What albums did you listen to today?...continued - Progressive Rock Music Forum

maudlin of the Well - "Leaving Your Body Map"
Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois & Roger Eno - "Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks"
C418 - "Minecraft - Volume Alpha"
Brian Eno - "Ambient 1: Music for Airports"
Brian Eno - "Ambient 1: Music for Airports"

Molly Hatchet - Molly Hatchet - This one is about half and half Southern Rock classics and mediocre numbers. The classics: Bounty Hunter, Gator Country, Big Apple, and Trust Your Old Friend. These are four of my favourite songs from the band, and the latter in particular is one of my favourite songs period. Such a bright feel to the guitar sound, and such a deep swing from the band. There's a very "driving into the sunset" type of vibe to this one. Not crazy about the Allman Brothers cover Dreams I'll Never See, but I suppose that all in all this album laid the foundation for Flirtin' With Disaster, one of the finest rock records of the late 70's.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Best of The Rest - Technically not an album but a compilation, and I only listened to the first two songs (which were previously unreleased demos). The opener is one of Skynyrd's best tracks: I've Been Your Fool. Love it, love it, love it! This one definitely should have been on one of their studio albums. It's got it all. Hyper-sassy lyrics, a double slide co-lead from Gary and Allen, and a breakneck tempo. If you look up "honky tonk" in the dictionary, they should refer you to this one.

Rush - Hemispheres - Really not a fan of this one at all. The entire first side is a write-off as far as I'm concerned; completely meandering and overdone. There's probably about 43 seconds worth of quality ideas in here, but sure enough, they had to fill a side of vinyl, so what can ya do? However,The Trees and La Villa aren't too bad; quite good hard rock tracks, really. Nothing too special, though.

Acqua Fragile - Acqua Fragile - My first prog adventure of the day (listening wise that is; I don't think anyone here would be too interested in hearing about my weekend quest). I'm receiving this much better than the first time I put it on. The English vocals are actually quite good. Of course, I can't get over the fact that just about this entire album sounds like blatant cloning of various British bands. The opening track is a serious throwback to the compositional style of many an early Genesis epic, namely Looking For Someone. And the song right after it is obvious Gentle Giant cloning. There's no doubt that the music on here is high calibre and well-performed, but it's not nearly original enough that I'd consider buying it.

Il Balletto Di Bronzo - Ys - Ah, the mighty Ys. Perhaps I don't get quite as amped up by this one as, say, Micky, but it's still keyboard lover's nirvana. I've gotta say, though, Micky's right when he says this is the sonic equivalent of getting your head beaten by a 2 by 4 for 40 minutes. In an awesome way, of course. If anyone has any doubts that prog can rock, this is one of the textbook albums to prove them wrong.

when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents

Saturday...

Cloud - Indeterminate Pittsburgh, PA 2016) Instrumental, atmospheric, stoner, doom

Summoner - Atlantian (Boston, MA 2013) Atmospheric rock, stoner, doom

Velvet Elvis - Heavy Heads (Rochester, NY 2013) Psychedelic blues rock, stoner rock

Vessel - Nostalgia (Melbourne, Australia 2016) Hard rock, psych, stoner, metal

Black Moon Circle - Sea Of Clouds (Trondheim, Norway 2016) Dark psychedelic space rock with long jams (band quote)

Megaritual - Mantra Music (Australia 2016) Psychedelic, doom, raga (collection from the first two EPs) All instruments and vocals by Dale Paul Walker (Sun Of Man)

Yuri Gagarin - At The Center Of All Infinity (Gothenburg, Sweden 2015) Heavy instrumental psychedelic space rock

Finally! A day of rest. A very happy Sunday thus far. :)

Iced Earth-- the Glorious Burden
David Bowie-- Blackstar
Threshold-- March in progress
Mudvayne-- LD.50
The Mission-- Carved in Sand (live at sheppards Busch empire 2007)
Pink Floyd-- AMLOR
Amadeus (Neville Marriner)-- music from the motion picture
Pet Shop boys-- Elysium
Fields of The Nephilim-- Earth Inferno ( I'm still honoring that Halloween spirit.)

Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣

Finnforest wrote:

^
Totally agree on Hemispheres....although I enjoy Circumstances and La Villa.

Meeeeeee tooooo!

La villa strangiato is one of those 'bench mark' drumming tracks.
Peart is outta of his mind on that one. :)

Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣

It's all good, man, just cool to see you when you do pop in or on Facebook.

Been busy too, buddy....we had the Steven Wilson concert here last weekend, plus a record Fair, and Tom Ozric was back down in Melbourne for both which was cool. I even got backstage and got a few autographs of albums....all except mr Wilson himself though, sadly!

As for that Gabriel album, the worst thing is, I came across it at a sale at that second hand music shop I go to all the time, $5 they wanted for it....I looked at it and thought `It would probably be easier just to buy the damn thing again here now than spend all that time trying to find it....'

Alas, I left if there....the search will begin shortly!

I loved how dark and `off' sounding `My Head Sounds Like That' was!

I do have the `Growing Up' DVD, got it the day it came out, but sadly blu-rays hadn't quite kicked in at that point, otherwise I would have just bought that! I've become quite the blu-ray snob these days! Most times when I see a brand new 2016 release of a concert and it's only on DVD, I usually just roll my eyes and think `Pfft, what man would want you now?!'

I'll admit, it's a bit of an instant `won't bother' for me then in a lot of cases!

progbethyname wrote:

^ you got it, Audun. I put ice cream over cake anyway. ;)
And just ghosts for you in the NIN catalog??! Such a sin!

Seriously though. Try out the 'girl with the dragon tattoo' soundtrack.
Reznor and Atticus Ross are up to their usual tricks on that one. I have the 3 disc edition. It's amazing and I know you'll enjoy it. :)

Yup, ice cream FTW! LOL

From what I've heard, yes. Cry

I've seen the movie, but don't remember anything from the soundtrack. Will check it out if I get the chance.

Meltdowner wrote:

The Bearded Bard wrote:

Yeah, there's a couple of tracks on side 4 of PG I can do without as well ("Boogie with Stu" and "Black Country Woman"), but the rest of it I like. I have more problems with "Kashmir" myself. Sleepy

B&B are crazy, that's true. Crazy good that is. Wink

Really? Got to love the Mellotron on that one Smile

Yeah, but it's just too samey for me, too repetitive, so it gets boring really fast.

Meltdowner wrote:

The Bearded Bard wrote:

TeleStrat wrote:

Meltdowner wrote:

TeleStrat wrote:

Agusa - TVA (Malmo, Sweden 2015) Instrumental / Psychedelic Space Rock (with a bit of Folk)

Here's an album I forgot to check out last year Embarrassed

Definitely check out the Agusa album. I also like Katarsis (live) that came out last month. Thumbs Up

I second the Agusa - Två recommendation. Thumbs Up

A top 2 album from last year for me (no two-puns intended, believe it or not LOL

). The enhanced Nordic folk touches here, contra their debut, makes this a truly emotional album for me (love that Nordic folk stuff).

Thanks for the recommendation, guys Thumbs Up

I heard a track from it on a local radio Prog show last year and it sounded lovely Smile

You're welcome.

Meltdowner wrote:

Agusa - Två (Lovely album with plenty of Hammond. Wasn't this too much keyboard based for you, Gary? Tongue

)

Glad you liked it. Smile

ALotOfBottle wrote:

Meltdowner wrote:

ALotOfBottle wrote:

Nice! How do you like Fourth?

I was really in the mood for Roller yesterday Cool

I bought Fourth and Fifth on vinyl the other day. It's very different from Third, more Avant/Fusion Jazz than Canterbury, more up-tempo/intricate and less psychedelic/atmospheric but I enjoyed it. I recall liking Fifth more than Fourth on previous listens though.

Yeah, it's definitely very avant-fusiony, somewhat ECM-esque in my mind. I can't say if I like Fourth more than Fifth, both have some amazing tracks, but I feel like Fourth is overall more focused and more "ALotOfBottle." LOL

Fourth and Fifth are merely OK in my book, nothing more. Highly recommend picking up Six if you guys haven't already. With it's return to the sort of progressive fusion that can be found on Third, but without completely abandoning the avant jazz of the previous two albums, this is where it's really at, IMO. I even prefer it to Third most days. Shocked

Seven's really good, too. Easily prefer that one to Fourth and Fifth as well. It follows pretty much in the same vain as Six, but is perhaps a bit more melodic. It lacks the bite and edge of the preceding album though.

Meltdowner wrote:

King Crimson - Islands (I can't pick a best or a worst song from it, they all seem equally average Ermm

)

Yeah, there's perhaps no real standout track on there, although I do love "The Letters". For me, there is, however, just a special feel to the whole album. It's a recent purchase of mine, so I haven't digged into it too deeply yet, but I sense it could become one of my favourites from them.

Guldbamsen wrote:

Heh...I kinda feel the same about Ian's vocals. I'd love it if Tull were an instrumental act. He always makes me think of an old pipe smoking grandfather with a hangover.

True, he does sound like that, and he looked that way as well.

I agree, his vocals are not his best asset. To me, they leave something to be desired on most albums. I do, however, love how they sounded on A Passion Play and most of War Child. He was really in his vocal prime around '73-'74, IMO.

progbethyname wrote:

Finnforest wrote:

^
Totally agree on Hemispheres....although I enjoy Circumstances and La Villa.

Meeeeeee tooooo!

La villa strangiato is one of those 'bench mark' drumming tracks.
Peart is outta of his mind on that one. :)

Couldn't agree less, about the first side being a write-off that is. "Circumstances" and "La Villa Strangiato" are great, but so are the the title track and "The Trees" as well, IMO. I've always found Hemispheres to be their most consistent album.

Anyway, last month and a half or so for me:

King Crimson - Lizard

King Crimson - Earthbound

King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic

Brian Eno - Another Green World

King Crimson - The Night Watch

King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black

King Crimson - Red

King Crimson - The Great Deceiver

King Crimson - The Power to Believe

Arcturus - Arcturian

King Crimson - Live at the Orpheum

King Crimson - Live in Toronto (Saw them live back in September. I feel they stayed too close to the studio versions of most of the tracks, wish they had done some longer improvs like they did in the 70's, but I guess that's not what the band's about these days. Other than that it was a great show, really tight playing from everybody, and I had a fun time (went to the concert with a Polish colleague of mine who's into SBB, ELP and some other prog stuff). And it was, of course, really exciting to see them live for the first time. Thumbs Up

)

Huntsville - For the Middle Class

Huntsville - Eco, Arches & Eras

Huntsville - For Flowers, Cars and Merry Wars

Huntsville - Past Increasing, Future Receding (Huntsville at their most atmospheric. They're closer to kraut/post rock than free jazz here. Easily my favourite album of theirs.)

Huntsville - Pond (Saw them live for the first time just a couple of days after KC. An interesting experience, really cool. Cool

Yeah, September was a busy month for concerts, with Bushman's Revenge less than a week before KC as well, and it would've been even busier had I known about Supersilent's release concert ahead of time.)

Finland - Rainy Omen

Neu! - s/t

Astro Sonic - Come Closer and I'll Tell You

Perhaps - 4

News from Babel - Sirens and Silences / Work Resumed on the Tower

News from Babel - Letters Home

Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra

Popol Vuh - Seligpreisung

Popol Vuh - Das Hohelied Salomos

Chicago - The Chicago Transit Authority

King Crimson - Islands

Popol Vuh - Aguirre

Popol Vuh - Brüder des Schattens - Söhne des Lichts (In my first real excursions deep into Popol Vuh territory, as this was (I'd only heard Hosianna Mantra before out of these five), I was pleasantly surprised with this one (BdS-SdL). Proto post rock, can you call it that, or would that just be "rock"? LOL

)

Uriel - Arzachel

Khan - Space Shanty

Änglagård - Hybris

Anekdoten - Until All the Ghosts Are Gone

Furekåben - Prinsesseværelset (Got this after reading Keishiro's reviews of both their albums and David's review of their second one. Interesting stuff, reminds me a lot of Amon Düül II. Can't help but imagine that it's the character Bimse from the Danish television crime series Bedrag that's doing the vocals though. LOL

Not to say that's a bad thing, the vocals fits the music splendidly, sounds like Bimse's on a helluva trip. [missing smoking emoticon])

Franco Leprino - Integrati... Disintegrati (Really enjoyed this one. What a great album! Big smile

)

Biosphere - Departed Glories

Terje Winther - Trespasser

Terje Winther - Electronic Regions

Robert Wyatt - Old Rottenhat

Quella Vecchia Locanda - s/t

Agusa - Högtid

Agusa - Två

Dungen - Dungen: 1999-2001

Dungen - Stadsvandringar

Dungen - Ta det lugnt

Dungen - Tio bitar

Dungen - 4

Dungen - Skit i alt

Dungen - Allas sak

Nirvana - The Story of Simon Simopath

The Doors - L.A. Woman

Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing at Baxter's

Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation

Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers

Earth, Invisible - s/t

Electric Eye - Different Sun

Hawkwind - The Machine Stops

Gong - Rejoice! I'm Dead!

Knifeworld - The Unravelling

Knifeworld - Bottled Out of Eden

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Marillion - Brave

Locanda delle Fate - Forse le lucciole non si amano più

Camel - s/t

Camel - Mirage

Camel - The Snow Goose

Camel - Moonmadness

Camel - Rain Dances

Opeth - Still Life

Zu - Carboniferous

Jü and Kjetil Møster - Jü Meets Møster

Bushman's Revenge - Bushman's Fire

Bushman's Revenge - Jazz, fritt etter hukommelsen

Farmers Market - Slav to the Rhythm

Frank Zappa - The Grand Wazoo

Kraan - Live

SBB - Karlstad Live

Hatfield and the North - s/t

Ut Gret - Ancestors' Tale

After Dinner - s/t / Live Editions

After Dinner - Paradise of Replica / Paradise of Remixes

Hiromi Uehara - Spark

Van der Graaf Generator - Do Not Disturb

Seven Impale - City of the Sun

Seven Impale - Contrapasso

Motorpsycho - Blissard

Motorpsycho - Angels and Daemons at Play

Motorpsycho - Trust Us

Motorpsycho - Phanerothyme

Motorpsycho + Jaga Jazzist Horns - In the Fishtank 10

Motorpsycho - Black Hole / Blank Canvas

Motorpsycho and Ståle Storløkken - The Death Defying Unicorn

Motorpsycho - Still Life with Eggplant

Motorpsycho - Here Be Monsters

Motorpsycho - Here Be Monsters Vol. 2

Eloy - Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes

Eloy - Colours

Eloy - Time to Turn

Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn

Peter Gabriel - s/t 3

Roxy Music - s/t

Soft Machine - Fourth

Soft Machine - Fifth

Soft Machine - Six

Soft Machine - Seven

Santana - Caravanserai

Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior

Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy

Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire

Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Lost Trident Sessions

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Between Nothingness & Eternity

Billy Cobham - Spectrum

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Apocalypse

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Visions of Emerald Beyond

Grand General - s/t

Gentle Giant - Free Hand

Feat. Esserelà - Tuorl

Utopia - Todd Rundgren's Utopia

Todd Rundgren - Todd

Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die

Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Tortoise - s/t

Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Tortoise - TNT

Tortoise - Standards

Tortoise - It's All Around You

Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship

Tortoise - The Catastrophist (Don't know if it was because of equipment malfunction (which happened) or because the tracks from it is too hard to play live (John McEntire have said it would be hard to figure out how to do them live), and I don't know if they've played anything from it previously on the tour, but I don't think they played anything from this, their latest album, at their concert last night, which was fine by me, as I still haven't really warmed up to it. It's nice enough, but it's nothing more than just another OK Tortoise album, as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, they instead took a dive into their back catalog and played some of their finest tunes from earlier releases ("Djed" sadly not included though), and it was a cool experience hearing those tracks live for the first time. They're really an awesome live band, much more energetic than on their studio albums, where they get uncomfortably close to elevator music at times.)

Monolithic - Black Science

Monolithic - Frantic Calm (Hard hitting jazz/noise metal from ex-Motorpsycho drummer Kenneth Kapstad and ex-Jaga Jazzist guitarist Stian Westerhus. Recommended to Meshuggah fans especially.)

Needlepoint - Outside the Screen

Needlepoint - Aimless Mary (Fusion at base, but these guys are quite an eclectic bunch. They sometimes remind me of Supersilent and Elephant9, at other times King Crimson and Motorpsycho, and at other times again Dungen and Syd Arthur. Really cool band. And so the search for a CD copy of their debut begins...)

Supersilent - 1-3

Supersilent - 4

Supersilent - 5

Supersilent - 6

Edited by The Bearded Bard - November 09 2016 at 13:35

Sun City Girls - Torch of the Mystics

Throbbing Gristle - The Second Annual Report

Grant Green - Feelin' The Spirit

Mourning Phase - Mourning Phase - I don't listen to a lot of the early psychedelic folk stuff from the late 60's/early 70's, but it's always nice to stumble upon some. This short and sweet album goes great with those melancholy autumn Sunday afternoons.

Walrus - Walrus - Going in, I thought that this would be an incredibly generic jazz-rock-with-horns album, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the bulk of the band's sonic pallet is based around jazz rock with horns, there are quite a few clever ideas, some beautiful flute parts, and an incredible energy in their performances. Quite strong production, too, I should note. Of course, I couldn't help but smile the whole way through because I imagined that the singer was actually the dashing walrus on the cover, strutting his stuff with his bird hat panache and thick moustache.

when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents