Non-collabs Top 5 Prog Albums of 2007

I have Viva Koenji! on CD and still haven't listened to it!

Angherr Shisspa is a modern classic though.  Rattims Friezz is one the best tunes I have ever heard, it's amazing in every way.  I also love Alamaailman Vasarat's second release, which is also an amazing album.

As for Hoyry-Kone's Huono Parturi, I'm not over keen on the first track, but the rest is amazing.  I still haven't heard their second album.

By the way, Logan, I am in the middle of formulating some questions to ask the guys from Alamaailman Vasarat and as you know, some of them were in Hoyry-Kone, so I'm asking about that band as well.  Hopefully the interview will be completed eventually... I'm trying to sound coherent and think of suitable questions at the same time and it's not easy!

Oh and Tossco is on my next order list... I have their debut and it's brilliant, so I cannot wait to hear Tossco.

What are your thoughts on Amygdala?  I really like it, but I do wish they'd gotten in a real brass player.


Edited by Geck0 - December 23 2007 at 17:04

Geck0: Yeah, it is.  I haven't heard that much off FoaBP, but wasn't impressed.   Miasma's is very good.

Rico: At the start of 1997 I was newly married.  And in bigger news, Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule.  Eric Clapton's "Change my World" won record of the year at the Grammy's... haha

I think it was very strong year for progressive music.  A Zeuhl and Avant Prog album on the top of the studio album list for that year (real classics), which may indicate that it was weak for some other categories but actually many great albums from different categories but real classics, and a major album for Wyatt with Schleep.

Just a few of my highlights, Hoyry Kone's Houno Parturi, Robert Wyatt's Schleep, Koenji Hyakkei's Viva Koenji, Happy Family's Tossco, Bondage Fruit's Recit, Tipographica's Floating Opera....

An amazing year for Japanese Zeuhl and H. Kone's and Wyatt's are modern classics.  But it all depends on what one is looking for.

Edited by Logan - December 23 2007 at 16:57

What happened in 1997? 

Well, I had such a big desire to listen to 2007 music, I think I'll end this year up at having listened to about 100 albums. I'll post my top 5 (in the Collabs zone, but also here, if I'm allowed to), but perhaps also make a full chart (as a separate topic) of all the albums, with small lines on each album in which I mention what I thought of them.

I can tell you I've listened to no masterpiece this year, only from very good albums to cruelly lousy ones.

THIS IS NOT APPLICABLE, SO LEAVE OFF THE COMPILATION LIST!

1. Robert Wyatt - Comicopera
2. Battles - Mirrored
3. Alamaailman Vasarat - Maahan
4. Riverside - Rapid Eye Movement
5. The Pax Cecilia - Blessed are the Bonds

Honorary mentions:

Soft Mountain - Soft Mountain
Anekdoten - A Time of Day
Grayceon - Grayceon


Best live album:

Van der Graaf Generator - Real Time

Turkey of the year:

Pain of Salvation - Scarsick

I want to join in... but I can't!

my faves for the year are:

I don't see my top 5 changing in the last few days of this year, so:

Personal List

1: Blackfield - Blackfield II (5)
2: Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (4)
3: Marillion - Somewhere Else (3)
4: The Reasoning - Awakening (2)
5: Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos (1)

Compilation List:

Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (8)
Blackfield - Blackfield II (5)
Gazpacho - Night (5)
Satellite - Into The Night (4)
Marillion - Somewhere Else (3)
Reasoning, the - Awakening (2)
Riverside - Rapid Eye Movement (2)
Anekdoten - A Time of Day (1)
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos (1)

Perfect, thanks!

It may seem a  bit daunting due to the compilation list, though of course the first person who does a list need not do one.  One worry that some people may have is about what happens when they re-evaluate their list and want to make changes.  One can always post again with one's changes (new personal list and update the compilation list to reflect those changes since only one top five list per person counts, (change the point values, albums added...), just be careful to clearly note that one is changing one's list (quote your old posted list, provide the updated one, and then redo the compiled list to reflect those changes).

I thought this might be a fun way to do it (with the running compilation list), and save me from compiling the data myself, but if it's too much work for people, then you can always just list your five favourite albums -- someone else may add it to the compilation list, or I can always use Excel to compile all of the choices myself (just make sure to include point values for each one from five to one -- e.g. Zorn, John - Six Litanies for Heliogobalus 4.   As long as it's standardised.  Oh, and I just realised, if the album's project is the name of an artist, for instance, Robert Wyatt, John Zorn, Kevin Ayers etc., please list it as Wyatt, Robert; Zorn, John; Ayers, Kevin.  As long as everyone does it the same way, it doesn't matter.

Confused yet?