Ascend Acoustics Official Music Recommendation Thread

[Eddie]

I highly suggest everyone have a look at http://www.yourmusic.com/.

If they have the disc you want, it is $6.99...and that includes shipping. The only caveat is that you have to fill up a "queue" so that they can automatically send you one disc a month and charge you for it....other than that, you can buy as many as you want.

yikes, that site used to be $5.99 shipped! Also didn't remember anything about a queue or getting charged for one CD per month. Maybe they were losing money.

I think they are a branch of the BMG Music Service, which I use. Can usually get deals for CDs at around $6-7 shipped each, plus the introductory package is very sweet. I think BMG has more titles, but still nothing like Amazon. Weak on more recent alternative music. Can't get Jack Johnson for example. And each month you get an email with a "Featured Selection of the Month" at some ridiculous $19 price plus shipping, which you have to click to refuse within a week or two or they send it to you automatically.

The problem with clubs like this is that half the time I find myself buying CDs that I don't REALLY REALLY want but am just sort of curious about and get snookered into buying due to availability at low prices.

[curtis]

Yes...they are a branch of BMG. It seems they have everything BMG has....and I like the system better, so I cancelled my BMG membership.

[Brian]

I've been listening to a lot a music on my 340SEs since I purchased them around a year and a half ago and if I had to recommend one album, I think it would be Yoko Kanno's Wolf's Rain OST. Track 3, Coração Selvagem in particular is pretty amazing on these speakers.

[GirgleMirt]

Interesting, even though you've suggested an OST, I've never really given any thought to what many of these great composers might have done away from soundtracks. I've always been impressed at the quality music of many of these japanese anime/movies, and it basically doesn't suffer from the music destroying engineering most commercial albums suffer from. But there's quite a bit non-OST stuff they've done... Hmmm! I'll probably check it out a few of these, as well as a few other albums from others similar sources!

As for my recommendations, I always go back to the old classics. The Division Bell always impresses (Gilmour's rendition of a few pieces in his acoustical DVD are beautiful), as well as older classical Pink Floyd albums. Roger Water's Amused to Death is also a must have and at 10$ from amazon is really a no brainer for a great musical journey.

[Sam1000]

"Before these crowded streets"
"Crash"

I have a hard time deciding which one I like the most from these 2. Sierra's really bring out the finer details out of these recordings. There's a really nice passage at the end of the song "Crush" on the first CD which often gets edited out when the song plays on the radio. If you ever want to buy just one DMB cd, buy these two :-)

[sensibull]

If you're been enjoying Damien Rice and Ray LaMontagne, I'd say definitely give Iron & Wine a listen, particularly the last two albums The Shepherd's Dog and Our Endless Numbered Days. Somehow both earthy and poetic, folky yet edgy. Kind of like an Southern Gothic Nick Drake.

And if you like Allison Kraus, maybe check out Gillian Welch. Less bluegrass, more folk/Americana but equally stunning singing chops with a little more edge.

[Phernamar]

The following CDs sound amazing on my new Sierras...

Rosa Pasos - "Rosa" is the name of this CD released on Telarc Records in 2006. I found the recommendation in the New Yorker Magazine. Rosa Pasos is a Brazilian jazz singer and guitarist who performs her own music along with some covers. This CD shows off how quiet and subtle the Sierras are. These speakers can really whisper if they need to and they truly do justice to this gorgeous recording.

Anonymous 4 - "The Lily and The Lamb" is a recording of medieval chant and polyphony by a fantastic quartet of women. I am always amazed at how beautiful this recording sounds even when listening from the back of the house. It was released in 1994 on Harmonia Mundi.

Norah Jones - "Feels Like Home". For me, this is the standard to measure up to when it comes to recorded upright bass in pop music. I'm not a huge fan of every single song on this CD and I think the vocals are a bit too forward, but... I listen to it over and over again because it sounds so dang beautiful in my Sierras.

Brahms - "Ein Deutsches Requiem" - Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Chorus (Telarc 1984). I am listening to this CD as I write. I probably own 6 recordings of this piece and this is still my favorite, mostly because of the stunning choral direction by Shaw.

[BradJudy]

So much music, it's hard to come up with just a few. How about some international fun:

Lilit Pipoyan - Lialousin - Armenian folk singer that a fellow audio geek turned me on to. I also have her Blue Flower CD which has some good tracks, but overall I like Lialousin better. Samples and CD available here: http://www.armenianmegastore.com/AMS/cds/cd_lilitp.html

Cheb Mami - Meli Meli - Algerian/French Rai singer - great singer and a very accessible Rai album (IMO) You might recognize the voice from Sting's Desert Rose song. Can be had for cheap in the Amazon used section - http://www.amazon.com/Meli-Cheb-Mami...ref=m_art_li_3

12 Girls Band - Eastern Energy - Chinese instrumental classical meets modern, a bit like Bond. This album received some US interest because of their cover of Coldplay's Clocks. More accessible than straight traditional Chinese music, but perhaps less than one of the Tan Dun/Yo-Yo Ma ventures.

Orlando Cachaito Lopez - Cachaito - solo album from the bass player featured on Buena Vista Social Club. One of the tracks has been a standard on me demo CD for a while now. Not traditional Cuban music though, there are many other options for that direction.

[curtis]

Thanks Brad. Some of the names look familiar...probably from the some of the tracks you introduced to me before. I am definitely going to check them out.

[clarke68]

Rosa Pasos - "Rosa" is the name of this CD released on Telarc Records in 2006. I found the recommendation in the New Yorker Magazine. Rosa Pasos is a Brazilian jazz singer and guitarist who performs her own music along with some covers. This CD shows off how quiet and subtle the Sierras are. These speakers can really whisper if they need to and they truly do justice to this gorgeous recording.

Thanks for that, I haven't heard that one. I have the album she did with Ron Carter on the Chesky label...amazing sound and very good performances, especially the duets with Carter.

Orlando Cachaito Lopez - Cachaito - solo album from the bass player featured on Buena Vista Social Club. One of the tracks has been a standard on me demo CD for a while now. Not traditional Cuban music though, there are many other options for that direction.

Ooooo...which track do you use? I used to use "Tumbanga" to test subwoofers. The whole album is a bit "bass hot" anyway, but his solo on that tune used to make this Klipsch subwoofer I had spit mad port noise. Great album, tho. That one and Mambo Sinuendo were my favorites that came out of that whole "Buena Vista Social Club" thing.

Here's a couple others that sound particularly good on the Sierra, I'll do more as I think of them:

Alex Riel - DSB Kino
Traditional "swing era" jazz with incredible sound quality. The bass/trumpet duet intro to "Ain't Miss Behavin' [sic]" will blow your mind.

Nik Bartsch's Ronin - Stoa
Probably unlike anything you've ever heard, this sounds sorta like Steve Reich put together a jazz band to play funk. Intelligent mood music that's actually fun to listen to.