Favorite songs.

[Han Solo]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAsTlnjvetI&ob=av2n"]Young the Giant - "Cough Syrup" (Official Video) - YouTube[/ame]

[Sharkbait]

Uh-oh, the secret is out.

[-Deborah-]

Those of you who follow the Tech thread will know that I'm a uh ... jeeze I hate to even say the word ... kinda of a um .... audiophile. Actually, so far I've avoided getting dragged deep into the insanity of the audiophile world but I will admit to being in a low orbit.

Anyways, one of the cool things about having an outstanding sound system is that you begin to notice and dig a different dimension of the music: the quality of the recording. Now, there are a lot of great songs that are crappily recorded and there are a lot of crap songs that are greatly recorded. And sometimes everything comes together into one great song that is greatly recorded.

I'm going to start posting a bunch of songs that ... while maybe not my favorite ... are still verty good songs and are extremely well recorded. Often times I'll use these tunes as "demos" for folks wanting to hear what a nice sound system can do. I don't know how well this will work given that alot of the magic of these songs will be lost in tinny computer speakers or crappy ear buds, but its the kinda stuff I listen to now and sharing that is what this thread is about (kinda).

I'll start with a good crowd pleaser: Cake's "Never There". If you've never heard this on a system with real bass response then you are missing out. The kick drum on this is absolutely huge and hits you right in the chest. But there's magic everywhere in the frequency range. The recording is uber dry (meaning very little processing). This keeps the tone and phasing of the instruments intact which makes them sound more real on playback. The horn solo will expose any flaws in a system's high end.

BTW, the whole CD sounds awesome so buy it and listen to it in its full uncompressed glory.

Cake- Never There - YouTube

So here's one which is more of a "typical" audiophile type tune but I can't help it cause holy man this sounds awesome.

One thing I love is the tone of the guitar cause that is exactly what that kind of guitar really sounds like in a room without a bunch of tone shaping garbage.

Squirrel Nut Zippers "Put A Lid On It" - YouTube

Think your system has good bass? Crank this one. If it doesn't shake the house, your bass response is lacking.

Also, Herbie uses a phasing trick to produce surround sound like effects from stereo speakers.

Herbie Hancock - Dis is da drum & Shooz - YouTube

You're welcome bimmer. Just a couple more tonight.

Please don't panic. This is Nickel CREEK. Not Nickelback. Very, very different.

Simply put, I don't know if its possible to record acoustic string instruments any cleaner than this. In my system, the opening guitar is playing in my room ... I can hear every nuance of the pick against the string. And the guitar has a beautiful bloom on the notes - sounds just like a vintage Martin.

Although this group of songs is not about the lyrics, pay attention to these. They are quite clever in my opinion. Nicely ironic, and cynical ... just like a good break up song should be.

Somebody More Like You Nickel Creek - YouTube

Really good stuff, Tom. I am no audiophile and my musical tastes are pretty simple, but I really enjoyed reading your take and then listening for the nuances you described.

[Sharkbait]

If you like energetic soulful blues you got to like this guy.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGvejTmWNac&feature=related"]Seasick Steve - It's All Good - YouTube[/ame]

[Han Solo]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGDQOECShw8&ob=av2e"]Portugal. The Man - People Say (Official Music Video) - YouTube[/ame]

[Han Solo]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2BUEzdjfpY"]'WHIRRING' THE JOY FORMIDABLE [OFFICIAL VIDEO] - YouTube[/ame]

[Han Solo]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQvon2vM3RA&feature=related"]YouTube The White Stripes I Just Don t Know What to Do With Myself HD - YouTube[/ame]

[Han Solo]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpIuj3mw6BI&feature=related"]the cardigans - erase and rewind - YouTube[/ame]

[kayrone]

one of these days I am going to have to go back through this thread and listen to all of the videos you've posted HS - so many from bands I've never heard of, but I know we have some common ground in terms of musical taste so I bet I will like some of them. I love getting turned on to new music, but I rarely look at this thread when I'm in a position to actually listen!

[froot loops]

I like that group Portugal The Man. Saw them on the CoolTV

[Han Solo]

one of these days I am going to have to go back through this thread and listen to all of the videos you've posted HS - so many from bands I've never heard of, but I know we have some common ground in terms of musical taste so I bet I will like some of them. I love getting turned on to new music, but I rarely look at this thread when I'm in a position to actually listen!

When I get some time - I'll send you a track list of some good stuff and save you some time. :-)

[kayrone]

sweet!

[Han Solo]

I like that group Portugal The Man. Saw them on the CoolTV

I like em too. Surprised more people don't know about them. I've been complaining about music forever because I love the old stuff - but lately I've really been into some of the new music that's out there. I think it's quietly been a good last couple of years for original and good music. I live in Western Michigan and we have a really good alternative rock station that plays stuff I don't hear anywhere else.

[Han Solo]

This is one of my favorite bands -

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXkm6h6uq0k"]The Strokes - Hard To Explain - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U_jGVEKr9s&ob=av2e"]The Strokes - Taken For A Fool - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knU9gRUWCno&ob=av2n"]The Strokes - Someday - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPAVDHo1Elc&feature=relmfu"]The Strokes - 12:51 - YouTube[/ame]

[kayrone]

what station is that, Han? All of my family is in western MI so I'm up there once a month or so, and I can't ever find anything decent to listen to while I'm tooling around in the car.