Best album of the 21st century

kenethlevine wrote: There are so many I can't even finish this list right now: Nightwish - "Endless Forms most Beautiful", "Imaginaerum" and "Human II"

Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: essexboyinwales wrote: kenethlevine wrote: There are so many I can't even finish this list right now: Nightwish - "Endless Forms most Beautiful", "Imaginaerum" and "Human II" How could I not have mentioned these 3?...... I also have to throw in the first 2 Cellar Darling albums, if you like progressive hurdy-gurdy metal That phrase instantly sent me off to explore.

Enjoy, they're a wonderful band fronted by ex-Eluveitie singer/Hurdy-Gurdy player Anna Murphy, who also plays flute. Brilliant live too😎

- Rascal Reporters - Redux, Vol. 1

Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever

richardh wrote: Sacro_Porgo wrote: And you know what, I find Coldplay's Viva La Vida Or Death And All Of His Friends very prog friendly, though also very pop. My Nephew played one of their albums to me not long ago and I was pleasantly surprised how good the keyboards were. 'Sophisticated pop' perhaps? in that regards I would chuck Elbow into the mix as well.

It's hard to pick an overall favourite,, but it could be any of these 5-star Rick Wakeman albums. 

Some categories for me:

Edited by PhideauxFan - October 16 2021 at 04:03

I don't feel that I am qualified to answer.

I really don't know, nor would I be at all confident in suggesting one or several or many. For me to even consider it, not only would it have to be competent but it would have to be very original/ innovative. Prog, and its derivatives, is such a huge umbrella and even in this two decade period I haven't heard most that has been released.   Most of my favourite albums released in the period are not Prog (though may be related somehow) and liking something might make it best for you, but not best objectively (if there is such a thing -- I'm reminded of Platonic ideals). I don't even have a subjective best, let alone a best as writ large in the stars.

^ Sometimes the best, "the most excellent", to borrow the words as writ in the original post, answer is "I don't know." That is sincere and is consistent with my epistemology as I commonly have expressed it. And I'd sooner throw a body or two on that fire than share my log with thee. There may be a most excellent one (depending on criteria), but I don't know what it is and don't know that I would be capable of discerning it had I heard it. If there is, I suspect that I have not yet heard it.

For some favourites of mine (if they count):

David Bowie - Blackstar
Aranis - II
Guapo - Black Oni
Swans -The Seer and To Be Kind
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland
Bjork - Vespertine
Univers Zero - Clivages
Magma - Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré

I love Kosmischer Läufer, say the third album, but would not call it best. Mentioning best (most excellent) though is something I genuinely don't feel qualified nor comfortable to do, and I would hope that people at PA could respect that. Even when it comes to people asking for recommendations, my suggestions rarely hit the mark enough to get any comment in return, so I feel all the more useless in determining what is best.

Incidentally, had Boredoms' Vision Creation Newsun come out a couple of years later, then I might have answered with that.

Edited by Logan - October 17 2021 at 08:17

You seriously need to listen to some modern bands