Listening to in Dolby Atmos Streaming, via Tidal/Apple/Amazon

[olgitnorm]

 

[olgitnorm]

 

[haikubass]

Both fake unfortunately. Core is the DVD-A release from years back, which would be fine (although a poor mix to begin with) but the overheads are just the rear surrounds duplicated.

I thought there was more hope for Purple since it never had a multi-channel release, but it's even worse. Just different levels for the center channel and surrounds. At least the Core DVD-A had some isolated vocals in the center channel.

I read somewhere a while back that Apple had some fancy ways of identifying fake Atmos automatically. That was apparently nonsense. 1:1 Duplicated overhead channels should throw as big of a red flag as you can get.

I'm definitely hearing some discrete elements here and there (Silvergun Superman), sides mainly - is AI conquering new grounds (spaces) maybe? Anyway, here's my roughly patched playlist for those who want direct comparison to Tiny Music... tracks (clear winners).
Oh, and there are no mixing credits stated on Tidal.

 

[bookofsaturdays]

Both fake unfortunately. Core is the DVD-A release from years back, which would be fine (although a poor mix to begin with) but the overheads are just the rear surrounds duplicated.

I thought there was more hope for Purple since it never had a multi-channel release, but it's even worse. Just different levels for the center channel and surrounds. At least the Core DVD-A had some isolated vocals in the center channel.

I read somewhere a while back that Apple had some fancy ways of identifying fake Atmos automatically. That was apparently nonsense. 1:1 Duplicated overhead channels should throw as big of a red flag as you can get.

What a shame. I got so excited seeing Purple on here having been bummed when we didn’t get a 5.1 mix in the super deluxe box back in 2019!

Maybe it’ll be pulled and a proper remix will show up? Wishful thinking…

 

[benfolds5]

 

[benfolds5]

I don't know who did the mix but oh boy did he get the assignment right.
A very fun mix to a classic 90's euro hit.

 

[benfolds5]

I'm going to see them in June for the first time, so this comes in a good time.
There's also a Blu-ray audio disc coming in March.
https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/kraftwerk-autobahn-50th-anniversary-blu-ray/

 

[sjcorne]

I don't know who did the mix but oh boy did he get the assignment right.
A very fun mix to a classic 90's euro hit.

Hans-Martin Buff, the guy who did Peter Gabriel's i/o

 

[benfolds5]

Hans-Martin Buff, the guy who did Peter Gabriel's i/o

I think you meant to say Grammy award winner Hans-Martin Buff, the guy who did Peter Gabriel's i/o

 

[PurpleMoustache]

I'm going to see them in June for the first time, so this comes in a good time.
There's also a Blu-ray audio disc coming in March.
https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/kraftwerk-autobahn-50th-anniversary-blu-ray/

I’ll be seeing them April 2nd!

 

[humprof]

M - N:
Kinda quiet here; I can fill the silence. But I'll shift the emphasis and start with the good (Atmos) stuff this time: a cool half-dozen titles, often more notable for the music than the mix. (I think GroupBuilder maxes out at five "Media" links for one post, though?)

Megan Moroney, Am I Okay?: above-average pop-country-Americana with a matching above-average Atmos mix.

Meshell Ndegeocello, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin: the Blue Note Atmos house style really disserves this musically adventurous album. Still an important statement from a quietly influential artist.

Nadine Shah, Filthy Underneath: A little PJ Harvey, a little Eno-era Roxy, and a suitably thoughtful Atmos mix.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Wild God: long respected him; never particularly liked him; this lovely album won me over. (The light-on-top mix is effectively 5.1, but a good 5.1.)

Nilufer Yanya, My Method Actor: jazzy and soulful, with occasional hints of Joan Armatrading. And one of the best (= firing on all channels) Atmos mixes in this bunch.

Nubya Garcia, Odyssey: grand, expansive, spiritual jazz—with a beat. (Check out “The Seer.”) Strangely little going on in the overheads, though, considering she took enough pride in the Atmos mix to show it off in a fancy London listening session at an exhibition devoted to the making of the album.


An equal number of Atmos titles in this batch that I'd consign to the Non-Notable Mix and/or Music Department (or sometimes the Non-Notable Mix and “Not For Me” Department), some of them by artists I otherwise like or at least respect. But I won’t subject you to fuller articulations of my various yawns and hmms and disses. Anyway: maybe you'll be more impressed with Madi Diaz, Weird Faith; The Marias, Submarine; Mdou Moctar, Funeral for Justice; The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis, [self-titled]; Michael Kiwanuka, Small Changes; and/or Mustafa, Dunya than I was.

As for the Solid Stereos: M – N turns out to be a big tranche of the alphabet, with almost too many worthy albums to mention. But mention I will, albeit quickly: Mach Hommy, #RICHAXXHAITIAN (underground rap with crate-digger samples); Mannequin Pussy, I Got Heaven (punk with Pixies); Marcos Valle, Tunel Acustico (feel-good octogenarian tropicalia); Mary Timony, Untame the Tiger (Liz Phair meets Linda Thompson); McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson, Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs (elemental archival post-bop); Melissa Aldana, Echoes of the Inner Prophet (a maturing powerhouse on tenor); MJ Lenderman, Manning Fireworks (the new Sam Amidon? Jeff Tweedy? Gram Parsons?); Mo Dotti, opaque (tuneful power-rock with Heart, Pretenders, and Stereolab in its DNA); Nia Archives, Silence Is Loud (smart, uptempo EDM); Nonpareils, Rhetoric & Terror (dark, nerdy indie-pop); Norma Winstone and Kit Downes, Outpost of Dreams (a spare, stately recital by a jazz vocal master).

And then there are the Stereo Standouts, all of them more than worthy candidates for Atmos:

• Mabe Fratti, Sentir que no sabes (cross-genre cello-centric music & song);
• Magdalena Bey, Imaginal Disk (little-girl vocals and dance-forward beats that belie a quirky sensibility and proggy song structures);
• Mary Ocher, Your Guide to Revolution (cool like Julia Holter, but even weirder);
• Maya Beiser, Maya Beiser x Terry Riley: In C (“C” as in cello—overdubbed, with percussion);
• Meridian Brothers, Mi Latinoamerica Suite (a little bit Forro In The Dark, a little bit Chicano Batman, but mostly their own quirky thing);
• Nala Sinephro, Endlessless (mesmerizing spaced-out electro-jazz).

O - R
A rash of AINO (Atmos-In-Name-Only) mixes in this batch, which is to say: immersive in the broadest, sometimes only the technical, sense of the word, yet not really taking full advantage of what the format offers. A couple of them, like Pat Metheny’s light-but-pleasant Moondial and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s poignant Opus, are built around solo acoustic instruments, so…waddyagonnado? But more often what I’m seeing—hearing—is variations on a template consisting of a 5.1 bed with vocals across the fronts and front-to-back separation ranging anywhere from minimal to highly discrete, then next-to-nothing (silence, reverb, faint or not-so-faint doubling or selective doubling) in the heights, sometimes only the front heights. And that includes mixes in both my “reject” and “keep” piles.

First, the AINO keepers:

Peso Pluma, Éxodo: double album whose first disc is “folkloric” (neo-corrido) and second, “urban” (primarily rap and reggaeton). On Disc 1, especially, the mixer employs a weird effect where one instrument (trombone, guitar) rotates or bounces diagonally around the room while the rest of the (discrete 5.1) mix stays put.

Phosphorescent, Revelator: stirring, symphonic indie-Americana, with shades (for me) of Lambchop and Nashville-era Dylan.

Porridge Radio, Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me: fabulous tunes that press all my indie-rock buttons; sorry to hear they’re breaking up (when I only just learned about 'em!).

Ron Miles, Old Main Chapel: a lovely last testament to a sweet man and an unsung jazz giant. It’s a live recording (with Miles’s fellow Coloradans Bill Frisell and Rudy Royston), and it’s on Blue Note. Just so you don’t expect much, surround-wise.

And then the Atmos/AINO discards. I’m a fan of both Pat Metheny and the late-great Ryuichi Sakamoto, but Moondial and Opus are both inessential releases, IMO. I would also toss: Omar Courtz’s Primera Musa (who will rid me of this plague of autotuned chanting over skittery beats?), Opeth’s The Last Will and Testament (prog-metal is just not my jam), Orla Gartland’s Everybody Needs a Hero (intelligent, sometimes spiky, indiepop that’s a little too determined to be clever), Pet Shop Boys’ Nonetheless (not a fan, so no comment), Rachel Chinouriri’s What a Devastating Turn of Events (smarter than your average indie singer-songwriter, but not enough to truly stand out from the crowd), Rae Khalil’s Crybaby (pleasant, proficient, but ultimately run-of-the-mill neo-soul laden with self-help messages), Remi Wolf’s Big Ideas (bubblebum-adjacent, but far from mindless, pop, and yet…see Rachel Chinouriri, above), Residente, Las Letres Ya No Importan (generically wide-ranging “Latino urbano,” but still not quite my thing).

On the stereo tip, I liked Ruth Goller’s Skyllumina (eerie soundscapes and “demented nursery rhymes”—the Guardian's words—from the virtuosic nu-jazz bassist). And I really liked:

• Previous Industries, Service Merchandise (supertalented Black-nerd trio led by Open Eagle Mike, with chill beats and esoteric samples worthy of Prince Paul; see this sympathetic review at Pitchfork)
• Rafael Toral, Spectral Evolution (47-minute drone/ambient outing with high-register low-brass jazz and electronic birdsong & coyote howls)
• Rosie Tucker, Utopia Now! (blunt, blasé, and smart-ass—another spiritual granddaughter of Liz Phair)
• Rufous Nightjar, Songs for Three Voices (stunning modern-day retro-folk ballads in 3-part harmony; the Dolby Surround Upmixer does amazing things with it)

 

[olgitnorm]

 

[GOS]

Horsegirl?

 

[olgitnorm]

 

[olgitnorm]

Horsegirl?

Good in her field

 

[scooob]

This talented couple sound much slicker since they went Nashville starting with the previous album, but (from the brief sampling I just did of this one) there are still enough soul and Americana elements to make me want to give it a chance, at least.

 

[scooob]

I think this is new? Didn't have it in my library before, anyway.

 

[SomethingAnything]

I think this is new? Didn't have it in my library before, anyway.

Yes I'm pretty sure it is a new one. Fun mixing.

 

[humprof]

I think this is new? Didn't have it in my library before, anyway.

New last week, I think.

 

[Oldschoolsoundengineer]

Loving the album. The atmos mix is very economical. On first listen of 'People Ruin Paintings' I wondered if I was listening to the stereo version. Turned L and R off and listened again. The only discrete element is a piano part in the rears from about 1:30 that last for half a minute. Some songs got some guitar or vocal effects, or synths, but not much. Kind of extended stereo. But again seems to me like a solid album. So worth a listen if not for the atmos part.