Movie: Sound City! and some other music..
I really, really, enjoyed this movie... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2306745/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Ok... It sounded good, but that's not really the point of this movie (well.. Maybe Dave Grohl would disagree?). I did find the voice vs. music mixing on the center channel annoying, but that might be a streaming issue (Amazon Prime). This movie is about the rise and fall of one of the greatest recording studios of all time: Sound City. From Gladdis Knight and the Pips and the forming of Fleetwood Mac to Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails, this studio saw a lot of really influential bands, many are my favorites (I'm a gen Xer and just about every band that was huge when I was in High School recorded here, as well as almost *ALL* of the "Hairband' genre)... as well as about 30 minutes worth of an "all-star" cast recording all new original stuff near the end, including Paul McCartney (uhh.. THE BEATLES! Duh!), Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Krist Novoeslic (Nirvana), Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stoneage), Lee Ving (Fear),and many others...
If you are the type of person that not only enjoys your music, but will watch the "Behind the Music" of your favorite bands to learn their story, this is a must see. -
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Other music... Again, I'm a gen Xer... Born in '79.... So, my tastes include a lot of music that many in the vintage community would never listen to (I'm just as prone to listen to some Frank, Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Genesis/Phil Collins, or Jim Croce as I am some Eazy-E, Nine Inch Nails, Slip Knot, TOOL, or Rage Against the Machine). So... These more "recent" selections may not appeal to all... I will try to do my best to try to describe what I like about how they sound as well as simply commenting on the fact that I've been enjoying them...
Soo... Without further ado... Some "modern" albums: Daft Punk Random Access Memories (Album): I'm not going to lie, I've been a big Daft Punk fan from back in the mid-90s... I enjoy the Industrial/Techno sound. However, versus their previous 2 major albums (Homework and Discovery) this album is much more sedated and mellow. The song Instant Crush (though autotuned to high hell... This isn't a band for fans of vocalists in most cases) is extremely sweet and tender both lyrically and musically, certainly within the "techno" genre... As far as recording characteristics go, the chorus absolutely shines with my titanium domed rig and the lows do not disappoint on the 2241H-1s... This song is definitely part of my "demo" collection to illustrate what my rig can do. Delicate, refined, and very interesting (to me).
Other favorites from album; Get Lucky: Pharrell Williams' vocals on this track are excellent, and if you've been near a modern hip-hop radio station this summer you've already heard this one. The rhythm guitar on his one is both soulful and fun. Again, it's techno, so there's plenty of autotune and drum machines (though Daft Punk was an early innovator of autotune... 20 years before Ke$ha found it). So.. If it's not your ticket, that's cool, but my rig plays this song WELL... Loud? Louder? Louder-than-loud but clear as day? Yep... We can do it...
Within: A very interesting (again, autotuned lyrics) and tender song with some excellent piano work. I just enjoy listening to it. It's a somewhat sad song, which is instantly a winner for me... ;)
Changing gears...
Adele 21 (not all that new, Album): What isn't there to say about this album? You've got to be living in a cave to not have heard at least 3 tracks off of this one. My fiance is a major fan of hers (if she wasn't I probably couldn't have a room full of speakers and amplifiers with only a few cross looks about my ever increasing investment)...
My favorite: I'll Be Waiting Incredible vocals (8 time grammy winner... Recipient of over 40 other awards), excellent band, excellent lyrical content, and excellent production work (if not only slightly overproduced...)... How does my rig handle it? Disappointingly... :( If I try to drive on it hard the vocals become far too shrill (in fact, listening to it right now on my cuddy PC speakers at a very mellow volume, I can her the shrillness). I have my 240tis -3db both high and mid and the stock cross overs in my L100Ts, plus a bucket of of power. Frankly, as far as really "jamming" a soulful jazzy song, I think the producers let me down here. I still very much enjoy this album, and in particular this song. Maybe if the producers would turn the gain down I'd be telling a different story... Also, yes, it sounds absolutely incredible on my Dad's L300s... I haven't heard him drive them super hard (with his Pioneer Elite SC-27) but it's a very clear upgrade from my rig. So... L300 owners, this one is for YOU (at least at "loud" volumes... not "reference")
More-than-Honorable mention: Adele Live At The Royal Albert Hall (DVD): Frankly, I just really enjoy her stage presence. She seems like someone that would be happy to have some fries and a glass of cheap wine with you. Moving past that, the mastering on this recording is slightly less offensive that the studio album recording. It still sounds shrill and painful when driven to reference with my rig... None-the-less, if you like her music at all, check out this DVD.
Off the wall dance song (if you've got real bass and a desire to provoke 17 year old kids to dance):
Flo-Rida I Cry: Oh my... This is the song that convinced me that my rig is no longer up against home theater setups, but against legitimate night clubs. Few songs straight up attack my speakers like this song... Plus, Flo Rida is just fun music. Listening to it right now, again on my crappy computer speakers, I'm already having fun and feeling less burdened by the world. "When I need a healin' I just look up to the ceiling I see the sun coming down. I know it's all better now..." It's just a good fun one if you want to shake the house (and maybe your neighbor's) and blow off some steam, and possibly some minds of guests. The vocals and what actual "music" exists is overproduced, but still sounds great and is a big bucket of fun...
One of my favorites, period;Ben Folds The Luckiest: Ben Folds is no great vocalist, but I do enjoy his styling anyhow. What he lacks in traditional vocalism, he makes up for in pianist and song writing skills. To me, on my rig, nothing sounds better than piano, with strings coming a close second. The incredibly sweet and meaningful lyrics are just icing on the cake to me with this modern day classic.
Equipment: 240ti/L100t (both running mains), S-Center, L80T (R&L surround), SR4719A (.1 channel), Crown XLS-2500 (.1), Sherbourn 5-200 (mains-es, center) Pioneer VSX-814D (Pre-amp/processor/R&L surround amp), PS3 for source streamed with 320Khz MP3s (generally.. secondary medium, Adcom GCD-700).
Preview links: Daft Punk Random Access Memories: http://www.amazon.com/Random-Access-...ccess+memories
Adele: 21: http://www.amazon.com/21-Adele/dp/B0...words=adele+21
DVD: http://www.amazon.com/Adele-Live-Roy...ords=adele+dvd
Flo Rida I Cry: http://www.amazon.com/I-Cry/dp/B00BP...flo+rida+i+cry
Bed Folds The Luckiest: http://www.amazon.com/The-Luckiest/d...=the+luckinest
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If you folks dig any of that I'll make some more posts (I'm in trouble for making dinner later... So I hope someone digs it). Otherwise, now you know what my JBL harem is playing! :P
