Yes, in fact everything IS louder than before

As I suspected, there has been a growing trend in music production over the past decade or so to increase the compression in mastering, which makes everything sound louder (and less dynamic) than it really should.

Huh?

What it means is... well, take a look at this:

This probably shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, but it really is a sad thing, and I wonder if there will ever be a way for this trend to reverse itself. Greater memory capacity & processing power in portable music players? New storage methods or encoding for the future of digital music? Who knows.

Check out this great article from Rolling Stone for more in-depth info about all this and what it may mean for the decline of civilization in general, and excuse me while I go dig out my Steely Dan...

Behold the Awesome

Pitchfork Media has posted a list of their "100 Awesome Music Videos" and I think it's safe to say there are things here you've either never seen ever before, or just haven't seen in a long, long time.

Check out the full list at Pitchfork's site, but here are a few of my favorites:

The Jacksons: "Can You Feel It?"
1981 - Directed by Bruce Gowers

Remember when The Jacksons toured before "Thriller" took off and made Michael a solo act for good? If you do, you're old like me.

Björk: "Triumph of a Heart"
2005 - Directed by Spike Jonze

a cappella Bjork + Spike Jonze = bizarre man-kitty goodness

Pat Benatar: "Love Is a Battlefield"
1983 - Directed by Bob Giraldi

Just because I get it stuck in my head all the time and come on - you don't *fuck* with Pat Benatar... she'll kick your ass!

They Might Be Giants: "Ana Ng"
1989 - Directed by Adam Bernstein

Because this band is awesome, this song rocks, and if you disagree you're wrong!