Zero 7 – When It Falls

If there's ever an album I feel qualified to review, it's this one. I have 2 copies of the 2004 UK original. The first copy I degraded from playing so often because it's one of my favorite albums and sounds phenomenal. I bought a second mint copy about 6 months ago and was once again blown away by the fidelity of the album.

This new remastered version turns everything up a notch. The keyboard and ethereal background effects are louder on all tracks. Bass is louder and punchier. Percussion is turned up a bit. The vocals suffer a bit for it, and that's what stood out the most to me. I'm not sure if it's because everything else has been cranked up, but the vocals are slightly less fluid and detailed than on the original pressing. They lack the depth of the original, and there is a delicacy to the vocals on the 2004 pressing that has been diminished / lost. There is more separation between instruments (amongst themselves and between instruments and vocals).

It's a very good pressing. Detailed and clear. No background noise or pops and no quality issues. Perfectly flat vinyl. Everything is cranked up a notch from the original, but something subtle was lost in the process. Packaging is fine, but the distinctive slightly matte / textured finish of the original inner and outer sleeves is gone. If I wasn't intimately familiar with the original pressing, I'd have no problem having this as my only copy and it's a pleasant listen. But I definitely prefer the original.

I bought this copy out of curiosity and perhaps to play instead of putting more miles on the originals. I have a 2X DSD studio recorder so that I can record and preserve my rare albums and not wear them out from playing them too frequently. I just spent some time switching back and forth between my DSD recording of the 2004 pressing and the new remastered vinyl, and I will decidedly be listening to the DSD copy of the original going forward.