Best sounding recording of all time (from the last five years)

[RCM - Ronan]

Listening to an amazing sounding album today in the studio and looked at the back and realized it was about 11 years old. I realized that most of my favorite sounding albums are a bit older.

It got me thinking: With all the changes in production methods and battling with the loudness war that every one has to deal with, have there been any albums in the last 5 years that people would consider some of the best sounding recording of all time? Looking for cool things to check out.

[SRS]

What album was it Ronan?

[RCM - Ronan]

Originally Posted by SRS

What album was it Ronan?

"Break the Cycle" by Staind. Andy Wallace is the king for making record sound big and loud but still full and rich.

[SRS]

Oh yeah. Great album indeed. Johns kit is so crisp and yet full at the same time. That snare is like Helmet on steroids. Sharp and precise.

To answer your question. "of all time" is tough at best. But I will throw out one. The Butterfly Effect. Imago. That one is extremely articulate and detailed, with outstanding musicianship. Try it out.


Posted via the Gearslutz iPhone app

[SRS]

Sorry. Jon. Spelled it wrong.


Posted via the Gearslutz iPhone app

[CeretoneAudio]

2 that come to mind are:

radiohead in rainbows

tool: 10,000 days

However i feel both of these albums could sound better with less "loudness". The loudness wars are creating a barrier between music and listeners.

[staylor200]

John Mayer's "Continuum" and "Battle Studies".

[u b k]

Loudness is only an issue for sound junkies whose tastes were molded when things were less compressed.

Loudness is not an issue for someone born 13 years ago, and it never will be because it's their baseline. It's how things are *supposed* to sound now. This is a tough pill to swallow. Progress usually is.

The guys who loved the golden 50's tones bitched about all the distortions and whiny caterwauling in the 60's.

The guys who loved the dirt and rebellious spirit in the 60's bitched about the loss of the room sound and live organic groove in the 70's.

The guys who loved the organic dry warmth of the 70's bitched about the cheesy synths and inhuman drum machines and cold reverbs of the 80's.

The guys who loved the creative spaces and cutting edge sounds of the 80's bitched about the creeping loudness and hefty limiting of the 90's.

We're still bitching about the hefty limiting but that's gotten boring so we also bitch about the lack of real songs (as did those before us), lack of originality and reality in composition and performance (as did those before us), and lack of warmth and honesty in production (as did those before us).

Question: how do you know when you're getting old?

Answer: too late!


Gregory Scott - ubk

[jonnymac]

Originally Posted by u b k

Loudness is only an issue for sound junkies whose tastes were molded when things were less compressed.

Loudness is not an issue for someone born 13 years ago, and it never will be because it's their baseline. It's how things are *supposed* to sound now. This is a tough pill to swallow. Progress usually is.

The guys who loved the golden 50's tones bitched about all the distortions and whiny caterwauling in the 60's.

The guys who loved the dirt and rebellious spirit in the 60's bitched about the loss of the room sound and live organic groove in the 70's.

The guys who loved the organic dry warmth of the 70's bitched about the cheesy synths and inhuman drum machines and cold reverbs of the 80's.

The guys who loved the creative spaces and cutting edge sounds of the 80's bitched about the creeping loudness and hefty limiting of the 90's.

We're still bitching about the hefty limiting but that's gotten boring so we also bitch about the lack of real songs (as did those before us), lack of originality and reality in composition and performance (as did those before us), and lack of warmth and honesty in production (as did those before us).

Question: how do you know when you're getting old?

Answer: too late!


Gregory Scott - ubk

great post!

[Sultan of Swing]

It's not rock 'n roll, but I love the sound of "The Girl in the Other Room" by Diana Krall, recorded by Al Schmitt. About as nice a vocal jazz album as I've heard. "Love", the Beatles mash-up, sounds great, but of course it's old recordings newly mixed. "The King is Dead" by The Decemberists is a good, recent alt country/rock record. I look forward to seeing what others suggest because I too would like to hear some good new stuff.

[rhizomeman]

Massive Attack Heligoland

[buddachile]

I think Amy Winehouse "Back To Black" sounds pretty great, but maybe it's just the great tunes and performances...

[mu6gr8]

Quite a few sonically superior albums in the last few years... I don't know if any of them would be among "the greatest of all time" but they sound very good. Off the top of my head, in no particular order:

Shawn Colvin - These Four Walls
Dido - Long Way Home
Big Blue Ball (Recorded 15-20 years ago at Peter Gabriel's place, but recently mastered and released)
Jonatha Brooke - The Works
Neil Larson - Orbit (Recorded live to 2-track at Bernie Grundman Mastering)
Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat
Wayne Krantz - Krantz Carlock LeFebvre
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky and Wilco: The Album
Vince Gill - These Days

If I recall correctly, I also very much enjoyed the sonics of Radiohead's In Rainbows and Crowded House's Intriguer.

I love the sound of the song "Low Rising" by The Swell Season.

[paynebabes]

The vinyl version of Consolers of the Lonely by the Raconteurs.

+1 for Continuum too (but mainly because I'm a MASSIVE John Mayer fan)

[automatom]

inside the past ten years, two of the finest sounding albums:

Sea Change - Beck (9 years)
A Ghost is Born - Wilco (7 years)

[gollumsluvslave]

A bit over 5 years for me, and I wouldn't say that these are 'All Time Greats'...

Magnet - On Your Side (2004) - just love this little know gem.
NIN - With Teeth (2005) - even better sounding than The Fragile to me - contrast to the fatiguing Year Zero...
Autolux - Future Perfect (2004) - avant garde rock, but really intersting sounding production.
Goldfrapp - Supernature (2005) - great electro/pop production (although Black Cherry is a better album!)

I thought The Killers' "Sam's Town" was pretty amazing sounding, in comparison to the drivel that was out with it at the time.

[bobtheninja]

A few at the top of my head:

PJ Harvey - White Chalk

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Letting Go

A few that are a little older

Beck - Sea Change (2002)

Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions - Bavarian Fruit Bread (2001)

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) (This may not technically sound as good as A Ghost Is Born or the latter ones, but it still is pretty perfect sounding for the music on it. Jim O'Rourke mixed it really well, I think.)

[albiedamned]

Originally Posted by gollumsluvslave

A bit over 5 years for me, and I wouldn't say that these are 'All Time Greats'...

Magnet - On Your Side (2004) - just love this little know gem.
NIN - With Teeth (2005) - even better sounding than The Fragile to me - contrast to the fatiguing Year Zero...
Autolux - Future Perfect (2004) - avant garde rock, but really intersting sounding production.
Goldfrapp - Supernature (2005) - great electro/pop production (although Black Cherry is a better album!)

To each their own: Year Zero to me is one of the all time greatest albums.

[captainj]

Another vote for Beck's Sea Change. Even though it's not excessively loud by today's standards, it still suffered from "modern mastering". For proof, compare it to Mobile Fidelity's recent CD mastering of this great album - it's one of the best sounding CD's I've ever heard.

[Ciozzi]

Originally Posted by RCM - Ronan

"Break the Cycle" by Staind. Andy Wallace is the king for making record sound big and loud but still full and rich.

I was just listening to some clips from the album and even if it sounds great, you can hear the guitars clipping/distorting almost all the time, that's really distracting. I'm all for loudness if it's done well but that's just way too much...

I find difficult to name the best sounding album ever, I don't think there's one but I think Ben Grosse's work on Phobia by Breaking Benjamin was incredible, too bad musically speaking the album is boring IMO....

[Friedemann]

Hands down, the last Biffy Clyro (2009) and Coheed & Cambria (2010) sound amazing although they are compressed to hell

[marcreeves]

Despite there being of really bad engineering and mixing going on right now, there has been a TON of great sounding albums in the last five years. Here's some off the top of my head:

Norah Jones - The Fall (every record shes done sounds gorgeous though! Helps that the music is great, but I've always felt the production on her stuff is incredible)

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

Johnny Flynn - A Larum & Been Listening

The Swell Season - Strict Joy

Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Fionn Regan - Shadow of an Empire

Bright Eyes - Cassadaga

Dry the River - both EP's they have released

Autolux - Transit, Transit

Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew

Radiohead - In Rainbows

Sarah Blaskos last two albums

Long Dead Signal's two self released EP's


I could go on all day really

[lucaswbl]

Originally Posted by Sounds Great

Rush's Snakes and Arrows!

Very cool. Just happened to be listening to it a few hours ago.

Check this out:
Rush and Producer Nick Raskulinecz Reveal How They Recorded Snakes & Arrows
Cygnus-X1.Net - A Tribute to Rush - EQ Magazine's <i>The Recording Techniques Behind Snakes & Arrows</i> by Will Romano

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by Friedemann

Hands down, the last Biffy Clyro (2009) and Coheed & Cambria (2010) sound amazing although they are compressed to hell

Now I love Biffy, but Only Revolutions, like The Puzzle before it, suffers from clipped kick drums (I can hear digital clips intermittently through the Puzzle when listening on headphones), really obviously triggered drums (and not in a good way - listen to "The Captain" - I think even the ride is triggered!) and in places really static performances.

I really like an album by David Ford called "songs for the road" - I don't think it's consistently brilliant from a songs point of view (given his acid tongue, a couple of the songs stray into MOR) but sonically it's beautiful - sounding both "hi-fi" but at the same time quite agressive and natural. Bacon and Quarmby productions/mixing...

[Sailjunkie]

The Incident
Fear of a Blank Planet
Deadwing
In Absentia

All flawless mixes!!

[mightyfaulk]

Originally Posted by paynebabes

The vinyl version of Consolers of the Lonely by the Raconteurs.

So glad you mentioned this album. Both of The Raconteurs albums sound absolutely incredible and demonstrate that real good records still come from the soul of (talented) musicians.. not quantization and insanely loud masters.

I'd recommend the documentary 'It Might Get Loud' to anyone who doesn't know much about Jack White or The Raconteurs. It might refresh your feelings on music and recording it.. at least it did for me.

[paynebabes]

Originally Posted by mightyfaulk

So glad you mentioned this album. Both of The Raconteurs albums sound absolutely incredible and demonstrate that real good records still come from the soul of (talented) musicians.. not quantization and insanely loud masters.

I'd recommend the documentary 'It Might Get Loud' to anyone who doesn't know much about Jack White or The Raconteurs. It might refresh your feelings on music and recording it.. at least it did for me.

Video: Anatomy of a Hit: The Raconteurs and Kings of Leon

Check that vid out if you haven't. Its ace.

[husky band]

The recordings I listen to don't sound all that much different from the ones made 50 years ago. Jazz and Classical. How much of the click track, layered, auto tuned, over processed recordings of today will be viewed as important 50 yrs from now?...............Boy do I sound old.......lol

[binarymilton]

Originally Posted by u b k

Loudness is only an issue for sound junkies whose tastes were molded when things were less compressed.

Loudness is not an issue for someone born 13 years ago, and it never will be because it's their baseline. It's how things are *supposed* to sound now. This is a tough pill to swallow. Progress usually is.

The guys who loved the golden 50's tones bitched about all the distortions and whiny caterwauling in the 60's.

The guys who loved the dirt and rebellious spirit in the 60's bitched about the loss of the room sound and live organic groove in the 70's.

The guys who loved the organic dry warmth of the 70's bitched about the cheesy synths and inhuman drum machines and cold reverbs of the 80's.

The guys who loved the creative spaces and cutting edge sounds of the 80's bitched about the creeping loudness and hefty limiting of the 90's.

We're still bitching about the hefty limiting but that's gotten boring so we also bitch about the lack of real songs (as did those before us), lack of originality and reality in composition and performance (as did those before us), and lack of warmth and honesty in production (as did those before us).

Question: how do you know when you're getting old?

Answer: too late!


Gregory Scott - ubk

With respect, you can't describe all those things as "progress". They're fads and fashions, which change and contradict themselves.

If that was "progress", you wouldn't have had things like the return to dry, warm organic mixes in the 1990s - the rejection of all that 1980s big reverb. Because it sounded naff. (Now, of course, it's creeping back in, via a generation for whom it sounds kind of funny and novel.)

I don't think you can ever say that anything in music is here to stay. Brickwall limiting is no less likely to be a fad than any other trend in music history.