Poorly Recorded - Chris Thile & Michael Daves


Has anyone listened to the Chris Thile & Michael Daves collaboration "Sleep With One Eye Open"? I read that it was a great audiophile recording, just popped it in my CD player, and I was legitimately worried my speakers were broken, it was that bad. 

Was it recorded on "old timey" equipment with a single mic?  Has anyone else listened to this? It's very strange, because all of Nickel Creek's (Chris Thile's first band) albums sound fantastic. 
128x128heyitsmedusty
Here's a follow-up for all you folks DYING to know what the deal is with this recording.

So I did some research. Deep web stuff. There's an article on MandolineCafe that has since been edited to not contain the following paragraph, but I pulled a cached version and found this:

"The two sang harmonies into a single vintage RCA 77 ribbon microphone, facing each other, watching for visual cues, and sonically bleeding all over each other's tracks. With no isolation there is no opportunity for overdubbing single parts, or even changing the balance between voices. But "there's a convergence tonally that I think goes hand in hand with us singing in to one microphone", according to Daves. They found a sound that sort of "all mashes together."

This described what I heard very accurately. Everything sort of mashes together. The soundstage doesn't exist...because it's recorded in mono! That makes the listener a single microphone with sounds getting nearer and further, but without a second source it only translates into louder or quieter, without any spatial sense. 

I'll chalk this one up to the revealing nature of my Thiel speakers. I should make very clear though, the musicianship on this album is unrivaled. They are INCREDIBLE at what they do. But for recording quality...move on to Nickel Creek or Punch Brothers to hear Chris Thile's true ability. 
Thank You- Dusty for this review.
I have not picked up this CD yet.
Chris Thile made a disc last year w/ Edgar Meyer.