Sigur Ros 'takk' - I kinda get it now, I think...

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Takk is most known for the track that fetured in the BBC's stunning series 'Earth' .. That's the reason I bought the album anyway...
When I got it home I was a little disapointed, not in the music - which is epic and moving to say the least, but in the sound quality. I had the cd version, I was never put off listening to it, was just always a bit disatisfied with the level of compression, both dynamic and in terms of it sounding like it had been compressed to mp3 - grainy and tinny etc. Since being a memeber of this forum I have learnt of the 'loudness wars' and more about compresion etc, people, including me are often banging on about most modern music sounding shite and lacking in dynamics and well just sounding too loud. Well I have just bought the 200g vinyl version of 'takk' and it does sound better than the cd version - less gravely and noisy. But it still sounds in many parts very dynamically compressed.
In the title of the thread I say 'I kinda get it now' .. What I mean by that is that now it's not had the extra aparent problem of being put on cd, it seems a lot clearer to me that in fact that this dynamic compression is not the result of anything but artistic licence, perhaps I'm giving the band the benefit of the doubt, but I think they wanted it to sound this way? It goes well with the distortion that has been applied to various intruments and samples (that also sound much better on this vinyl version. Also It does after all give it a slightly disquieting and slightly anxious feel to it which is quiet apt concidering it comes from Iceland, a stunning beautiful place that what with it's tendancys to spurt lava could also be concidering disquieting and anxious.
Maybe I'm thinking about it too much, I'm not sure, either way I'm happy I bought this 'audiophile' vinyl version as I am now feel i get the album a lot more, even if my interpretation isnt the intended, it suits me just fine!

[Stratmangler]

It sounds like compression is a common thing on sigur rós albums - I have "með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust", and there's a lot of compression going on, as well as mixed in distortions.
What you're hearing is what the artist intended.

There's a dark, brooding nature to the little of this artist's work I've heard.

[Spectral Morn]

It sounds like compression is a common thing on sigur rós albums - I have "með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust", and there's a lot of compression going on, as well as mixed in distortions.
What you're hearing is what the artist intended.

There's a dark, brooding nature to the little of this artist's work I've heard.

I would agree with that.

I have tried hard with Sigor Ros but its only Takk and their last album that I can listen to. The music is way too avante garde for me for the most part.


Regards D S D L

[John]

Its a shame this happens to good music...... one of the frustrations of having a good system......next step Hamish boring audiophile music if you not careful

[The Vinyl Adventure]

dont get me wrong john, i like it for the fact its like that... id prefer there is justification for loudness than just loudness ofr loudness sake... if i llike it il listen to it.. id prefer all music to sound clear and open and dynamic, but if it was made to sound that way then il respect the wishes of the artist above all else

[The Vinyl Adventure]

as for boring audiophile music... most of the bowers & wilkins stuff comes in that category for me... it sounds excelent but its dull as anything... id rather listen to badly produced music i do like than that any day of the week

[John]

as for boring audiophile music... most of the bowers & wilkins stuff comes in that category for me... it sounds excelent but its dull as anything... id rather listen to badly produced music i do like than that any day of the week

Agree

[Alex_UK]

I think if there is anyone here who doesn't agree they are probably on the wrong forum!

[Stratmangler]

Well I am sat on the fence on this one Hamish.

I've had a free membership of the Society of Sound and as a result have downloaded a number of EP's, some of which don't float my boat, and some which most definitely do.

All are superbly recorded.

Of the one's that do float my boat there's Daby Touré & Skip McDonald's EP, and there's a superb EP of solo piano by the fantastic Benjamin Grosvenor.

Peter Gabriel's latest album is also there as a 24/96 flac download.

Your point about "Audiophile Recordings" is a very valid one - there are plenty of snooze inducing examples of this ilk, but equally it is unfair to tar all of the recordings available at the Society of Sound website with this brush.

[rupes]

I would agree with that.

I have tried hard with Sigor Ros but its only Takk and their last album that I can listen to. The music is way too avante garde for me for the most part.


Regards D S D L

If you haven't quite given up yet, Jonsi, the lead singer of Sigur Ros, has a new solo album out called Go. Even more accessible than Takk which, I agree, is one of their more accessible pieces of work. It's quite upbeat\uplifting. Think you might like it.

Available as a digital download too - in mp3, apple lossless and flac.