More than four years after Dolby Atmos music made its debut on the Tidal streaming service, it’s looking like the immersive format will be here to stay for the foreseeable future. New albums continue to appear at a breakneck pace not only via streaming, but also via Blu-Ray disc and high-resolution digital download.
2024 has been an incredible year for immersive music fans, with dozens of great albums both vintage and modern given the 5.1 surround sound and/or Dolby Atmos treatment. These are our picks for the best immersive releases of the year so far.
Artist: The Pineapple Thief
Title: It Leads to This (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Bruce Soord
Release Date: 2/09/24
Following 2020’s acclaimed Versions Of The Truth, The Pineapple Thief continues to dominate Europe’s experimental rock scene. Recorded between September 2020 and July 2023, It Leads To This is the band’s 14th overall studio outing and fourth to feature Gavin Harrison’s drumming.
Though frontman and songwriter Bruce Soord has mixed the album in both 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos, it’s the Atmos mix that offers the definitive immersive audio experience. Soord remains one of the few mixers to really take advantage of all the possibilities that object-based immersive audio offers. Though some individual sounds do appear largely isolated in specific speakers, other elements seem to float out into the room with pinpoint accuracy.
Lead vocals seem to hover right in front of your face, suspended between the front, side, and front height speaker pairs. Gavin Harrison’s drums similarly project upwards from the front stage, with reverbs and delays hitting off the back wall. The main guitar throughout “The Frost” hovers up in the front heights, while harmony vocals pop out of the rear heights and Steve Kitch’s keyboards swirl around the room.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Big Big Train
Title: The Likes of Us (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Bruce Soord
Release Date: 3/01/24
Originally founded by songwriter Greg Spawton in 1990, English progressive rock band Big Big Train have continued to endure more than three decades later. Now signed to InsideOut Music, the band released The Likes Of Us–their 16th(!) studio album, and the first to feature Alberto Bravin’s vocals–on March 1, 2024. The CD/Blu-Ray edition contains 5.1 surround sound & Dolby Atmos mixes from The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord, marking the first occasion that a Big Big Train studio release has been remixed in an immersive format.
Though Bravin and Rob Aubrey did a great job on the stereo mix of The Likes Of Us–it’s a propulsive, dynamic listening experience–I think Bruce Soord’s Dolby Atmos mix is definitely the best way to experience this amazing new record. Soord remains one of the few mixers to really take advantage of all the possibilities that object-based immersive audio offers. Though some individual sounds do appear largely isolated in specific speakers, other elements seem to float out into the room with pinpoint accuracy.
The coolest aspect of the Atmos mix would definitely have to be the treatment of Nick D’Virgilio’s drums. The kit takes up the front, front height, and side surround channels (there’s little-to-no drum sound in the rears or rear heights), forming an upside-down U-shape arc in front of the listener. The snare seems to favor the front heights at times, while the big tom-tom fills extend out towards the side speakers.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Spoon
Title: Lucifer on the Sofa (2022)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Bruce Soord
Release Date: 3/15/24
Austin-based rock outfit Spoon’s tenth studio album, Lucifer On The Sofa, was originally released through Matador Records in February 2022 to widespread critical acclaim. Rather than relying heavily on overdubbing and editing–as they did for its predecessor, 2017’s Hot Thoughts–the band instead opted to cut much of the album live at drummer Jim Eno’s Public Hi-Fi studio in Austin, Texas. The end result is simultaneously polished and raw, capturing all the unrefined energy of Spoon's live performances and presenting it with the sonic excellence of an expertly-crafted studio production.
Lucifer On The Sofa also marks the band’s inaugural foray into the realm of immersive audio, with drummer Jim Eno overseeing the Dolby Atmos mix. Though Spoon was actively making music during the early-2000s heyday of the Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio formats, none of their albums from that era were made available in 5.1 surround sound.
"Held” serves as a powerful opener, setting the tone for the album with its punchy guitars and relentless rhythm. The song actually begins with the sounds of the band tuning up, further immersing the listener in the album’s no-frills live-in-the-studio concept. Britt Daniel’s vocals are almost completely isolated in the center speaker, while Eno’s drums extend from the front channels up into the height array.
Read our full review here!
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Artist: Paul Young
Title: No Parlez (1983)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: David Kosten
Release Date: 3/15/24
No Parlez was British blue-eyed soul singer Paul Young’s debut studio album, originally released in July 1983 through CBS records. The album was a massive success in the UK, staying in the top-100 charts for nearly two years. Young would go on to have 14 UK top-40 singles throughout his career, the first of which came from No Parlez: a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home).”
As part of belated celebrations surrounding the album’s 40th anniversary, Demon Music Group and SuperDeluxeEdition.com have joined forces to bring fans a limited-edition Pure Audio Blu-Ray featuring new 5.1 surround sound & Dolby Atmos mixes from producer David Kosten.
As with his work on Tubular Bells, Kosten’s Atmos mix remains faithful to the original production while also making full use of the additional space that the immersive format provides. All speakers in a 7.1.4 setup remain active throughout the proceedings, with the side, rear, and height channels constantly supplied with key instrumentation such as background vocals, synthesizers, and digital percussion.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Gentle Giant
Title: The Missing Piece (1977)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Steven Wilson
Release Date: 3/29/24
Originally released in August 1977 through Capitol Records in the United States and Chrysalis Records in the United Kingdom, The Missing Piece was Gentle Giant’s ninth studio album and now the latest to be reissued in CD/Blu-Ray format part of an acclaimed reissue campaign from the band’s label Alucard Records.
The Missing Piece is something of a transitional work in the band’s catalog, as side one sees them veering away from their usual eclectic sound towards more-accessible pop (“Two Weeks In Spain”), soul/funk (“Mountain Time,” “Who Do You Think You Are?”), and even punk rock (“Betcha Thought We Couldn’t Do It”) stylings. Side two quickly delves back into the experimental realm, featuring the insane percussion-laden “Winning” as well as one of the band’s most heartfelt compositions: the largely-acoustic “Memories Of Old Days.”
Though The Missing Piece isn’t as densely layered as other Gentle Giant albums like 1975’s Free Hand or 1976’s Interview, the album nonetheless translates nicely to 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos. Steven Wilson's immersive mixes reveal hidden complexities to the production, often separating out ancillary elements such as keyboards, rhythm guitars, percussion, and double-tracked vocals into the additional speakers.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Deep Purple
Title: Machine Head (1972)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Dweezil Zappa
Release Date: 3/29/24
Originally released through Purple Records in March 1972, Machine Head was the third Deep Purple album to feature the band’s acclaimed ‘mark II’ lineup of Ian Gillian (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (organ), Roger Glover (bass), and Ian Paice (drums). As one might expect for a classic rock album of its stature, Machine Head has been reissued countless times in the five decades since its original release. One could be forgiven for thinking there’s little more material from these sessions left in the vaults to mine, but the 50th anniversary box set does actually contain quite a bit of previously-unissued content.
For immersive music fans, the most interesting component of the set would certainly be the audio-only Blu-Ray disc containing brand-new Dolby Atmos mixes of the original seven album tracks and B-side “When A Blind Man Cries” from Dweezil Zappa (son of Frank, who's famously name-checked in "Smoke On The Water"). The Blu-Ray also contains a digital transfer of the rare 1974 US quadraphonic mix, as well as three bonus tracks in 5.1 surround sound.
Zappa's immersive mix certainly offers a unique spin on this legendary material. Elements that were left relatively dry in previous mixes, such as the keyboard solo in "Maybe I'm A Leo" and vocal chorus to "Space Truckin'," have now been treated with additional reverb and delay. Blackmore's rhythm guitar tends to stay mostly in the front left channel, while Lord's organ extends out towards side right. There are even some fun around-the-room swirling pans, like with Glover's bass solo in "Pictures Of Home" and percussion during the breakdown in "Space Truckin'."
Read our full review here!
Artist: Billy Joel
Title: Turnstiles (1976)
Format: Streaming
Mixed By: Brad Leigh
Release Date: 4/11/24
Originally released through Columbia Records and Family Productions in May 1976, Turnstiles was Billy Joel’s fourth studio album and the first to feature his live band (including saxophonist Richie Cannata, drummer Liberty DeVitto, and bassist Doug Stegmeyer) rather than session players. Moving from Los Angeles back to his native New York City in 1975 inspired Joel’s songwriting throughout Turnstiles, as heard in the lyrics of tracks like “Say Goodbye To Hollywood” and “New York State Of Mind.”
Nearly five decades later, Turnstiles has been remixed in Dolby Atmos by longtime Joel collaborator and Phil Ramone protégé Brad Leigh. Over the past two years, Leigh has created Atmos mixes of six more classic albums from Joel's catalog–1973’s Piano Man, 1974’s Streetlife Serenade, 1976’s Turnstiles, 1978’s 52nd Street, 1980’s Glass Houses, and 1983’s An Innocent Man.
Acoustic guitars fill up the side surrounds for “Say Goodbye To Hollywood,” with the drums thundering across the front stage and orchestra in the rears. Billy Joel’s voice appears in the front ‘phantom’ center, rather than isolated in the center speaker–as was done on Frank Filipetti’s 5.1 surround mixes of The Stranger and 52nd Street. Electric piano fills out the side surrounds for “James,” with backing vocals popping up in the rears to great effect.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Water From Your Eyes
Title: Everyone's Crushed (2023)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Nate Amos
Release Date: 4/12/24
Longtime musical collaborators Rachel Brown and Nate Amos formed the indie pop project Water From Your Eyes in 2016, going on to independently release three studio albums (2017’s Long Days, No Dreams, 2018’s All A Dance, and 2019’s Somebody Else's Song) before signing with Matador Records in early 2023. Critics have described Water From Your Eyes' music as, among other things, "equal parts magical and menacing" as well as "on the verge of spinning completely out of control."
Their fifth studio album and first for Matador, Everyone’s Crushed (2023), could be the duo’s most ambitious and eclectic offering to date. Brown and Amos effortlessly weave together threads of so many different genres–there’s elements of traditional indie rock, electronica, dance, stream-of-consciousness, and even industrial/noise music sprinkled throughout the album.
Opening track “Structure” sets the template for the Atmos presentation, with the height speakers primarily utilized to lift key elements such as the drums or lead vocal out of the front stage. The side and rear surrounds speakers are selectively deployed for ancillary sounds such as rhythm guitar, keyboard, and percussion. There are even some fun passages with swirling instrumentation, such as the intros to "Out There" and "Open."
Read our full review here!
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Artist: The Church
Title: The Hypnogogue (2023)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Darrell Thorp
Release Date: 4/19/24
Released through Communicating Vessels Records in February 2023, The Hypnogogue pays homage to classic art rock concept albums like Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974) and Pink Floyd’s The Wall (1979). The album boasts a dystopia-tinged narrative about Eros Zeta, an aging rock star hailing from the dilapidated near-future world of 2054. He seeks out Sun Kim Jong, an occult Korean scientist with a machine that could supposedly revive his stalled career by “pulling music straight out of dreams.”
The Hypnogogue is also the band’s first album to receive an immersive mix, created by Darrell Thorp and mastered by John Davis at Metropolis Studios in London. The Atmos mix is interesting in that it makes fairly-sporadic use of the center and side surround speakers, but the rear surrounds consistently feature ancillary elements like percussion and backing vocals. The four height speakers, on the other hand, are employed quite aggressively for key instrumentation like acoustic guitars, keyboards, and vocal effects.
The ambient piano intro to the title track gives way to an eerie guitar pattern in the front right speaker, as the drum reflections bounce off the height speakers and a second guitar fires up in the rear. Acoustic guitars percolate from the top array and percussion pops up from behind, along with the 'did you make the reservation' backing vocals. As the track builds in intensity, violin joins from rear left and synthesizers swirl through the side speakers.
Read our full review here!
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Artist: Joni Mitchell
Title: The Asylum Albums 1972-75 (Quadio) (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Ken Caillat & Claus Trelby
Release Date: 4/19/24
In September 2022, Warner/Rhino issued The Asylum Albums (1972–1975)–the third release in the ongoing Joni Mitchell Archives series. The 4CD box set contained brand-new remasters of four of the most popular entries in Mitchell’s discography: 1972’s For The Roses, 1974’s Court and Spark, the 1974 live double LP Miles of Aisles, and finally 1975’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns.
As hinted, The Asylum Albums 1972-75 (Quadio) boxed set unexpectedly appeared on April 19. The set houses four audio-only Blu-Ray discs–each containing not only the 2022 Ken Caillat & Claus Trelby Dolby Atmos mixes, but also 192-khz/24-bit digital transfers of the rare 1970s quadraphonic mixes. This is the third ‘Quadio’ series Blu-Ray box set to come from Rhino in recent years, following 2016’s nine-disc Chicago Quadio and 2020’s four-disc Doobie Brothers Quadio.
Overall, for fans of Joni Mitchell’s music and immersive audio, it simply doesn’t get better than this. We'd have been thrilled if the set only included the Dolby Atmos mixes, but the addition of the ‘70s quadraphonic versions (especially the previously-unissued Miles of Aisles) puts it over the top.
Read our full review here!
Artist: The Doors
Title: The Best of The Doors (1985)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Bruce Botnick
Release Date: 4/19/24
Often hailed as one of the most innovative and influential acts of the 1960s, The Doors’ unique blend of rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, blues, psychedelia, and mysticism cemented them as key figures in the counterculture of that era. The band’s most famous lineup was made up of singer/poet Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore.
Nearly two decades after the release of the band’s career-spanning Perception box set, which contained new stereo and 5.1 mixes of all six studio albums, original producer/engineer Bruce Botnick has remixed The Doors’ catalog once again–this time in Dolby Atmos. Though the full albums unfortunately remain exclusive to streaming services such as Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music, Warner/Rhino have additionally come through with an audio-only Blu-Ray release of The Best Of The Doors (the 1985 double-LP compilation, rather than the 1973 11-track album of the same name).
From an immersive standpoint, unsurprisingly "Riders On The Storm" would have to be the standout track on this compilation. The rain and thunder sound effects are given much more prominence, with the rain taking up residence behind the listener in the rear surrounds and the thunder moving through the height array to spine-tingling effect. Towards the end, some never-before-heard Morrison vocals and finger snaps appear from above as well.
Read our full review here!
Artist: The National
Title: Laugh Track (2023)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Jonathan Low
Release Date: 4/19/24
The National are a New York-based indie rock band formed in 1999. The group unusually features two pairs of brothers–Bryce Dessner (guitars), Aaron Dessner (bass, guitars), Scott Devendorf (bass, guitars), and Bryan Devendorf (drums)–along with lead vocalist and songwriter Matt Berninger.
In April 2023, the band released their ninth studio album entitled First Two Pages of Frankenstein. The album features guest appearances from a who’s-who of popular acts, including Bon Iver, Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift, and Sufjan Stevens. Taking a page out of Swift's book, the band followed Frankenstein with the unannounced release of Laugh Track just a few months later.
“Alphabet City” kicks off with the synthesizer floating up in the rear heights and gradually traveling down to the front stage. An overdubbed snare drum appears isolated in the side speakers, while the haunting strings extend upwards into the front height channels. “Hornets” is another highlight, with the second acoustic guitar, backing vocals, and horns almost completely isolated in the sides. Roseanne Cash’s vocals in “Crumble” emanate from all around, nicely complimenting Berninger’s lead upfront.
Read our full review here!
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Artist: Pearl Jam
Title: Dark Matter (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Josh Evans & Nick Rives
Release Date: 4/19/24
April 2024’s Dark Matter saw Seattle grunge icons Pearl Jam collaborating with producer Andrew Watt (The Rolling Stones, etc), who’d previously worked on frontman Eddie Vedder's last solo album Earthling (2018). The album was mixed in Dolby Atmos by Josh Evans and Nick Rives, the same team that handled the immersive remixes of prior albums Ten (1991), Vs. (1993), No Code (1996), Yield (1998), Lightning Bolt (2013), and Gigaton (2020). Notably, this is the first Pearl Jam Atmos release to receive a physical release on Blu-Ray in addition to streaming.
“Something Special” keeps Matt Cameron’s drums and Eddie Vedder’s instantly-recognizable vocals largely confined to the front stage, with electric rhythm guitars floating in from the side surrounds. Background vocals hover up in the rear heights during the chorus, while Mike McCready’s guitar solos appear suspended between the fronts and front heights.
Artist: A Bad Think
Title: Cottonwood (2024)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Dave Way
Release Date: 5/03/2024
Less than a year after the release of A Bad Think's last studio outing Short St. (2023), Marquart has impressively managed to write, record and produce an entirely new 10-track album. Much like the prior four immersive releases, Cottonwood covers a lot of ground genre-wise with elements of country/western, more mainstream ‘feel-good' pop/rock, progressive rock, and various other styles in between.
Whereas legendary mixer Bob Clearmountain sat behind the board for prior records The Savior (2019), Lifelike (2021), X (2022) and Short St. (2023), immersive mixing duties for Cottonwood have instead fallen to longtime Marquart collaborator and four-time Grammy award-winner Dave Way. Throughout his decades-long career, Way has worked with dozens of well-known artists including Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, Mick Jagger, and Eric Clapton.
Right from the first notes of opening track “10K Hours,” it’s clear that Way’s immersive mixing modus operandi is quite different from Clearmountain’s. Drum sound fills up the entire room, with the snare extending upwards from the center speaker into the front heights. Whereas previous releases had Marquart’s distinctive voice almost entirely isolated in the center speaker, here he’s in the front ‘phantom’ center with just a bit of vocal signal spilling over into the center.
Read our full review here!
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Artist: Keane
Title: Hopes and Fears (2004)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: David Kosten
Release Date: 5/13/2024
Hopes and Fears was UK-based alternative rock band Keane’s debut studio album, originally released through Island Records/UMG in May 2004. The album was a massive success, spawning four top-20 singles in "This Is The Last Time," "Bedshaped,” "Everybody's Changing," and the group’s signature song "Somewhere Only We Know."
Now, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hopes and Fears, producer David Kosten (who previously worked with Keane on 2019’s Cause and Effect) has created brand-new Dolby Atmos mixes of the original 12-track album and bonus song "Love Actually." Fans may already be familiar with Kosten from his recent work on the Atmos remixes of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells (1973) and Paul Young’s No Parlez (1983).
Kosten’s new immersive interpretation of the album marks a considerable improvement over the 2004 5.1 release. The Atmos mix features far greater separation of the individual instruments, showcasing all kinds of previously-hidden elements like a percussive synthesizer part in the rear height speakers throughout “Somewhere Only We Know” and a distorted electric guitar in the left side channel during “Bend and Break.”
Read our full review here!
Artist: Robin Trower
Title: Bridge of Sighs (1974)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Richard Whittaker
Release Date: 5/17/2024
After a five-year stint in the acclaimed UK art-rock band Procol Harum, English guitarist Robin Trower joined forces with drummer Reg Isidore and singing bassist James Dewar to form his own blues-rock power trio. The newly-minted Robin Trower Band debuted on 1973’s Twice Removed From Yesterday, but it was the follow-up release–1974’s Bridge of Sighs–that cemented the group as a force to be reckoned with.
Released through Chrysalis Records in April 1974, Bridge of Sighs reached #7 on the US album charts and earned a Gold certification from the RIAA later that year. The album was produced by Matthew Fisher (who’d previously worked with Procol Harum on their classic 1967 single “A Whiter Shade of Pale”) and engineered by The Beatles’ Geoff Emerick.
Bridge of Sighs is a relatively-sparse production, but Richard Whittaker’s Dolby Atmos mix manages to add newfound depth and dimension to the classic album without losing the familiar feel of the stereo mix. As one might expect, it’s the songs with more layers–such as the title track, “In This Place,” and “Too Rolling Stoned”–that offer the most satisfying immersive experience.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Crowded House
Title: Gravity Stairs (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Steven Schram
Release Date: 5/31/2024
Produced by Steven Schram (Paul Kelly, Midlife) and released through BMG Rights Management on May 31, the Australian rock band’s latest album Gravity Stairs is their second to feature the current lineup of Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mitchell Froom and Neil’s sons Elroy and Liam Finn.
The Dolby Atmos mix is phenomenal and certainly the best way to experience the new album. Each of the 11 songs are overflowing with layers upon layers of multi-tracked vocals, guitars, keyboards, and percussion, making it a perfect candidate for the format. Schram has made full use of the immersive soundstage to unpack these dense arrangements all around the listener, with unique elements assigned to the side, rear, and height channels in a 7.1.4 speaker system.
“Magic Piano” kicks off with a bit of studio chatter, before a synthesizer line drifting left-to-right overhead announces the arrival of the band. Neil Finn’s vocals and the rhythm section stay largely upfront, while harmonies envelop the listener from the side and rear channels. That said, perhaps the most impressive track from an immersive standpoint would have to be “Black Water, White Circle.” Percussion hovers directly overhead, while different sets of layered background vocals alternate between the side and rear surround speakers.
Read our full review here!
Artist: The Isley Brothers
Title: 3+3 (1973), Live It Up (1974) & Go For Your Guns (1977)
Format: SACD
Mixed By: Robert Margouleff & Malcolm Cecil, Kent Duncan, Larry Keyes
Release Date: 6/5/24
Though they’re best known for a string of chart-topping albums released between 1973 and 1983, The Isley Brothers’ musical legacy spans an incredible seven decades. Throughout their storied career, the band sold millions of records and earned numerous accolades–including an induction to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
Engineered by Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff–the same team that famously worked on Stevie Wonder's legendary mid-70s run of classic albums–3+3 was also notably The Isley Brothers' first album to receive a four-channel quadraphonic mix. Between 1974 and 1977, four of their biggest titles were issued on quadraphonic LP: 3+3 (1973), Live It Up (1974), Harvest For The World (1976), and Go For Your Guns (1977).
Now, in 2024, all of The Isley Brothers’ quadraphonic releases are available to listeners in the highest-possible quality due to the efforts of mastering engineer Michael J. Dutton and Dutton Vocalion. The Isley Brothers titles are spread across a pair of two-disc sets currently available through the Dutton-Vocalion website and select online resellers. The first set, released in October 2023, couples 1975’s The Heat Is On with 1976’s Harvest For The World. The second set, released in June 2024, rounds up all three remaining albums–1973’s 3+3, 1974’s Live It Up, and 1977’s Go For Your Guns.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Guy Fletcher
Title: Anomaly (2022)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Guy Fletcher
Release Date: 6/21/24
British musician, audio engineer, and multi-instrumentalist Guy Fletcher has appeared both on stage and in the studio with world-renowned artists such as Tina Turner, Randy Newman, Mick Jagger, Roxy Music, and Mark Knopfler. In 1984, he joined Dire Straits as one of two keyboard players and performed on their hugely-successful final two studio albums Brothers In Arms (1985) and On Every Street (1991).
His latest solo album, Anomaly (2022), is an eclectic mix of uplifting, quirky and romantic songs supported by a bed of beautiful synthetic soundscapes and crafted rhythms. The album features contributions from several outside musicians including pianist Jim Cox, guitarist Jeremy Bird, backing vocalist Sarah Ozelle, and Guy’s son Max. A multicolored journey into Fletcher's past, present and future, Anomaly was mixed in both stereo and Dolby Atmos at British Grove Studios.
The opening track “Shagpile Bed” sets the stage for the immersive presentation, with the drum extending out from the front stage up into the side and height speakers. Strummed acoustic guitars percolate from overhead, while double-tracked vocals and synthesizers burst from behind.
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Artist: Yes
Title: Fragile (1971)
Format: Blu-Ray
Mixed By: Steven Wilson
Release Date: 6/28/24
Originally released in November 1971, less than a year after its predecessor The Yes Album, Yes’ fourth studio album Fragile proved another massive success for the band. Arguably best remembered for “Roundabout”–one of the group’s most popular and iconic songs–Fragile notably marked the debut of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced founding member Tony Kaye.
The first reverse swell in “Roundabout” travels from back-to-front just like before, but the second one moves from the rear surrounds up to the front overheads–as if to say ‘that was 5.1, but this is Atmos.’ The rhythm section of Bill Bruford on drums and Chris Squire on bass appears woven into all seven ear-level speakers–though most prominent across the front stage–while Steve Howe’s acoustic guitar stays solidly anchored to the side left channel. Jon Anderson’s lead vocal comes in largely from the center, with it’s double-tracked counterpart now positioned up in the front height speakers.
Additional background vocals from Squire and Howe later appear from the rear height speakers, along with Wakeman’s organ from the rear left channel. During the ‘above the drifting clouds’ section starting at around 3:30, shakers wildly rove around the height array and additional percussion moves between the rear surround channels. Howe’s short solo just before the seven-minute mark glides around the height array to fun effect, taking us into the final chorus and epic ending with different voices spread all throughout the room.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Madeleine Peyroux
Title: Let's Walk (2024)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Elliot Scheiner
Release Date: 6/28/24
Acclaimed jazz singer and songwriter Madeleine Peyroux has just released Let’s Walk–her ninth studio album and first in nearly six years. The 10-track collection may be her most diverse, intimate, and eclectic work to date, as she shares thoughtful views on both personal and societal concerns.
Let’s Walk incorporates elements from a wide variety of genres, including jazz, folk, gospel blues, Americana, chamber pop, and Latin rhythms. Developed partially during lockdown, all ten songs were co-written with longtime collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Jon Herington (Steely Dan, Lucy Kaplansky, etc). The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by multi-Grammy laureate Elliot Scheiner (The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, etc).
“Please Come On Inside” again makes full use of the immersive soundstage, with the talkbox in the rear speakers playing off Peyroux’s vocal upfront. Keyboards percolate from the rear left height speaker–along with tambourine largely in the rear right height–while Jon Herington’s guitar takes up residence in the front overheads. The talkbox later moves up to the front stage, ceding its position to the background vocals.
Read our full review here!
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Artist: Loma
Title: How Will I Live Without A Body? (2024)
Format: Streaming
Mixed By: Steven Wilson
Release Date: 6/28/24
In 2016, musicians Emily Cross, Dan Duszynski, and Jonathan Meiburg came together to form Loma. The trio met on tour, when Cross Record–Cross and Duszynski’s musical project–opened for Shearwater, the acclaimed indie rock band that Meiburg has fronted since 2001. Loma’s intriguing debut arrived two years later in February 2018, recorded at Duszynski’s home in Dripping Springs, Texas.
After an extended hiatus, Loma’s long-awaited third album arrived via Sub Pop Records in June 2024. Equal parts indie rock, ambient, new age, and singer/songwriter, How Will I Live Without A Body? is as haunting as it hopeful–maintaining an almost-hypnotic calm despite the ominous undercurrent in songs like “Arrhythmia” or “I Swallowed A Stone.”
The Dolby Atmos mix is simply astounding, offering a truly immersive listening experience befitting this otherworldly music. It may well be one of the most impressive spatial mixes that Steven Wilson has completed to date, which is no small feat in a catalog chock full of highlights. The creative integration of natural field recordings has become a trademark feature of Loma’s music, and it’s these passages–such as the crashing waves heard at the end of “Broken Doorbell”–that benefit most from the expanded soundstage.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Birdsong At Morning
Title: Annals of My Glass House (2008)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Alan Williams
Release Date: 7/19/24
Originally released in 2009, Annals of My Glass House compiles all four of Boston-based folk trio Birdsong At Morning’s debut EPs: Bound, Heavens, Vigil, and Lumens.
The 25-song collection features original compositions from leader Alan Williams alongside breathtaking acoustic reimaginings of classic songs like Blondie’s “Dreaming,” King Crimson’s “Matte Kudasai,” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Never Make Me Cry.” To celebrate 15 years since the original release of Annals, Williams has remixed all four EPs in high-resolution Dolby Atmos immersive audio.
The Dolby Atmos mixes are up to Williams’ usual high standard, with individual guitar, percussion, and vocal elements scattered all throughout the listening space. The drums sound massive, holographically positioned midway between the front-and-rear soundstages.
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Artist: ANOHNI and The Johnsons
Title: My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross (2023)
Format: Digital Download
Mixed By: Jimmy Hogarth
Release Date: 7/19/24
Formed in New York City in the late-1990s, experimental art-pop ensemble ANOHI and The Johnsons formed around the creative nucleus of British-American singer/songwriter Anohni Hegarty (stylized as ANOHNI). The group first turned heads with their acclaimed second studio release I Am a Bird Now, released through the independent label Secretly Canadian in February 2005. The album went on to chart in the UK top-20 and win the prestigious Mercury Music Prize later that year.
Produced by Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Sia, KT Tunstall, etc), the group’s fifth and latest studio album–My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross–hit shelves in July 2023. Whereas ANOHNI’s 2016 solo album HOPELESSNESS took on a more experimental electronic quality, this new release marks a welcome return to the singer’s R&B/Soul roots.
Jimmy Hogarth has done an excellent job on the immersive mix, making full use of the three-dimensional space to invite the listener inside the album. For the slow-burn opening track “It Must Change,” core instrumentation such as the rhythm section and lead guitar appears largely upfront while additional elements like the percussion and strings gradually creep in from behind. ANOHNI’s distinctive vocals are spread across all three front speakers, rather than residing solely in the center channel.
Read our full review here!
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