Made for Spatial

From rock to hip-hop to jazz, classical, and pop, from new music made in Spatial to classics remixed or remastered for it, this handpicked playlist is the place to find songs that unlock the magic and full power of Spatial Audio on Apple Music. Every week, we’ll be inviting top audiophile magazine Sound & Vision to weigh in on the new songs added to this playlist. Their own Mike Mettler will be breaking down some of the most notable new additions here every Friday. His “sacred mission,” he says, “is to inform you about the very best in immersive Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos magic that’s available in the ever-expanding Apple Music universe so you can experience the aural wonders of it all for yourself.” (You can catch the full version of Mike’s write-up on Sound & Vision.)

Kendrick Lamar, “United in Grief”
Hip-hop icon Kendrick Lamar has done it yet again with the many fascinating facets of his 2022 magnum opus, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, instantly cementing its position as one of the top album releases of the year. And the opening track, “United in Grief,” is even more unifying, and more impactful, in Atmos. “Grief” commences with a full-channel, full-volume, heaven-sent vocalized sentiment, “I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime,” with an echo chamber effect that makes it feel like we’re going to, if not already ensconced in, church. And then, the laminar Lamar flow fully takes over, with piano-comp counterlines reacting to each thought spread wide left and wide right when he pauses in between them, along with a few skittery bass bumps and resonant percussion effects popping in to keep things slightly off-kilter. As the next verse rolls on at Lamar-speed, the piano riff takes on more of a jazz-improv vibe while whooshing, backwards-sampled percussion swoops in and out of the full vortex of the track.

The Black Keys, “Wild Child”
Perhaps the most formidable indie-rock duo of our modern times, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney—aka The Black Keys—continue moving forward on an endlessly innovative aural path with their stunning 2022 album, Dropout Boogie. Lead track “Wild Child” is just what the glam doctor ordered in its Atmos form. Auerbach’s gnarly electric guitar figure opens in the center, with Carney’s kick/bass drum and cowbell hits joining in right with him up the middle. The guitar falls back just a tick when Carney takes a brief run around the kit left of center before loud, multi-layered guitars yank the track into the ether. The mix of Carney’s drums is spread wide enough so the lead guitar lines and their counters can rule the main field. The layered vocals on the chorus take over the plane in that oh-so-seductive Black Keys way, with the guitars and drums supporting the melody line to a key, er, T.

Tank and the Bangas, “Communion in My Cup” (feat. The Ton3s)
New Orleans funk/soul outfit Tank and the Bangas indeed know how to have a good time together, and their third studio album, 2022’s Red Balloon, is essentially a non-stop party every listener is invited to both attend and partake in. The quite celebratory “Communion in My Cup” raises the bar (and quite a few glasses, for that matter) in its Spatial Audio incarnation. Sweetly harmonic a cappella “oohs” open the track up in the clouds and spread wide, with a sleek bassline, melodic whistling, and finger-snaps all holding the rhythm in the middle before string effects come in behind Tarriona “Tank” Ball’s quite inviting lead vocals, which in turn take over the mix from this point forward. When Tarriona gets to the title line in the first chorus, the whistling follows behind her, with fuller centralized percussion, handclaps, and masterful background vocals from The Ton3s all adding to the broader palette.

Shania Twain, “Any Man of Mine”
The one and only Shania Twain literally defines the concept of a country-pop legend, and her undeniable breakthrough blockbuster album, 1995’s The Woman in Me, fully sealed the deal. Produced and co-written by her then-husband, Robert John “Mutt” Lange—also known for his stellar AOR-oriented production work for the likes of AC/DC and Def Leppard—the key Woman track “Any Man of Mine” became Twain’s first No. 1 US Country single, and with good reason. Even better, “Any Man” sounds even more unstoppable in Spatial Audio. A clean acoustic guitar line starts things off up the middle and resonates over to the left, before cymbals and a pedal-steel guitar collectively swoosh back and forth across the stage. Twain’s vocals are doubled on the next verse and spread wider, the fiddle nestling in behind her as full support, but also moving multiple times from center-left to center-right, and back. Twain’s full-on call-and-response “yeahs” induced me to sing right along with every one of them—and I ain’t ashamed to admit it, either. —Mike Mettler, Sound & Vision