TOP 10 PROG ALBUMS OF 2006 - POLL RESULT!

 

Didn't you want to say "despite being proclaimed the # 1 album of the year..." ???

 

Yes, I do disagree.

Your assertion was not reasonable - you assertion was arrogant and diminishing people who rated KD low.

You based it on an assumption that people who dislike this album are incapable to understand and appreciate it's greatness due to the low level of their musical perceptions. And you were wrong.

Believe me I know something about avant-garde, RIO, Zeuhl, free-jazz and John Zorn in particular, and I can tell you that KD is no-where near best representative of eclectic music by it's complexity.

You might not like Genesis, Yes or any other band, and you might love KD with all your heart - it's your musical preferences and it's fine with me, but you should not assume that people do not like KD just because they do not understand such high-brow music.

 

As to John Zorn - having 12 album of his large discography in my collection, I can tell you that some of them are great, but some are complete rubbish.

  

This band/project originating from Italy features a very promising and international lineup in its debut cd. It was conceived in autumn 2004 by Francesco Zago (formerly of The Night Watch) and Marcello Marinone who wanted to create a band which will play combine RIO and chamber music. As influences they state the following: “Satie, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Cage, Reich, Zappa, Henry Cow, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Univers Zero”.

The name chosen for this group is Yugen which is a Japanese word “which expresses the aesthetic canon of japanese art, as haiku in poetry or Noh in theatre”.

Between December 2004 and January 2005 they record their first demo. Diego Donadio (former drummer of The Night Watch), is drummer in this recording. In February 2005 the lineup is reinforced in the shape of keyboard player Paolo Botta (French TV) and Swiss saxophone player Markus Stauss (Spaltklang, Ulterior Lux) when they have a jam session in Tradate. Another expansion is the joining in of bassist Stephan Brunner (Spaltklang), and reed player Peter Schmid (Evan Parker, Vinny Golia).

As Zago composes more music the band wants to fully express their potential by adding more musicians who will help create a final outcome befitting the aim. It is then that these people join in: percussionist Massimo Mazza, harpsichord player Giuseppe Olivini (OZ, Contrapplugged), the classical players Maurizio Fasoli (piano), Elia Mariani (violin) and Marco Sorge (clarinets). Finally arrive drummer Mattia Signò, Tommaso Leddi (Stormy Six) and U.S. drummer Dave Kerman (Thinking Plague, 5uu’s, Present, Ahvak Blast).

In June 2005 they start recording their first album entitled Labirinto d'Acqua and the album is released in 2006. The album was mixed and mastered by Udi Koomran (Avhak, Present, Thinking Plague).

The record is instrumental, and while you can trace the chamber rock sound similar to Univers Zero and Art Zoyd, it has a fresh modern and rockier sound. Since there are several different backgrounds here in the lineup (Zago is symphonic oriented, Kerman and Leddi are RIO people and other players are classically trained) we get a mix of everything, and the result is compelling. You can hear some 5UU’s, Thinking Plague and Ahvak similarities, dynamic chamber rock, chamber music, mellow and ponderous parts, some “symphonic prog” parts (there is a mellotron and minimoog), quickly changing rhythms and unusual time signatures, layers of instruments playing different tunes, some quirky tracks which are free-form and more abstract (played mostly by only the classical instruments) and you have the complete freak-out parts where the band goes insane. There is a myriad of styles here and you need many listens to be able to absorb all of it and identify the numerous influences and musical ideas. The sound is rich due to the expanded lineup and the production.


Source for biography - http://www.myspace.com/yugenband

 

 

 

I never said you don't know anything about music. I just don't understand how you can rate Kayo Dot #1 that's all.

 

Everybody has differing opinions. I am not saying nobody should like that Kayo Dot CD. My only point is that to *ME*, it's funny that that CD is ranked #40 on this site's rating list for every reviewer but yet for the admins it's rated #1 yet the other 4 CDs sound nothing like it. Does that mean there are more Post Rock fans out of the admins than symph fans or is it that you all like both symph, prog metal and post rock fairly equally but picked Kayo Dot as the best anyway? It just doesn't make sense that's all. It's like saying the best part of "In the Court of the Crimson King" is the ambient part of "Moonchild".