2008 Album Releases

The collab top albums lists only go back to 2005 albums that I have seen, which is also for the first year that I participated, so I am only planning on three more of these following this one. I would like to do the Awesome Prog yearly poll combined lists (my albums lists there go from 2024 to 1987 currently) but only a few have done many years. Still, interesting to me to see what is there and what albums we have in common. It gives some overview of tastes. I do want to do one topic specifically to list all of our yearly charts there over here although Mike has something similar for which I will search. But I want one that is just for lists, commenting on choices, and comparing lists. Actually, I made a topic where I will share mine from there already. I am one for duplicating entries. Lost so much data, stories, essays, poems, film reviews, two novellas, a screenplay and a play because I did not back them up well and papers were thrown out. Maybe not worth saving, none did I think very good, but many, many hundreds of hours put into those things.

Standard spiel alert:

This poll comes in three sections and an "other" (see details on when to use), and multiple voting is not enabled. One can list all of ones favourites anyway and I do no treat such polls as contests.

The first eight are taken from the unfiltered, except by year, Prog Archives Top Album Chart for [insert year here, which in this case is *checks calendar* 2008]. The second eight is taken from the top twelve listed albums of the 2008 Collab Album of the Year topic. I don't wish to duplicate albums across sections. The third eight is from my top none Awesome Prog for 2008 list (I love the Kayo Dot album which was listed already).

"Other" as a voting option is intended to use if you don't like any of the listed options. That said, I would ask people to mention their favourites both on and off the list. If, for instance, your favourite on the list is Gojira's, but your actual favourite from 2008 is New Kids On The Block's The Block, then I request voting for and mentioning Gojira's album in a post while also mentioning New Kids on the Block's as being your actual favourite album of 2008.

So I would like to hear about what people like both on AND off the list if applicable and, to reiterate, for the "other" voting poll option only to be used if nothing is liked that is already listed. Again, mention as many of your favourites as you like, both and off the list. And feel free to mention what you don't like that is listed too, and then preferably why it does not appeal. Please mention your vote, mention if you can't vote (reason), and mention other likes if applicable. I am a details-oriented guy so don't worry about writing too much, as long as it is sufficiently relevant I guess, and I do prefer attempting positivism (maybe because I am a quite negative person by nature and often try to work to put a cherry on top of the sh*t). :)

PA's top eight from the Progressive Rock Top Albums chart

1. Birds and Buildings - Bantam to Behemoth (Eclectic Prog)
2. Il Bacio della Medusa - Discesa agl'inferi d'un giovane amante (RPI)
3. Bearfish - Sleeping in Traffic - Part Two (Eclectic Prog)
4. Moon Safari (not Air's) - Blomljud (Symphonic Prog)
5. Cynic - Traced in Air (Tech/Extreme Prog Metal)
6. Gojira - The Way of All Flesh (Tech/Extreme Prog Poll)
7. Sculptured - Embodiment (Tech/Extreme Prog Metal)
8. One Shot - Dark Shot (Jazz Rock/ Fusion)

Collaborators Top Prog-Rock Albums 2008

1. Opeth - Watershed (Tech/Extreme Prog Metal)
Il Bacio della Medusa - Discesa agl'inferi d'un giovane amante (actual second in Collab AOTY list, but already listed)
2. The Tangent - Not As Good As the Book (Eclectic Prog)
3. Pendragon - Pure (Neo-Prog)
Beardfish - Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two (actual fifth but already listed)
4. Steven Wilson - Insurgentes (Crossover Prog)
5. Kayo Dot - Blue Lambency Downward (Avant Prog and one of my personal faves)
6. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath (Heavy Prog)
Cynic - Traced In Air (9th in collab list, already listed)
7. Meshuggah - obZen (Tech/Extreme Prog Metal)
8. Marillion - Happiness Is the Road (actual 11th place tie, Neo-Prog)
Birds and Buildings - Bantam to Behemoth (tied with Marillion in list but already listed)

My Awesome prog list taken from my top nine of the "best of 2008" release poll

1. Portishead - Third (not in PA, Electronic, Experimental Rock)
Kayo Dot - Blue Lambency Downward (in PA, my actual #2 at AP is already listed)
2. Isengrind / TwinSisterMoon / Natural Snow Buildings - The Snowbringer Cult (not in PA or at least not yet, Drone, Psychedelic Folk, Avant-Folk)
3. Juana Molina - Un día (not in PA, Folktronica, Ambient Pop, Neo-Psychedelia)
4. Rational Diet - At Work (in PA, RIO/Avant Prog)
5. Guapo - Elixirs (in PA, RIO/Avant)
6. Secret Chiefs 3 Book of Angels, Vol 9: Xaphan (in PA, RIO/Avant)
7. Elephant9 - Dodovoodoo (in PA, JRF)
8. Oneohtrix Point Never - Ruined Lives EP (in PA, Progressive Electronic)

Hope most here can find something to like and comment on, and I do like to hear about others.

Moon Safari - Blomijud

Marillion - Happiness Is the Road 

Rational Diet > Guapo, elephant9, Secret Chiefs 3

Beardfish - Sleeping in Traffic - Part Two

Cynic – Traced in Air

Moon Safari - [Blomljud] almost tied with Beardfish and Birds and Buildings, all great albums.

I voted for Steven Wilson. I do like that album and would include it in my list from Mike's Awesome Prog site but it doesn't seem to be available for that year.

Edited by richardh - 6 hours 19 minutes ago at 21:00

Jannick Top's Infernal Machina clearly over all of these (I mean those I know, which isn't that many). From the list probably Secret Chiefs 3 > Insurgentes.

Edited by Lewian - 11 hours 13 minutes ago at 16:06