PA AOTY 2024 (Deadline extended until Feb 2)

Here's my list. 

1	AP BC SPO RYM	Rosalie Cunningham To Shoot Another Day ★★★★★ Witty Creative Prog Art Psychedelia/Blues	"Humorous, theatrical, sultry and inventive, Cunningham is back with a third solo album that, despite the clear and obvious main influence of early psychedelia, refuses to be pigeonholed into one genre. The eccentric but clever lyrics, perfect production, multi-instrumental talents... fantastic stuff." (bartyMJ, ★★★★★, 1M ago)
2	AP BC SPO RYM	Bent Knee Twenty Pills Without Water ★★★★★ Introspective Lush Exp Prog Art Rock	"Full of nuance and layers, an incredible range of vocal style, experimental but not too avant-garde, this ticks all the boxes for the modern blend of progressive style. One of the best of the year." (bartyMJ, ★★★★★, 3M ago)
3	AP BC SPO RYM	Amarok Hope ★★★★★ Aggressive Melodic Prog Art Rock/Electronic	"Outstanding. Hits you like a sledgehammer of industrial sound immediately, and follows with a heavy blend of electronic rock, Gilmour-esque guitars, ethereal shoegazing, high octane instrumentals... A fantastic modern progressive album." (bartyMJ, ★★★★★, 8M ago)
4	AP BC BC SPO RYM	Pure Reason Revolution Coming Up To Consciousness ★★★★★ Passionate Atmospheric Prog Art Rock	"Alper out, Shireen in. But still the same excellent harmonic interplay vocal style, and a classic blend of heavy and melodic, rock and electronic elements. Incredibly powerful at times, and the audio mix also makes it a wonderful soundscape." (bartyMJ, ★★★★★, 4M ago)
5	AP BC SPO RYM	Anubis The Unforgivable ★★★★☆ Heavy Neo Prog Rock	"Their best return since A Tower of Silence, a heavy, dark and soaring cinematic neo prog album which ticks every box for a modern prog effort. Highly expressive, fantastic sound engineering, a powerhouse which is up there with the best of the year." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 2M ago)
6	AP BC SPO RYM	Plantoid Terrapath ★★★★☆ Eclectic Exp Prog Space Psychedelia/Pop	"An outstanding fusion of genres from psychedelia to pop punk to jazz, with ethereal vocals and precise instrumentation. Twists and turns throughout without sounding disjointed, a really fantastic debut." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 8M ago)
7	AP BC SPO RYM	Airbag The Century Of The Self ★★★★☆ Bleak Atmospheric Neo Prog Art Rock	"Perhaps their best album yet, Airbag have an ability to blend Floydian style with more modern approaches in a simple and yet interesting way. A bleak take on today's topics but done with atmosphere and style." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 5M ago)
8	AP BC SPO RYM	King Gizzard [...] Flight b741 ★★★★☆ Satirical Creative Prog-Adj Rock/Blues	"KG&tLW's seemingly random genre change occurs again, but don't be fooled by the lighthearted 70s blues rock feel - underneath is a technicality and deep lyrics with a dark concept of life in 2024 that gets ever more interesting with repeat listens." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 4M ago)
9	AP YT BC SPO RYM	Pineapple Thief It Leads To This ★★★★☆ Emotional Prog Rock	"Similar in style and quality to their best 'classic' albums - not quite out of the shadow of their distant cousin Porcupine Tree but certainly comparable." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 11M ago)
10	AP BC SPO RYM	Weather Systems Ocean Without a Shore ★★★★☆ Melodic Prog Post Rock/Metal	"Daniel Cavanagh of Anaethema essentially rebooting the band, with its signature blend of post-metal and pop prog atmospheres continued onto this sort-of-debut. Playing it a little safe but done as well as many of the great Anathema albums." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 1M ago)
11	AP BC BC SPO RYM	Big Big Train The Likes of Us ★★★★☆ Emotional Neo Prog Art Rock	"First proper album since David Longdon's tragic death and now with Alberto Bravin (formerly PFM) on lead vocals. Not as calm and folky as the Longdon albums, the band have adjusted well to their unexpected lineup change, matching Bravin's style well." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 9M ago)
12	AP SPO RYM	Vientos Moderados del Este Un Manual de Signos y Síntomas ★★★★☆ Groovy Prog Rock	"Have to admit I'm culturally backwards, I don't speak Spanish nor do I have the proper words to describe why I like this album so much. Comparison for me would be like a slightly heavier version of The Tangent, with some jazzier elements thrown in." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 4M ago)
13	AP BC SPO RYM	Man Doki Soulmates A Memory Of Our Future ★★★★☆ Prog Rock/Jazz	"Bold but soft jazzy rock with an all-star lineup including Al Di Meola and the flute of Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, playing with a blend of Gabriel-esque world music. Gets a little too soft for my liking towards the end but some really great tracks." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 4M ago)
14	AP BC SPO RYM	Izz Collapse The Wave ★★★★☆ Cheerful Melodic Prog Rock	"Cheery symphonic synth heavy prog with a smattering of jazzy tones, while Don't Panic was to me a stellar album this has a false start with the weak lyrics of the opening track, but is otherwise a great feel good album." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 4M ago)
15		Nine Stones Close Diurnal ★★★★☆ Melodic Neo Prog Post Rock	"Progressive raw grunge, a little melancholy but soft and melodic thanks to atmospheric electronic/post rock passages." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 4M ago)
16		Caligula's Horse Charcoal Grace ★★★★☆ Bittersweet Prog Metal/Rock	"The mix of heavy aggression and mellow atmospheric passages is a trait as old as the origins of prog metal - nothing new here but it's crafted incredibly well in an album borne of the frustration and purgatory of the pandemic." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 11M ago)
17		Meer Wheels Within Wheels ★★★★☆ Orchestral Prog Art Rock/Pop	"A blend of orchestral pop and progressive rock, perhaps leans a bit too much towards the former but the album as a whole is a good listen all the way with plenty of emotion apparent." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 3M ago)
18	AP BC SPO	Esquizoide Crónicas ★★★★☆ Heavy Latin American Prog Rock	"There are some prog gems coming from Latin America, this is a great heavy rock album with a few other styles mixed in for good measure." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 3M ago)
19	AP SPO RYM	Barock Project Time Voyager ★★★★☆ Neo Prog Art Rock	"A band that have often trodden the fine line between neo-prog and cheesy pop, going over it a bit in the latter half of this album but otherwise of high quality." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 5M ago)
20	AP BC SPO RYM	Frost* Life in the Wires ★★★★☆ Dynamic Neo Prog Rock	"Day and Age was a brilliant album in my view and Life in the Wires does run it close, there are some absolutely stellar tracks, but there is also some fluffy filler too. Ranging from soft ballads to heavy grind there is a good amount of variety and it is still a great example of modern prog." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 2M ago)
21	AP BC SPO RYM	Beardfish Songs for Beating Hearts ★★★★☆ Mellow Melodic Prog Art Rock	"Almost a deade since their last album, with Skojblom leaving for Big Big Train, the comeback retains their usual style but with a more serious attitude. A very nice album without anything being overly standout." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 15d ago)
22	AP BC SPO RYM	Emerald City Council Motion Carries ★★★★☆ Melodic Neo Prog AOR	"A band set up to feature saxophone in an non-jazz setting, and it does so pretty well. Some cheesy vocals at times but a point of difference setting it apart from other new bands in symphonic/neo prog rock." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 12M ago)
23	AP BC SPO RYM	Sykofant Sykofant ★★★★☆ Psych Prog Art Rock	"Seems a blend of 90s alt-rock, Floydian psych, and classic Rush. At times, and particularly the final track, gear changes seem a bit slow and sometimes fizzle out, but on the whole a good blend of modern and classic prog style." (bartyMJ, ★★★★☆, 4M ago)
24	AP BC SPO RYM	Monkey3 Welcome To The Machine ★★★☆☆ Instr Prog Space Rock	"Not quite the 5 star effort of 'Sphere' as its slightly more single-paced but still a fantastic example of stoner/space rock, with Floydian elements thrown in." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 9M ago)
25	AP BC SPO RYM	Magick Brother & Mystic Sister Tarot, Part I ★★★☆☆ Ethereal Prog Psychedelia	"The canterbury/jazz influence on their first album is long gone, this is a much more psychedelic and often spiritual album, with very ethereal vocals." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 8M ago)
26	AP BC SPO RYM	The Windmill Mindscapes ★★★☆☆ Heavy Neo Prog Rock	"Starts with a classic prog epic that ticks all the boxes, problem then is that there shorter tracks seem a skippable footnote by comparison." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 3M ago)
27	AP BC BC SPO RYM	Ovrfwrd There Are No Ordinary Moments ★★★☆☆ Instr Prog Rock
28	AP BC SPO RYM	Kingcrow Hopium ★★★☆☆ Lively Melodic Prog Metal/Rock	"From hard rock beginnings, have become more progressive over two decades, leading to perhaps their best offering to date, a classic prog metal blend of heavy and textured acoustic elements. I switched off a bit in the middle of the album but the opening and closing 3 tracks are very good." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 1M ago)
29	AP BC SPO RYM	The Smile Wall of Eyes ★★★☆☆ Lush Prog Post Rock	"Radiohead rebooted, Thom Yorke's style remains unchanged and instantly recognisable. As abstract and broody as ever, but not pushing boundaries." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 8M ago)
30	AP BC SPO RYM	Returned To The Earth Stalagmite Steeple ★★★☆☆ Melancholic Slow Prog Art Rock	"Continuing their atmospheric, moody, slow-paced style of previous albums, in a Steven Wilson/Radiohead mould as well as the likes of Airbag. Pretty melancholy overall so depends on your mood!" (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 4M ago)
31	AP BC SPO RYM RYM	The Chronicles Of Father Robin Airoea: Book 3 [...] ★★★☆☆ Mellow Symph Prog Rock/Folk	"Whereas the first album was a very good blend of retro and modern symphonic folk, the third seems little more than a tribute act to Yes with little originality - although still well put together its easily forgettable." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 10M ago)
32	AP BC SPO RYM	Karfagen Messages From Afar: Second Nature ★★★☆☆ Symph Prog Art Rock	"Generally synth-based but with heavier moments, symphonic art rock from prolific Ukrainian artist Antony Kalugin. Sometimes a case of releasing a high volume of music for the sake of it, but plenty of creativity on display here." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 11M ago)
33	AP BC SPO RYM	Karfagen Land Of Chameleons ★★★☆☆ Warm Symph Prog Rock	"Antony Kalugin's usual blend of easy listens, long instrumental passages and slightly twee themes. Solo stuff is often a bit bland but here with his ensemble and particularly the vocals of Mariya Panasenko, not half bad." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 5M ago)
34	AP SPO RYM	Turbulence Binary Dream ★★★☆☆ Polyrhythmic Middle Eastern Prog Metal	"Not much prog coming out of Lebanon but here is one band! Full of polyrhythmic complexity, melodic and heavier passages. That is now a fairly standard formula for prog metal but its mostly well done." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 2M ago)
35	AP SPO RYM	Kyros Mannequin ★★★☆☆ Quirky Modern Prog-Adj Synth Pop/Metal	"Perhaps a bold move to embrace the 80s/90s synth-pop style and blend it with contemporary rock/metal progression but for the most part it works brilliantly. A surprisingly enjoyable album." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 6M ago)
36	AP BC SPO RYM	Infringement Black Science & White Lies ★★★☆☆ Neo Prog Rock/Metal	"Two suites which I'm glad are presented as both whole tracks and in separate parts. While I enjoyed the whole White Lies suite, a long passage of Black Science didn't seem to flow in my view. The heavier side of Neo-Prog, with metal themes." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 3M ago)
37	AP BC SPO RYM	The Tangent To Follow Polaris ★★★☆☆ Eclectic Prog Art Rock	"Andy Tillson went solo for this album, and without the band behind him I feel it's missing something from the personal peak of Songs from the Hard Shoulder. The cynical mickey take of 'The Single' is also a bit too unsubtle to be good in my view." (bartyMJ, ★★★☆☆, 5M ago)

Counting Info

Hi Mike (or anyone who knows this), can you please explain the exact rules (optimally in the starting posting)?

Edited by Lewian - January 02 2025 at 15:43

1	BC	Infringement Black Science & White Lies
2	BC	Opeth The Last WILL and TESTAMENT
3	BC	Sleepytime Gorilla Museum of the Last Human Being
4		Aquilus Bellum II
5		Ritual The Story Of Mr. Bogd Part 1
6		The Aristocrats Duck
7		Rosalie Cunningham To Shoot Another Day
8		Bent Knee Twenty Pills Without Water
9		Cielo Drive Pieces From a Broken Star
10		Present this is NOT the end
11		Tusmørke Dawn of Oberon
12		Barock Project Time Voyager
13		Big Big Train The Likes of Us
14		Melting Clock Altrove
15		Meer Wheels Within Wheels
16		Compassionizer The Fellowship Of The Mystery
17		Frost* Life in the Wires
18		Viima Väistyy Mielen Yö
19		Oddleaf Where Ideal And Denial Collide
20		Celeste Echi Di Un Futuro Passato

Counting Info

Not until the end of January (probably)

My list!

Updated list

1. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - of the Last Human Being [BC] [SPO]
    Eerie Complex Exp Prog Avant RIO/Jazz
2. Present - this is NOT the end [BC]
    Dark Cryptic Exp Prog Avant RIO/Jazz
3. Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin - SPIN [BC]
    Ambient Contemporary Jazz/Electronic
4. Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra - Spectral Fiction [BC]
    Prog Avant Jazz
5. Janel Leppin - Ensemble Volcanic Ash: To March Is To Love [BC]
    Exp Prog Art Jazz/Rock
6. Mary Halvorson - Cloudward [BC] [SPO]
    Playful Complex Prog Chamber Jazz/Rock
7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead" [BC] [SPO]
    Ambient Prog Post Rock
8. The Smile - Wall of Eyes [BC] [SPO]
    Mellow Abstract Neo Prog Post Rock/Pop
9. Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion - Rectangles and Circumstance [BC]
    Exp Contemporary Classical
10. Six Organs of Admittance - Shackleton & Six Organs of Admittance: Jinxed by Being [BC] [SPO]
    Mysterious Atmospheric Non-Prog Avant Electronic/Rock
11. Antistatic - Relics [BC]
    Exp Prog Art Jazz/Rock
12. Tomeka Reid Quartet - 3​+​3 [BC]
    Exp Prog Art Jazz/Rock
13. Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She [BC] [SPO]
    Dark Nocturnal Non-Prog Post Darkwave/Industrial
14. Avalanche Kaito - Talitakum [BC] [SPO]
    Energetic Rhythmic Exp Prog Avant Electronic/Rock
15. Cosa Brava - Z Sides [BC]
    Exp Rock/Jazz
16. Thumbscrew - Wingbeats [BC]
    Exp Non-Prog Avant Jazz/Rock
17. The Holy Family - Live Burning, Burning Live [BC] [SPO]
    Psych Exp Prog Alt Rock
18. Horse Lords - As It Happened: Horse Lords Live [BC] [SPO]
    Tech Exp Non-Prog Avant Rock/Jazz
19. Janel and Anthony - New Moon In The Evil Age [BC]
    Ambient Exp Prog Art Jazz/Independent
20. Tapir! - The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain [BC] [SPO]
    Mellow Lush Neo Prog Chamber Electronic/Folk
21. Lankum - Live In Dublin [BC]
    Irish Drone
22. Extra Life - The Sacred Vowel [BC]
    Melancholic Exp Prog Math Rock
23. Radio Massacre International - Galactic Furnace [BC]
    Exp Prog Art Electronic/Jazz
24. Olivia Block - The Mountains Pass [BC]
    Exp Electronic
25. Lunar Mistake - Lunar Mistake [BC]
    Quirky Post Punk/New Wave
26. Holy Tongue meets Shackleton - The Tumbling Psychic Joy of Now [BC]
27. GoGo Penguin - From The North [SPO]
    Tech Non-Prog Post Fusion
28. Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra - Live at the Adler Planetarium [BC]
    Psych Avant Electronic/Jazz
29. Kugelschreiber - Cheerleaders [BC]
    Exp Chamber Pop
30. Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp - Ventre Unique [BC]
    World
31. Inner Ear Brigade - Perkunas [BC]
    Zappaesque Exp Prog Avant Rock/Jazz
32. Das Rad - Funfair [BC] [SPO]
    Exp Prog Avant RIO/Jazz
33. Pom Poko - Champion [BC]
    Alt Noise/Pop
34. Craven Faults - Thwaite Watermill [BC]
    Ambient Prog Electronic
35. Caroline Shaw - Leonardo da Vinci (Original Score) [BC]
    Ambient Folk Classical
36. Monkey3 - Welcome To The Machine [BC] [SPO]
    Psych Prog Space Rock/Metal
37. The Flying Luttenbachers - Losing the War Inside Our Heads
    Brutal Non-Prog Avant RIO
38. Smith, Ches - Laugh Ash [BC] [SPO]
    Complex Exp Non-Prog Avant Jazz
39. Papangu - Lampião Rei [BC] [SPO]
    Eclectic Prog Art Rock/Metal
40. Upupayāma - Mount Elephant
    Psych Non-Prog Raga
41. Snowdrops - Singing Stones (Volume 1) [BC]
    Ambient Exp Chamber Classical/Electronic
42. Cassiber - Collaborations [BC]
    Exp Prog Avant RIO/Jazz
43. Luz De Riada - Rizoma [BC]
    Slow Exp Prog Avant RIO/Jazz
44. Snakes Don't Belong In Alaska - Navegando Al Paraiso [BC] [SPO]
    Psych Prog Space Krautrock
45. Cheer Accident - I Want My Buddha Back [BC]
    Noisy Exp Prog Post Rock/Metal
46. Shabaka - Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace [SPO]
    Soothing Poetic Non-Prog Chamber Jazz
47. 137 - Strangeness Oscillation [BC] [SPO]
    Exp Jazz
48. Zombi - Direct Inject [BC] [SPO]
    Ambient Prog Space Rock/Electronic
49. Quartet Diminished - Deerand [BC]
    Suspenseful Exp Prog Art Jazz/Rock
50. This Celestial Engine - This Celestial Engine [BC] [SPO]
    Melancholic Lush Exp Prog Fusion/Rock
51. Yussef Dayes - Live From Malibu [BC] [SPO]
    Mellow Cinematic Funky Non-Prog Contemporary Jazz/Fusion
52. Panzerpappa - Skjeringspunkt [BC]
    Prog Rock
53. Rhùn - Tozzos [BC] [SPO]
    Eclectic Exp Prog Avant Zeuhl/RIO
54. Slift - Ilion [BC] [SPO]
    Eerie Psych Prog Space Rock/Metal
55. Nik Bärtsch - Ronin Rhythm Clan: Moonday [BC] [SPO]
    Contemporary Jazz
56. Theo May's ODD UNIT - Alive In The Forest Of Odd [BC] [SPO]
    Spiritual Lush Exp Prog Chamber Jazz/Folk
57. ZIO CROCIFISSO - Campana di Legno [BC]
    Exp Prog Math Rock
58. Full Earth - Cloud Sculptors [BC] [SPO]
    Psych Exp Prog Space Rock/Electronic
59. Sean Ono Lennon - Asterisms [SPO]
    Psych Prog Psychedelia/Fusion
60. Plantoid - Terrapath [BC] [SPO]
    Energetic Eclectic Exp Prog Space Rock/Pop
61. Can - Live in Paris 1973 [BC] [SPO]
    Hypnotic Psych Exp Prog Avant Krautrock
62. The Flying Luttenbachers - Spectral Warrior Mythos 2 [BC]
    Exp Post Classical/Noise
63. Montresor - Autopoiesis [BC] [SPO]
    Heavy Prog Avant RIO
64. Join The Din - Tales from Dance (Live Session) [BC]
    Psych Prog Alt Jazz/Rock
65. Tenk Van Dool & Paul Sears - Aperiodic Grok [BC] [SPO]
    Eclectic Prog Hard Rock/Fusion
66. Tom Penaguin - Tom Penaguin [BC]
    Exp Prog Canterbury Scene/Fusion
67. Greco Bastián - With a Little Hell from MORE friends [BC]
    Dark Prog Avant Zeuhl/RIO
68. Agusa - Noir [BC] [SPO]
    Psych Prog Folk Rock
69. Jane Getter Premonition - Division World [SPO]
    Melodic Prog Art Rock
70. PAKT - No Steps Left To Trace [BC] [SPO]
    Fusion
71. Elephant9 - Mythical River [BC] [SPO]
    Eclectic Prog Avant Fusion/Rock
72. FUR - Notebook [BC]
    Jazz
73. Yang - Rejoice! [BC]
    Heavy Exp Prog Art Rock/Jazz
74. The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol - Verdun
    Psych Non-Prog Rock
75. Utopianisti - Reason In Motion [BC]
    Exp Prog Rock/Jazz
76. Jumble Hole Clough - They've Built an Ark in Arkham [BC]
    Prog Post Punk
77. Spectrum Orchestrum - Noziroh [BC] [SPO]
    Exp Prog Avant RIO/Jazz
78. Cloud Over Jupiter - Atomic Jupiter [BC] [SPO]
    Eclectic Prog Rock/Jazz
79. Sentient Beings - Truth Is Not The Enemy [BC]
    Exp Prog Jazz
80. God is an Astronaut - Embers [BC] [SPO]
    Ominous Tech Prog Post Rock/Metal

The Tom Penaguin debut album is very nice indeed. I'm liking myself a bit of Canterbury in my old age. Tom is a young French guy apparently. Very talented and one to watch for the future. I put him in my top 30. This won't change much now so I'll officially submit it.

Edited by richardh - December 12 2024 at 23:25

Should this thread maybe be pinned? I had some trouble finding it.
Anyway this isn't really definitive still but at this point I at least feel comfortable enough putting together this preliminary top 5 of the year:
1. Risa Takeda - Parallel World
Runs the gamut from J-pop to atonal chamber music to cinematic classical music to jazz fusion to tango to freaked out avant-prog but still feels like an amazing unified gestalt.
2. Tom Penaguin - Tom Penaguin
Maybe a wee bit too overt on the Canterbury homages, but no less expertly put together and played because of that.
3. Tigran Hamasyan - The Bird Of A Thousand Voices
The impeccable old familiar Hamasyan sound, blown up to its most epic and ambitious proportions but never feeling out of its depth. A true journey.
4. Grdina Lillinger - Duo Work
A quirky beautiful thing that sounds like two slightly misaligned robots attempting to operate their avant-prog clockwork.
5. Vylet Pony - Monarch Of Monsters
Resembling at times a noisy feminine Swans and at other times a pissed off crossoverish Mars Volta, this is really something special.

Updated my list for two awesome November releases (Opeth and Crippled Black Phoenix).