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Favorite Albums of 2020 So Far?
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Tapfret View Drop Down
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I'll have to check Isobar during today's workout.

Here's another that will ride high on my list. Definitely recommended for the prog extremophile, or extreme progophile. Panhead complexophile?



No samples, that's mean. Trust me, its amazing.

Edited by Tapfret - November 25 2020 at 10:20

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^Yeah, I really enjoyed YiY from last year. Another one to add to the list!
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Edited by TCat - November 26 2020 at 10:56

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Points: 50929 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote progaardvark Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 25 2020 at 17:26
How about Artús' album Cerc? I had to add this album to the database myself. It was released back in March. They have a hurdy-gurdy player! 
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Originally posted by progaardvark progaardvark wrote:

How about Artús' album Cerc? I had to add this album to the database myself. It was released back in March. They have a hurdy-gurdy player! 



I have three of their previous albums, which I like, but haven't heard this one yet. Thanks for reminder!

BTW their Pagans label has just put out another album leaning towards the avant tip by Ours:


Also featuring Roman Baudoin on the vielle à roue, of course.
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My late contender for avant album of the year is the new one from Le Grand Sbam, Furvent. It's not quite official release date yet, but they must have posted out pre-ordered CDs early as I got mine last weekend. An absolute monster of a record!


The other main contenders from the avant bag for me are both by Zorn - Baphomet from his Simulacrum Trio (40-minute schizo-prog epic ahoy!) and Les Maudits, which is completely deranged, but brilliant.


Edited by Mascodagama - November 25 2020 at 17:57
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Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

I'll have to check Isobar during today's workout.

Here's another that will ride high on my list. Definitely recommended for the prog extremophile, or extreme progophile. Panhead complexophile?



No samples, that's mean. Trust me, its amazing.
Got this a while back and I haven't got massively into it yet. It's very dense music to digest though, so I wouldn't rule out it being a grower.
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Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

I'll have to check Isobar during today's workout.

Here's another that will ride high on my list. Definitely recommended for the prog extremophile, or extreme progophile. Panhead complexophile?



No samples, that's mean. Trust me, its amazing.


Love this artist. I was contacted a couple years ago by the band mastermind to review the debut album and i loved that one but haven't kept up. Listneing to Wickman right now and it is brilliant. This is actually one of my favorite innovations of the avant-prog world lately.

https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy
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I'll checkout the Artus and Ours

I saw Artus at RIO years ago and liked them, this new one seems heavier and darker than the s/t album i already have. I'm liking it.

Edited by Nogbad_The_Bad - November 25 2020 at 19:06
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Updated list (only covering the prog sphere)

Top 3 (In no order AKA: still undecided)

Wobbler: Dwellers of The Deep
The Flower Kings: Islands
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: K.G.

I'm leaning towards Wobbler

4: Haken - Virus
5: Motorpsycho - The All is One
6: Pain of Salvation - Panther
7: Pendragon -Love over Fear
8: Ovrfrwd - Starstuff
9: Arabs in Aspic - Madness and Magic

These are all very good albums!



Edited by dougmcauliffe - November 25 2020 at 18:52
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Originally posted by BrufordFreak BrufordFreak wrote:

1. ARNAUD BUKWALD's La marmite cosmique six


Hmmm. It sounded very promising at the beginning, but as the "band" enters, it's too obvious that this is made almost entirely by computer instruments. It does not sound good at all. Although the compositions and the vocals are quite nice, I can't enjoy this.. I like my music PLAYED, not generated. Lovely cover art, though!
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Now this one too.......W A never fails to deliver :)
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Quote Here's another that will ride high on my list. Definitely recommended for the prog extremophile, or extreme progophile. Panhead complexophile?


Thanks, I hate it.
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Originally posted by nick_h_nz nick_h_nz wrote:

I’ve listened to well over 200 releases from 2020 so far, and while I would never suggest that all are contenders for my favourites of the year, the list of those that are is still surprisingly long. There have been a number of albums hat have really impressed me, and I guess it would be easier to whittle them down to a smaller list if they were all from the same, or similar, genre(s), because it would be easier to compare them, and work out which I enjoy more. Surely I can’t be the only one that finds it hard to rank enjoyment and favourite factor across genres?

Here’s the (long) short list, in alphabetical order. I’ll come back to it, if I manage to make it shorter! 😄🤪

Ok, I have narrowed that list down a bit, after going through it all, and I’ve now got it down to 30 albums that have impressed me sufficiently that (as I’m feeling right now, and what I like can so easily change depending on the day and my mood), I’m reasonably sure these would end up on any end of year list of favourite 2020 releases:


Adenine - Adenine

The Animal State - Genus

Arabs in Aspic - Madness and Magic

Arcing Wires - Prime

Asian Death Crustacean- Baikal

Brudini - From Darkness, Light

Doringo - Gužva u Svemiru

The Erkonauts - I Want It To End

The Folsom Project - The Wolf and The Skull

Ghost Toast - Shape Without Form

Jonathan Hultén - Chants From Another Place

Jargon - The Fading Thought

Jupiter Hollow - Bereavement 

Kekal - Quantum Resolution

Kilter - Axiom

Laughing Stock - The Island

Phil Lively - The Fall

Long Distance Calling - How Do We Want To Live?

Lucynine - Amor Venenat

Julia Marcell - Skull Echo

Giorgi Mikadze - Georgian Microjamz

Ottone Pesante - DoomooD 

Outside In - Karmatrain

Pencarrow - Growth in The Absence Of Light

Professor Tip Top - Tomorrow Is Delayed

Pull Down The Sun - Of Valleys And Mountains

Quel Che Disse Il Tuono - Il Velo Dei Riflessi

Sky Cries Mary - Secrets of a Red Planet

Tic Tic - Comfort in the Echo

3,14 - Bombyx Mori 


I would describe all those as prog of one genre or another, but I’m also aware that I possibly have a broader idea of prog than many on this forum.



Edited by nick_h_nz - November 26 2020 at 08:32
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Originally posted by dauinghorn dauinghorn wrote:

Originally posted by BrufordFreak BrufordFreak wrote:

1. ARNAUD BUKWALD's La marmite cosmique six


Hmmm. It sounded very promising at the beginning, but as the "band" enters, it's too obvious that this is made almost entirely by computer instruments. It does not sound good at all. Although the compositions and the vocals are quite nice, I can't enjoy this.. I like my music PLAYED, not generated. Lovely cover art, though!

If you're implying that there is nothing like the power of live music, I couldn't agree more! Otherwise, I like my albums of studio recorded music to have good music, no matter how it got there. (Thank you Berlin School, synthesizers, ambient, New Age, looping, sequencing, MIDI, sampling, and all of the many other sound innovations made possible by electricity and the computer age.) (Except for auto-tune).
 
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Wobbler / Dwellers of the deep
Rick Wakeman / Red Planet
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I've finally listened to Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple, fantastic album, Art Pop/progressive pop vibes. Great production and instrumentation. Check out the first two tracks!

Edited by dougmcauliffe - November 26 2020 at 14:16
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Definitely plenty of big hitters on this thread that I haven't listened to yet, but so far:

1. Logos - Sadako e le mille gru di carta
2. Fren - Where do you Wnat Ghosts to Reside
3. Zopp - Zopp
4. Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea
5. IO Earth - Aura
6. Motorpsycho - The All is One
7. La Maschera Di Cera - S.E.I.
8. Osiris - Take a Closer Look
9. Lazuli - Le fantastique envol de Dieter Bohm
10. Theo - Figureheads

Think I'm bucking the trend by thinking the new Wobbler album is a bit meh...
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Originally posted by bartymj bartymj wrote:

Definitely plenty of big hitters on this thread that I haven't listened to yet, but so far:

1. Logos - Sadako e le mille gru di carta
2. Fren - Where do you Wnat Ghosts to Reside
3. Zopp - Zopp
4. Pure Reason Revolution - Eupnea
5. IO Earth - Aura
6. Motorpsycho - The All is One
7. La Maschera Di Cera - S.E.I.
8. Osiris - Take a Closer Look
9. Lazuli - Le fantastique envol de Dieter Bohm
10. Theo - Figureheads

Think I'm bucking the trend by thinking the new Wobbler album is a bit meh...

Same here. I have a lot of albums still in my “to listen to” pile, so even though my list is long, it has great potential to become even longer.

From your list, Motorpsycho, La Maschera Di Cera, Osiris and Lazuli are as yet unheard, and I suspect once I have found time to listen to them, they too will be jostling for a spot in my list.

(I’ll buck the trend with you, too.... 😉)
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Originally posted by BrufordFreak BrufordFreak wrote:

Originally posted by dauinghorn dauinghorn wrote:

Originally posted by BrufordFreak BrufordFreak wrote:

1. ARNAUD BUKWALD's La marmite cosmique six


Hmmm. It sounded very promising at the beginning, but as the "band" enters, it's too obvious that this is made almost entirely by computer instruments. It does not sound good at all. Although the compositions and the vocals are quite nice, I can't enjoy this.. I like my music PLAYED, not generated. Lovely cover art, though!

If you're implying that there is nothing like the power of live music, I couldn't agree more! Otherwise, I like my albums of studio recorded music to have good music, no matter how it got there. (Thank you Berlin School, synthesizers, ambient, New Age, looping, sequencing, MIDI, sampling, and all of the many other sound innovations made possible by electricity and the computer age.) (Except for auto-tune).
 

I see your point, and as a huge fan of Berlin School I don't mind sequencing, machine-controlled synths etc. But it sounded awesome because of the qualities of the instruments. On this record it's real instruments emulated by computers, for example the woodwind instruments, which CANNOT in anyway be emulated by machines. 
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