Garden

I only like this effort but had to give it a try after reading the reviews I knew it was'nt the same playersfrom there first two wonderful cd's but had to try to me 4 of the joints on this one feel like zero 7.

A very good recording with an excellent sound stage and atmosphere. The sound across the board is transparent and the detail shine through.The detail aids in giving the recording a very real sense of space. The punchy bass and distinctive mid and high frequencies make this enjoyable listening.I have not set out to write reviews of the music content as “beauty is in the ears of the listener”. These reviews are about the quality (or not) of the recorded sound. To read about how the reviews are done please see my profile. • Clarity – very good • Channel separation – very good • Channel balance – very good, very conventional left and right • Sound Stage – very good, excellent depth and width. Transparent and detailed. Good instrument placement • Distortion – non audible • Compression – excellent highs and lows. Very good dynamic range. Good detail across the frequency range • Atmosphere – very good, quite intimate especially the vocals and guitars • Bass – low frequencies – drums are excellent, tight and detailed, crisp across the frequency range. Bass guitar is clear and restrained. Snare drum is very good • Treble – high frequencies – guitars are very clear and distinct having a very real “timbre”. Synths are very clear and punchy. • Vocals – excellent warm and well definedAs a general rule of thumb recordings from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s are nearly always better on the original vinyl. Remasters often fail to please as it’s just not possible to make a silk purse from a sows ear, i.e. the original recording lacks the necessary detail to be processed digitally and show an audible improvement. Indeed such processing can make the sound worse.Modern recordings which have been processed digitally from start to finish can be as good as vinyl. CD’s are often unfairly criticised for being poor quality. This is not the case, it is the original recording or the process which is to blame. Modern “remasters” can both enhance and degrade a recording. The statement GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) is the limiting factor. Ignore this at your cost.

It's so subjective. This album is unlike the previous two, but who wants to keep doing the same old thing? There are some stand out tracks e.g. Your Place, which in my opinion should have been the opener as the smooth jazz feel could have linked it the the previous albums. The horn section tracks Today, Throw It All Away and Waiting To Die are worth listening to, as are the Sia Furler vocal tracks, but the remainder suffer mostly due to weak vocals. The absence of Sophie Barker and Mozez and the flute of Dan Lipman has left a big hole in the sound of the band.

No disrespect to the people who have given some bad reviews of this album, but comparing it to the others albums and giving it a poor review because it isn't as accessible and as "nice 'n fluffy" is ridiculous in my opinion.This is an excellent album by Zero 7 and I'll tell you why. Firstly they have gone in a different direction musically in places and it works, which I think they deserve credit for. Many of the sounds on some of the songs you might call "experimental" or a little "out there", but they just work. Secondly the songs are just more interesting than many on the previous albums. I found songs from Simple Things sometimes just too samey and safe, yet the ones here have little nuances and touches here and there plus interesting lyrics that make you come back to them again and again.In short a compelling album.

The opening track is the one used in British TV advertising for the album (and if I remember rightly, it became a single) so it has a "head start", I immediately liked it and the track which followed. The rest of the album is very relaxed but the smorgasboard approach means that overall I enjoy the previous album a lot more. Perhaps if I'd bought it when it was brand new I would like it more but respect to Zero 7 for getting to their third album and nearly 10 years, on a dance level they're getting close to M-People's Longevity.

I was a wee bit disappointed by this album. I do like a couple of tracks. Generally they have made superb music.