La musica pop di oggi tende a essere masterizzata per suonare”forte”anche quando viene riprodotta a basso volume: una gamma dinamica compressa significa che non c’è molta differenza in decibel tra le parti basse e alte della musica. Ascoltare questi album attraverso apparecchiature audio di alta qualità può essere un terribile assalto ai buchi, motivo per cui gli audiofili cercano album che sono stati masterizzati con una gamma dinamica più ampia.
Ciò non significa che hai per ricorrere allo schiaffo dell’ultima opera di un violinista jazz austriaco con indosso un gilet di pelle e una coda di cavallo sul tuo amato giradischi.
Per fortuna, molti degli artisti di oggi sono ancora impegnati in registrazioni ben masterizzate e squisitamente prodotte e questo, insieme a un’abbondante scorta di vecchi album che sono stati originariamente masterizzati bene o che sono stati successivamente rimasterizzati, significa che c’è molto di musica fantastica da ascoltare. Ecco quelli che pensiamo siano alcuni dei migliori album audiofili mai stampati su vinile, CD o digitale.
Recensioni di Stephen Graves, Marc McLaren, Tom Wiggins, Sam Kieldsen, André Dack e Simon Lucas
Black Country , New Road – Per la prima volta (2021)
È abbastanza appropriato che Black Country, New Road abbiano un contratto con la leggendaria etichetta elettronica/hip-hop Ninja Tune, perché c’è ben poco nel sette pezzi londinese che si conforma alle aspettative di una normale rock band.
Con così tanti cervelli musicali coinvolti-quasi ogni membro della band ha altri progetti in corso-non sorprende che For the First Time trabocchi positivamente di idee, sia che si tratti di post-rock, guasti al sax skronking o musica klezmer ebraica, ma riesce a evitare id che suona confuso o incoerente. Anche i testi di Isaac Wood, che sono pieni di riferimenti a Nutribullets, drammi polizieschi danesi e Kanye West, suonano in modo divertente e fuori posto piuttosto che solo irritantemente stravagante.
Acquista per la prima volta in audio ad alta risoluzione da 7digital
Riproduci in streaming su Spotify qui
Ghetts – Conflitto di interessi (2021)
Quando il grime emerse dalle strade di Londra nei primi anni 2000, si trattava di ritmi elettronici sfacciati e testi aggressivamente conflittuali, ma poiché il genere ha gradualmente preso il sopravvento sul mainstream, la sua il suono si è evoluto. In Conflict of Interest, il terzo album di Ghetts ma il primo per una major, ci sono sezioni di archi, cori e intro vocali, ma questo non è il 36enne che scompare nel suo stesso fondoschiena.
C’è molta della stessa tensione e minaccia che definisce il grime, ma la portata widescreen dell’album, il ritmo più lento e i temi dei testi introspettivi-in particolare nelle prime sei tracce-lo distinguono, anche se le collaborazioni di Ed Sheeran ed Emeli Sandé sembrano fuori dal comune. luogo.
Acquista Conflitto di interessi in audio ad alta risoluzione da 7digital
Trasmettilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher (2020)
Pubblicato proprio mentre il mondo era in preda alla pandemia di Covid, perdoneresti Phoebe Bridgers per aver reso il suo seguito di Stranger In the Alps del 2017 un disco claustrofobico e introspettivo, ma Punisher è esattamente l’opposto.
Presenta ancora l’intimo portamento dell’anima che ha reso il debutto del 26enne un ascolto tale da fermarti nelle tue tracce, ma c’è una tavolozza sonora più complessa in usa qui, con i contributi musicali del suo collaboratore del Better Oblivion Community Center Conor Obert, Nick Zinner degli Yeah Yeah Yeahs e Jenny Lee Lindberg di Warpaint.
Acquista Punisher in audio ad alta risoluzione da 7digital
Riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen (2019)
Quattro decenni dopo la sua carriera musicale, Nick Cave ha ancora il potere di sorprendere-e Ghosteen è sia un allontanamento dalla sua lavoro precedente (i soggetti delle canzoni sono più personali e confessionali di quelli di Cave finora visitati) e un album che sembra appropriato e fedele a tutto ciò che è venuto prima. Sintetizzatori scintillanti sono alla base della voce tipica di Cave in questa esplorazione onirica, lussureggiante e assolutamente meravigliosa di perdita, dolore e disperazione.
Riproduci in streaming Ghosten su Apple Music qui
Michael Kiwanuka – KIWANUKA (2019)
Il terzo LP del cantautore londinese Michael Kiwanuka mostra un artista in una spettacolare traiettoria ascendente. KIWANUKA prodotto da Danger Mouse è pieno di sentimento, politica, sonoramente intriso di tradizione e innovativo, è un disco da festa con un cuore oscuro e torturato e uno dei migliori album del 2019.
Acquista KIWANUKA in audio ad alta risoluzione da 7digital
Riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Boards of Canada – Music Has il diritto ai bambini (1998)
Ora che ha più di 20 anni, questo fondamentale album di debutto dei fratelli di Edimburgo Michael Sandison e Marcus Eoin suona ancora gloriosamente distorto, fresco e rivolto al futuro-un pi ece dell’elettronica pionieristica che è più interessata a farti sedere e ascoltare piuttosto che a farti alzare e scuotere il tuo sedere.
Ritmi scintillanti digitali, nitidi, croccanti fuori passo, sintetizzatori lussureggianti e lo strano, campione vocale giudizioso evoca uno scenario audio materico e atmosferico che richiede di essere ascoltato su apparecchiature capaci-per favore, qualsiasi cosa tranne un altoparlante per smartphone.
Acquista Music Has the Right to Children (FLAC a 16 bit) qui
Riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising (2019)
Probabilmente presente nelle liste dei”best of”di molti critici alla fine del 2019, il quarto disco di Natalie Mering con il suo pseudonimo di Weyes Blood è molto lontano dall’essere una donna-e-una-chitarra-e-oh-sì-forse-anche-un-pianoforte scuola di cantautori folky. La voce eterea di Mering, i suoi testi che toccano tutti i travagli delle nostre piccole vite nel 21° secolo, si libra su lussureggianti arrangiamenti orchestrali che evocano i classici album americani degli anni’70, pur suonando completamente moderni.
Acquista Titanic Rising da Band Camp qui
Ascoltalo in streaming su Spotify qui
David Bowie – Blackstar (2016)
Il 25° e ultimo album in studio di David Bowie, pubblicato due giorni prima della sua morte, Blackstar sembra un cenno finale consapevole al mondo, un regalo d’addio per i fan-e Bowie a alcune delle sue migliori invenzioni. La maggior parte delle leggende del rock di 69 anni si sarebbe accontentata di pubblicare una suite di brani comodi e da capogiro per concludere la loro carriera, ma non era così che Bowie: Blackstar è tutto art-rock appuntito con sentori di jazz ed elettronica, un galaxy lontano dall’ascolto facile. Ma con il produttore di lunga data di Bowie, Tony Visconti, ai comandi, è un’impeccabile gioia per le orecchie.
Con una durata di 41 minuti e composto da sole sette tracce, questo non è un album che supera il suo benvenuto – proprio come il suo creatore, se ne va lasciandoti la sensazione che avrebbero potuto esserci cose ancora più grandi a venire.
Acquista Blackstar (24-bit/96kHz FLAC) qui
Ascoltalo in streaming su Spotify qui
Neil Young – Roxy: Tonight’s The Night Live (2018)
Rilasciato nel 2018 ma registrato 45 anni prima, tranne questo ional cattura perfettamente l’atmosfera, il calore e l’energia rauca dello spettacolo dal vivo di Young con i Santa Monica Flyers, il concerto inaugurale dell’ormai leggendario nightclub di Los Angeles The Roxy. Nonostante il suo successo di critica, la versione in studio di Tonight’s The Night è tra i dischi più spinosi di Young, composta principalmente da registrazioni one-take sciolte e fuori posto e infestate da un cinismo da sogno hippie; la morte, la droga e l’oscurità abbondano. Il raccolto sicuramente non lo è. Ma qui, presentate nel contesto del concerto con intatte battute scherzose sul palco, quelle stesse canzoni (e un paio di altre) assumono un tono più vivace e vibrante: questa è una festa, non una veglia per gli amici defunti.
Assicurati di ascoltarlo in qualità master a 24 bit/192kHz (se la tua larghezza di banda è sufficientemente ampia) nell’archivio online di Young, che attualmente contiene quasi tutto il suo catalogo, gratuitamente, in alta risoluzione.
Acquista Roxy: Tonight’s The Night Live (24-bit/192kHz AIFF/FLAC/ALAC/WAV) qui
Trasmettilo in streaming all’archivio di Neil Young (24-bit/192kHz) qui
Trasmettilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
Portare un atteggiamento massimalista al pop da camera, messo in mostra da inni euforici come”Wake Up”e”Rebellion ( Lies)”, gli Arcade Fire hanno attirato per la prima volta l’attenzione del mondo più ampio con Funeral, sorprendentemente esagerato, liricamente drammatico e sonicamente lussureggiante, un disco che mette in mostra il multistrumentalismo compiuto della band e la sua capacità di rendere le canzoni sia ossessivamente personali che rassicuranti universali. Pochi album sulla morte suonano così vitali e affermativi come questo.
Scarica Funeral (44.1kHz/16-bit FLAC) qui
Trasmettilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral (2017)
Pubblicato originariamente nel 1994 ma ora disponibile rimasterizzato in versione”definitiva edition”, il secondo album in studio dei Nine Inch Nails è un pioniere dell’alt-rock, che fonde elementi heavy metal, ambient, industrial rock e techno in un tour-de-force materico che l’ha lasciato considerato uno dei più importanti e influenti degli anni’90 Rif corde.
Un concept album basato sul crollo psicologico di un uomo, The Downward Spiral è un disco aggressivo e abrasivo che affronta ogni tipo di argomento trasgressivo-autolesionismo, tossicodipendenza, alcolismo, suicidio-mentre suona opportunamente sconfortante. Prodotto e registrato dal frontman dei NIN Trent Reznor e Flood nella casa in cui Sharon Tate è stata uccisa dalla famiglia Manson, c’è un potere oscuro nel suo perfezionismo sonoro che si esprimeva al meglio su un impianto hi-fi di alta qualità.
Scarica The Downward Spiral (MP3/WAV/FLAC) qui
Riproduci in streaming su Spotify qui
La guerra alla droga – Una comprensione più profonda (2017)
L’ex band di Kurt Vile è praticamente la definizione di drivetime rock, con echi di Springsteen, Straits e persino un accenno di Bryan Adams (non è male ng) alle loro epiche widescreen (seriamente, solo tre canzoni di questo album durano meno di sei minuti). Ma puoi dire che ogni singola nota di A Deeper Understanding è stata registrata e ri-registrata fino a quando non suona esattamente bene, con un’attenzione leggermente maggiore sui sintetizzatori scintillanti rispetto ai loro dischi precedenti. E mentre è difficile scrollarsi di dosso la sensazione che questo sia un album per eccellenza di”uomini bianchi che si lamentano di cose”, quando suona così bene, devi solo lasciarli andare avanti.
Scarica A Deeper Understanding (44.1kHz/24bit) qui
Riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Kendrick Lamar – Accidenti. (2017)
La missione individuale di Kendrick Lamar per cambiare l’hip-hop era ben avviata quando pubblicò Damn. quest’anno, con il caleidoscopico To Pimp A Butterfly che sta già spingendo il genere in luoghi in cui non era mai stato prima nel 2015. Dannazione. è un altro concept album, con la poesia conflittuale di Kendrick che racconta un’altra storia sull’essere un giovane uomo di colore in America. Più premuroso dello shock e del timore reverenziale del gangsta rap degli anni’90, può effettivamente essere riprodotto in ordine inverso, capovolgendo la narrazione. Forse la cosa più impressionante è che presenta Bono in una canzone che non è spazzatura.
Scarica Dannazione. (44.1kHz/16bit) qui
Riproduci in streaming su Spotify qui
Mogwai – Il sole di ogni paese (2017)
I Mogwai di Glasgow potrebbero essersi lasciati alle spalle le strutture di canzoni silenziose/rumorose che li hanno aiutati a riportare il post-rock sulla mappa negli anni’90, ma i loro ultimi album non sono stati meno dinamici , basandosi sul dramma e sull’intensità che li ha resi famosi e evolvendoli.
Every Country’s Sun (dal nome di un clanger lasciato cadere da un amico della band) è spesso sorprendentemente ottimista, trovando calore dove i dischi precedenti avevano una tendenza a sentirsi un po’clinici e freddi. È anche meno dipendente dalle loro chitarre tipiche, ma con canzoni come la penultima traccia Old Poisons, i Mogwai dimostrano di non aver dimenticato dove si trova la manopola del volume quando è necessario.
Scarica Every Country’s Sun (44.1kHz/16bit) qui
Riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love!”(2016)
Quando infantile Gambino (aka Community’s/Atlanta’s/Solo: A Star Wars Story’s Donald Glover) ha pubblicato”Awaken, My Love!”, Questlove dei The Roots ha svegliato D’Angelo alle 4 del mattino per farglielo ascoltare perché era così sbalordito dal suo suono ispirato al funk. Quando hai quell’effetto su musicisti rispettati come quei due, devi fare qualcosa di giusto, e il passaggio della star dai molti talenti dall’hip-hop diretto a uno stile musicale più groovier e multistrato non avrebbe potuto andare. molto meglio. Redbone è la traccia migliore, ma come album è ancora un viaggio funkadelico straordinario che ti fa solo pensare a cosa farà Glover dopo.
Scarica”Risvegliati, amore mio!”(96kHz/24bit) qui
Riproduci in streaming su Spotify qui
Radiohead – OK Computer OKNOTOK (2017)
OK Computer dei Radiohead ha compiuto 20 anni nel 2017 e il disco seminale della band ha avuto una svolta per il suo compleanno. Completamente rimasterizzato dai nastri analogici originali, OKNOTOK include anche tre brani inediti e otto lati B del periodo. Per coloro che non hanno familiarità con l’album, ha colto i Radiohead proprio sull’apice della sperimentazione che avrebbe generato Kid A, e lo sposa con il tipo di ritornelli che avrebbero 90.000 fan che cantano ogni parola alla band di fronte al palco Pyramid di Glastonbury. quell’estate. Un vero classico di tutti i tempi.
Scarica OK Computer OKNOTOK (96kHz/24bit) qui
Riproduci in streaming su Spotify qui
Sistema audio LCD – Sogno americano (2017)
Dopo una pausa relativamente breve, gli LCD Soundsystem sono tornati nel 2017 con la loro interpretazione del sogno americano. La conoscenza enciclopedica della musica di James Murphy degli ultimi 50 anni informa un disco più malinconico di quanto i fan si sarebbero aspettati; un tributo meticolosamente registrato ai suoi eroi recentemente perduti piuttosto che una celebrazione trionfante del ritorno della band. L’electro-punk che ha reso famoso il gruppo nei primi anni 2000 non è del tutto assente (il che è un bene, perché Call the Police e Tonite sono probabilmente le due migliori canzoni del disco) ma per LCD Soundsystem il 2017 non è molto di una festa.
Scarica American Dream (96kHz/24bit) qui
Riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Thundercat – Ubriaco (2017)
Con una lista di ospiti che include sia Kenny Loggins (della famosa colonna sonora di Top Gun) che Wiz Khalifa, dovresti premere play su Drunk con le tue aspettative lasciate alla porta. Thundercat, un virtuoso bassista nato come Stephen Bruner, miagola, scoreggia e si fa strada attraverso 23 tracce che danno una breve panoramica della sua mente musicale unica. Potrebbe sembrare un esercizio di folle spettacolo, ma nel complesso Drunk non è così strano come suggerirebbero i suoi ingredienti. Ciò non significa che sia mai prevedibile, ma qui c’è molta più moderazione di quanto ti aspetteresti da un uomo che è stato in tour con Suicidal Tendencies e ha un gatto domestico chiamato Turbo Tron Over 9000 Baby Jesus Sally Hot Carl.
Scarica Drunk (44.1kHz/16bit) qui
Ascoltalo in streaming su Spotify qui
Nirvana – In Utero 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (2013)
Questo 2013 l’edizione speciale del terzo e ultimo album in studio dei Nirvana, pubblicato esattamente 20 anni dopo l’originale, include una versione rimasterizzata insieme a nuovissimi remix di Steve Albini.
Albini era un motore sonoro er la prima volta, ma l’interferenza dell’etichetta ha smussato alcuni dei suoi bordi più ruvidi: evidentemente non poteva lasciarsi sfuggire l’occasione di fare un altro tentativo con classici come Scentless Apprentice, Rape Me, Heart Shaped Box e Pennyroyal Tea, aggiungendo maggiore consistenza alle versioni originali.
Ma per molti, gli originali erano comunque ben prodotti – ed è qui che il valore dei remaster si vede, o meglio si sente: con meno compressione e maggiore gamma dinamica in queste versioni, Kurt Le canzoni di Cobain raramente hanno suonato così sfumato.
Download In Utero (96kHz/24bit) qui
Oppure riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (2012)
Giving The Strokes’Is This It a buona corsa per”l’album di debutto più newyorkese dei primi anni 2000″, Turn On The Bright Lights è il disco che ha messo gli Interpol sulla mappa, e anche in cima alla lista intitolata”band che la gente dice sempre suonano come i Joy Division”.
E sebbene il suono di questo album sia certamente radicato nel post punk, c’è una precisione e una consistenza nell’esecuzione che creano un senso di spazio, chiarezza e distacco quasi clinico che sembra perfettamente adatto al post-11 settembre. York.
I marchi di fabbrica degli Interpol-chitarre spigolose, bassi espressivi e la monotonia studiata ed efficace della voce di Paul Bank-suonano piacevolmente cupi e puliti in questo remaster, tanto meglio per esprimere gli schizzi di dolore e squallore di TOTBL.
Scarica d Accendi le luci brillanti: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (44.1kHz/16bit) qui
Riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (1991)
Ti servirà un allestimento pesante per questo. Quando si esibiscono dai Loveless dal vivo, gli MBV alzano il volume a tal punto che la maggior parte dei fan indossa i tappi per le orecchie, e anche se non ti suggeriamo di andare così lontano, è un album che richiede di essere suonato ad alto volume. Registrato nell’arco di due anni in 19 studi e con quasi altrettanti fonici, è dominato dalla tipica chitarra tremolo di Kevin Shields più strati su strati di campioni: chitarre campionate, batteria campionata, voci campionate, campioni campionati. L’effetto netto è un moderno muro di suoni, allo stesso tempo ipnotico e caotico, sognante e fragoroso, urgente e stordito. Al suo meglio-la delicata complessità di To Here Knows When, l’implacabile prostituzione di What You Want, l’assalto ritmico di Soon-richiede un sistema con grande separazione e precisione. [MM]
Scarica Loveless (44.1kHz)/16bit) qui
Riproduci in streaming su Spotify qui
Dr Dre – 2001 (1999)
L’hip-hop mainstream non è il primo genere che viene in mente quando si pensa alle registrazioni di qualità audiofila: la maggior parte degli album rap sono compressi, privi della dinamica gamma bramata da accarezzatori di barba dalle orecchie d’oro. Not so 2001.
Il secondo album in studio di Dr Dre mostra una chiarezza pulita e una gamma dinamica che si adatta ai suoi ritmi sparsi, bassi senza fondo, campioni di archi doom-y e sintetizzatori g-funk: è un ottimo allenamento per qualsiasi persona decente coppia di altoparlanti o cuffie (Beats o altro). Il contenuto dei testi non si adatta a tutti gli ascoltatori, essendo un’enciclopedia di cliché gangsta rap ma, beh, è un album gangsta rap con una foglia di cannabis sulla copertina realizzato dal co-fondatore di N.W.A. Se fosse adatto alle mamme, non sarebbe lo stesso.
Scarica 2001 (44.1kHz/16bit) qui
Riproducilo in streaming su Spotify qui
Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)
Con alcune canzoni delle sue canzoni rimaste nel dimenticatoio dei Radiohead per 20 anni prima di essere registrate su nastro, non sorprende che A Moon Shaped La piscina è una delizia per le orecchie. La canzone d’apertura Burn The Witch risale alle sessioni di Kid A, anche se è molto meno familiare ai fan del favorito di lunga data True Love Waits, che ha il suo piano lugubre sostenuto da un letto di percussioni svolazzanti.
The Il cadenzato Present Tense e il momento clou del disco Identikit hanno le loro radici anche in album più vecchi, ma Decks Dark e l’urgente Ful Stop dimostrano che A Moon Shaped Pool è molto più del semplice suono di una band che ripulisce le bozze.
Scarica A Moon Shaped Pool (24bit) qui
Ascoltalo in streaming su Spotify qui
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (1971)
Profondamente colpito dalle esperienze di suo fratello al ritorno dalla guerra del Vietnam e da quella che considerava un’ingiustizia dilagante e diffusa in America, Marvin Gaye si scrollò di dosso la sua immagine di amante dell’anima e registrò un concept album sullo stato di il mondo.
Tutte e nove le sue canzoni confluiscono l’una nell’altra e si conclude con una ripresa del tema di apertura, tanto meglio per raccontare la storia di un veterano del Vietnam che è tornato a casa dalla guerra per vedere il suo paese sotto una nuova luce. Gaye affronta la povertà, la tossicodipendenza e persino le questioni ambientali non attraverso rabbiose invettive politiche, ma dal punto di vista di un uomo costernato che crede che l’amore, non più odio e violenza, sia la risposta.
Come mostra una registrazione dell’album una spaziosità rara, con ogni elemento in grado di essere individuato chiaramente. Combining blues, jazz and soul elements, it’s a hugely influential album and over 40 years after its release, still highly relevant and relatable.
Download What’s Going On (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)
MTV may be a dirty word these days, but the TV network’s Unplugged series served up several excellent albums in the 90s, most of them recorded with a “hey, I could be in the audience” fidelity. And this is one of them.
It would be Nirvana’s last album recorded before Kurt Cobain’s suicide, and hindsight adds extra weight to songs like Pennyroyal Tea, Something In The Way and the soul-wrenching closer Where Did You Sleep Last Night. That song is one of several covers performed by a band who appear to have consciously avoid picking their biggest hits for the acoustic treatment. But the reworkings of Cobain’s own songs, stripped of their grunge trappings, highlight just how much of a talent he was when it came to melody and lyricism – a talent that would be lost forever five months later.
Stream MTV Unplugged In New York on Spotify here
The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
Recorded in eight tracks rather than the four of previous Beatles albums, Abbey Road was remastered and rereleased in 2009, and this version is considered the best in terms of audio quality. At the time of its release, some critics claimed the band’s use of the Moog synthesizer was “inauthentic”, but in retrospect most of them – and the wider world – consider Abbey Road to be among The Beatles’ best LPs, and certainly their most painstakingly produced.
Stream Abbey Road on Spotify here
Bon Iver – Bon Iver (2011)
Trading the intimate “folk music pity party in a log cabin” feel of debut album For Emma, Forever Ago in favour of a more expansive, ambitious sound, Justin Vernon’s second album as Bon Iver flirts with R&B-style crooning, country hoedowns and, at one point, Bruce Hornsby and the Range-esque MOR (well, that’s what it takes to win a Grammy as an indie artist these days). But there’s beauty throughout: Vernon’s multi-tracked voice and his band’s rich instrumentation evoke the icy northern reaches of America just as deftly as For Emma did – but in a far grander way. There are landscapes conjured by this record, and they are vast.
Download Bon Iver (44.1kHz/16bit) here
R.E.M. – Automatic for the People (1992)
R.E.M. were no strangers to chart success by the time they released Automatic for the People, but this was the album that cemented the Athens, Georgia natives as the mainstream’s favourite alternative rock band. And you can’t say they got there by continuing down the jangly, upbeat pop furrow they’d ploughed with earlier songs like Shiny Happy People: Automatic features only three tracks that move above mid-tempo (two of which became singles) and for the most part, it’s a sombre, ballad-dominated affair. It might be a dark journey, but it’s also musically irresistible thanks to the lush arrangements, in which organs and strings feature prominently.
Download Automatic for the People (96kHz/24bit) here
Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis (1969)
In an attempt to boost her musical credibility, British swinging sixties icon Dusty Springfield decided to make an album of soul songs – and record it in a city forever associated with the origins of soul and blues. The result was Dusty In Memphis, a record that didn’t make many waves when it was released but has since been recognised as one of the best releases of the 1960s – or any decade. The tracks are arranged and recorded with a rare perfectionism (Springfield ended up re-recording all her vocals in New York because she was unhappy with the Memphis takes) and the songs hit a sweet spot between soul and pop that suggests Dusty was way ahead of her time.
Download Dusty in Memphis (96kHz/24bit) here
Burial – Untrue (2007)
Believe it or not there was a time when dubstep wasn’t the sound of adverts for energy drinks. These days Burial’s Untrue is barely recognisable as dubstep: there’s no pumped-up euphoric drops and it barely hints at the wriggling ‘wub wub’ bass that was to come. Play Etched Headplate in most clubs and the only way you’d empty the dancefloor quicker would be to release a wolf onto it. That’s because Untrue isn’t a record for dancefloors; it’s a record about the lonely, 3am bus ride home, or the feeling of unease you get when walking alone late at night. While Untrue is not an album with any daylight in it, it’s a long way from The Dark Side of the Moon. You don’t listen to it to appreciate the stereo image of your expensive hi-fi, you listen to it for its heavily textured yet spacious tunes, and samples that sound like coins or bullet casings falling to the cold pavement. [TW]
Download Untrue (44.1kHz/16bit) here
The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin (1999)
Boom! Boom! Crash! Boom! Subwoofers at the ready – it’s a Flaming Lips album… Although actually, The Soft Bulletin isn’t just a Flaming Lips album, it’s THE Flaming Lips album, the high-point of a career now spanning 31 years and 14 albums. It’s also the finest moment in the career of producer Dave Fridmann, a man regarded as the indie-rock Phil Spector (but without the murder) and whose CV also takes in such classics as Weezer’s Pinkerton and Mogwai’s Come On Die Young. Fridmann ramps up the percussion on The Soft Bulletin, turning drums and cymbals into weapons of mass destruction. But if the sound’s big, the songs are bigger still – from string-drenched opener Race For The Prize to the searingly honest Feeling Yourself Disintegrate, it’s a work of musical and lyrical genius. [MM]
Download The Soft Bulletin (44.1kHz/24bit) here
The xx – xx (2009)
In 2009 four young, perpetually black-clad Londoners released an album blessed with a rare feeling of what one could call “sonic unity”: every track just fits. There’s something incredibly clean about the xx’s self-titled debut, as though the band are performing in an hermetically sealed room devoid of furniture, fittings, dust, microbes and, well, anything that isn’t their instruments. Sparse drum machine beats, taut bass, a guitar tone polished to a mirror sheen and understated vocals from Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft make up a record of immense restraint. It’s almost the opposite of Phil Spector’s “wall of sound”: there’s an evidence of sonic space here that makes the xx’s gloomy brand of pop a joy to listen to.
Download xx (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine (1992)
Thanks to bands like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and Papa Roach, the fusion of hip-hop and hard rock would later become a byword for “horrific men saying horrifically dumb things”, but it all started in much better place: Rage Against The Machine’s eponymous debu t album. While those other bands might have been angry at their parents, Rage were angry about the Western world, the military-industrial complex, the entire capitalist system. Very angry. Zack de la Rocha’s politically-charged lyrics and Tom Morello’s squealing guitar make for an incendiary mix, but Bob Ludwig’s mastering keeps everything from boiling over. We have no hesitation in saying that this is one of the cleanest, most audiophile-friendly hard rock albums ever made. Marxist political theory rarely sounded so funky.
Download Rage Against the Machine (44.1kHz/24bit) here
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
When Baltimore psyche-pop oddballs Animal Collective turned to samplers and synths as the dominant instruments for their eighth studio album, few could have guessed that it would turn out to be their most successful on both the commercial and critical fronts (althoug h it’s far from a mainstream pop record, and less open-minded listeners might find its unconventional song structure baffling).
The members of the band are older and have settled down, but their youthful joie de vivre hasn’t melted away in Merriweather Post Pavilion – it’s just shifted focus. There are songs about Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s families on here but not a trace of sentimentality, just soaring, luscious electronic soundscapes and harmony-heavy vocals that bring to mind a post-rave culture Beach Boys.
Download Merriweather Post Pavilion (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)
Rumours‘ meta-story is almost as compelling as the album itself: recorded against the backdrop of two intra-band breakups and rampant cocaine consumption, it signalled a new m ainstream rock direction for the British bluesy throwbacks – one that propelled the group into new realms of popularity. Spurred by the songcraft of new American recruits Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac produced an LP without a skippable song (well, maybe “Oh Daddy” if you’re feeling particularly mean), and the production and mastering are every bit as noteworthy as the hooks.
Download Rumours (44.1kHz/16bit) here
OutKast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
The fourth killer record in a row from Atlanta hip hop duo Andre 3000 and Big Boi, this is essentially two solo albums in a single case. In hindsight, it was a signal that a creative partnership that had proved so fruitful in the past had run its course – but when each of the albums is as good as these, who cares? Andre 3000 morphs into an manic electro crooner and Big Boi brings all manner of cleanly-produced, P-Funk-influenced club-friendly jams.
Download Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Steely Dan – Aja (1977)
In all honesty, if we had the space we could put all of Steely Dan’s studio albums on this list. New York jazz-rockers Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are nothing short of slaves to perfection when it comes to recording and mastering, and consequently each LP is an audiophile’s dream. But if we have to pick a single one, we’ll say 1977’s Aja, which features something like 40 session musicians and some of the band’s most seamless production yet. Jazz-rock may conjure up nightmares of Kenny G soullessly noodling his sax, but their songs’ cynical, acerbic lyrics have always elevated “the Dan” to something more than the sum of their parts.
Joni Mitchell – Blue (1971)
Joni Mitchell’s masterpiece, Blue is a spare, sparse record showcasing the Canadian’s pure stripped-down songwriting: most songs feature little instrumentation beyond Mitchell’s acoustic guitar or piano. It’s recorded to be highly revealing (with headphones, you can hear the piano pedals moving in the title track) which is entirely appropriate given the confessional nature of the songs, in which Mitchell details her life, loves and struggles with depression with unflinching transparency. Mitchell herself later said of the album, “There’s hardly a dishonest note in the vocals. At that period of my life, I had no personal defences. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes.” It’s all there, clear as a bell, in the recording.
Download Blue (96kHz/24bit) here
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (2013)
Less an album than a love letter to disco, Random Access Memories will never be the most beloved of Daft Punk records – Get Lucky aside (check it out if you get the chance, it’s the sound of the summer), there’s nothing here that gets its hooks into you like Around The World or One More Time. But thanks to the use of original instruments and some of the most talented session musicians (almost every sound on the album comes from a “real” instrument) and collaborators in the game, it’s an exquisite body of work. And it sounds amazing: rarely has deep sub bass every sounded, well, so bassy, so real and so gigantic as it does on RAM. There’s a wide dynamic range here, so this is one big recent release that hasn’t fallen victim to what horrified audiophiles refer to as the “loudness wars”.
Download Random Access Memories (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959)
Probably the most famous jazz album of all time – and almost certainly the best-selling, Kind of Blue represented a new direction for Miles Davis, as he discarded the complex chord progressions of hard bop for something different: improvisations b ased on scales, or “modal” jazz. The result is an album of gentle, evocative numbers that influenced not only the jazz scene but other genres like rock and classical. Ever the innovator, Davis later abandoned Kind of Blue‘s laid-back style, regarding it as a product of its time that no longer moved him.
Download Kind of Blue (96kHz/24bit) here
Sigur Ros – Agaetis Byrjun (1999)
Before Iceland’s Sigur Ros became the go-to band to soundtrack every Attenborough documentary they sat awkwardly on the edge of post-rock – but it was a genre that never seemed to fit them. There are elements of Agaetis Byrjun that qualify it for such categorisation – it sounds epic in the true meaning of the word, not what you say when you’ve just eaten a really nice biscuit – but if anything it’s more post-folk, like Mogwai with flutes, horns and an orchestra rather than delay pedals and a volume dial. It creaks, moans and soars with the sounds of the band’s near-Arctic home, and, without wanting to make it sound too much like some sort of hipster Enya record, there’s even a hint of whale song to Jonsi’s vocals. [TW]
Download Agaetis Byrjun (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Neil Young – After The Gold Rush (1970)
Whether wrenching a feedback-drenched wall of noise from a battered Les Paul or strumming his way through a gentle countrified ballad, Neil Young has always been an artist who cares about sound quality: he favours releasing albums in Hi-Res formats like DVD-Audio and Blu-ray, and is about to launch Pono, a portable Hi-Res Audio player.
While you could argue for days about which of Young ’s 40-odd LPs is the best, few offer as complete a picture of his range as a songwriter than After The Gold Rush, an all-killer-no-filler record offering mournful piano ballads (the title track and Birds), down-home sing-alongs (Cripple Creek Ferry) and angry axe-wielding stompers (Southern Man).
Download After the Gold Rush (192kHz/24bit) here
Prince – Sign o’ the Times (1987)
This double album is made up of castoffs from three aborted records, but Prince being Prince, a collection of odds and sods turned out to be a masterpiece and one of the 80s’ greatest LPs. As usual, Prince not only sings but plays many of the instruments, including programming the drum machines and samplers that play such a huge role in the record’s sound. On CD, it’s not widely regarded as the best-mastered of Prince’s records, but audiophiles should do their best to seek out the superb Japanese SHM-CD version (or the vinyl).
Download Sign o’ the Times (44.1kHz/16bit) here
The Congos – Heart Of The Congos (1977)
Few producers have been so innovative and influential as Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and The Congos’ 1977 debut is without doubt his most consistently brilliant piece of work. Recorded at Perry’s Black Ark studio in Kingston, Jamaica, it’s a mind-altering blend of reverb-heavy rhythms laid down by the studio’s house band The Upsetters plus the perfectly matched harmonies of its three vocalists: tenor ‘Ashanti’ Roy Johnson, falsetto Cedric Myton and baritone Watty Burnett. Somehow, Perry recorded it on an ageing four-track, but you’d never know it from the lush Fisherman or Open Up The Gate, with the producer using found sounds and a battery of tricks to create the effect he was after. Roots reggae at its finest. [MM]
Download Heart of The Congos (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
Pink Floyd is probably regarded as the archetypal band for audiophiles: prog rock giants serving up complex and immaculately produced albums full of lengthy songs. And never more so than on Wish You Were Here, an album that features only five tracks but runs well over 40 minutes. The whole album is essentially a tribute to Floyd’s founding member and creative tinderbox Syd Barrett, whose heavy use of psychedelic drugs had led to him stepping away from the band and society in general. Even if noodly prog isn’t your thing, it’s an album that will give your speakers or headphones a full body workout.
Download Wish You Were Here (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994)
David Bowie considers Grace to be the greatest album ever made, and while we won’t go that far it’s hard to see it as anything other than an excellent record from a singer-songwriter at the peak of his powers: his tenor voice is faultless and the songs, whether his own or cov ers, are memorable. It’s a beautifully well recorded album too: play it on decent equipment and Buckley could almost be singing in your living room.
Download Grace (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
Thriller‘s cultural and commercial significance is well documented, but Michael Jackson’s masterpiece is also one of the best-recorded and most immaculately produced albums of the 1980s. Producer Quincy Jones and Jackson enjoyed (or perhaps endured) a strained relationship during the making of Thriller, and every track was painstakingly remixed (a week was spent on each song) because neither was happy with the initial recordings. The hard work resulted in a record that blended disco, soul, rock and R&B and a template that would inform pop music for the next 20-plus years. Oh, and it’s comfortably the best-selling album of all time.
Download Thriller (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Massive Attack – Mezzanine (1998)
Trip hop pioneers Massive Attack had already established themselves as Britain’s best-known proponents of what the Americans call “electronica” when they dropped Mezzanine, initially as a legal MP3 download on their website (they were among the first major acts to embrace digital distribution) and later as a physical release. Despite the Bristol trio apparently hating each other’s guts during the making of the album it’s a prime example of a record which uses ambient sounds to create rich texture, depth and atmosphere. The trade-off is perhaps a lack the hookier songs that loomed large on previous Massive Attack albums, but when a new direction results in songs like Teardrop, we’re definitely on board. An LP you should play loud on headphones on dark, moody nights.
Stream Mezzanine on Spotify here
Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants (2015)
If you’ve still got Underworld pegged as that laddish ‘lager, lager’ band from Trainspotting, it’s time to acquaint yourself with their classic fourth album. Far from being packed with banging techno anthems, it seamlessly blends various flavours of downbeat electronica with Karl Hyde’s meditative poetry. The result is brilliantly paced masterpiece that has aged even better than Ewan ‘Peter Pan’ McGregor.
Fans of the original will appreciate the remastered version’s cleaner sound and bolstered bass, along with the inclusion of dozens of remixes from the same fertile period. But though these rarities show Underworld to be more than capable of a big single, it’s Second Toughest… that showed that rave music could be just as comfortable being atmospheric and reflective.
Download Second Toughest in the Infants (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Slint – Spiderland (2014)
When Kentucky’s Slint released Spiderland in 1991 it sounded so far removed from the music Pearl Jam, Guns ‘n’ Roses et al were making (despite using exactly the same instruments) revie wers started calling the album post-rock.
So sparse you can almost hear the empty space in the studio, with sinister rhythms and hushed, spoken-word vocals, each track is more like a chapter in a book than a song. 25 years later it still sounds totally fresh and like nothing else ever recorded.
Download Spiderland (96kHz/24bit) here
Phil Collins – Hello, I Must Be Going (2016)
There are people who will tell you that Phil Collins’ music is without merit. That he’s a miserable bugger who ruined Genesis after Peter Gabriel left. That any love for his music is a sign of psychosis – after all, Patrick Bateman was a huge fan. These people are all wrong.
Hello, I Must Be Going is a flawless pop record, full of tracks with sparkling, rhythmic exteriors that contain deep, sometimes dark lyrical stories. The remastered version cleans everything up further, polishing what was already pretty much pop perfection. Or maybe we’re just psychotic.
Download Hello, I Must Be Going (96kHz/24bit) here
Love – Forever Changes (2015)
On the face of it Love’s Forever Changes sounds like just another pleasantly psychedelic folk record from the late ‘60s. But listen closely to Arthur Lee’s lyrics and there’s an undercurrent of menace, like the musical equivalent of a David Lynch movie.
Whether it’s the bad trip of A House Is Not a Motel, the squealing guitar on Live and Let Live, or the hints at indiscriminate incarceration and slaughter on The Red Telephone, Forever Changes is a subversive, surreal record. The Morricone-esque blast of brass midway through Alone Again Or is almost worth the admission price alone.
Download Forever Changes (192kHz/24bit) here
My Morning Jacket – It Still Moves (2016)
Tinkering with an album that’s loved partly for its raw, live sound can be a dangerous game, but My Morning Jacket get the balance right on this remixed version of their fan favourite. Sure, the the guitars are crunchier and the reverby vocals more prominent, but it still feels like you’re in a sweat-drenched bar listening to classic rockers on top form.
Fittingly for an album that celebrates the no frills approach, the reissue also has original acoustic demos that sound like they were recorded in the band’s kitchen. Even if you’re not a big enough MMJ fan to appreciate those, it’s still worth treating your new hi-fi or headphones to one of the noughties’ best records.
Stream It Still Moves on Spotify here
Isis – Panopticon (2014)
Panopticon is a record that sounds like it was unearthed rather than recorded, forged between two tectonic plates or found pressed into the fossilised remains of a Supersaurus. Wherever it came from the album was remastered in 2014 (10 years after its original release and four years after the band split up) and it’s never been more earth-shudderingly heavy.
Everything on it sounds massive, with Aaron Turner’s vocals buried somewhere deep in the middle, like he’s bellowing from the bottom of a collapsing sinkhole.
Download Panopticon (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible (2014)
Less an album and more an hour-long exercise i n pain and suffering, The Holy Bible is nonetheless one of the outstanding, er, albums of the past 30 years. Written almost entirely by the band’s creative heartbeat Richey Edwards and released mere months before his eventual disappearance, it places such laugh-a-minute subjects as anorexia, prostitution and the holocaust against a backdrop of raw guitars and unflinching samples. Not an easy listen, then, but undeniably an essential one.
Download The Holy Bible (44.1kHz/16bit) here
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma (2010)
One of the most compelling and outright inventive records of the 21st century, Flying Lotus’ Cosmogramma is a stunning showcase of music aided by modern technology. As the grand-nephew of legendary pianist Alice Coltrane, jazz is ingrained in his DNA. Here, Flying Lotus expertly explores the sensations of jazz with the aesthetics of electronica, IDM and hip-hop. Like most music released on Warp, Cosmogramma is a sheer delight for audiophiles – packed with animated arrangements and rich textures. This is a cosmic experience like no other, seen by many as a modern masterpiece.
Buy Cosmogramma (16-bit FLAC) here
Stream is on Spotify here
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – F# A# ∞ (1998)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s 1998 debut album was a momentous release for post-rock, and it remains one of the genre’s key landmarks. English director Danny Boyle cited F# A# ∞ as inspiration whilst making his critically-acclaimed horror film 28 Days Later, which makes total sense given its apocalyptic tone. Moments of tranquility separate the more thunderous segments, with satisfying homages to the late, great Ennio Morricone. Each musical passage features a number of field recordings and samples, adding further fascination to the already impressive spectacle. This is a true sensory experience like no other, and a proper headphone listen.
Buy F# A# ∞ (16-bit FLAC) here
Steam it at Spotify here
Björk – Homogenic (1997)
Björk is one of the most beloved figures in contemporary music. The Icelandic singer, songwriter and producer has amassed an incredible body of work over the years, and 1997’s Homogenic is arguably her greatest record to date. This is avant-garde pop at its absolute best. Björk examines the conflict between human and artificial elements to create an otherworldly sound that has proved impossible to replicate. Chilly IDM beats, luscious string arrangements and unique instrumental flourishes provide a fascinating backdrop for Björk’s primitive vocal expressions. Homogenic is a one-of-a-kind experience that deserves to be listened to at an optimum level. No other album, of any kind, sounds quite like it.
Buy Björk – Homogenic here
Stream on Spotify here
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (2011)
A grand departure from the raw and noisy alternative rock PJ Harvey was known for in the ‘90s, Let England Shake is a vital anti-war album with its roots found mostly in fo lk. It’s a powerful open letter to the leaders of the Western world that continues to resonate almost 10 years after release. The music is lush, but the lyrics are striking and visceral. Legendary producer Flood and longtime collaborator John Parish play essential roles in making the record sound so monumental. These hauntingly beautiful songs were recorded in an English church, just for extra potency. Let England Shake is performed, engineered and mixed immaculately, and it remains one of the true highlights of the 2010s.
Buy Let England Shake (hi-res audio) here
Stream it at Spotify here
Fairport Convention Unhalfbricking (1969)
Hard to imagine, we know, but there was a time that the idea of English folk music was at the cutting edge of radio-friendly rock and pop. Its most effective protagonists were Fairport Convention, thanks in large part to Sandy Denny’s immaculate, emotive singing and Richard Thompson’s lyrical, virtuoso guitar-playing. These days Unhalfbricking sounds almost sepia – it was staunchly retrospective when it was new, and now it’s over 50 years old it can sound, at first, like an artefact. But the deathless quality of its songs, and the lustre of its sound, guarantee it timelessness rather than antique status.
Buy Fairport Convention Unhalfbricking here
Stream Fairport Convention Unhalfbricking on Apple Music here
Bob Marley & The Wailers Exodus (1977)
Bob Marley gets most of the credit – and it’s undoubtedly deserved – for bringing reggae to a world-wide audience. But Island Records’ insistence on a high-gloss sheen for his recordings for them not only made the traditionally rough-and-ready genre a little more palatable to American and European ears, it also resulted in some of the most satisfyingly audiophile albums of the era – and Exodus is the best of them. Ten incredibly accomplished songs covering religion, politics, good times and sexy times, Exodus is – as they used to say – all killer, no filler. And its sound is as smooth as butter.