Best CD I've heard so far 2011.........

Hazmat Modine --- Cicada

I didn't see any mention of Vandaveer when I searched, so I want to recommend them.  Dig Down Deep is the 2011 release. The prior release, Divide & Conquer, is as good or better.

For style, I'd say think of the Once movie soundtrack (but with less screaming).  Sound quality is very good.

Somehow the May release of Urge Overkill's first album since '95 slipped past me. Rock & Roll Submarine is pretty fine, particularly on LP. UO is a missing link to the grunge scene that never got deserved recognition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9GymQ2QAkk

DG

WalterSalas - On these pages (Audiophile driven), an important critique of a record is its sound. Unfortunately, this is Paul Simon's worst sounding album (I think I have all of them). Who could intentially record this album so that it sounds like a wet, wollen blanket is draped over the speakers. I originally got the CD with this sound, so I bought the vinyl version hoping for an improvement and it sounds exactly the same. YUK! Unfortunately it sounds like the same audio guy recorded the new Norah Jones album as well. Double YUK!

I reckon I'm not much of an audiophile, since the quality of the music is far more important to me than the quality of the sound. You can have Patricia Barber, and I'll take Billie Holiday. You can have Keb Mo, and I'll take Howlin' Wolf. For me, this hobby is just a means to an end--it's just the wave, not the water.

Plus, I think the new Simon record sounds pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. Horses for courses, as they say...