It’s here! The Solid State Siren is now ready to go. Which means a series of news items ranging from absolutely fucking fantastic to not the worst problem in the world to have:

The best news (in my opinion): Shipping day as promised. How novel. 😀 First time in eight years. Perhaps I’m finally getting my groove back.
The merely fantastic news! We actually sold out my initial order! This is such a stunning turn of events for me and my bank account I was caught a bit off guard. I’m signing CDs and slapping on labels today!
The very good news: If you pre-ordered, I’m signing CDs and slapping on labels today! With the grace of God and those guys in the blue shorts you should have your signed CD this week!
The not worst problem in the world to have? If you order today, it’s gonna be about ten days. I have placed a re-order which should be […]

I am not 100% certain, but I believe this was the version that Neemi Jarvi used to play to open Sunday afternoon concerts of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra 25 years ago. If this isn’t the same version, it ought to be. Jarvi would walk briskly on stage, with a walking bow to the audience, then immediately raise the stick and break into this. And then the show would begin. No fuss. Just crisp. The older I get, the more I appreciate it when a guy knows how to put on a show. This was a class touch on top of a very civilised way to spend a Sunday.

I prefer this to almost any other arrangement. It has far less of the late-romantic schmaltz than other versions–which strike me as sentimental.

I actually didn’t realise this was Stravinsky’s arrangement for a long time. It just seemed like a very crisp, spare orchestration which I felt struck the right tone—perhaps maybe a bit too spare but overall far […]