If you're an audiophile, you're at least halfway intrigued by the launch of PonoMusic's online sales catalogue. Maybe you've even placed a preorder for a Pono player device, due for delivery during February. We admit, we can't wait to check out our favorite albums at full audio capacity.
Unfortunately, that could be a while. We took to the online album list to see what we could get for the new device. Many of the biggest albums released in recent years are ready to go...but don't get overexcited: Few are actually available for the 176.4 or 192 kHz audio quality level that Pono is capable of. For example, Arcade Fire's Reflektor is only available on the site for 44.1 kHz, basically the same audio quality as your standard compact disc (and the band's other albums aren't available yet).
Understandably, this is going to take some work and time, and we realize that more albums will be added to the hi-res category as time passes. With that in mind, we found five albums available at CD-level quality on PonoMusic in hopes that the engineers over there will give them advanced attention.
Yeezus by Kanye West
We mean, duh? There's plenty of debate whether My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or Yeezus is the greatest release from Kanye West. We prefer the former for its subject matter but we'd have to opt for the latter when it comes to the music itself. We haven't sampled Pono yet but when we do, we want to get the full experience when we check out the best work from the most ambitious performer in the game. From the opening electro salvos of "On Sight" to the thump of "I Am A God," Yeezus deserves the hi-res experience from open-to-close. Considering West's perfectionist streak, we imagine he'd be the first to jump onboard with upgrading his digital tracks.
Ragged Glory by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Neil Young has obviously gotten more than a few of his albums ready for PonoMusic, including the iconic After The Gold Rush and Harvest, both of which are available at Pono's full quality capacity. So how about some less appreciated yet equally excellent entries from the founder's catalogue? We, huge grunge worshippers, are stoked that Soundgarden's Superunknown and Pearl Jam's Ten have gotten reworked for Pono. So let's do it for the grungiest statement from the godfather of grunge, Ragged Glory. We want to hear all the depth of the barn in which Young and co. recorded "F*!#In' Up" and "Love and Only Love."
Raw Materials by Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa
If PonoMusic's site is to be believed, the bestselling album so far has been Miles Davis' classic Kind Of Blue. And if PonoMusic's goal is to be believed, the idea of bringing 180-gram vinyl audio quality to the digital world was the goal all along. Therefore jazz music should be a huge focus point, and not just the classics. Kind Of Blue, believe it or not, isn't that tough to find on original vinyl in your local record store or on eBay...and not usually too expensive. Unfortunately, even with the recent uptick in vinyl sales, modern jazz hasn't found a niche among current buyers of new 12" records. We chose this excellent collaboration album between the always stellar Vijay Iyer and saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa as just one example of a record we'd like to see get the 192 kHz treatment.
The Blackening by Machine Head
Most wouldn't know it but good metal music is more than just a cacophony (admittedly, much of bad metal music is just a cacophony). A number of bands write songs and albums far more advanced conceptually and instrumentally than many realize however and a better audio format might help the rest of the world figure it out. Our first nominee would be Machine Head-which has written guitar harmonics and melodies better than many realized metal was capable of without sacrificing any of the smash-across its albums The Blackening and Unto The Locust. Give this thrash some room to breathe.
Mezzanine by Massive Attack
The other four albums we recommended above tend to feature fairly dense soundscapes, a factor that gets a boost from higher quality audio formats. British downtempo electronic performers Massive Attack might not make music too dense during Mezzanine but there's so much depth to minimal bass and other instrumentals provided by Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall (imagine the credit sequence from House...that song is taken directly from this record) that it deserves the upgrade.
