2015 Picks - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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zravkapt

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Posted: October 06 2015 at 18:11

I already have my first 2016 pick: the new Tortoise album Shocked

Magma America Great Make Again

Nogbad_The_Bad View Drop Down

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Posted: October 06 2015 at 18:19

zravkapt wrote:

I already have my first 2016 pick: the new Tortoise album Shocked

I'll go with Knifeworld, Present, Yugen and Thinking Plague.

Ian

Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com

https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/

Guldbamsen View Drop Down

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Posted: October 08 2015 at 10:21

Cool to see this thread unfold and I gotta thank Ryan for mentioning the new William Drake album. I knew nothing of it! Embarrassed

Swoop and onto my 'to-get' list it quickly flew.

...and to think the new Zombi and Steve Moore albums release in a week Big smile

I'm certainly glad that I knew this beforehand and saved up some dough Dead

Oh well there's always November.

.......and you know how November's like eh?

“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams

Mascodagama View Drop Down

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Posted: October 08 2015 at 12:58

bloodnarfer wrote:

LOVE

Algiers – s/t: Debut album for this Neo-soul/post-punk band. Sounds like a weird combination but it’s something you just have to hear for yourself.

Sample: Claudette

* The Dear Hunter – Act IV: Birth and Reprise: First entry to the acts series in 6 years. After releasing his symphony this past year, Casey seems unafraid to embrace the full orchestral gambit. Ambitious crossover prog / indie rock / chamber pop with early 20^th century vibes.

Sample: Night on the Town

* Jaga Jazzist – Starfire: Vibrant and colorful electro-nu-jazz with a very urban/trippy sort of feel. Overall lots of craziness and fun. Definitely more electronic than their previous album, One-armed Bandit

Sample: Oban (live session)

Son Lux – Bones: Experimental electronic / trip-hop accompanied by brittle vocals and swaths of synth-driven cacophony. Definitely brighter and more tooled for a live setting than previous albums, though not as strong as Lanterns or We are Rising.

Sample: White lies

Viet Cong – s/t: Moody & somewhat noisy post-punk with heavy 80s aesthetic. Very fun and powerful music that just makes you want to grab a guitar or pair of sticks and jam out. Bonus: My girlfriend says the singer sounds like a vampire, for whatever that’s worth.

Sample: Continental Shelf

GREAT

2814 -新しい日の誕生 – This is what I always wanted from vaporwave

* Beardfish -- +4626-Comfortzone –Zappa/King Crimson inspired retro-prog with jam band elements, fortunately have brought some of the playfulness back from the early era

Carpenter Brut – Trilogy – Strongest synthwave/outrun effort this year. Think 80’s action/horror movie chase music.

Chelsea Wolfe – Abyss – Crunchy, heavy, slow, and aptly abysmal darkwave

* Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Asunder Sweet and Other Distress – Apocalyptic post-rock progenitors return, unfortunately nowhere near as good as their 2012 comeback release. Their first track is great, drone-y, and reminiscent of Earth, but the central sound collage tracks fall flat.

Kamasi Washington – The Epic – Spiritual Jazz / neo-soul, huge bombastic pieces

Natural Snow Buildings – Terror’s Horns –Somewhat creepy droney atmospheric avant-folk

* Tigran Hamasyan – Mockroot – Avant-garde Armenian folk jazz with heavy progressive tendencies

* Turzi – C – space / krautrock with operatic vocals (more spacey, less kraut than previous releases A, B)

* William D. Drake – Revere Reach – Ex-keyboardist from Cardiacs; jaunty whimsical pastoral prog

GOOD

Big Blood – Double Days II -- Ambient avant-folk

* The Decemberists – What a Terrible World What a Beautiful World – folk-pop

Komara – Komara – Dark avant jazz/metal

Odawas – Black Harmony – Synth-laden atmospheric amorphous folky Americana stuff. Not as strong as last year’s Relfections of a Pink Laser.

* Sannhet – Revisionist – Instrumental post-metal

Thundercat – The Beyond / Where Giants Roam -- Nu-jazz / neo-soul

Timbre – Sun and Moon – A lady sings and plays harp. Results are quite beautiful.

Umberto – Law Unit – Horror Synth

* -- probably included on this site

Still looking forward to getting my hands on the new Guapo and Elephant9 albums

Bunch of stuff I want to check out here. I'd no idea there was a new Turzi out - sounds really good, too. More soundtrack-y, and digging the operatic vocals.

Thanks!

Mascodagama View Drop Down

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Posted: October 08 2015 at 13:27

Something else I wanted to mention here, the album Ornithophobia from British prog jazz trio Troyka.

Actually this came out right back in January! Didn't think it had been that long. Really good stuff and quite distinctive, should appeal to lovers of modern jazz rock - RIO-ish in bits, with slinky grooves in other bits - and they've thrown some chopped blues and even a little powdered Gentle Giant into their stew as well.

Their other albums are good too, but I think this is probably the best one so far.

EDIT: I forgot to add that - although it's fully instrumental apart from a bit of radio voiceover - this is notionally a concept album. About some kind of plague that turns people into bird-headed monstrosities who want to take over the world, I think. How prog is that!

Edited by Mascodagama - October 09 2015 at 05:00

Guldbamsen View Drop Down

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Posted: October 09 2015 at 13:37

Uuuhhhhuhuu......oh well add another one to my ever-growing to-get list! LOL

The whole bird thang really speaks to me as well. I've always been fond of em (taste delicious).

“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams

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Posted: October 09 2015 at 13:47

New Sonar is really outstanding, step up from the last one that I adored.

http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-light

Ian

Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com

https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/

TeleStrat

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Posted: October 09 2015 at 14:00

Some additions to my earlier list...

Crisalida - Terra Ancestral (Chile)

Karfagen - 7 (Ukraine)

Northwinds - Eternal Winter (France)

Slartibartfast View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 09:10

Wilson, Steven    Hand, Cannot, Erase - Interesting album to kick off the year with and came out a month before my 50th birthday.

Staves, The    If I Was - They should be here under prog folk, I think.

Hackett, Steve    Wolflight - I've been surprised to read reviews knocking this album. It's another quality offering from Steve.

Beggs, Booth, D’Virgilio, Hackett, Longdon, Reed    Spectral Mornings 2015 - Put out with several versions The new lyrics by Longdon and I think Booth are pretty cool and hopeful. Put out to benefit a Parkinson's charity.

Ciccada    the finest of miracles - First new artist discovery of the year. Excellent Greek band and I think the only Greek artist I have in my collection other than Vangelis.

IO Earth    New World - Another new discovery I have enjoyed immensely. I saw a review that said there are too many tracks. That's like telling Mozart he had too many notes.

feat Esserela    Tuorl - Wow. I had a real hard time ordering a copy of this for some reason, but when I finally got one it was verrry nice.

Perfect Beings    II - Another superb release from this band which was one of my favorite new discoveries of this year. They continue on in fine form.

Pandora Snail    War and Peace - And if I hadn't posted a review of PB II, I wouldn't have discovered these guys. As far as Russians in my collection, there are three that I know of off hand - Mussorgsky, The Gourishankar, and now them. Still need to do a review. Kind of like the Dixie Dregs without the bluegrass.

Honorable mention to Frank Zappa's Dance Me This, which was recorded back in1993 but still a new release.

And I should also include David Torn's true solo album Only Sky, which was recorded last year but released this year.

Three months to go this year and probably a couple before I can start adding new releases. Looking forward to the new Tea Club in particular.

Edited by Slartibartfast - October 10 2015 at 09:17

Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

Sean Trane View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 12:36

Is Elephant9 being again Censored

debilistic in refusing to publish their latest album under CD format ; like their previous live album?? Angry

(can't see it on Amazon in CD)

As if they can afford to shun over 90% of material music sales Stern Smile

Bloody fookin' Censored

vinyl nazis Nuke

Mascodagama View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 12:50

Sean Trane wrote:

Is Elephant9 being again Censored

debilistic in refusing to publish their latest album under CD format ; like their previous live album?? Angry

(can't see it on Amazon in CD)

As if they can afford to shun over 90% of material music sales Stern Smile

Bloody fookin' Censored

vinyl nazis Nuke

It is on CD, though Amazon don't have it for some reason.

I'm with you on bands that do vinyl only releases though. Pisses me off even though I do have a turntable. As for bands that do releases on cassette tape only

Edited by Mascodagama - October 10 2015 at 12:51

The Bearded Bard View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 13:17

It is indeed available in the CD format. Ordering it from Rune Grammofon directly is probably the cheapest option. Comes to aprox €17, including shipping, if I've done the calculations correctly.

Edited by The Bearded Bard - October 10 2015 at 13:25

Nogbad_The_Bad View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 13:23

Awaiting it arriving in the USA

Ian

Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com

https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/

Sean Trane View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 13:26

Mascodagama wrote:

Sean Trane wrote:

Is Elephant9 being again Censored

debilistic in refusing to publish their latest album under CD format ; like their previous live album?? Angry

(can't see it on Amazon in CD)

As if they can afford to shun over 90% of material music sales Stern Smile

Bloody fookin' Censored

vinyl nazis Nuke

It is on CD, though Amazon don't have it for some reason.

I'm with you on bands that do vinyl only releases though. Pisses me off even though I do have a turntable. As for bands that do releases on cassette tape only

yeah, I checked their label's site... but AFAIK, the Live BBC was never issued on CD

The Bearded Bard View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 16:08

^ You are correct. Live at the BBC wasn't released on CD. Silver Mountain, however, was, just like their previous studio album, Atlantis.

Man With Hat View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 16:16

Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:

Awaiting it arriving in the USA

Eagerly for me. The two sample tracks I found around are pretty damn excellent.

Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.

The Bearded Bard View Drop Down

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Posted: October 10 2015 at 19:49

Think it's safe to say it'll be worth the wait, guys. Don't think you'll be disappointed. It's in my top 2 of albums of the year so far, battling for the top spot with the new Møster!.