For Gainsbourg fans, this is huge--even if they turn out to be largely "ambient" mixes (or to employ spectral stem separation).
Fear not Gainsbourg fans, fear not (and fans of multichannel music as a medium) this album
N°2 by Serge Gainsbourg is an absolute gem.
The engineer who mixed this deserves an award -as they have smashed this mix out of the park with a truly Scheiner-esque performance- particularly given the restraints of the albums late 1950's vintage, with amazing channel separation and fidelity achieved in the Atmos treatment.
I could have added all tracks to my playlist but I will highlight a couple that stood out:
Mambo miam miam:
Repeat listening to this as I type and immediately the treatment of the percussion elements grab your attention, then the big band-esque horns kick in, and add some dynamism to the experience. Front brass then plays in the front left speakers, with playfully elements of higher frequency percussion (can't pick the source- ain't a cow bell I don't think). Then some woodwind in the left fronts as well. Really balanced, well spread mix that captures the tonal timbre of the instruments, with a song that doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Judith:
The treatment of the female vocal on this stands out as it tends to soar as a backing element, with fantastic tonality and vocal control from the vocalist. Then a sax solo kicks in, to great effect with timbre intact. Another short show stopper of a tune.
I don't consider myself to be a Gainsbourg fan, but I quite enjoyed the prior releases- with some tracks added to my playlist, but this one smashes it out of the park.. If all the albums are like this I think I will truly enter fan category.
This is truly a reference point for Atmos mixers on how to handle a vintage release. Truly amazed at the treatment, and would buy this on physical release in a heartbeat- and would go so far to boldly declare that if it did it would probably reach the top echelons of the polls.
Looking forward now to listen to the rest.
For this album I give 10/10- loved it.