<h2><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goat_Rodeo_Sessions">The Goat Rodeo Sessions</a></i> (by Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer &amp; Chris Thile)</h2>
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<p>This was the record that specifically spurred me write this post, and it's been on my mind (and on my car stereo) a lot recently because I've been reviewing engineer Richard King's book <i>Recording Orchestras And Other Classical Ensembles</i> (as featured in the <a href="[[~642]]">February 2017 Patrons Podcast</a>). For me this record is just one of those situations where all the stars come into alignment. Firstly, it brings together four of the greatest virtuoso performers on the planet, including two MacArthur Fellowship recipients, a five-time winner of the Academy of Country Music's Fiddle Player Of The Year, and arguably the greatest living classical cellist. (Admittedly, I have a bit of a soft spot for Yo-Yo Ma, as he was heavily involved with the Tanglewood Institute, a summer orchestral course I attended three years on the trot back in school, so maybe I'm biased...) Secondly, the music manages its classical/Nashville crossover beautifully, I think, as well as mixing in a good dose of pop sensibility without feeling dumbed down in any way. And, thirdly, it was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Richard King (the only living engineer to have won Grammies for Best Engineering in both the classical and non-classical categories) and it sounds phenomenal -- warm, natural, and intimate, but with an almost holographic sense of space. In short, I still frequently find myself scraping my jaw off the floor and/or shaking my head in disbelief while listening to this record, and it's very much a motivational quality benchmark against which I measure (with an inevitable sense of crushing inadequacy) any acoustic recording I make myself.</p>
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<h2><i><a href="http://www.sepiamusic.com/">Prototype</a></i> (by Sepiamusic)</h2>
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<p>This record landed on my desk in the <i>Sound On Sound</i> magazine offices back in 2003, while I was still their full-time Reviews Editor. Intrigued by the wacky cover art, I gave it a spin, and fell in love with the sound, which combines rather trip-hoppy drums with moody synth riffs and widescreen textures, topped off with the breathy angst of vocalist Erin Chapman. Although the music itself isn't bad, what continually draws me back to this record (and increasingly to its sequel, <i>Trenches</i>) is its sheer sonics. The sound design is particularly inspiting: the drum sounds, the fluid lead-synth programming, and the multitude of inventive transition effects. But it's also just the sheer richness of the sound and the enveloping atmospherics that just draw me in emotionally in a way that goes well beyond what I'd honestly attribute to the raw song-writing. This is a great 'realtime soundtrack' album -- in other words, even if you're listening to it while doing the washing up, it'll still somehow make that seem epic and cinematic! <img src="[[$sitePrefixCMT]]/SitePix/EmoSmile.gif"> Sadly, however, Sepiamusic no longer appear to be working together, but it seems that you can still get hold of Prototype on iTumes and Amazon, thankfully.</p>
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<h2><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%BAlam%C3%A1n_(album)">D&uacute;l&aacute;man</a></i> (by Clannad)</h2>
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<p>When I was at school, I occasionally used to go to the library, borrow some LPs (remember those?), and copy them to cassette to listen to in my walkman. Ah, those were the days... Anyway, one time this happened to be one of the records I taped, but I managed to mix up the name of the record label with the name of the band when I copied out the track listing, and for years thought that this record was by a band called Gael-Linn. Needless to say, once I'd grown to love it, I tried to find other records by the band with little success, and then assumed that they were a one-off! Only about 10 years ago was I able to use Google to work out where I'd gone wrong (because I wanted to replace the tape that I'd by then all but worn out!), and was astonished to discover it was a Clannad record, given that I'd only ever heard (and not particularly liked) their much more famous 80s electric/synth albums. What you get here is something completely different: from the late 70s, entirely acoustic, with wonderfully inventive harp, guitar and upright-bass performances and beautifully plaintive tin-whistle and lead-vocal melodies. Which reminds me, I keep meaning to investigate some of their other early albums, but have never got round to it. Excuse me for a moment, while I do a a quick Amazon run...</p>
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<h2><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Can%27t_Join_%27Em..._Beat_%27Em">If You Can't Join 'Em... Beat 'Em</a></i> (by DJ Format)</h2>
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<p>I'm quite a big fan of hip-hop in general, and although I like a lot of American records, there are a number of UK releases that really float my boat too. For instance, I was thinking of mentioning something by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streets">The Streets</a> here, because I think Mike Skinner's an absolute genius, but I figured a lot of you might already have him on your radar. (If not, then I'd recommend  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Grand_Don%27t_Come_for_Free">A Grand Don't Come For Free</a> as a starting point.) Instead, I decided to go with this album, which is also brilliant -- a combination of DJ Format's no-nonsense break-based backing tracks with rapper Abdominal's tremendously inventive and funny rhymes, my personal highlight being the track 'Ugly Brothers'. That said, it was still tricky to decide between this album and its predecessor, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_for_the_Mature_B-Boy">Music For The Mature B-Boy</a>, which includes my all-time favourite DJ Format &amp; Abdominal track 'Ill Culinary Behaviour', so if you see a 2-for-1 offer on those two, don't hesitate!</p>
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<h2><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoosh">Stoosh</a></i> (by Skunk Anansie)</h2>
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<p>This is probably the most mainstream of these five records, but I decided to include it here nonetheless because it never really made much of a mark outside Europe, and it's one of my all-time favourite albums. I also have a personal attachment to it, because I ended up working at the studio where it was recorded not long after it was released, and knew one of the recording engineers involved quite well, so it brings back a lot of fond memories. Still, that's far from the only reason I like it. 'Twisted' is one of the tightest indie/punk/pop songs ever written, in my opinion. 'Infidelity (Only You)' is a beautifully produced ballad with enormously wide frequency bandwidth that still resides on my own personal reference CD for testing the low-end performance of rooms and speakers. The lead singer, Skin, manages a fabulous cross between punk activist and pop diva. And the band provide such inspired arrangements (with help from producer Garth Richardson and mix engineer Joe Barresi). What's not to like? Other than the cover art, that is...</p>
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