I have not followed D’Angelo’s career since he made his big splash with Voodoo in 2000. That album was so powerful one would assume he was going to be a huge star. But he disappeared. I never really researched why. I figured he wasted his talent and fame – the black Axl Rose. There would be occasional rumors of comeback, but nothing ever came of it. And then without warning Black Messiah appears. My first thought was will this be Chinese Democracy or will it be good?
I am on my initial listen and it is good. Same soul jazz hip hop vibe as Voodoo. But not a reprise. A natural progression. Fourteen years without skipping a beat.
I am a huge Prince fan and clearly D’Angelo is a disciple of the purple one. He is inspired by Prince without being derivative. He is his own man.
Black Messiah is contemporary R&B. I am so bored with current artists reenacting vs. reinventing. D’Angelo reinvents.
These are heavy grooves. It is going to take me several days to digest this album. I have met it and now I want to really get to know it.
As inconsequential as this release is – mere extra material from 1993’s Division Bell sessions – I love this album and it will make my “best of 2014.”
Division Bell, and the live follow-up Pulse, have a special place in my heart. I was really into those two albums when they came out and I had the opportunity to see Pink Floyd perform in the summer of 1994 at Minneapolis’ Metrodome (the only concert I ever saw at The Dome that sounded good). I used to drag my old PA speakers out in the backyard on summer afternoon and listen to Division Bell and Pulse and smoke a cigar.
Since Endless River came out this fall I have been listening to it on Spotify. I bought the Blu-ray edition (for $36), but promptly returned it to fund the latest Wilco release. It just seemed too much to pay for such a throw away album. But the damn thing kept haunting me and I just had to have it. I recently repurchased the Blu-ray edition for a mere $26 – it turns out Best Buy will match other retailers – including online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble (this album was available from Barnes and Noble stores for $32 and online for $26) – Best Buy’s regular price was $35!
The album is primarily instrumental and ambient. it just reeks classic Pink Floyd. And lets face it, Pink Floyd is one of the greatest rock bands of all time – if they fart it is interesting – and their sound is such great ear candy you could care less how empty the calories are. There is not much to review here, other than to say if you like Pink Floyd ear worms you will like this album. I almost prefer that it is primarily instrumental. The one song with vocals is the worst cut on the album (a little to obvious bitch and boast about being Pink Floyd).
This is Pink Floyd lite – the Gilmour version – which is fine with me – I am a sucker for Gilmour’s seagull guitar sound and can live without Roger Waters heavy-handed story telling. It is the sound not the lyrics that matter with Floyd.
The Blu-ray edition comes with a Blu-ray disc and a CD so this is my big opportunity to test drive a CD vs. a high-resolution stereo PCM (96kHz/24 bit) on my Oppo 105D. The Blu-ray disc also has some non-album material (which is available on Spotify – pretty cool little jams) and video material (worthless). The Blu-ray edition also includes an expanded booklet (vs. the CD edition – that means a few more pages and bigger photos) and 3 collector post cards (oh boy – should I mail them to a friend?).
What I am interested in is pure sound – does the high-resolution version sound better than a CD? Yes it does – but not as much as you would think. The CD sounds a bit like it has blanket over it, yet at the same time a bit harsh at dynamic moments. The PCM (96kHz/24 bit) version handles the whisper to a scream dynamics effortless. There is not the listener’s fatigue you typically have with a CD. I don’t have vinyl copy of this album to compare to – but the PCM (96kHz/24 bit) version has all that’s great about a vinyl record without the bad (surface noise). Is it worth twice the CD? Yes if you really love the album (my new standard is to sample new music on Spotify and if I love it I buy the CD and if am gaga over it I buy the vinyl – now I would consider hi rez).
But what is all about is the music and if you are Floyd fan you will like this and to hear it in studio quality sound on a nice stereo is frankly why you have a nice stereo.
This was number one on my Record Store Day (Black Friday 2014) wish list. Neil has been withholding Time Fades Away since it was first released in 1973. Never reissued and never released on CD. I have never heard it. Last April’s Record Store Day he toyed with us by having this set on the RSD list only to have it pulled at the last minute. It was not on the first Black Friday list this year, but then it magically appeared. I was skeptical. And even it was really going to be released I figured it would be scarce with only 3000 copies allocated to 750 participating indie record stores. I had low expectations.
Our family has started a new tradition of spending Thanksgiving weekend in Chicago where my son lives. I got up early Black Friday and stood outside Reckless Records on Broadway for a couple of hours. I was tenth in line! My odds were looking up. When they finally opened up and I got up to the counter I was disappointed to learn they did not have a copy and they could not even verify if they even got one. Shit – I was shafted.
I picked up about half of my list and most of my daughter’s list and hustled over to Dave’s Records (NO CD’s!! Never had ‘em!! Never Will!! ) just a few blocks away (with a one hour later opening time the Reckless). I was about 20th in line. Dave opened early (which was nice because I was freezing). My wife could see they had a copy – so there was hope. I waited nervously for my turn making small talk with the others in the queue. When I finally go to the counter and asked Dave reached over and handed it to me like Santa hanging a kid a candy cane. My family cheered as did my queue-mates. The joys of Record Store Day (the only buzz kill was the $160 price tag).
Dave had the rest of the items on my and my daughter’s list – I could have slept in and not froze my ass off if I had just gone to Dave’s in the first place. The store is tiny, but has an outstanding inventory (better then stores 10 times its size). Dave must have some serious clout in the indie record store industry because his RSD inventory was amazing. I stopped back later in the day to pick up a 7″ I had forgotten and he still had one last Neil box!
So does the box live up to the hype? Yes. The first release series represents some of the easiest vinyl you can crate dig – those first albums where big sellers. Great albums, but so many of the songs have been worn out on Classic Rock radio that they no longer amaze me. This second batch of the series is a hipper and less popular section of Neil’s career. It it includes the so called “Ditch Trilogy:” three LPs that were consecutive commercial failures, as contrasted with the more middle-of-the-road pop and mega success of Harvest. A point where Neil officially stopped giving a shit that he was a rock star and let his freak flag fly and examine the seamy side of the counter culture.
Official Release Series Volume 2 is audiophile reissues of 4 Neil Young albums (Time Fades Away, On The Beach, Tonight’s The Night and Zuma) on 180 gram audiophile vinyl remastered from the original recordings at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Historically accurate artwork by Neil’s art director Gary Burden. The pressings are top notch and the audio quality is stunning. The album art is authentic short of the bar code and reissue logo.
Time Fades Away (1973)- Neil has a lot of oddities in his catalog and this is right up there: a live album of all new material. Why on earth he found this album an embarrassment is a mystery. The band was the Stray Gators – the band behind Neil’s most pop album Harvest, but this is mostly-anti Harvest. More rust than gold – and that is a good thing. Neil told an interviewer 15 years after the fact:
That Time Fades Away was “the worst record I ever made – but as a documentary of what was happening to me, it was a great record. I was onstage and I was playing all these songs that nobody had heard before, recording them, and I didn’t have the right band. It was just an uncomfortable tour. I felt like a product, and I had this band of all-star musicians that couldn’t even look at each other.”
The album sounds great – I can’t imagine how good it would have been if the band had been in a groove.
Side One: The first and titular track has a great party feel to it. “Journey Through The Past” would not sound out of place on After The Gold Rush.” Basically Neil at the piano. “Yonder Stands The Sinner” is that great sloppy Neil Young sound that borders on honkytonk punk. “LA” has the Harvest sound without the shine. “Love In Mind” is contemplative Neil at the piano and would not sound outplace on a Carole King album.
Side Two: “Don’t Be Denied” sounds like a great Neil and Crazy Horse song but without the growl of the Horse. “The Bridge” is back to contemplative Neil and piano and harmonica. Again that After The Gold Rush feel. “The Last Dance” is classic grunge Neil – big guitar riffs, face-melting solos and shouted harmonies. There is a reason the Seattle sound sees Neil as their godfather.
Overall the album has a brilliantly slacker feel. It is a skill to sound exquisitely bored and profound at the same time.
On The Beach (1974)- I am a little more familiar with this album because I picked up the 2003 HDCD encoded remastered version when it came out (kind of big deal at the time as it had been out of print since the original 1974 release).
The opening track, “Walk On,” has a bright bouncy feel, with a bit of menace. “See The Sky About To Rain” has nice alt-country feel mixing Wurlitzer piano and steel guitar. “Revolution Blues” sounds as menacing as its subject (Charles Manson). It features a classic snarling Neil electric lead guitar and a very groovy Rick Danko bass riff. “For The Turnstiles” would have been a amazing CSNY song, but instead it a simple duet with long time Neil sideman Ben Keith – which makes it even cooler. The side closes with “Vampire Blues” a serpentine jam poking fun at the oil industry (“sucking blood from the earth”). The song features some of the coolest sounds on the album.
Side two opens with the titular track – which is long jangly and reflective jam (“I need a crowd of people, I can’t face them day to day”). If Cobain could have written a track like this he may not have offed himself. “Motion Pictures” is heartbreak: “I am deep inside myself, but I will get out somehow.” The album ends with “Ambulance Blues” a acoustic slow burning reflection on Neil’s place in pop culture at that point in time (“you are all just pissin’ the wind”. Musically it is inspired by one of Neil’s guitar heroes: Bert Jansch.
Overall this is beautifully bleak album that soaks in quite desperation with a wry wink. This is an album that requires repeated listens to appreciate – take the time you will be rewarded. I was too young and ignorant to experience this album at the time, but it must have been a shocking counter punch to its studio predecessor Harvest.
Tonight’s The Night (1975) If On The Beach was bleak, Tonight’s The Night is even bleaker: a portrait of a burnt out and wasted rock star. The hippie has been reincarnated into a a coke snorting degenerate wallowing in the tragic loss of good friends to rock and roll excess. Yet Neil somehow makes his quite desperation noble and transcendent: the zen of deprivation.
There are a lot of Neil Young fans that consider this a masterpiece, but it does not do it for me. But it is authentic. Neil cut open a vein and bled all over this record. This is Neil’s “Exile On Main Street.” Drugs are all fun and games until people start dying.
Young set the standard for slackers to come – the elegant stumble; the brilliant mistake. Neil somehow makes senseless death funky. Weird shit. Not one of my favorite Neil Young albums, but I get why true fans dig it.
Zuma (1975) This the album in this collection that I am most familiar with. It is one of my favorite Neil Young albums. This album foreshadows the masterpiece Rust Never Sleeps that would follow Zuma in a few years.
It starts out with the jangly “Don’t Cry No Tears.” Which segues into “Danger Bird” which would not be out of place on an early Radiohead album. Neil and Crazy Horse play wonderfully lethargic distorted metal riffs throughout the song. I get so blissed out when Neil young lets “Old Black” out of its cage. Neil juxtapositions “Danger Bird” with the mellow folk rock of “Pardon My Heart.” “Lookin’ For Love” is a nice country rock shuffle that echoes back to Harvest. It has some great lyrics including:
Looking’ for a love
that’s right for me
I don’t know how long
it’s going to be
But I hope I treat her kind
And don’t mess with her mind
When she starts to see
the darker side of me.
“Barstool Blues” is classic Neil and Crazy Horse. Sloppy slacker bitter rock and roll with plenty of snarl. “Stupid Girl” is not mysogenistic, it is just a guy pissed at his ex-lover. “Drive Back” has ACDC swagger with Beatles’ pop sensibility.
“Cortez The Killer” is my favorite cut on the LP. It’s groove, the slow grinding lugubrious jam, is the sound that hooked me on Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Heavy Metal on red wine and Quaaludes. I absolutely love when Neil does this kind of shit. The LP ends on gentle song “Through My Sails” that is basically a CSN&Y song.
Zuma is classic eclectic Neil Young. For you crated diggers out there this is the easiest of the 4 LPs to find. I also declare that Zuma has the best cover art of any Neil Young album.
In summary this 4 LP set represents the end of end of 60s idealism and the introduction of mid-70s nihilism. Young lays the ground work for punk. I would be seriously moved by Neil Young a few years later by Rust Never Sleeps and Live Rust. These albums foreshadow that greatness. This was a dark period for Young, but the great artist he was (and is), he mined that darkness to create something so ugly it was beautiful.
Wilco is celebrating 20 years of being in business with two great anthologies: What’s Your 20? (a “greatest hits” package for a band who has never had a hit) and Alpha Mike Foxtrot (rarities).
What’s Your 20? is a well curated collection of 38 of Wilco’s essential tracks. It is a nice introduction to the band. Even as a long-time fan I have enjoyed listening to it on Spotify – the ultimate Wilco playlist (that I did not even have to take the time to put together).
Alpha Mike Foxtrot is 77 tracks: B-sides, demos, alternative versions and live cuts from across Wilco’s 20 year career. I have not listened to Wilco much over the last year and this collection sneaked up on me – I had no idea it was coming out until a couple of days before its release. I sometimes forget how much I love this band. This collection has me falling in love with them all over again.
You get a great sense of the growth of the band from not particularly special alt-country band to pop experimenters to beatlesque power pop kings. In the end I am reminded they are brilliant pop musicians and Jeff Tweedy is a pop genius. They are on my top-ten list of recording artists. As far as I am concerned they are the American Radiohead.
There are some great B-sides that you would have to have been a very dedicated fan to have in your collection (I have not been that dedicated). There are wonderful live cuts from all points of their 20 year career. There are fascinating alternative takes on essential tracks. Particularly enjoyable are Jeff Tweedy’s comments on the tracks in the booklet that comes with the collection.
If you are a Wilco fan you must have Alpha Mike Foxtrot. If you are not, you need to check out What’s Your 20?
Sometimes you need to buy an LP just because the cover art is great (e.g. Miles Davis Bitches Brew). I had heard nothing but good things about Flying Lotus (but I had never really checked him out) and he had some intriguing pedigree: nephew of Alice and John Coltrane. I gave this a quick listen on Spotify and I liked the 70s jazz rock/prog rock feel of the album.
When I saw the LP on display at the Electric Fetus it looked so cool I could not help myself. Invested I now gave it a serious listen and I was sold.
Side one is short and would not be out-of-place on a Return to Forever or Mahavishnu Orchestra side from the late 70s.
Side two has a more conventional hip hop feel – with songs rapped by Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg, but is still has that great 70s jazz rock/prog rock vibe. It also has a bit of a CTI soul jazz vibe at times.
Side three has a Pink Floyd meets Radiohead sound.
Side four has the most experimental feel and ties it all together.
As a side note (no pun intended), why a 40 minute LP has to be spread across two LPs is a bit annoying (especially when sides 0ne and two are so short). But I have to admit this is one of the best sounding new LPs – so maybe not squeezing everything on two sides is worth getting out of my chair three times to flip the album. Each side does have its own sound and are mini suites.
In summary this is an outstanding and adventurous album. If you are a fan of 70s jazz rock, prog rock or soul jazz check this out and don’t be dissuaded by Flying Lotus typically being filed under hip hop. The album is very cinematic and I would love to see this live with a kick ass light show. There are some great players on the LP – of special note are: Thundercat on, bass, Kamasi Washington on sax, the great Herbie Hancock on keys and Flying Lotus himself on a variety of instruments. As I noted at the top, this album has a great cover (and a great gatefold and sleeves). It is so nice to see musicians taking the care to create the full LP experience.
November of 2014 has been Dylan month from me: Dylan live at the Orpheum in Minneapolis, The Basement Tapes Complete (Bootleg Series Vol. 11) and The New Basements Tapes.
I was pretty excited late this summer when it was announced that Dylan was doing a theater tour and that he would be doing a three-night stand at his old real estate the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. I had attended a couple of his shows at the five-night stand he did at the Orpheum in 1992 and those were the finest Dylan performances I have ever have witnessed (I have seen Dylan about 20 times over the years) and those 1992 shows would be on my all-time top-5 concert list.
My wife and I decided this would be a family affair if we could get tickets. My daughter was able to secure 10th row center for night number one (November 4th 2014). My son lives in Chicago and I was tempted catch one of the Chicago shows (Dylan headed there next after Minneapolis) with him. But 4 tickets, flying my son home and a pre-show dinner was plenty to spend on Bob – in the end that was a good decision (more about that later).
The show was great – especially if you are a fan of Dylan’s post Time Out of Mind renaissance. Most of the show was from this era and he played half of his most recent album Tempest. I am sure this was maddening for the casual Dylan fan, but I loved it. The best part of the show was that my wife, son and daughter were there with me – as my wife has commented to questions as to how was the show: “I like the concept of the show – our family together with Bob in a smaller venue.”
I was disappointed with the sound – I expect a theater show should sound great – these old venues are designed for musical performance. However Dylan’s sound crew missed the mark – it sounded like the PA was aimed at the balcony. Now that I have a live sound reference (the recent Ryan Adams show at the recently renovated Northrop Auditorium which was the best sounding gig I have ever heard in my life), I am particularly annoyed when you pay top dollar for poor sound. This hurt even more because Dylan’s voice sounded better than it has in years. Another mild annoyance was the instance of the main floor crowd to stand for the whole show. This was no a ruckus rock show – but Dylan at his most contemplative and jazzy. Great sound and my butt in the seat and this would have rivaled the 1992 shows. I guess I am getting old an curmudgeonly.
But don’t let my whining get in the way – this was a great show: Dylan in fine voice, a super cool set list, great arrangements, tremendous lighting and Dylan’s crack band playing their asses off. Again for a true Dylan fan the set list could not be beat.
I was savoring the aftertaste of the show that night when I started Googling the set list – it was not yet available, but other shows on the tour were – the set lists for the last several shows were identical. Turns out Dylan would play the exact same set the next two nights and that continued on in Chicago with the same set list – glad I did not follow him down there – it was great once – but part of the charm of Dylan is that he usually mixes up the set list (and back in the day the arrangements). See The Current Blog for a well done review of the 3-night stand in Minneapolis.
Here is a play list based on the set list:
Since the show I have been listening to this playlist and it reminded me what a masterpiece Time Out of Mind is.
This is on my top-5 Dylan albums of all time. Every few years since Dylan has released a similarly great album and this tour celebrates the great material he has released over that last nearly 20 years. Not bad for a guy “past his prime.”
Coinciding with the November 4th 2014 show, was thee release of the 6 CD collection The Basement Tapes Complete (Bootleg Series Vol. 11). So November 4th was the single most expensive day in my 35 years of being a Dylan fan. I have been working through this definitive collection and it is a total treat to be a fly-on-the-wall of a 1967 Dylan, in hiding and on the lam, from the burden of being the voice of his generation.
As a long time Dylan fan I have heard so much about this collection over the years it is great to finally hear this not so secret stash (the 1975 version was highly doctored – this is the real and raw deal). This new release in the Bootleg Series is well documented – so I don’t feel any need to repeat the story here. The quality of the recording is terrible at times, but the underlying material is so amazing you don’t really care. In fact the CD 6 is the worst recording quality in the collection and yet the most magical. Dylan never intended these recordings to see the light of day and they have a relaxed rehearsal feel – but who wouldn’t want to peek through a knothole to watch a Dylan rehearsal? This collection is not for the casual fan (or the impoverished fan at $140 after taxes/shipping or from purchase from you local independent – PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR INDIE RECORD STORE!), For the curious and the impoverished, Spotify has a nice little taste where you can learn to believe the hype:
Finally there is The New Basement Tapes (a super group) with their Lost on the River album which also came out in November. If 6 CDs of Dylan is not enough for you there is a pile of Dylan Basement Tapes era lyrics that was recently handed over to T Bone Burnett who then assembled a super group to write music to the lyrics and perform them. This is a well hyped and documented release that does not need any further explanation by me. But I can speak to the final result – it is magnificent! Some of my favorite artists assembled and inspired by Bob: Elvis Costello, Mumford guy, Dawes guy, My Morning Jacket guy, etc. And who the hell is Rhiannon Giddens? She steals the show with her version of Spanish Mary.
It is going to take me weeks to fully digest the two Basement Tapes releases and the Dylan show has me digging back into the Dylan archive of the last 20 years of renaissance material. Oh the responsibility is overwhelming!
I have had techno-lust for an Oppo Blu-Ray for a long time because it is a relatively reasonably priced piece ($1300 – they also have $500 models too) of audiophile gear that will meet most of your digital needs.
My wife and I recently celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary – she go a ring and I got an Oppo. I got to give her a lot of credit: she knew what I wanted and went outside her comfort zone to travel to planet nerd (the back of Best Buy store to their Magnolia section to buy it). True love! Of course I was a brat by returning the 105 for a 105D (more about why later).
First let me point out that I never intend to use the Oppo as a video device – I plan to use it for pure audio. So if you want any opinions on how it performs in the video world you will need to go somewhere else.
What attracted me to the Oppo 105 was that it has a good quality DAC that I could play files and stream from my Mac and that, as an audio buddy of mine pointed out, it can play any spinning shiny object you can put in its transport short of a dime (conventional CDs, HDCD, Super Audio CDs, DVD Audio, Blu-ray, etc). In addition you can play almost any file imaginable via a USB port. So this is your new digital music friend.
So far I have been playing mostly conventional audio CDs (Red Book), HDCDs and streaming Spotify and Tidal from my Mac. I have tried a few Super Audio CDs too. I have not gotten around to DVD-A, Blu Ray audio and HD files. It all sounds great! A huge upgrade from my previous CD player (Pioneer DV-563A DVD Player) and DAC (Jolida FX DAC Mini). Everything sounds less harsh and with more definition – much closer to the vinyl experience I love. Of course this is very dependent on the source material. I have a huge CD collection and I expect to move toward HD streaming/downloading so I needed a quality device to facilitate all of this. The Oppo appears up to the job.
The Oppo is impressive visually. It is in a solid case (the thing weighs a ton compared to a flimsy $100 Blu-Ray). It has a nice simple look to it. Solid easy to read and use remote with back lighting.
Set up provided me some challenges. Plugging in and playing a CD was a piece of cake. I could not get my Mac to play through the DAC. The hefty manual was of no help. No help on Google either. On a lark I called Oppo customer service and they were shockingly helpful. Turns out I had to adjust a setting in the Mac’s Audio MIDI Setup. My Mac sometimes forgets that the Oppo is its DAC – but I have not really figured out a pattern here – assume it is because the Oppo’s DAC is not always on. It does seem to help to have the Oppo turned on and set to USB input before sending sound from the Mac. I guess this makes sense – my old DAC was always on.
Most of the setup and controls require a monitor – most of the user interface is via a monitor and not the face of the device. Not an issue for most users who are using the device in a home theater setting – but a bit of hassle for a two channel audio guy without a TV in my listening room.
A cute feature is that Oppo has an app that allows you to use your iPhone or iPad as a remote. I set this up and was charmed. A couple of days later my phone seemed to have forgotten the set up and it no longer worked. I have not taken the time to reconfigure it.
The Oppo needs to boot up – it is not an instant on device. It does seem to remember last settings (USB DAC input vs. CD) and where it was on a CD when it was turned off.
I have had random problems with the disc controls on the face of the Oppo not working. The remote’s disk controls have always worked. A complete shut down and unplugging seems to solve the problem. But something I will be watching.
As I write this blog I got up to change a CD and the device decided after I ejected the CD to do a firmware update and shut itself down. Fortunately this was just a few minutes event and it did give you a percentage complete status on the face of the devices so you had an idea of what was going on.
In addition to the universal nature of the device, the thing that really appealed to me about the Oppo was that it is really too players in one – there are distinct electronics for the home theater multi-channel output stage and one for stereo audio. I won’t go into the gory details – you can go to Oppo’s site to see that.
Why the 105D vs. the 105 – why spend the extra $100? The main reason for most people would be the enhanced video quality provided by Darbee processing (I don’t have a clue what that is and I don’t care). For me it was that 105D is Oppo’s latest and greatest as evidenced by a small feature that will likely be important later – an upgraded USB DAC to support DSD 64/128. I have not done any test driving of HD files of any format – only streaming through Tidal (and that is merely CD quality).
In summary, I love this device, but it is not for a technophobe. This a complex device that will require the user to invest some time and patience in its operation and set up. But the rewards are there – this has been a huge upgrade in the sonic quality of my digitally sourced music. This is as exciting as my first CD player in 1985. My last universal device (Pioneer DV-563A DVD Player) sounded terrible. My first DAC (Jolida FX DAC Mini) was a major step beyond my Mac’s on board DAC, but this is yet a another huge step forward – I know have a legitimate rival to my turntable and beloved LPs.
PS – another bonus is the Oppo has built-in headphone amplifier too!
Joining Spotify last year was a game changer in my enjoyment of listening to music. A huge catalog was available at my fingertips from any device (legally) for a mere $10 a month. I mainly listen via my iPhone – so fidelity was less important than convenience. Spotify is about as convenient as you can get. My estimate is they have about 95% of the catalog I would ever want access too.
When I would listen on Spotify and if I really liked something I go out and buy the CD or the vinyl. Spotify sounds fine on the iPhone at the gym or in the car, but it does not quite cut it at home for serious listening through “the system.” I recently upgraded the home system with an Oppo 105D – that was a major DAC upgrade for me and Spotify sounded much better than through my old DAC – but not CD quality.
I was one of the first to lay my money down on Kickstarter last spring for one of Neil Young’s Pono players, but I ultimately balked – I could not see downloading HD tracks to a one-dimensional mobile device. If I was going to listen to HD it was going to be at home via a computer, DAC and “the system.” Plus could HD streaming be far away?
Well HD streaming is almost here with Tidal which calls itself “high fidelity streaming.” It is not HD, but it is CD quality (vs. the 320 MP3 quality of Spotify). Tidal costs $19.99 a month and uses the ALAC and FLAC lossless format at 1,411 kbps, 44.1kHz/16-bit. That is roughly four times the 320 kbps bit rate of most music streaming services like Spotify. Tidal boasts 25 million songs and 75,000 music videos (I could care less about the videos). That is comparable to Spotify (but my cursory experiment with Tidal is that I have been disappointed that it does not have many of the indie titles I have found on Spotify.
I have been taking advantage of the 7 -day free sample for the last several days. I was not able to get songs to load on my Mac via the Tidal app and so I had to use the web version. I found the iPhone app via 4G it was less reliable than Spotify (break ups/pauses) – this seemed reasonable given how fat the stream is. The better sound quality was undetectable via cheap earbuds or plugged via headphone jack to the car stereo. My assumption is you would want to download music to your device or dial back the streaming quality when mobile (which brings you back to Spotify quality) .
So is Tidal worth twice as much as Spotify? I think it depends on your listening habits (do you have a large collection of music already, do you have a quality home stereo, do you listen mainly at home or mobile, etc.). If you are listening to music mainly through inexpensive earbuds via your iPhone I would be hard pressed to see the value. If you have a decent home stereo with a DAC I would say the improvement in sound quality is worth it. Personally I am not sure if I would use Tidal enough at home to justify the cost as it does not beat out vinyl or CDs (I have a huge collection and I am never wanting something to listen to). I am still trying to adjust to the notion of streaming vs. my fetish of possessing CDs and LPs (I never was fond of downloading due to sound quality more than object fetish – perhaps if I had that chapter in my history streaming would be more comfortable).
I did a serious ear test through my home system using Stanley Turnentine’s Salt Song (the titular song from the album of the same name on CTI from 1971). I compared the Spotify, Tidal, a vintage vinyl LP and remastered CD (2011) versions of the song. The Tidal version definitely sounded better than Spotify. It was less harsh and had more detail than Spotify. It compared favorably to the vinyl LP and the CD (both of which did sound slightly better than the Tidal stream). Overall Tidal had a much more natural and organic sound than Spotify – similar to comparing a CD vs. a 320 MP3. But the increased quality is subtly that would escape most undiscerning listeners. For most listeners cost and convenience win – and Spotify has cost and convenience.
I did a final headphone test via my Grado SR80s via my iPhone. Tidal was again a richer experience than Spotify. But I have to be honest – most of the time when I am listening to my iPhone it is not going to be in quite room with decent cans.
Final judgement? Tidal does sound better. I would likely need to dial down the quality when mobile to avoid interruptions. My biggest concern is will the catalog be as good as Spotify? I was disappointed when I tried to find the recent Toki Wright and Strugill Simpson albums (both were on Spotify, but not on Tidal). Understandable, given they are on independent labels and this service is brand new. But what about the new Led Zeppelin remasters? They appear available, but are grayed out on Tidal (yet available on Spotify). I guess I am not willing to pull the trigger quite yet to pay double for a service like this. I might have a different opinion if I did not have such a huge LP and CD collection for quality listening at home. I will check back with this and other HD/high fidelity services over the next few months to see of they make progress.
Lucinda is some kind of musician – at 61 she has thrown down a masterpiece – a collection that rivals anything on her resume. I am a long time fan having seen her live at the 7th Street Entry (Minneapolis) in the late 80s when she was touring behind her brilliant 3rd album Lucinda Williams. She was a powerful performer and I can still see her standing alone on the stage in a white tank top and guitar in hand. 1998’s Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is on my all time greatest album list. I have continued to buy every release since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, but the lightning never quite struck twice for me – until now. Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone is right there with Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.
This is a huge set – 20 songs spread across 2 CDs. The PR machine says there is a whole another album in the can (featuring guitarist Bill Frisell – I can’t wait). So clearly Lucinda is bursting in creativity 35 plus years into her career. This is the definition of “an embarrassment of riches.”
Lucinda’s lugubrious snarl is dressed in several genres on the album, yet it is a unified whole. There is country, blues, R&B, folk, swamp and rock – each a glass slipper made for Lucinda. There is not a bad song on the album. The arrangements are well crafted, yet there is a gritty authenticity that keeps the album from being slick. Sonically this is one of the best sounding records I have heard in recent memory.
Oh and that voice – it is so unique – so richly flavored. It has aged exquisitely – it is weary and wise. It is dripping with life’s experience like an ice-cold beer on a hot humid day.
If you are a fan of Americana roots music – grab Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone. It will be like slipping on a well-worn pair of jeans and a soft flannel shirt after a hard day’s work. It is reflective relief – fine bourbon neat.
PS – What about that album title? It is such a powerful phrase. It was adapted from Lucinda’s poet father (Miller Williams) poem “Compassion.”
I am always intrigued when a bandleader like Jeff Tweedy of Wilco feels the need to make a solo album. What does he need to say solo that he can’t say through his band? Is Wilco really a band and not Jeff Tweedy and the Wilcos?
In the past Jeff Tweedy has toured solo where he typically plays acoustic music – just the man and his guitar. Tweedy is something else. Most tracks include Jeff’s son, 18-year-old Spencer, on drums and a couple of vocalists (Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius). Guitarist Scott McCaughey (Minus 5) is sprinkled on a few tracks. Jeff Tweedy is calling this a band and not a solo effort: Tweedy. Jeff Tweedy’s voice and vision are clearly dominant, but it does sound like something more than Jeff multi-tracked with back up musicians – there is a band feel here.
Some tracks sound like Wilco (more Being There than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot), others sound like the folky side of Beck and others have a George Harrison feel (a dominant influence in Wilco music in my opinion). All of the album has a casual demo aesthetic. This demo aesthetic doesn’t sound lazy as much as intimate. It is mostly a subtle album – a quite album – it sneaks up on you. As a long time Wilco fan this is treat – another side of Jeff Tweedy.
A special shout out to Tweedy for taking care of the audiophile fan with the vinyl edition: 180 gram black vinyl and a CD for the digital version. I am so sick of novelty vinyl that emphasizes the visual over the audio. And crappy companion MP3 digital downloads are a crime against humanity. Thank you Tweedy for providing some value at $30.
PS – the “Low Key” video is a hoot!
Axl's Catch Groove 