Shure SE530

Shure has some new ear candy coming out next month in the form of the SE530, a new sound-isolating set of earbuds. I was able to sneak a listen and was blown away—they literally brought a tear to my eye. For such a small earphone they deliver a huge, surprisingly expansive sound stage, full-bodied bass and highs that stayed crisp alongside rich, full textured vocals. …

AntiBabel EP

There’s nothing like a cross-cultural experimental musical collaboration to start off the New Year. The AntiBabel EP is the creative project of multi-talented musician, beatboxer and comedian extraordinaire Reggie Watts and Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo—who has worked with Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox, Phillip Glass and Natalie Merchant, among others. The pair came together after they both performed at the 2006 Pop!Tech annual conference, which itself …

Project Jenny, Project Jan

Brooklyn-based duo Project Jenny, Project Jan (PJPJ), like many great musical partnerships, is an opposites-attract kind of pairing. Vocalist Jeremy Haines spits lyrics with frenetic energy that fluidly moves from a David Byrne deadpan style to a dancehall-inflected growl. Over Sammy Rubin's crunchy, bass-heavy beats with sampled tablas, cow bells and big band horns the eclectic result is the kind of music that's irresistibly danceable …