As the end of 2024 approaches, it’s time to look back on fan-favorite releases from last year in surround sound and immersive audio. IAA offered our first Listener’s Choice Awards in 2020 and followed it up with even more successful campaigns in 2021, 2022, and 2023. It that spirit, we’re thrilled to announce its return for music released in 2024!
To acknowledge the difference and impact of different formats in which artists now release their music, we are hosting 2 distinct categories: one for the best immersive audio album you streamed in 2023-24, and one for the best immersive audio album you downloaded or purchased on physical disc.
With voting having concluded this past Friday (December 6), the nominees in each category are as follows.
Streaming:
Artist: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Title: Mojo (Extra Mojo Version) (2010)
Format: Streaming
Immersive Mix By: Ryan Ulyate
Release Date: 10/20/23
Mojo was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ twelfth studio album, originally released in June 2010. The band's first airing of new material in nearly a decade was intended as a sort of ‘back to basics’ experiment: an informal blues-based jam session with everyone playing together in the same space and very few overdubs. The album ultimately debuted at #2 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and yielded a top-40 single in “I Should Have Known It,” proving that Petty had indeed ‘rediscovered his mojo’ after such a long hiatus from the Heartbreakers.
Ryan Ulyate's Dolby Atmos rendition of the album is very much a ‘listener-in-the-center-of-the-band” experience, with individual guitar and keyboard parts dotted all around the room to stunning effect. “Jefferson Jericho Blues” comes charging right out of the gate with Steve Ferrone’s drum kit wrapping all around the room and Petty’s vocal upfront, while Benmont Tench’s piano pops up from behind and Scott Thurston’s harmonica comes screaming from the top speakers.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Paul McCartney & Wings
Title: Band on the Run (1973)
Format: Streaming
Immersive Mix By: Giles Martin & Steve Orchard
Release Date: 2/11/24
Originally released in November 1973, Band on the Run was Paul McCartney & Wings’ third studio album and McCartney’s fifth overall release since The Beatles disbanded in 1970. The album quickly spawned two hit singles in the title track and “Jet,” ultimately becoming McCartney’s most successful release of the post-Beatles era. Today, many consider the album to be the definitive musical statement of his solo career.
To celebrate Band on the Run’s 50th anniversary, longtime McCartney collaborators Giles Martin and Steve Orchard have created a brand-new Dolby Atmos remix of the album for streaming platforms. Paul McCartney’s acoustic guitar and vocals stay upfront during the second half of the title song (starting at “when the rain exploded with a mighty crash…”), with the side and rear channels engaged primarily for vocal delays and harmonies. The lead guitar fills towards the end appear mostly in the front right speaker, though their delays travel up to the height speakers on the left-hand side of the room.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Billy Joel
Title: Turnstiles (1976)
Format: Streaming
Immersive Mix 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. 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: Jimi Hendrix
Title: First Rays of the New Rising Sun (1997)
Format: Streaming
Immersive Mix By: Eddie Kramer & Chandler Harrod
Release Date: 5/10/24
In 1997, the Hendrix Estate and MCA Records released First Rays of The New Rising Sun–a freshly-sequenced compilation of 17 songs intended for Jimi Hendrix’s fourth studio album, all recorded between 1968 and 1970. Back in 2022, it was announced that Eddie Kramer had remixed First Rays in 5.1 surround sound for a forthcoming box set entitled Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision. The box set ended up being delayed until October 2024, but a Dolby Atmos mix of the compilation–credited to Kramer and Chandler Harrod–became available to stream on May 10.
“Night Bird Flying” spreads Hendrix’s multi-tracked guitars all throughout the room to spine-tingling effect, with Mitchell’s drum kit upfront nicely counterbalanced by percussion in the rear. Jimi’s vocals appear omnipresent in the middle of the room, while his searing guitar leads wildly swirl all around the listener.
Artist: Roxy Music
Title: Avalon (1982)
Format: Streaming
Immersive Mix By: Bob Clearmountain and Rhett Davies
Release Date: 8/16/24
Bob Clearmountain and Rhett Davies' brand-new Dolby Atmos remix of Roxy Music's 1982 swan song expands upon the strong foundation of their acclaimed 2003 5.1 surround mix. Using new high-resolution digital transfers of the original multitrack tapes, they've created an immersive mix that bathes listeners inside the album's ethereal soundscapes.
The duo made creative use of the expanded speaker array, spreading elements like Andy Mackay's saxophone and Phil Manzanera's guitar out into the side and rear surround channels while focusing the rhythm section and Bryan Ferry's lead vocals more deliberately in the center speaker. The instrumental "India," previously limited by technical constraints in 5.1, now shines as a full multitrack remix with synthesizers rotating gracefully through the height array.
Read our full review here!
Physical Disc/Digital Download:
Artist: Steven Wilson
Title: The Harmony Codex (2023)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Steven Wilson
Release Date: 9/29/23
Perhaps more so than any prior effort, The Harmony Codex makes for a perfect encapsulation of Steven Wilson as a solo artist. All the different facets of his songwriting are present here: everything from the jazz-fusion stylings of 2013’s The Raven That Refused To Sing (“Impossible Tightrope”) to Tangerine Dream-esque ambient soundscapes (“The Harmony Codex”) and the electronic ‘coldness’ of songs like “King Ghost” or “Man Of The People” from 2021’s The Future Bites (“Economies Of Scale”) pops up in some form, yet somehow it all sounds fresh and not reminiscent of past offerings.
The Dolby Atmos mix of The Harmony Codex is such a powerful, expansive listening experience that we can only surmise it was composed and produced with spatial audio in mind. The immersive mixes are so amazing that we haven’t even bothered to listen to the dedicated stereo version, though it’ll be interesting to see how he was able to cram all this information into a traditional two-channel stereo soundstage.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Frank Zappa & The Mothers
Title: Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Karma Auger & Erich Gobel
Release Date: 11/27/23
Nearly one year after the acclaimed Waka/Wazoo reissue hit shelves, The Zappa Family Trust and Universal Music Group joined forces once more to bring fans a similarly-packed 50th anniversary release of 1973’s Over-Nite Sensation. The album is notable for the uncredited appearance of Tina Turner & The Ikettes on backing vocals during several songs, including fan-favorite “Montana.” It was also Frank Zappa's first release to receive a gold certification from the RIAA.
The new Dolby Atmos mix is truly an assault on the senses, with all 11 speakers in a 7.1.4 system getting their due. Frank Zappa’s lead vocal in songs like “Camarillo Brillo” and “Montana” remains to some degree 'omnipresent' (appearing simultaneously in the center channel, front heights, and rears at near-equal level), yet other elements such as keyboards, horns, backing vocals, percussion, and even guitar solos appear completely behind or above the listener.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Peter Gabriel
Title: i/o (2023)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Hans-Martin Buff
Release Date: 12/1/23
i/o, Peter Gabriel’s long-awaited tenth studio album, is a project nearly three decades in the making. Once the recording sessions concluded in Summer 2022, acclaimed mixing engineers Mark 'Spike' Stent (Madonna, Green Day, Foo Fighters) and Tchad Blake (Sheryl Crow, The Black Keys, Suzanne Vega) were each asked to submit a mix. The pros and cons of each rendition continue to be debated within the audiophile community, but both stereo interpretations pale in comparison to the third version: Hans-Martin Buff’s ‘In-Side Mix’ in Dolby Atmos.
The Atmos mix is just as intricate as the music itself, with each song approached in a unique way that brings out the best in the composition. The denser tracks like “The Court” and “Road To Joy” offer the active full-on immersive experience with instruments all around that listeners might expect, while the simpler piano-and-vocal songs like “Playing For Time” and “So Much” fill out the room in a more subtle fashion.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Yes
Title: Fragile (1971)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix 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. Though Steven Wilson previously remixed the album in stereo and 5.1 surround sound in 2015, he's gone back and created a brand-new Dolby Atmos rendition for the 2024 deluxe reissue.
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.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Ray Charles
Title: Genius Loves Company (2004)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Eric Schilling, Michael Romanowski, and Herbert Waltl
Release Date: 8/30/24
Genius Loves Company was soul music pioneer Ray Charles’ final studio album, released posthumously a mere three months after his passing in June 2004. The album proved a massive success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and selling over 200,000 copies in its first week. It went on to sweep the 2005 Grammy Awards, with eight wins including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Record of the Year.
The Dolby Atmos mix fully-envelops the listener, often positioning key elements like rhythm guitars, keyboards, organ, background vocals, and orchestration forcefully in the side, rear, and height speakers. The treatment of the vocals is similar to the prior 5.1 release, with Ray Charles’ voice panned halfway to the left (in both the front left and center channels) and his duet partner anchored 50% right-of-center. The center speaker also features bass guitar, as well as other lead instruments like saxophone and electric guitar.
Read our full review here!
The final voting period to determine winners in both categories will begin in early 2025. Stay tuned for more information!
