quite amazing actually
592581
I bought Chamberlains over the protests of the store where I bought my fine leather furniture.  I had heard about Chamberlains number 5 and had previously used the product recommended by the store.  I was amazed at the difference between the two products.  Chamberlains goes on easier, shines better, and I think will last longer.  Plus no smelly residue from Chamberlains.  It was all I had hoped for and actually  little more.  Buy and use with confidence.
1543250
I cannot believe this thing plays so perfectly. I did not expect a real musical instrument when I bought this, and joked about it just being a piece of jewelry.

Every note is clear and clean, and in tune relative to the instrument.

I have two other tiny ocarinas similar in size to this one. Those are unplayable. On other ocarinas this size the finger charts don't matter because every note is wrong anyway, if you can even get a sound out of them. But this thing actually works, and it works amazingly.

Expected a toy noisemaker and got a real, tuned ocarina. Amazing.
52496
I've not heard anything quite like this.  Electronics are heavily mixed in with the varied instrumentation.  Some sort of psychedelic electronic aural orgasm.  The whole thing is overall wonderfully bizarre and unique.  It's a shame nobody knows about Whales & Cops, this is way too unique--and good--to fall by the musical wayside.  I'm desperately hoping we see more of their output.
462258
Truly a special album.  I am a bit skeptical of some of the newer indie rock--not a huge fan of Grizzly Bear, et al.  I was won over by Other Music's "free download" off this record.  Since then, I bought the CD and I have listened to little else.  Standout tracks are "Lewis Takes Action" and "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt."  A couple of clips of him playing these two tracks live (available on You Tube) demonstrate that this guy is amazing.  If I had to pick an analogue, it's a bit similar to (his sometimes collaborators) Arcade Fire.  Simply incredible, beautiful, lush, accomplished music.  Pretty amazing.
4023306
Many people think of bagpipes, and picture creepy Scotish guys in skirts with big, scary looking, loud pipey things on their shoulders. Now us true Celtic fans know better, but even the most close minded listeners will agree this is an amazing album. I had the pleasure of seeing MacUmba at a tiny venue at a folk festival in Lausanne, Switzerland, and was blown away. They absolutely demolished my father and I's band, Celtofools, in the talent show, then proceded to make the whole crowd dance and cheer with an energy that blew me away. I reluctantly bought the album, fearful that it wouldn't live up to the live performance. Let me tell you that it is just as great at home. The ballads are gorgeous, but of course, what really shines is the dance tracks. Get yourself a big 'ol sub-woofer, crank it, and make the whole meighborhood get on their feet and dancing. Truly amazing stuff.
1107385
What an incredible imagination some people have
1979915
Some things are so good you don't want to spoil them all at once.  I've had books that were this good - so good that I didn't want to rush through to the end, opting instead to dole out the pages at a leisurely pace, preferring to read at just the right time when I could really take it all in.  And this is an album that falls in this category - regardless of it being live, regardless of it being filled with songs I already know (aside from one,) I want to let each moment breathe and be something special for fear that if I rush through to hear it all I'll somehow spoil it.  And so the truth is that while I've listened to almost nothing but <em>Kicking Television</em> since Tuesday morning, I've yet to actually hear the whole thing - when I've gotten distracted for any period of time, I've restarted listening to it from the beginning.

At the time of this writing, I'd gotten close, but I hadn't even reached the monstrous Can-meets-Rolling-Stones epic "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" (track 10 of 11 on disc 2,) from whence my sub-header is stolen, yet I can say that this is one of the best live albums I've ever heard.  The sound is stunning - it's honest and warm, untouched other than getting some loving tweaking at the mixing stage.  No overdubs where the musicians flubbed a note or two, or where the vocals weren't just right, and that's the way a live album should be, especially for a band like Wilco and even more especially for <em>this</em> version of Wilco, who are easily the finest grouping of musicians Jeff Tweedy has assembled to back him.  And even though the songs were recorded over four separate concerts on as many nights, everything meshes perfectly.  There's no attempt to hide the fact that this isn't one concert, but more a representation of what a Wilco show can be.

The clarity is amazing - in front of a noisy audience with 6 musicians making as much of a racket as they can (such as at the end of "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" or the subway-inspired noises in "Via Chicago,") every noise and every instrument is perfectly clear.  For people who really enjoy listening closely, this is a real treat.  (Jazz guitarist Nels Cline's fascinating contributions are audible in the left channel, Pat Sansone's guitar and keyboard work are in the right, and Jeff Tweedy's guitar is just slightly right of center while the rest of the band pans out between the three of them.)

It's so good I have to carry it around with me, so I can look at the lovingly designed (but slightly minimal) artwork, a hallmark of Nonesuch-label projects.  I just can't commit it to simple mp3 files in my Ipod just yet - I'm not ready to give up on the tangible goods.  It all, as a whole, needs time to soak in before I can file it away in the collection.  If only every live album could be this lovingly prepared.  Or every studio album, for that matter.

(The only downside to the whole thing is not getting the accompanying DVD that had been planned and filmed, but has since been scrapped by Tweedy as not "<a href="[...]">giving a sense of the audience, a sense of the time and place</a>."  It's a real shame not getting to <em>see</em> this band performing this material, but I have no doubt in the future we'll get some live video from them.)
1040449
My son and his friend play with this toy for hours on end. It is quite amazing really. Transformation possibilities are good and the programs are good too.
651217
Incredible.  MUCH nicer than I even expected.
3787802
Ok I'm not going to say this wasn't good because it is very good. It is just way more than I like.
711928
Wow, simply amazed. Such an awesome master piece, simply superb.
1563579
It's very hard to describe this album, the best I ever got was emo punk successfully fused with prog rock, and to jaw-dropping results.
The vocal acrobatics are amazing, very much the low-to-high-to-low of emo's use of falsetto, reminescent of Jeremy Enigk and Thom Yorke.  The guitars and drums do so many time changes and groove changes you wonder how they ever pulled it off live.  And yet, even with all that, it's catchy, extremely catchy.  You'll find yourself singing along (or trying to).  Lyrically I think it's brilliant, almost all of the lyrics are written in a vibrant, image-filled stream of consciousness that are snugly fit to the music.  That's not to say the lyrics don't make sense, a scary feeling hits you when realise they actually do.
They went for the catchiest, most artsy music they could create, and I would argue they succeeded.
1737932
I was a bit skeptical when buying this CD and I was ready to be disappointed by many of the tracks, but to my surprise THERE IS NOT A SINGLE BAD TRACK on the album. I cannot say this about many cds but this is truely a masterpiece. Any fan of Bobby Womack or Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz, The Good the Bad and the Queen) should add this to their collection immediately.
1908988
I was a music student at university when this first came out (and no, I'm not a brass player). This recording created an absolute sensation. We all knew, or knew of, all these musicians - they were individual superstars of the classical world - and we had spent hours listening to them and debating their relative merits and that of their orchestras. Now here they were all together! It defied belief.
I think I wore my first copy of the LP flat, I played it so much. 35 years later I can still hear it if I close my eyes.
Few of us knew anything about Gabrieli, so our admiration for the incredible musicianship on display also brought us into the whole new world of Renaissance music. (Younger people probably couldn't believe this part, but the Early Music revolution was still some ways off. This was all new then.)
All the above comments apply to the Gabrieli part of the recording. Until I bought it and opened it up I didn't realise that Sony was giving us the other [Glorious Sound of Brass] LP in the same package. I personally don't find that portion of the disc nearly as successful... it's good, but not a standout. Doesn't matter: the Gabrieli alone is worth the price of admission.
Sound is excellent - better than the CD of course, but also even better than the LP - much more apparent sound stage and the subtle differences between the various players' sounds are more readily noticed.
[One point of argument with the only low rating... it's a brass record. Says so right on the cover. Picture of all those cats with trumpets and such. Why are you surprised? Seems a bit perverse to criticise a brass record for having too much brass. Don't want an hour of brass? Buy something else. This isn't supposed to be an SACD demo disc - it's about the music, silly.]
3679421
Wow it's so brilliant . Detailing is fantastic . Very impressed.
3280266
I must say, for an album titled, "Intense," I was shocked at how placid it really is. When I saw the name, and listened to a couple of singles, I was skeptical. Thankfully, Armin blew my expectations (which were still high despite my initial reactions) sky high. The opener is one of the most intriguing songs I have ever heard, words cannot describe it, just listen to it. The second song, I have mixed feelings about, I love house but it doesn't do anything super special. Its still good though, but it really picks up from here. I feel that any more words that I write will just be pointless, I could drone on and on about genres and how I feel about individual songs. But for those with an interest in this album, know that there is something for everyone on here and it is one of Armin's best productions period. If you are an old fan, buy this one, it won't dissapoint. If you are a new fan, give it a listen as well and have your mind blown. For those on the fence, Armin released it on spotify, its free (and legal) to listen (provided you don't mind some ads) and if you like it, give it a buy!!!

Personal favorite songs are:
Intense, Beautiful Life (likely my favorite), Waiting for the Night, Sound of the Drums, Forever is Ours and Who is Afraid of 138?!
4559447
Incredible....that's all I can say.....absolutely incredibly done.