Hasta La Ideas

Inject some old-school grit (vinyl records) and glamour (letterpress packaging) into your iTunes greatest hits library with the Journal of Popular Noise, an “audio magazine inspired by the traditions of pop music, printed periodicals, and the delight of a finely crafted artifact.” Founded by graphic designer Byron Kalet, the twice-yearly publication takes the form of a limited-edition trio of 7″ vinyl records tucked inside a letterpress-printed holder that folds out to reveal a poster of information about the journal, the musicians, and the compositional process. “By standardizing the presentation, and even going so far as to homogenize the song structures, the Journal of Popular Noise provides an alternative context through which one can enjoy a record,” notes the just-released spring/summer 2009 edition (issues 13-15), which features works by Andrew W.K., Ian Svenonius, and Walker & Cantrell. “Here the content presented to the listener is not defined as much by an artist’s self-wrought context as it is their approval of an association with previous contributors, the aesthetic presentation, and of the physical and compositional restraints.”

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