This is surprisingly good. Audacity has some very nice percussion, the title track - Crown (or at least feature track) is thoughtful. I like the use of guest artists, especially H.E.R.
Exceedingly well recorded and mixed. I was listening with the HE-560s and the Lyr3 to MQA content. It demanded everything of my system.
My only criticism is that while it breaks out from urban within songs, it does not break the urban paradigm and by the last few songs, you wish it would.
Tidal suggested this album for me in their Master Quality albums. Sometimes it pays to take a chance.
I understand that sentiment, and people who prefer not to hear it. On the other hand, I recall spring days when speakers cranked in windows to send the Country Joe and the Fish cheer out into a student-filled quad.
I’ve actually been listening to some excellent rips of the newly released Nujbaes/Hydeout Produtions Vinyl!!! It’s crazy I used to listen to the First Collection and Modal Soul daily back in middle/highschool
I’m almost put to tears hearing the music again out of my current system! There was so much detail Jun had in his music that I’d missed all those years ago [Nujabes]
Pink Floyd, The Who … I wonder what old group will release something new next? What have the Dave Clark Five been doing recently that will make me feel Glad All Over? Well, they have been remastered this year.
Last night we went to Disney Hall to hear Trifinov play Tchaikovsky. That was gorgeous, but the true amazing piece was Copland’s third symphony. There are only few recordings, Minnesota from RR is the one we have. I have to say that it feels composed to be an audiophile favorite. The second and third movements are just stunning! They will challenge high frequency response, dynamics, bass, combination of dynamics, etc. It ends with variations for Fanfare for the Common Man. Though the acoustics in Disney Hall are not great, it still made for stirring performance. You have to listen to this!
It was the best classic concert according to my wife. I have others in mind that we attended too. Disney is so problematic! Because it “appears” as so hard, the bass sound doesn’t project well. But, this piece that is so heavy on high frequency stuff, the acoustics made it easier to listen to. The piano in the first part did suffer a bit. Today we were listening to Trifonov with the equipment at home, and the big difference is the “body” of the piano in the lower notes. But it also drives you crazy that the piano sounds so “big” compared to the orchestra. He signed to us a CD copy that has a Rach. #3 live version from Philadelphia and this one appear more “realistic” compared to a hall.
Anyway, I am now listening to the Eiji Oue with the Minnesota Orchestra from Reference Recordings of the Copland Third Symph and the sound quality is beautiful. Listen to the start of the third movement. Those violins will stretch your equipment (and hearing).
But how will you hear the footsteps in MW5? I mean that is how I get majority of my kills lol…then I relish the sweet half second scream of my enemies that died exclaiming “how…HOW!” While throwing their controllers and falling to their knees! Never to pick up a controller (keyboard and mouse) again!
Lately:
Michael Kiwanuka’s amazing latest album. Ironically have to keep looking up his name for the spelling.
Big Thief - UFOF.
A lot of 70s metal:
Black Sabbath - Never Say Die (“Air Dance” and “Breakout” are great and different for them) and the first album.
Judas Priest early albums - Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin after Sin.
Early UJ Roth-era Scorpions - In Trance and Taken By Force (“Life’s Like a River” is great).
Queen’s first album, Rata Bianca first album with “Gente Del Sur”.
Some more obscure early metal bands like Dust.
The whole Zeppelin catalog, but mostly Physical Graffiti and III.
And Clarice Jensen, Miles Davis and company, Charles Munch/Boston Symphony, Radiohead - In Rainbows, Bowie, Alela Diane’s first album (“The Rifle” and “Tired Feet” are amazing).
I set up my rig for the first time in a while recently, so I’ve been listening quite a bit. I noticed that there’s a new remastered release of Ali Farka Toure’s last album, Savane, available in high-res on Tidal. I was listening to the title track and it’s just fantastic. Ali’s voice sounds so “right”, and the texture of both his voice and his fingers on the guitar strings is so compelling. Makes me wish I could have seen him live one more time.
