spring Edition

There’s lots of great new music coming out lately from the likes of Iron & Wine, Steve Earle, and Patty Griffin, so before those new albums start to filter in to the playlist, here’s a list of recently added tracks from before I got a hold of those albums.

There’s a lot of tracks from David Bowie’s recent, outstanding album “The Next Day”, a few more from Bat For Lashes’ “The Haunted Man”, and perhaps most surprisingly if you’re a regular listener, the title track from P!nk’s latest album, “The Truth About Love”. Further proof that “eclectic” does not mean “alternative”. I’ll play pop music if it’s pop music that I like.

Heavy Rotation
Bat For Lashes – A Wall
David Bowie – Dirty Boys
David Bowie – The Next Day
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – We No Who U R

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Steve Earle “The Low Highway” – A Review

Steve Earle

I almost didn’t pick up Steve Earle’s latest album “The Low Highway” because I was underwhelmed by the first single “Invisible” and I had been hearing a slow decline in quality over his past few albums, so I was under the impression that Steve Earle’s remarkable string of great albums stretching back to the early 90s had come to an end. Not so.

“The Low Highway” is a real return to form and probably one of the best albums of Steve Earle’s career. Once the giddy high of newness wears off I’m fairly certain it’ll rank among my top 5 Steve Earle albums of all time, and it’s the leading contender to be my favourite album of 2013.

The album explores a lot of familiar themes and sounds, from the opening title track to “Calico County” which is like an updated version of “Copperhead Road” or “Oxycontin Blues”, and the guitars on “Calico County” will sound familiar yet fresh to anyone who remembers “Taneytown”.

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Patty Griffin – Ohio

Patty Griffin, with a little help from Robert Plant, has thrown down the gauntlet. If there are any artists out there who want a chance to win Song Of The Year at the next Dynammy Awards, Ohio is the song to beat:

Or buy from Amazon.ca