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

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...

'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 are exactly what an audiophile is supoosed to be. Don't let them intimidate you.

On heavy rotation at the moment is Dave Alvin's Eleven Eleven and John Doe's Keeper. Both are nice blasts of guitar-driven Americana. I really have loved the last five releases by Dave Alvin. Caught he and his brother Phil in 1980 when they were the Blasters. Dave's solo work kind of grows on me each and passing year. Always has an intimate soundstage, nice nuances of guitar playing (blues to country) and robust vocals.

Another from the fringes:

Shackleton & Pinch (ST)

UK bass super-union. Sam Shackleton, whose Skull Disco label, may it rest in peace, is to me the most interesting segment of that whole scene (always in heavy rotation here) while Rob Ellis aka Pinch has a near equally impressive resume as founder of Tectonic and his own list of Pinch releases.

This record is full of murky deep mountains of bass, tribal rhythms and sparse dubby grooves. To me, Shackleton sets himself apart from all the other UK bass artists with his use of percussion. Plenty of shakers, bells, cymbal crashes and hand drums weave in and out with eerie precision. As you can tell, I love this record. Shackleton has become a favorite of mine in general so I was pleasantly surprised that this album appeared a month before it's scheduled release.

Highly recommended.