Blog: Turntable Kitchen

I can remember the first time I heard Air's Moon Safari . It was Fall and I was in London with my family. My brother and I'd slipped out and quickly made our way to a local record shop. We spent what felt like hours gawking at the (to me) obscure music in their listening stations. Sure these albums may have been relatively popular there, but at the time my friends had not yet discovered any of this. I walked away with my two favorite discoveries from the new release wall: Air's Moon Safari and Faithless' [...]

I used to be quite good at getting out of the house well before noon on the weekends. I would virtually jump out of bed with a mission: to not waste a second of a beautiful morning. I'd shower, spend only a few minutes quickly checking my emails, and look at Matt, usually on the couch, usually still in his underwear. It was rarely later than 9:30, but I was ready to make breakfast and hurry out the door. It didn't matter where we were going — the farmer's market, a hike, or a day trip up to [...]

I love Christmas time. For me, the holiday has always been a time for giving; a time for reflecting; and a time for bonding with family. I've lived in California for over ten years now, and every year since I moved here I've looked forward to spending Christmas with my parents and family in Ohio. I look forward to shopping with my Mom and overdoing it on her Christmas cookies. I look forward to having a glass of wine with my Dad and talking about books and his growing nativity scene. I look forward to hanging out with my brothers [...]

The music of Virginia Beach's Seamonster (a.k.a. Adrian Todd Webb) has long been a favorite in our home. Although it'd be a mistake to over-generalize his style, I think it is fair to say that, by and large, Webb is known for recording tunes that are crisp, thoughtful, and exude a tender warmth. It's also true that he generally favors a DIY-styled sonic palette that collects sounds from a combination of traditional and non-traditional sources from which he creates his folksy, often quirky, key-board anchored tunes. His Two Birds EP was one [...]

The day after Thanksgiving, Matt and I drove out to Half Moon Bay to get in on the season's first crabs, buying them directly from the fishermen. For about six glorious weeks, the Bay Area enjoys a bounty of Dungeness Crab, and we just can't get enough. During this time, you can find crabs at virtually every grocery store, and many local markets, but there's something special about walking down the dock and having a fisherman pull out his catch with a gloved hand, weigh it, and slip it into a plastic bag for you to enjoy on [...]

I'm not going to beat around the bush: Ryan Adam's  Heartbreaker is one of my favorite albums of all time. In fact, I'd even go as far as to argue that it's one of the best albums released since 2000. Prior to the release of Heartbreaker , Adams had already established his credentials as a top-notch songwriter during his time fronting the much-hyped and critically well-regarded band Whiskeytown. Unfortunately, the band's lineup was constantly in flux, eventually leading Adams to call it quits for the band. In the wake of Whiskeytown's demise, Adams traveled to Nashville to record his [...]

I've been really feeling this tune from Nashville boy-girl duo  Magic Wands for the past couple of days. It's a sexy, floor-stomping anthem built upon gritty, neon-bright synths, a grooving guitar riff, and an irresistible handclap-laced rhythm. The track appears on their debut album, Aloha Moon , which contains a number of equally catchy tunes. Thanks to our friend Matt Dillon for the recommendation. You can go buy this on vinyl  it arrives with a bonus limited edition picture disc of their EP.

Have you checked out the TK Market recently? It's our online shop for TK goodies and it's a great place to hit for gifts for yourself or someone else on your holiday shopping list. Among the items you'll find in the Market are soft tees featuring some rad designs created for us by Amanda Jane Jones , Pairings Box gift subscriptions (yes, we do ship internationally!), gift bundles (perfect for the holidays!), and now... flour sack tea towels ! You can purchase the [...]

I don't know about you, but I'm a firm believer in having a house full of good books that don't just live in my iPad or eReader. I have always loved the feel of a hard cover, the smell of paper and ink, and the way that a physical book looks on a bookshelf. Even though I hardly write anything down on paper, I desperately hope that print never dies, which is why I love gifting and getting getting books. When I receive a new cookbook, I find myself as engrossed as I would be in a thrilling [...]

Last night in L.A., Flying Lotus revealed that "Captain Murphy" is an alias he's been using for his experimental rap side project. Stitching together unique samples with slick rhythms, it's definitely reminiscent of hip hop in the vein of DOOM, Madvillain, et al (there is even a track referencing Bat Man and another track referencing the X-Men). As you'd expect, the production is brilliant and, perhaps surprisingly, the rapping is pretty damn engaging. I'm hooked. Check out a few samples and then download the deluxe edition of his Duality mixtape for free below. [...]

Pictured: 1) Pro-Ject Speed Box ; 2) Pro-Ject Debut Carbon in red; 3) Al Green's Greatest Hits LP ; 4) Grado SR80i headphones ; 5) Acryl-it Platter ; 6) Audio Technica AT-LP60 ; 7) Music Hall Cork Mat ; 8) The xx - xx LP .  In the past few years, vinyl records have made a well-deserved comeback. They are collectible, they have weight, and they come packaged in beautiful 12�12 cover art - all of which makes them the perfect counterpoint to our increasingly large and [...]

Listen, right now is really not the time to start your diet, so let's talk about hot chocolate and get on with it. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I think it's officially Christmas — at least that's how it feels. Already, Christmas trees adorn many of our neighborhood windows, store displays have been dressed up with twinkling lights, and I don't have to feel weird about listening to the Christmas mix that Sarah mailed me. Even though I didn't grow up celebrating Christmas, I associate it with so many great things — bumming around the 'burbs with high [...]

I've been accused of being a "music snob" on more than one occasion. But while I'll agree that I am very particular about my own taste in music, I'm not exceptionally judgmental with regard to other people 's taste in music. I know what I like, but I also won't judge you for what you like. But with that said, I strongly believe that there are a few artists you should be able to find in any good collection. I don't care how much you love indie/grindcore/EDM/dubstep/ch illwave/surf/cumbia/etc., if you haven't spent some time really listening to the [...]

It's always exciting to discover fun new music in my inbox. For example, Port Isla has been lighting up our home ever since I received a nice email from them. They also happen to be an example of a well-written, interesting bio, so I'll let them introduce themselves: "On a good day, Port Isla are a four piece Folk Rock band from Norwich. Formed by Will Bloomfield in 2011, he quickly enlisted the help of fellow U.E.A. School of Musicians Stanley Spilman and Henry Kilmister and spent the next couple of months of writing and playing acoustic gigs around Norfolk. [...]

Did you have a good Thanksgiving? I hope you're good and stuffed; we certainly are! We made this roasted acorn squash dish , slow-roasted green beans , and an incredible brown butter apple tart from the Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appetit , among a ton of other side dishes. If you'd like to bookmark a good turkey recipe for next year, we recommend this one . Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing some of our favorite gift ideas with you to help you shop for your food and music-loving friends. And to kick [...]

I've been obsessed with this debut EP by DC-based trio  Teen Mom this week. Whether it's the warm, sprawling pop on album opener "You and Me" or the skittering, reverb-laden groove on "Say My Name" - I can't get enough. Indeed, it's an infectious collection of funny, bright tunes anchored by the irresistibly upbeat and sparkling "I Wanna Go Out." Give 'em a listen and see for yourself. The Mean Tom EP is available for pre-order on limited edition vinyl from our friends at Analog Edition . There are 50 [...]

Let's address the obvious here. There is a lot going on with this album cover: chihuahuas, jellyfish, crazy neon coloring, etc. Thankfully, though, this Bakerfield, California four-piece doesn't sound nearly as disjointed as the unrelated elements on the cover might suggest. Taking full advantage of a hazy, lo-fi palette Dr. DeVito  spin off a collection of whimsical melodies that gently meander between dreamy psychedelics and warm pop gems. For example, opener "Teradoctals" is a beautiful pop jam viewed in soft-focus. It's founded upon buoyant guitar riffs, propulsive percussion, a rubbery bassline, and vocalist Jacob Ninomiya's mostly laid-back vocals. Likewise, [...]

Separately, Tim Cohen and Jon Bernson released two of my favorite albums this year. Cohen as the frontman of The Fresh & Onlys  and Bernson as the mastermind behind Exrays . And so it should come as no surprise that I was excited to learn about their most recent collaboration (their second overall) under the name Window Twins . On Wish , Cohen and Bernson blend together live drums, programmed beats, spindly guitar, bright horns, and various layers of electronic sonics set against analog instrumentation to create a dark, texturally-rich, and slow-burning brand of psychedelica. [...]

What does family mean to you? I know that to most of us, family refers to your immediate unit — your parents, children, siblings, and spouse. That's probably what you think of when you bring up an image of your family. Then there's your extended family — your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. These are people who may be very close to you, or complete strangers whose only connection to you is your bloodline. Then there are the people who aren't officially your family, but who feel like they are — your childhood friends, your parents' childhood friends, and other [...]

Inevitably, at each SXSW or CMJ a handful of young artists steal the show. Although I was forced to pass on this year's CMJ, it was easy from watching social media to identify the bands that were receiving the most hype.  Flume was easily one of the three names that I kept seeing appear over and over again (the other two being  MØ and Savages ). Indeed, this 20 year-old Sydney-based producer has been the focus of endless mountains of hype ever since. Not without good cause. "Holdin' On" is a huge stone-washed banger, studded out with neon-bright [...]