The Instrument That Doesn’t Sound Human

Today Dave brings Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy back to the turntable, not to repeat an earlier conversation, but to listen in a new way. Studio treatment changes the perceived identity of instruments and voices. THE LISTENING ASSIGNMENT Play “No Quarter” twice. On the second listen, focus on how keyboard and vocal treatments change your sense of distance and atmosphere. SIDE ONE SPIN What did you notice? Did the listening experiment change the way you hear the record? Tell us where you agree—or disagree.