There are occasions when it appears as if the ‘accredited’ canon of audiophile-quality recordings stopped round 1974. This is especially the case at hi-fi reveals and demonstration periods, the place the identical outdated slabs of vinyl are slipped out of their sleeves many times. Don’t get me fallacious, they sound nice, and there are some crackers in there, however it may be soul-destroying.
It doesn’t should be this fashion. There are plenty of well-recorded, expertly produced albums obtainable to take heed to and luxuriate in. Many of them recorded because the flip of the millennium. Plus, and that is the nice bit, quite a lot of them are wonderful when it comes to music as effectively! They are belongings you would select to take heed to… for pleasure… which is, in spite of everything, the entire level of this ardour of ours.
Okay, let’s be frank, quite a lot of widespread music has over the many years been shoddily recorded, poorly mastered, and blended with all of the loudness turned up in order that it sounds thrilling on the radio – sure, we’re you Oasis and Metallica. Still, there are a lot of, many extra culprits.
That horrible behavior hasn’t contaminated the entire trade although, and there’s nonetheless sufficient well-recorded music obtainable to fulfill individuals of all tastes. And the odd factor is, it doesn’t appear to be a matter of cash or success that results in the creation of an ideal recording. In reality, as you’ll see from this checklist, quite a lot of the gems listed here are comparatively unknown artists, with albums that wouldn’t have troubled chart compilers. There are, nevertheless, producers and labels which have a behavior of frequently creating great-sounding music. People like Steve Albini – whose personal artistic output would most definitely not have prompt audiophile – and labels corresponding to Secretly Canadian, which has launched a few of our favorite recordings over time.
Another optimistic is that there are additionally many extra methods to take pleasure in audiophile-quality recordings than a decade in the past when CD was the dominant drive within the music trade, with MP3 because the younger – horrible sounding – pretender to the throne. Vinyl has made a welcome return, and along with the raft of recent releases on the format, file firms have additionally seen the chance to make some extra money with new variations of recordings from their again catalogue. Okay, so we will all take a cynical take a look at this, but when it means I can now buy a 180g half-speed grasp for £30 of a recording that will have set me again the worth of a small automotive beforehand then I’m all for it!
And then after all there’s streaming. We’ve come a good distance since we have been restricted to the horror present that was the MP3 revolution. Now, most streaming companies provide high-resolution audio information. We may argue all day about what service is greatest – presumably a debate for an additional function – however what can’t be ignored is that we now have high-quality entry to extra music than ever earlier than. And quite a lot of that music – sadly removed from all – is effectively recorded and sounds implausible.
So right here we’ve our curated choose of a few of the best-sounding albums of the previous couple of many years. This function offers with the flip of the century to the center of the noughties, and there are some absolute crackers in there. We hope you take pleasure in it and uncover some future favourites there. They are all streamable in high-resolution from one service or one other, and far of it’s obtainable on good-quality vinyl.
Boards of Canada
Music Has The Right To Children (Warp, 1998)
Where to begin with this epic slice of ambient experimentalism? This is one of the best album in a sector that features quite a lot of nice albums from proficient artists – Eno anybody? Music Has The Right To Children is a heady mixture of electronica, discipline recordings and drones, with the assistance of luxurious beats. Then there’s the sound: the bass is low and thudding, samples crisp, and the environment ethereal and roomy.
Dr. Dre
2001 (Aftermath/Interscope, 1999)
We take Dr Dre opening this album with the THX ident as an announcement of intent, and he doesn’t disappoint. Whether it’s one of many quite a few bangers contained inside its 70-minute operating time or the extra soulful duets with the likes of Mary J Blige, 2001 rewards you with a sensational listening expertise. Voices, beats, orchestration – each a part of the recording is delivered in all its glory.
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
I See A Darkness (Domino, 1999)
Will Oldham’s first Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy outing noticed him transfer from Lo-Fi to Hi-Fi, with the completely lovely I See A Darkness. The trick right here is, as is usually the case, easy music from primarily acoustic devices, effectively recorded. The result’s an album that sounds implausible, offering you a front-seat view inside Oldham’s troubled soul with this assortment of darkly humorous or just darkish tunes. Not a straightforward pay attention, however an enormously rewarding one.
Songs: Ohio
The Lioness (Secretly Canadian, 2000)
There have been a number of Songs: Ohio contenders for this checklist, together with the Steve Albini produced Magnolia Electric Company, however there’s simply one thing particular about The Lioness that retains us coming again to it. It’s so clear, clear, and crisp. As the opening ‘The Black Crow’ begins you possibly can instantly sense the band members poised to hitch in after the opening chorus. And when Jason Molina’s pained vocals take centre stage all of it comes collectively fantastically.
Björk
Vespertine (One Little Indian, 2001)
Björk is famed for her ardour for experimental audio; she chooses her collaborators with nice dexterity and clearly hates the thought of sitting nonetheless. Vespertine is a implausible instance of how these needs come collectively and ship a genuinely expectational recording. It’s advanced, multi-layered, and continuously fascinating and each single element is faithfully revealed on this wonderful recording.
Low
Things We Lost In the Fire (Kranky, 2001)
Low’s fifth album was recorded at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studios in Chicago. A hold-out for analogue strategies and ‘pure reverberation’ from the rooms themselves, the studio acts as an additional member of the band right here, enjoying an enormous half within the sound. Things We Lost In the Fire catches Low at their, er, top, with an epic drum sound and fantastically rendered double-handed vocals.
Lambchop
Is A Woman (City Slang, 2002)
This is a splendidly easy album, primarily piano-led, with occasional guitars and minimal percussion. Kurt Wagner’s unbelievable voice is all the time on the centre of issues and sounds goosebump-inducingly shut at occasions – he appears to whisper in your ear. The general impact is one among intimacy, with the performers shut at hand, but it surely’s well-recorded sufficient to by no means get oppressively claustrophobic, with wonderful separation and sound staging all through.
Johnny Cash
American IV: The Man Comes Around (American Recordings, 2002)
We’ve chosen the fourth album from the swansongs of Johnny Cash due to the discharge date and the standard of the songs, but it surely may have been any one among them. The final album he launched in his lifetime, American IV as soon as once more sees Cash delivering primarily sparse covers, sensitively helmed by Rick Rubin. The end result manages to be each heart-warming and heart-wrenching and is a sensational listening expertise.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Yanqui U.X.O. (Constellation, 2002)
This album is the one which divides followers of a band that divides critics. However, when you take pleasure in well-recorded brooding menace and sudden dynamic explosions of drums and guitars, then this can be a place you’ll really feel very snug. Yet one other Steve Albini-produced post-rock traditional, Yanqui U.X.O. was Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s third providing, and their final for a decade, and we love each second of it.
Audioslave
Audioslave (Sony, 2002)
Who doesn’t like a little bit of straight-up, in-your-face, well-recorded, expertly produced rock that includes Chris Cornell and most of Rage Against The Machine? Helmed by Rick Rubin, the eponymous Audioslave simply sounds BIG with its monster drum sound, gut-thumping bass and Tom Morello’s wonderful guitar work. But it’s the sadly departed Cornell’s vocals which are the star of the present.
White Stripes
Elephant (Third Man Records, 2003)
Recorded in London’s Toe Rag Studios, the White Stripes’ fourth album Elephant marked a back-to-basics strategy for a duo that was already fundamental – and we imply that positively. The result’s often stark in its simplicity. Yes, it’s tough, and sure, it’s uncooked, however that’s as a result of it was alleged to be! If the opening one-two of ‘Seven Nation Army’ and ‘Black Math’ doesn’t instantly seize you, then we’d recommend checking your pulse.
Joanna Newsom
‘Ys’ (Drag City, 2006)
Joanna Newsom’s breakthrough album is a wide ranging work of musical maturity. Its recording course of is a who’s who of left-field high quality, with Van Dyke Parks producing and arranging, Steve Albini recording and lo-fi legend Jim O’Rourke mixing. Newsom’s distinctive vocals, backed primarily by her harp and strings sweep you away to sonic vistas you by no means know you needed to go to. It is dynamic and plush in equal measures, however 100 per cent partaking.
The submit Modern recordings for contemporary audiophiles (Part One) appeared first on Hi-Fi+.
