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Damon Krukowski

The New Analog: Listening and Reconnecting in a Digital World Hardcover – April 25, 2017

by Damon Krukowski (Author)

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What John Berger did to ways of seeing, well-known indie musician Damon Krukowski does to ways of listening in this lively guide to the transition from analog to digital culture

Having made his name in the late 1980s as a member of the indie band Galaxie 500, Damon Krukowski has watched cultural life lurch from analog to digital. And as an artist who has weathered the transition, he has challenging, urgent questions for both creators and consumers about what we have thrown away in the process: Are our devices leaving us lost in our own headspace even as they pinpoint our location? Does the long reach of digital communication come at the sacrifice of our ability to gauge social distance? Do streaming media discourage us from listening closely? Are we hearing each other fully in this new environment?

Rather than simply rejecting the digital disruption of cultural life, Krukowski uses the sound engineer’s distinction of signal and noise to reexamine what we have lost as a technological culture, looking carefully at what was valuable in the analog realm so we can hold on to it. Taking a set of experiences from the production and consumption of music that have changed since the analog era—the disorientation of headphones, flattening of the voice, silence of media, loudness of mastering, and manipulation of time—as a basis for a broader exploration of contemporary culture, Krukowski gives us a brilliant meditation and guide to keeping our heads amid the digital flux. Think of it as plugging in without tuning out.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

The New Press
Publication date

April 25, 2017
Dimensions

7 x 1 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

1620971976
ISBN-13

978-1620971970
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The New Analog:
"If you’re a devoted music fan who’s dubious about both rosy nostalgia and futuristic utopianism, Damon Krukowski’s The New Analog is for you."
—The New York Times Book Review

"A pointedly passionate look at what’s been lost in the digital era."
—Los Angeles Times

"Pink Floyd, meet Jane Jacobs. Elegantly written . . . The New Analog could also be put next to Susanne Langer’s Philosophy in a New Key, Jaron Lanier’s You Are Not a Gadget, Amiri Baraka’s Jazz and the White Critic, and any number of other texts that try to bring the professionalized notions of ‘data’ and ‘information’ (and, by extension, ‘signal’) into balance with the sometimes undervalued notion of lived experience."
—Ben Ratliff, 4Columns

"A wonderful new book, which uses the history of sound to explore the more personal side of our current technological rupture."
—Pitchfork

"Comfortably discusses both rarefied aesthetic theories and gritty rocker realities…Krukowski turns the basic dichotomy of audio engineering, the ratio of signal to noise, into a complex metaphor for the loss of history and ingenuity represented by the replacement of analog recording and culture with digital media."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Damon Krukowski, who has a special gift for lucid explanation, shows how in favoring signal to the detriment of noise, we have sold our birthright for a handful of magic beans. His defense of noise is stirring, detailed, and above all useful. "
—Luc Sante, author of Low Life and The Other Paris

"I learned something new on each page of Damon Krukowski’s delightful book. At its core lies an original argument for how analog ‘noise’ can enhance our understanding of music—and each other—in this digital era. Clear prose, deep research (he finds all the good stories), and great illustrations combine to make The New Analog a smart, fun read."
—Jace Clayton, aka DJ /rupture, author of Uproot: Travels in 21st-Century Music and Digital Culture

“In the recording world we worry about signal to noise—we strive to capture performances where the messages are clear and failures of technology don’t obscure the desired content. In The New Analog, Damon Krukowski observes that the real changes for the future of audio are not the traditional (and shortsighted) ‘digital vs. analog’ but changes in how we interact with signal and noise, which include how we find and enjoy music. It will never be the same. ”
—Larry Crane, founder and editor of Tape Op Magazine

“Musician and poet Damon Krukowski offers a thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of what has been lost as well as gained in the shift from analog to digital sound. Written for anyone who listens and thinks about what they hear, The New Analog eloquently argues for the significance of noise in a world perhaps too attuned to tuning it out.”
—Emily Thompson, professor of history, Princeton University, and author of The Soundscape of Modernity

"Millions of music-lovers have acquiesced to the shiny juggernaut of digital-age technology without asking its economic and cultural price. Damon Krukowski is an incisive, passionate, and, above all, rational critic of this new realm. No nostalgic conservative, he offers a radical defense of analog craft in the face of the digital hard sell."
—Alex Ross, author of The Rest is Noise and Listen to This

"The New Analog is a delightfully intelligent and idiosyncratic book, one tuned into a mind-expanding frequency that emphasizes the wonders of noise, hiss, feedback, and distortion. In contrast to all the buzzword- and cliché-riddled writing about the digital revolution, Krukowski’s accessible and engaging survey of our current media landscape provides a wholly original perspective rooted in the author’s deep knowledge of, and love for, recorded music. The New Analog offers even the most tin-eared reader a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see the world anew through sound.”
—Astra Taylor, author of The People’s Platform and director of Examined Life and Zizek!

Praise for Damon Krukowski's band Damon & Naomi:
"I feel pretty confident in saying that listening to Damon & Naomi gets you laid. I can think of no higher praise."
— Vice

"Flawless. Whatever small world Damon & Naomi inhabit they have created and decorated it in such a beautiful, perfect manner that the listener feels honored to be invited."
— Popmatters

"Heartbreakingly beautiful psychedelic folk-rock."
— Chicago Sun-Times

About the Author

Damon Krukowski was in the indie rock band Galaxie 500 and is currently one half of the folk-rock duo Damon & Naomi. He has written for Pitchfork, Artforum, Bookforum, Frieze, The Wire, and on his blog International Sad Hits. He has published two books of prose poetry, serves as co-publisher of the literary press Exact Change, and is the author of The New Analog (The New Press). He has taught writing and music at Harvard University and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ The New Press (April 25, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1620971976
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1620971970
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #987,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #414 in Physics of Acoustics & Sound (Books)
- #459 in Music Appreciation (Books)
- #3,678 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences

Customer Reviews:
60 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

60 global ratings

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4 star		22%
3 star		7%
2 star		4%
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Andy Aldridge

Wonderfully readable rumination on the move from analog to digtial

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

The New Analog is a fascinating rumination on what changed, and more specifically what was lost, when we moved from analog to digital. Damon Krukowski's book is not technical although it touches on technical developments that have changed the way we consume music (and I say consume because this is not just about what we hear). His arguments are delivered in a very readable style but don't lose any of their impact because of that. He discusses what constitutes "noise" in music; how digital has often thrown this out and how, without this "noise", we have lost more than we would think!

The book is also rather beautiful looking, and illustrated throughout to help give some context to this intriguing subject. Mr Krukowski isn't taking a Luddite's "old good, new bad" position but is rather pointing out that some of the "old" might be worth hanging on to and that we possibly need to think how we can get some of this "noise" back into our lives. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in modern sound and music; in how technology and commerce can have an unexpected impact on our lives; and anyone who puts in their earbuds, listens to Spotify and thinks they might be getting the full picture.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ken Pilcher

Good but falls short

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

The author attempts to say that we've lost something in our move toward digital sound. Unfortunately, his argument for retaining noise is never clear. He seems to say it is a loss because it was lost, not for any slither reason. I'm over-simplifying his argument, but the final chapter was particularly disappointing as he summed up half-made points and led us to other points but stopped before realizing then. That said, the book is an interesting and quick read.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

MBA in the ICU

Do you appreciate vinyl, books or 35mm film?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

Digital substitutes for analog have mostly improved our lives: for example, having a phone that can capture that unexpected foggy sunrise, or store enough music for a 16 hour flight to New Delhi. I appreciate being able to carry 20 medical textbooks on a Kindle when I do medical missions overseas. But, we've clearly lost something along the way with digital substitutes. This book captures what may have been lost, and what we might still have to gain.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

James Scott Gilchrist

Interesting take which may be helpful for old and young.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

Things that I could see were there were brought into focus and expanded upon. Helpful and hopeful in our accelerated “now”.

One person found this helpful

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Matt Richey

Interesting but not precise

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

An enjoyable read but frustrating at times because of the vagueness of the terminology. "Noise," "loudness" etc have precise meanings which are not entirely consistent with their use in the book. Still, the author makes a good case for the value of non-digital forms such as records and books"

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

What a nice read, 200 pages that didn't get boring or overly technical to make you want to put it down.
Clearly the Kindle people don't get the basic idea of this book, that digital copies are poor representatives of the analog version of the same master ;)
If you thought music recordings were all better back in the day and digital music is the equivalent of a Big Mac, this book shows why you are correct.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Great Insights into the Music Industry

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 3, 2019

Verified Purchase

Kudos to the author for pointing out and explaining, in a way that manages to be both academic and colloquial, the importance of "noise" in music and what is lost when we favor convenience/mobility instead of quality.

One person found this helpful

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Rachael McK

Informative & enjoyable read for audiophiles!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

Really liked this book. I also bought one for my "audiophile" stepson who is 16 and my dad who is 69 y.o. Very interesting read on the history of audio production in various genres.

3 people found this helpful

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