What is the most dynamic album? Post Loudness wars!

[TheReal7]

Of releases since 2000, what is the most dynamic album you've heard? One that hasn't been brickwalled all to hell.

[Bat Head Sound]

That new Tool album sounds pretty dynamic to me.

[TheReal7]

Originally Posted by Bat Head Sound

That new Tool album sounds pretty dynamic to me.

Yes, I would have to agree. I really love that album.

[jdjustice]

I know you said "wasn't brickwalled to hell", but I have to mention the worst mastering job and compression overkill this side of the 20th century: The "Donnas" album. I would listen to it on the radio in SF and the band's instruments would drop out frequently because that record was squashed so much. Squashed so bad it was a painful listen.

[djui5]

Fragile is pretty dynamic. Hard to listen to it in the car.

Norah Jone's stuff is dynamic too...good music

[tgrokz]

not the MOST dynamic, but i was just listening to it and it works.
fiona apple - extrodinary machine

and if you want to talk about brick walled to hell, pick kup the new thursday album. i listened to it again last night and jeez. everything clips and distorts like crazy.

[taturana]

i think fiona was a good example... of dynamics... both in her voice and in the arrangements... but i think "when the pawn.." is more dynamic....

[max cooper]

Kudos to George Martin for the three Beatles Anthology releases. They're '96 so not too recent, but they're really nicely done.

[Benjy King]

Both Damien Rice albums are about as dynamic as it gets.

[picksail]

Rage Against the Machine-Self Titled

[John Suitcase]

I've been listening to Explosions in the Sky's "The Earth is not a Cold, Dead Place", that's pretty durn dynamical...

[DeathMonkey]

I just mentioned the new Zao release as being mastered pretty low in another thread, and it sounds great IMHO. Death Cab For Cutie always seem to do a great job of preserving their dynamics.

The debut release from The Sleeping is interesting - the original mix and arrangements seems really dynamic, and it isn't compressed all to hell, but definitely seems pretty "brickwalled" - it doesn't pump as much as a lot of releases, but the level remains pretty up there. Same with Pinback - everything seems leveled pretty hot, but not that supercompressed oversaturated wash of overhyped sound like Thrice or Underoath (nerogtr also mentioned He Is Legend, and I agree).



EDIT: +1 to Explosions in the Sky... I would add Isis, Neurosis and Pelican (someone also mentioned Tool) - that genre as a whole seems to do a pretty good job at avoiding the "make everything loud all the time" mastering.

[siegfried]

Sinead O´Connor

[mrface2112]

Peter Gabriel's "UP" might be pretty squashed in places, but it really has a LOT of dynamics.......largely due to the songs/arrangements/productions. I love it.....hard to listen to it in the car, though.


cheers,
wade

[Hint]

Low - "Things We Lost In The Fire"

Well worth checking this out if you haven't heard it.

[popmann]

I saw mention of damien rice...I'd add Nickel Creek. Their "best of" is on my iPod right now, and there's a distinctly different RMS level--very dynamic.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by mrface2112

Peter Gabriel's "UP" [snip] I love it.....hard to listen to it in the car, though.

Why, you mean because otherwise your neighbors or roomates would kill themselves?

[pocketcalc]

Mogwai - My Father My King.

this band is one of my favorites and the most "dynamical" I've listned.

[Tibbon]

Originally Posted by popmann

I saw mention of damien rice...I'd add Nickel Creek. Their "best of" is on my iPod right now, and there's a distinctly different RMS level--very dynamic.

Nickle Creek has a best of CD now? Last time I ran into them they had only one CD, and were coming out with a second. Nice kids, but shouldn't you have at least everyone in the band 25 years old before having a best of cd?

[picksail]

Originally Posted by Tibbon

Nickle Creek has a best of CD now? Last time I ran into them they had only one CD, and were coming out with a second. Nice kids, but shouldn't you have at least everyone in the band 25 years old before having a best of cd?

Perhaps by "best of" he means his favorites from the album in his iPod.

I think that's why it was in quotations.

[AlexLakis]

Despite comments to the contrary, I found Foo Fighters "The Colour and the Shape" to be very dynamic at parts, especially for being an "axis album in the loudness wars." For example, the verse of "Blackout," or the first couple of minutes of "February Stars."

As far as after 2000 goes, Roger Waters' "Ca Ira" (2005) is very dynamic.

[travisgarrison]

Originally Posted by Tibbon

Nickle Creek has a best of CD now? Last time I ran into them they had only one CD, and were coming out with a second. Nice kids, but shouldn't you have at least everyone in the band 25 years old before having a best of cd?

Actually, they do have a best-of CD:

http://www.amazon.com/Reasons-Why-Ve...e=UTF8&s=music

But I do agree that a best-of CD after only three albums is a little much.

[popmann]

Yeah...I put it in quotes because I couldn't remember what exactly they called the record.

You know that bands have no say in collections. Since they've announced their "indefinate hiatus", I'm sure the record company thought they'd sqeeze a little more dough while their name was still fresh...and open themselves to the possibility of pulling the others from the catalog at some point.

Personally...I really appreciate the collection--for whatever reason it was made. As talented as they are, I found them more miss than hit on the 2 out of 3 albums I heard. Compiling three into one seems to have created a pretty cool listening experience all around, IMO.

[duckyboard]

i second explosions in the sky

[heathen]

David Gilmour, "On an Island".

[conagher]

Lift to Experience "Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads"

[RusRant]

Not major label releases but Jimbo "Jas" Mathus last few CD's are very dynamic IMO. And they sound like early stones records recorded in a dark corner of the Mississippi Delta. This guy records with RCA 44 77 ribbons and telefunkin pres and no compression. The dynamics are very intact.

[tgrokz]

Originally Posted by DeathMonkey

I just mentioned the new Zao release as being mastered pretty low in another thread, and it sounds great IMHO. Death Cab For Cutie always seem to do a great job of preserving their dynamics.

The debut release from The Sleeping is interesting - the original mix and arrangements seems really dynamic, and it isn't compressed all to hell, but definitely seems pretty "brickwalled" - it doesn't pump as much as a lot of releases, but the level remains pretty up there. Same with Pinback - everything seems leveled pretty hot, but not that supercompressed oversaturated wash of overhyped sound like Thrice or Underoath (nerogtr also mentioned He Is Legend, and I agree).



EDIT: +1 to Explosions in the Sky... I would add Isis, Neurosis and Pelican (someone also mentioned Tool) - that genre as a whole seems to do a pretty good job at avoiding the "make everything loud all the time" mastering.

funny how you mention the sleeping. i like the sound of their second album. its a different feel from whats out there today. funny cuz my good friend is going out with the girl that the singer is obsessed with. local boys.

and EITS is a great example.

[pramrod]

"on an island" is a great example- beautiful mastering job- super boring record. i bought it right when it came out- listened on my ATC's - super dynamic, not loudnessed out, sounded beautiful- and boring. then i heard the single on Q104.3, the giant clear channel rock station here in ny, and holy moley, it sounded fricking incredible- like the experience of hearing comfortably numb or us and them on the radio when i was young- trippy, crazy sonics, huge dynamics, so completely crazy it just blew my mind. back on the atc's, super smooth, super hi-fi, mellow. the FM thing just made the track come crazy alive- clearly mastered for maximum rock radio shtoneyness- my prefered mastering method. it's something that many engineers don't get to experience- hearing your music on a huge big time radio station- everything sounds way way way different... enjoy pram

[84K]

I agree with all the previous listed albums, or at least the ones mentioned that I have heard. Keep in mind, dynamics are not always lost in the mix and mastering. Songs have to be recorded with dynamics for them to be there in the end. That is in the production.

Tool and Pearl Jam always manages to keep things sounding dynamic in a production and keep it through the final masters.

Add to the list: I would add the White Stripes album. The big one. Albeit, very garage sounding, but definitely dynamic.


A lot of lighter stuff is still dynamic, i.e., Ray Lamontange, Norah, etc.

When heavy rock retains dynamics, that really impresses me. Rare these days tho.