Stuff - UK (2020-11)

AUDIO GUIDE

ALL THE CASH

Harman Kardon

Citation 200

Like Boris Johnson having

his backside handed to him

at PM’s Questions, there’s

something reassuringly

reliable about a Harman

Kardon wireless speaker,

and its new Citation 200

looks to have the minerals

to compete with Bose. It’ll

stream music over Wi-Fi or

switch to Bluetooth should

you stray too far, there’s a 1in

tweeter, a 5in midranger and

two bass radiators, and it’ll

go for eight hours. Google

Assistant, Chromecast and

AirPlay are all on board, and

it’s wrapped in coated Kvadrat

for easy cleaning should

afternoon tea get out of hand.

£280 / harmankardon.co.uk

SOME CASH

Google Nest Audio

Google has been quietly

going about the business

of rebranding its connected

home products with the Nest

moniker as that ecosystem

continues to expand way

beyond smart thermostats.

So here’s the brand new

replacement for the Google

Home speaker. As the name

suggests, this is Google’s

attempt to steal back sales

from dedicated audio brands

whose impressive-sounding

mini speakers with built-in

voice control have taken over.

At the time of going to press

we’ve not had a chance to

hear it, but the Nest Audio is

out on 15 October in low-key

chalk or charcoal.

£89 / store.google.com

LESS CASH

Lenovo Smart

Clock Essential

The original Lenovo Smart

Clock is a cute bedside ticker

for alarm-call tunes; this

latest ‘Essential’ version

is touted as a timepiece for

every room in the house. A

3W speaker might not sound

like much, but make it part

of a multiroom setup and it

suddenly becomes a handy

addition for those awkward

places where you still want

some tunes but can’t fit a

bigger speaker. Full Google

Assistant voice support, an

easy-to-read LED display

and a USB port for charging

other devices make this a

nifty mini speaker with plenty

of added benefits.

€59 / lenovo.com

NOW ADD THIS

Nanoleaf

Shapes Triangles

Last month it was

hexagons and we told

you new ‘Shapes’ were

coming... now Nanoleaf

introduces triangles.

Cover an entire room and

watch them react to music

via the built-in Rhythm

module. Tiles can be

controlled by touch or

via Alexa, HomeKit and

Google Home.

from £200 / nanoleaf.me

THE XX THE XX

Back in 2009 four

young, perpetually

black-clad

Londoners released

an album blessed

with a rare feeling of

sonic unity. Sparse

beats, taut bass,

polished guitar tones

and understated

vocals make this

gloomy brand of

pop a kind of joy.

ARCADE FIRE

FUNERAL

Bringing a maximalist

attitude to chamber

pop, showcased by

euphoric singalong

anthems like Wa ke

Up and Rebellion

(Lies), few albums

about death sound

as vital as Arcade

Fire’s sonically

lush and lyrically

dramatic debut.

ANIMAL

COLLECTIVE

MERRIWEATHER

POST PAVILION

Baltimore psych-pop

oddballs turn to

samplers and

synths, creating

soaring, luscious

soundscapes and

harmony-heavy

vocals that suggest

a post-rave-culture

Beach Boys.

LCD

SOUNDSYSTEM

AMERICAN

DREAM

After a short hiatus,

LCD Soundsystem

returned in 2017 with

their take on the

American Dream.

James Murphy’s

deep knowledge of

pop history informs

a surprisingly

melancholy record.

ALTERNATIVELY

NOW HEAR THIS TWISTED POP

Mic captain!

Four algorithm-tuned

mics should pick up

your voice even at high

volumes... but there’s

always the button to

turn it down.