If you like the "Yoshimi" album, then you'll probably find "At War..." to be an enjoyable listen. Musically, it's not as good as "Yoshimi"; and, to the casual fan such as myself, it can sound rather meandering and, well, a bit boring at times. However, there are some decent tracks and the very aggressive and experimental surround mix can be interesting enough to make this a worthwhile purchase.
In general, lead vocals tend be be primarily in the front left/right speakers with the center channel helping out just a tad. Of course, you can expect to hear some vocals coming from pretty much anywhere depending on the particular moment. The "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" starts out the album and it's absolutely amazing in surround sound! Sounds appear from everywhere and there is even the occassional movement of noise that travels seamlessly from the rear channels to the front channels. The next track "Free Radicals" is enjoyable musically and sounds good in surround, too. However, I actually thought the surround channels might've been perhaps a little too active at times. Still it's a good mix and one of the stronger songs on the album. The song "The Wizard Turns On..." works especially well in surround sound, too. It's very enveloping, but in a gentler, somewhat immersive style. Perhaps it isn't meant to be one of the musical highlights of the album, but as far as surround sound goes it makes my list of highlights. The other songs are all fairly strong in surround, too. However, some of them might tend to make the separation between front and back a little too obvious for my tastes.
Sonically, I'd say the mastering on this disc might be slightly better than what is on the "Yoshimi" DVD-Audio, which means it's OK. One of the things that impresses me the most about "At War..." is the bass. Between the strong bass and the active surround mix, I can't help but to feel at least a little giddy as sound fills up the room. And, of course, I can't help but to feel the walls shake, too!
This particular release is a 2-disc CD+DVD-Audio set. The DVD contains both hi-rez DVD-A as well as Dolby Digital. The hi-rez is at 88.2 kHz / 24-bit for both surround and stereo tracks. You also get a few music videos that are presented in your choice of either 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Digital. And, impressively enough, you also get a bunch of outtakes and some radio sessions. Albeit, only in stereo. Oh, and those bleep-bloops are back for those who want to listen to the main tracks in Dolby Digital. But, this time, it's a dancing naked girl instead of dots. All in all it's another great package from one of the better supporters of multichannel audio. Thank you, Flaming Lips!
