Karfagen or the Tangent

Hrychu wrote: The first two Tangent albums featured incredibly rich vocal harmonies and a tag team approach to lead vocals. This is in my opinion what the later Tangent albums are really missing.

The Tangent by far. I had the first Karfagen album but the second one was a bit too much like lift music for me.

Which one sounds more like Pendragon?

MikeEnRegalia wrote: Listening to the debut now ... feels like a first listen, after 20+ years.

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - September 04 2024 at 09:59

The first two Tangent albums featured incredibly rich vocal harmonies and a tag team approach to lead vocals. This is in my opinion what the later Tangent albums are really missing.

It's very close for me, but The tangent gets my vote, if only for a small margin.

Tangent for me. I’m afraid I find Karfagen a bit wishy-washy, sorry

Another vote for The Tangent 

I chose The Tangent. As BrufordFreak said, both bands are derivative of old stuff, but the thing is, that the derivativeness feels more inventive and impassionate in the case of The Tangent to me. Anton Kalughin is a very competent composer, and I find myself really digging Karfagen's musical output, but it's nowehere near the level of genius and attention to detail that is displayed by Andy Tillison in The Tangent.

While both wear their influences on their sleeve, Andy is a lot better at taking those old ideas and really running with them. I am also fully willing to admit that the more present jazz element in the music of The Tangent appeals to me more than the very "straight-ahead" symph-ish prog of Karfagen. Not that the latter is devoid of jazz influences, but there are just more improvisational elements to the former that come from players who are actually proficient in jazz. Plus, there's more of a Canterbury-type whimsy to The Tangent that I enjoy. And while this is so rarely a make-or-break inclusion for me, the fact that The Tangent has more tracks with lyrics is actually another plus. While Andy's writing is occasionally a bit on the nose, I am often very taken by his lyrical content and/or concept, and in recent years, the more political bent to them has intrigued me. And they seem to have more fun, as well. Karfagen would never write anything like Jinxed in Jersey.