DANIEL PEMBERTON: KING ARTHUR, LEGEND OF THE SWORD
Label: WaterTower Music/Sony Classics, 88985440902
Recorded at: Abbey Road Studios, London, 2017
Mastering: Christian Wright, Abbey Road
DR: 10
I didn’t imagine I would be up at 2am with my face red and stinging having spent the last hour slapping it as hard as I could to get the best unusual percussive sounds for a particularly fiddly assassination scene that we needed the next day. Nor phoning my neighbours to not worry if they heard any screaming from my flat.
STEPHAN MICUS: WINTER'S END
Label: ECM Records GmbH, ECM 2698359 2771
Recorded: MCM studios, 2018-2020
Mastering: Christoph Stickel
DR: 16
As publisher puts it, Stephan Micus is a one-man universe of sound. He collects and studies instruments from around the world and creates his own musical journeys with them. This is his 24th solo album for ECM (since 1977) created in his studio with many recordings and overdubs.
AUDIOPHILE THRASH METAL ALBUMS
The last two years. The pandemic, lockdowns, no live shows. Slayer is retired, new albums from Anthrax and Megadeth postponed, Metallica recycling itself. No good material from other big names on the horizon. Fortunately, the metal scene that has more loyal fans than any other genre of music does not stop. Thrash bands out there churn out one album after another, and although the quality of content is often less than satisfactory, there are some diamonds waiting to be uncovered. Let me look at 4 albums that were released during pandemics by mostly unknown bands, and that not only do feature exceptional music material but also exceptional sound quality for the genre.
RY COODER: PARIS, TEXAS
Label: Warner Bros, 925 270-2
Recorded by: Allen Sides and Mark Ettel at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood
Mastered by: Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood
DR: 14
Paris, Texas is a pure analog recording and tape hiss is the first sound that jumps out of speakers. It never disappears and instead becomes a canvas upon which Ry Cooder’s steel guitar lays the ornaments. It is a strong introspective record that explores depths of human soul.
PAUL JARRET: EMMA
Label: Neuklang, NCD4232
Produced by: Paul Boulier at Libretto Studio
Mastered by: Phillipp Heck at Bauer Studios
Mixed by: Erwan Boulay at Libretto Studio
While listening to this album I feel strong resemblance to Bon Iver´s debut For Emma…Forever Ago. The album´s mood and how authentic it is are at least equal, although Jarret´s Emma offers more complex instrumentation. Still, this is a very intimate piece of music of a quartet that labels themselves as chamber jazz. There are glimpses of Mari Boine or Kari Bremnes, yet the music is quite original, connecting Swedish folk music to Scandinavian liturgic music and, of course, to jazz.
AUDIOPHILE METAL ALBUMS
This is the first part of the series that will focus on some really great recorded metal music, across the sub-genres. Massacre, Haken, Cycle of Pain a Unexpect.
BARBER: Café Blue Un-Mastered
Label: Premonition Records SACD, 90760-5
Produced by: Patricia Barber
Un-Mastered by: Gus Skinas, Super Audio Center, DR14
Recorded by: Jim Anderson, Chicago Recording Company, 1994
Patricia Barber and her Café Blue is a staple of audiophile listening. I have to admit that I have never understood why it had become such a cult for there were and still are many other female-fronted jazz trios, quartets and quintets that exhibit much better artistic and sonic qualities.
THE SOUL OF ANALOG IS BACK: ABC (Int´l) Records
Label: ABC (Int'l) Records
The Chinese ABC is a diverse group of associates around audiophiles, recording engineers, tape technicians and musicians that pursues the ultimate analog playback goal: the studio tape quality.
MOTANKA
Label: Napalm Records – NPR 858 DP (84058812277)
Producer: Gerrit Haasler
Mastering: Hauke Albrecht, DR6
Recorded and mixed at Blackstone Studios
In Ukrainian symbolism a motanka is a rag doll, an ancient craft that was used as an amulet to ward off illness and bad things from a person. It was also believed that the Motanka can mediate a connection between the living and the dead, and often the dolls were burned or drowned after they fulfilled their protective mission.
HELL OR HIGH WATER
Label: Milan, 399 862-2
Producer: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
Mastering: Rob Kleiner, DR7-10
Recorded at Retreat, Brighton, UK
“Hell or High Water” is an American movie that follows two brothers who plan a bank robbery to save their family farm. It is a modern homage to classic westerns, full of drama, barren landscapes, and suppressed emotions.
QNTAL V: Silver Swan
Label: Drakkar Entertainment / Soulfood, 2006
DRPRO 055
Mastering: Christoph Stickel
Recording location: Novaton Berlin
Qntal (read k´ntal) is a Geman band that plays a kind of multigenre crossover of dance electronica, folk music, darkwave and gothic. In their discography I would highlight the great IV Ozymandias album, the rest is good but a bit less inspiring modern take on medieval music. Except the V Silver Swan.
IVAN MORAVEC: CHOPIN NOCTURNES
Label: Supraphon
SU 4097-2
Produced by: E. Alan Silver, published May 2012, licensed from Nonesuch.
Mastering: Jan Lžičař
Recorded April 1965, St Paul’s Chapel, Columbia University, New York and November 1965, Mozartsaal of the Konzerthaus, Vienna
Ivan Moravec - piano (Steinway, Bösendorfer)
When I listened to Moravec’s Nocturnes for the first time (and again and again) I wanted to write something original about this recording. After reading Supraphon’s liner notes I found that Pavel Ryjáček who had written them wonderfully captured the essence of this masterpiece.
THORBJØRN RISAGER & THE BLACK TORNADO: TOO MANY ROADS
Label: Ruf Records
RUF 1200, 7 1034712002 5
Producer: Søren Bøjgaard and Thorbjørn Risager
Mastering: Mikkel Gemsøe – C4, DR6
Recorded at the Medley Studio in Copenhagen
I listen to dozens new albums every month and I’ve been doing so for many years. It is a pure mystery to me how does it come that I’ve never come across Thorbjørn Risager and his The Black Tornado band. Too Many Roads is his album number 10 already and it is easily one of the best examples of modern blues released in this decade.
LEONARD COHEN: YOU WANT IT DARKER
Label: Columbia
Nr. 88985365072
Producer: Adam Cohen
Mastering: Stephen Marcussen, Marcussen Mastering, DR13
Recorded at Cohen's house
Leonard Cohen had always been a master of crafting strong stories. Should I be surprised that his last story was scripted, directed and produced the way it sends chills down my spine?
CHARLY ANTOLINI: KNOCK OUT 2000
Label: InAkustik
Nr. INAK 9053CD
Producer: Wolfgang Michael Schmidt
Mastering: Brian Gardner, Bernie Grundman Mastering, DR9
Recorded at JK´s Mastermix
Warning! This is no children's birthday party. The record will be played at your own risk. Excessive levels may cause severe damage to loudspeakers.
This is what the sleeve notes on the Antolini's masterpiece say. I can only confirm that you'd better take them seriously.
NORDOST SYSTEM SET-UP & TUNING DISC
Label: Nordost
Nr. NOR TD1
Producer: Nordost Corporation
Mastering: no credits
LEDR tests - Doug Jones, EASI, trademark of Northwestern University, USA
A very elaborate toolkit to set up loudspeakers, optimize their placement in the listening environment, tackle the room modes and test the dynamic capabilities of your audio system. As a bonus this CD contains demagnetizing de-gauss tones and system burn-in signals.
OPUS 3 SHOWCASE
Label: XRCD24 Master Music
Nr. MXCD 99301
Producer: Jan-Eric Persson, Opus 3
Mastering: JVC XRCD 24 bit Super Analog
Microphones AKG C-24, C-426, Neumann U-89 and AKG C-414 B-TL-II, all tube console, Telefunken M-28C reel-to-reel with BASF SM-468 tapes
The Swedish Opus 3 specializes on acoustic recordings in natural ambience with no post-production and additional sound manipulation. This is an excellent CD to check if your system can recreate those natural ambiences in your listening room.
STEREOPHILE TEST CD 3
Label: Stereophile
Nr. STPH 006-2
Producer: John Atkinson
Mastering: Digital Brothers, Costa Mesa, CA
Edited on Sonic Solution Sonic System
This is an essential test CD. Apart from carefully selected music tracks the CD helps you to check the listening environment, proves you that different miking techniques yield different results or provides you with an ultimate burn-in track.
