Miles Raymer,Reader music writer, is obsessed with . . .

Townes Van Zandt, Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos 1971-1972 For a bunch of demos and outtakes from aborted sessions, Sunshine Boy is surprisingly revelatory, as well as infinitely more listenable than such things usually are. A mix of “Pancho and Lefty” scrubs away the popular version’s unfortunate kitsch simply by muting its strings and mariachi horns, while the previously unreleased “Sunshine Boy” offers an alternate-universe vision of the Texas troubadour as a fuzzbox-addled psych rocker. And the demos where it’s just Townes and his guitar are gut-wrenchingly intimate, human, and direct.

Tim Iseler, studio and touring audio engineer

Rotating Clock Divider and Shuffling Clock Multiplier from 4ms Pedals I’ve been very excited about these timing modules. Both take a clock input (could be an audio click if the level is appropriate) and either sub­divide or multiply the signal with a controllable amount of variation—adding “swing” to a mechanical beat, for instance, or completely mutating it into something unrecognizable. I’m especially interested in the prospect of integrating this with a live drummer or for album production. Many 4ms modules are available as kits for people who are handy with a soldering iron.

Public Info This UK record label has only existed for a year, but it’s been putting out the best new and reissued electronic music anywhere. Everything Public Info has released is great, but check out San Francisco’s Austin Cesear and the reissue of F.C. Judd’s Electronics Without Tears. My new project with Brian Case, Acteurs, just happens to be the newest band on the roster.