#5 January / February 2022 High Rotation Playlist
These are the tunes that have been on high rotation inside and outside the ENCODER Sound Mastering Studio over the last few weeks. Available in playlist form at your preferred streaming service, follow the links: Spotify | Apple Music [If you really love an artist’s music, scoot over to Bandcamp to send them a few dollars more directly]
beabadoobee — Sorry, Fake It Flowers (2020) — The melody in this tune really gets me and the song unfolds nicely irrupting into a huge drum and guitar section toward the end. The strings are really nice too, embellishing the melody.
Quadrant Six — Body Mechanic, Body Mechanic (1982) — I love the separation of all the elements in the mix. The soundstage is wide, but everything is right there in your face. It’s pretty hard to not move to this track.
Belong — October Language, October Language (2006) — Loving the artificial space in this one and some nice upper-mid ear candy, just flickering in and out occasionally. A really dense sound-field is presented — you can challenge yourself to peel apart the layers with your ears, or just settle back and let it wash over you.
Phoebe Bridgers — I Know the End, Punisher (2020) — Bridgers’ voice is certainly the highlight, and it’s beautifully placed, right up front for the whole tune. The subtle crumbling synthesised backdrop is really evocative and juxtaposes the clean vocal. Fun snare reverb and crackling guitars are a feature of the ending.
Boyd Jarvis — The Musics Got Me (Vocal Mix), Vintage Boyd Vol. 1 (2014) — Really wide synth bass fills the space well and the snare to kick balance is really nice. The beat is really prominent, of course, but the percussion instruments just sit a little back in the depth of field, it adds a lot to the sense of space.
Porcupine Tree — Hatesong, Lightbulb Sun (2000) — The drums really sound great on this recording and I enjoy the considered arrangement, layers coming and going, never a dull moment. The middle section is pretty cool, with the sparse riff and the soloistic elements so patiently placed.
Indigo De Souza — Kill Me, Any Shape You Take (2021) — Awesome balance of high fidelity and modern garage vibe on this track. Vocals and harmonies sit well thourghout and we get that authentic “band playing together” kind of feeling.
Sonic Youth — Dirty Boots, Goo (1990) — One of my all-time fave tunes. There’s some wild syncopated kick drum and it’s Sonic Youth, so of course great energy in the performance.
New Order — Blue Monday, Total (1983) — The “knock” of the percussion is really intense with this tune. As with Body Mechanic and The Musics Got Me, the crisply orchestrated approach makes this pop way more than having a ton of extra reverbs, or background elements.
Suneater — Ashen, Absence (2021) — Heavy track from West Australian locals. The thickness and smoothness of the guitars almost contrasts their power, but the riffs are huge and the drumming is super solid.
Fennesz — Agora, Agora (2019) — A really deep listener, I enjoyed picking out some high frequency information and trying to hear further back into the reverb soaked space.