I got a new DAC for the Loop Sessions, and I am getting acquainted with it by listening to various albums that I think will reveal its strengths and weaknesses. One selection is BK-ONE WITH BENZILLA: Rádio Do Canibal via a CD I bought back in 2009 when it was first released. This is one of my top 10 Rhymesayers releases. Note to self: make top 10 Rhymesayers list.

I am not much of a hip-hop guy, but Rhymesayers is a label that consistently clicks with me. Rhymesayers aesthetic has a fat analog vibe and is very musical – they are not afraid of melody and a hook. All their artist are great and curated for the brand. In the late 00s, I was all in on the Rhymesayers sound. Especially Atmosphere and Brother Ali. BK-One was Brother Ali’s touring DJ, and so this was a natural album for me to pick up when it came out. Fast forward, and as previously noted, this is one of my favorites.

I am spinning the original Rádio Do Canibal CD on a low-cost Sony Blu-ray player (Sony UBP-X800M2), bypassing its onboard DAC and connecting it to my new Schiit Mimir DAC, and listening via headphones (see more details here). The album sounds fantastic. The bass is particularly wonderful (Mimir equalizer is off, but loudness on and set at 75%). Rádio Do Canibal’s arrangements and mix are deep, so there is a lot to listen to. This is a fun album to savor with my new DAC. Everything sounds fat and immersive.

The album name pays homage to the 1928 “Cannibal Manifesto” (Manifesto Antropófago) by Brazilian poet Oswald de Andrade. The manifesto describes Brazil’s unique cultural strength as its ability to “absorb” and cannibalize foreign influences to create something entirely new. BK-One channeled his extensive travels through South America into this record. Every beat on the record relies heavily on Brazilian samples, ranging from samba and bossa nova to Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) artists like Caetano Veloso and Tom Zé. MPB is a broad post-bossa nova movement that blends traditional Brazilian styles like samba, baião, and choro with international influences such as jazz, rock, and folk. It is characterized by poetic songwriting, socially conscious lyrics, and sophisticated arrangements.

BK-One managed to create a masterpiece with Rádio Do Canibal . The combination of American hip-hop and Brazilian music is inspired. This does not sound like cultural appropriation, but cultural unification.

In addition to the great beats, the album features one amazing guest rapper (many from Rhymesayers) after another:

• Scarface
• Slug (Atmosphere)
• Black Thought (The Roots)
• Brother Ali
• Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan)
• Murs (Living Legends)
• Phonte (Little Brother)
• Haiku D’ Etat (Aceyalone, Myka 9 & Abstract Rude)
• Blueprint
• P.O.S. (Doomtree)
• The Grouch (Living Legends)
• I Self Devine
• Toki Wright
• Aby Wolf

There are also some amazing instrumentals mixed in, like “Tema do Canibal” featuring The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, which is my favorite track on the album. It is absolutely epic. It is Brazilian hip-hop jazz. This track was so good that there was a spinoff EP of alternative mixes.

There are no bad tracks on the album.

A bonus is that the CD packaging is great. I hate jewel cases, so I appreciate it when a label makes the effort to be artistic in how they package a CD. It is not just a Digipak, nor a miniaturization of an LP – it is its own unique thing – pictures don’t do it justice, so I won’t even try to show it.

Tracklisting:

1. Ivan Tiririca (Intro)
2. Gitititt Featuring Slug & Brother Ali
3. Mega Featuring Aceyalone, Myka 9 & Abstract Rude
4. Caetano Veloso (Interlude)
5. The True & Living Featuring Raekwon & I Self Devine
6. Here I Am Featuring Phonte, Brother Ali, The Grouch
7. Tema do Canibal Featuring The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
8. Ivan Tiririca (Interlude)
9. Philly Boy Featuring Black Thought
10. Blood Drive Featuring Slug
11. A Day’s Work Featuring P.O.S.
12. Face It Featuring Toki Wright
13. Love Like That Featuring Aby Wolf
14. Hyldon (Interlude)
15. Blue Balls Featuring Blueprint
16. Eighteen To Twenty-One Featuring Murs
17. Call To Arms Featuring I Self Devine
18. American Nightmare Featuring Brother Ali & Scarface
19. Tom Z (Outro)

If you are going to be an audiophile, you need to have a DAC. A DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) converts digital audio files (the 1s and 0s on your phone or computer) into analog electrical signals that your headphones or speakers use to produce sound. Every digital device you own (smartphone, laptop, TV) already has a built-in DAC. However, these built-in DACs suck. Built-in DACs on CD players and dedicated streamers are better, but still can be a compromise. Audiophiles use dedicated external DACs to get better sound and clarity. I purchased my first DAC (Jolida FX DAC Mini) about fifteen years ago (which coincided with my first tube amp). A decent DAC costs $100, but obviously, you can spend a lot more (the MSB Technology Sentinel DAC is $375K).

We have returned to Minneapolis for the summer, and I needed to add some reinforcements to the Loop Sessions (Minneapolis). I had brought the Oppo (used for CDs) from Minneapolis to the Desert 🌵 Sessions (Phoenix), and brought the Sony back from Phoenix to the Loop Sessions to replace the Oppo (long story; if you care, see the links). I discussed my predicament (a DAC that could serve both the Sony Blu-ray and the Bluesound Node at a reasonable price -sub $500) with my buddy Audiophile Paul from the Arizona Audio Visual Club (AAVC), who recommended the Schiit Mimir. I was easily convinced, as I have a couple of Schiit items already and love them. There are plenty of good DACs in this price range, but I dig the whole Schiit aesthetic.

From Schiit’s website regarding the Mimir:

An affordable balanced DAC with our own Mesh™ digital conversion, that’s also a full preamp and EQ via Forkbeard™? And it’s made in the USA? Yes. Welcome to Mimir, maybe the first truly new thing in DACs in, like, ever.

I am like warm sounds, low volume, and reasonable prices. My ears are drawn to tube-based components. I am pretty illiterate when it comes to the technical aspects of the audiophile hobby, yet I think I have discriminating ears.

My Loop Sessions rig includes:

• Bluesound Node 2i streamer
• Schiit Valhalla headphone amp
• Schiit Mimir DAC – my latest addition and the point of this post
• Sony UBP-X800M Blu-ray (for playing CDs)
• Jolida FX10 integrated amp
• Bellari VP130 phono preamp
• Pro-Ject Audio RPM 1.3 Genie turntable with Audio-Technics VM540ML cartridge
• Klipsch R-51M speakers
• HiFiMan HE5XX Planar Magnetic headphones

The Loop Sessions rig is located in our Minneapolis condo loft, which is dedicated to entertainment – namely, watching TV and listening to the stereo. I primarily listen to the stereo on headphones as my wife watches TV with earbuds. Our music collection is like a warm blanket surrounding us.

Now, back to the Mimir, and how does it sound? It sounds great – it has a nice warm analog sound, natural bass, and a wide soundstage. This is the perfect DAC for a vinyl record/tube guy like me. For a $300 DAC, it punches way above its weight.

Sony’s on-board DAC is not even mid-fi quality – it is harsh. The Mimir turns this budget Blu-ray into an acceptable CD transport. I got spoiled at the Desert 🌵 Sessions by bypassing the Bluesound’s DAC (Texas Instruments PCM5122, which is decent), so it is a nice upgrade for the Loop Sessions.

I don’t understand Mimir’s technology beyond that Schitt uses a standard ESS ES9028 delta-sigma DAC chip used in lots of mid-fi DACs and hotrods it. Instead of using the standard, generic internal digital filters built into the ESS chip that most manufacturers rely on, Schiit bypasses them entirely. They route the audio through their proprietary “MegaComboBurrito” time and frequency domain digital filter. This filter is run on a 32-bit Microchip processor before feeding the delta-sigma modulator—a unique hybrid implementation Schiit calls Mesh™ architecture. In other words, a DAC is more than its chip. I don’t understand any of this mumbo-jumbo, but I love the way the Mimir sounds.

The Mimir has multiple inputs:

• USB 32 bits/384kHz
• Optical SPDIF 24-bit/192 kHz – I am using this for the Bluesound streamer
• Coaxial SPDIF 24-bit/192 kHz – I am using this for the Sony CD player (Blu-ray)
• AES 24-bit/192 kHz

It has SE (RCA jacks) or Balanced Outputs – I use RCA.

I purchased the Forkbeard™ modification, which allows an app on your phone to serve as a remote for volume, balance, a 3-band parametric EQ, Loudness, digital filter switching (Mesh and NOS), absolute phase inversion, and input selection.  A great $50 feature for convenience and to open up additional functionality. For some users, the Mimir with Forkbeard™ could allow the Mimir to serve as a digital preamp. Forkbeard™ can do more – but it is not relevant to the Mimir. Forkbeard™ is a red stick inserted into the back of the unit (see below). Volume control alone was reason enough for me, as none of my existing components have remotes.

As far as Forkbeard’s tone controls, the only feature I have played with is “loudness.” Loudness boosts low-frequency (bass) and high-frequency output as you lower the master volume. It compensates for the human ear’s decreased sensitivity to quiet bass notes (the Fletcher-Munson curve), ensuring the audio sounds full even at low listening levels. Given my preference for low volume, it is a great feature (a standard feature on amps back in the day). So far, I like running the loudness at 50% and the extra bass punch it provides. My only complaint is that the 50% setting doesn’t persist after the unit is turned off (though the volume retains its setting).

Overall, I am very happy with the purchase. I get an odd sensation when audio is working for me, a kind of synesthesia where the sound in my ears invokes the pleasurable taste and feel of chewing a high-end soft caramel in my mouth. The Mimir is mouth-watering good. Special thanks to Audiophile Paul for being dialed into my mid-fi aesthetic and recommending the Mimir!

This album is billed as a return to Kacey’s Texas roots and country music after a successful detour into pop. The album uses multiple Southern ingredients. According to the press release, Middle of Nowhere was:

“Written during a period of reflection and post-breakup clarity, this collection of songs finds Musgraves leaning intentionally into open space and traditional Western elements. Pedal steel, accordion and Texas dancehall rhythms provide a nostalgic framework that she flips on its head in signature fashion. It is a sonic love letter to the musical borders of country, echoing influence from adjacent genres such as bluegrass, pop, and even bits of Norteño and zydeco.”

Kacey also returns to the John Prine-like humor of her first two albums. She has a deep musical friendship with John Prine, often citing him as her greatest songwriting influence.

My first few listens were on Bluetooth headphones and in the car, and it sounded great, but on the Desert 🌵 Sessions stereo (streaming via Tidal at 24-bit 48 kHz FLAC), it sounds spectacular. The production really opens up. In addition to great songs and a great performance, this is a well-recorded album. I look forward to listening to it on vinyl (my daughter picked up a copy for me that is waiting for me when I return to Minneapolis).

I have been looking forward to Kacey’s return to country, and she does not disappoint. This is an excellent addition to her catalog.

Here is some track-by-track commentary:

“Middle of Nowhere” – out of cell phone range and away from “reckless men who don’t know what they want.” The song sets the stage that this is going to be a country album: acoustic guitars, pedal steel, and a little twang in Kacey’s vocals. Lyrically, it is introspective, but with a humorous wink. Despite Kacey being a country star, the vibe is more Americana than Nashville.

“Dry Spell” uses humor to make fun of the protagonist’s sexual dry spell, but at the same time, she appreciates living alone. Musically, it is upbeat honky-tonk.

“Back on the Wagon” is a nice country weeper. A troubled lover is behaving, for now (”You say he’ll fuck it up, but we’re so in love”). Gorgeous pedal steel solo (courtesy of Nashville legend Paul Franklin).

“I Believe in Ghosts” has a pop-rock vibe: country-fried Fleetwood Mac. It is a playful rant about a lover who abandoned the protagonist: “’Cause you didn’t even have the balls/To tell me goodbye/And look me in the eye.”

In “Abilene,” a woman skips town and her man. The tale is told through the gossip of other townspeople about her. Musically, it has a bluegrass vibe.

“Coyote,” featuring Gregory Alan Isakov, has a folk vibe. Isakov contributes a subtle vocal harmony to a pop-folk arrangement. “I saw a coyote running down the highway last night/And it made me think of you” – an ex-lover who can not be tamed – beware.

“Loneliest Girl” is about how relationships are messy, and the protagonist is “happy to be the loneliest girl in the world.” Musically, it is a country swing.

“Everybody Wants To Be a Cowboy” features Billy Strings’ very subtle vocal harmonies, but plenty of his smoking acoustic guitar. Not quite Bluegrass, Musgraves and Strings drift into pop. It is an absolute gem. The song makes fun of phony cowboys – what we used to call urban cowboys back in the day

“Horses and Divorces,” featuring Miranda Lambert, is about two women who have a beef with each other, only to realize they have more in common than in conflict. The song is a nice play on the supposed beef between Miranda and Kacey. That tension stemmed from the 2011 Miranda hit “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which Musgraves co-wrote and wanted to record, but was pitched to and recorded by Lambert before Kacey had a chance to include it on her debut. I am not sure how real the beef was as Kacey sang backup vocals on the Miranda hit.

“Uncertain, Texas,” featuring Willie Nelson, has a light dose of Willie’s vocal harmony, a sprinkle of Trigger (Willie’s guitar), and some norteño flavorings. The song makes fun of men who can’t commit:

“Here in Uncertain, Texas
Nobody ever makes up their mind
Down here in Uncertain, Texas
Nobody ever makes up their dusty, old, love-bombin’
Snake-charmin’, bullshitin’
Heartbreakin’, godforsaken, dumbass mind“

By the way, there is a real city in Texas called Uncertain.

Musically, “Rhinestoned” has a Glen Campbell vibe. Not sure if the protagonist is talking about a designer dress or a designer drug (but given this is “Spacy Kacey,” I think we can guess):

“Ooh, let’s put a little sparkle on
Ooh, until the heartache and the sadness is gonе
Baby, we don’t have to be alonе
Let’s get a little rhinestoned“

“Mexico Honey” has a unique, quick, almost rap vocal. Kacey has stated her affinity for Mexican music and culture. In an interview with NPR, she said:

“The truth is Texas would not be Texas without Mexico in many ways. Though I’ve always been drawn to it, I’ve really been fortunate to get to really experience that first hand myself down there seeing a lot of the vaquero and rodeo culture and where it comes from.”

The song doesn’t have a Mexican feel, but the song is not comparing a lover to Mexican honey – the key line is “You’re goin’ down smooth like Mexico, honey.”

“Hell on Me” ends the album with heartbreak. Despite the playfulness of the rest of the album – “I am having fun being single and unattached” vibe, this guitar ballad reveals the sadness behind the jokes.

There are a few other bonus songs on other streaming services that I don’t have access to, and so I can’t comment on them.

Overall, this is a great album. If not for the stumble of star-crossed (her 2001 4th album), she is on a great run. This is on par with the excellence of the rest of her catalog. I look forward to seeing her live later this year.