Tag: music
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Further adventures in music management
For a while now, I’ve been using a re-purposed Dell PowerEdge server as a home media server. I had all my music ripped to it, and linked it to my Sonos system so I could stream to anywhere in the house. It worked pretty well for almost 10 years, but it was running Windows Home Server 2003 and was slowly dying. I couldn’t install the latest version of the Sonos controller, periodically lost internet connectivity, and everything was just getting slower and slower. So I decided to upgrade. I settled for another Dell (after a temporary defection to HP before… Read more
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So long iTunes. I always hated you.
A music obsessive’s journey from iTunes to a full-function home media server. (tl;dr: MusicBee) Read more
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Connect The Dots
So the market for voice-controlled ‘smart speakers’ for your home has picked up in the past year or so, with Amazon’s Echo devices, Google Home, and no doubt some Siri-enabled thing from Apple in the near future. Although I’m usually quick to jump on any technological bandwagon, I’ve been keeping away from this one thus far. This is partly just to give the technology time to mature, but mainly because I already have a Sonos speaker set-up, and I really don’t see the point of playing music on a $99 multi-function speaker when I have a couple of grand’s worth… Read more
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52 Reasons 2016 wasn’t a COMPLETE Bust
So, 2016. A veritable political shitfest, which I would be glad to see the back of were it not for the knowledge that the next four years will likely be even worse. But on the plus side, I did add another 52 albums to my music library, most of which will continue to bring me joy long after Captain Asshat has exited the White House. 2016 was a middling year for music. It stated out well, with my first 7 weeks’ purchases all being brand new releases (and typically bought on the day of release – which the record companies… Read more
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Silversun Pickups & Foals, Revention Center, Houston
So I thought it was about time I got my ageing indie kid on again, and took myself out to a gig. I think the last band I went to see was The Jackfields in DC back in 2004, so I’ve been keeping my eye on the local gig listings to see if anyone interesting was coming to H-Town. When I saw that Silversun Pickups were passing through, I was a bit apprehensive. I loved their first album, Carnavas, but each successive album has been harder to love at first listen. What drew me to Silversun Pickups was the sense… Read more