A Nordic Poll of 28 Albums

David_D wrote: Logan wrote: By the way, I noticed that Goat's Commune is in your list in your Nordic topic. That's a really good one, although I opted to go for World Music at the time of the poll (I was wondering which to go for). I like best Commune as more diverse and rocky, and by the way, I enjoy much Goat's freaky, energetic, colourful, exotic and spiritual show at their concerts (on videos oploaded on Youtube).

I'll have to check out those lives. By the way, while the reviews I have seen have been somewhat lukewarm, I really enjoy Goat's latest (released on October 1th, 2024). I know I'm more quantity than you (still plenty of quality imo), but it favours well in my top 40 albums of 2024. General note: about time people might want to consider thinking about their year end lists for PA even if we still have more than two months left of the year and people will have longer to get their votes in.

Dellinger wrote: How can such a poll not include Hybris from Anglagard?

You've been around at this forum just a few years shy of me at this forum, if not as frequently, and you probably are aware that I often don't pick the better known or more popular of choices in my lists of favourites. I have known more than one at this forum that really disliked that album and years ago I remember defending the merits, the quality of the album. Of course people are free to like what they like and there is no accounting for taste, or so it is said. Had I made such a Nordic poll when you joined, then it surely would have been on my list of personal favourites. But it's an album that I have barely listened to for many years.

I often say that I tend to favour that which is newer to me, that which is fresher to my ears, and that was the first of any of the albums in the list that I knew. I still recognise it as a great album, but there are many albums that are fresher to me and excite me more these days. Thinking about the albums in the list just excite me more -- I'd rather play any of them right now as well as many other albums by the acts in the list as well as various acts I did not include. Maybe I will return to Hybris again and get excited all over some day. "Jordrok" I particularly remember loving.

By the way, do you know many from my list and like any of them? I'd be interested to see a list of your favourites in David's topic: https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=133772

Anyway, when I do a topic like this I am interested to hear about what others like, what they like in my list, and don't like. All part of getting to know each others tastes better and vive les différences, or should I say länge leve skillnaderna? I think there's plenty of good stuff in the poll, and am pretty happy with my choices, but of course I am biased.

Dellinger wrote: Logan wrote: Dellinger wrote: How can such a poll not include Hybris from Anglagard? You've been around at this forum just a few years shy of me at this forum, if not as frequently, and you probably are aware that I often don't pick the better known or more popular of choices in my lists of favourites. I have known more than one at this forum that really disliked that album and years ago I remember defending the merits, the quality of the album. Of course people are free to like what they like and there is no accounting for taste, or so it is said. Had I made such a Nordic poll when you joined, then it surely would have been on my list of personal favourites. But it's an album that I have barely listened to for many years. I often say that I tend to favour that which is newer to me, that which is fresher to my ears, and that was the first of any of the albums in the list that I knew. I still recognise it as a great album, but there are many albums that are fresher to me and excite me more these days. Thinking about the albums in the list just excite me more -- I'd rather play any of them right now as well as many other albums by the acts in the list as well as various acts I did not include. Maybe I will return to Hybris again and get excited all over some day. "Jordrok" I particularly remember loving. By the way, do you know many from my list and like any of them? I'd be interested to see a list of your favourites in David's topic: https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=133772 Anyway, when I do a topic like this I am interested to hear about what others like, what they like in my list, and don't like. All part of getting to know each others tastes better and vive les différences, or should I say länge leve skillnaderna? I think there's plenty of good stuff in the poll, and am pretty happy with my choices, but of course I am biased. Fair enough. I haven't gotten tired of Hybris, though. About what I may like from this list, I'm afraid there's so much around that I haven't been able to hears so many from your list. Algarnas Tradgard was interesting and I did enjoy it, but not really among my favorites. Bo Hanson just about the same. And I have heard a few Susanne Sundfor songs that I enjoyed, but I would need to check out more from her. I enjoyed very much Landberk's Riktig Akta album, as well as Anekdoten's "Until all the Ghosts are Gone" (and I should check out some of their earlier stuff). I have not been able to get much into The Flower Kings, and Kaipa I enjoy, but it's not my favourite stuff, yet, I enjoyed the Kaipa DaCapo project very much. And of course I like Opeth very much. Not very much prog, but I have enjoyed Therion too, specially the Secret of the Runes album. And there's a band (that's even less prog, but rather folk), Garmarna, which I enjoyed a lot. There's a band, Soup, I think Norweigian, from whom I enjoyed the album Remedies a lot. And there's Wobbler, which has gotten a lot of attention, at least some years ago, which I did enjoy, but I feel I didn't get to love as much as others seemed to praise them.

Thanks, Omar, I appreciate the response. Anglagard is a great name that I could indeed expect to see on a list of Nordic albums. Anekdoten is another. Actually, it was when I was arguing for it with someone who disliked Hybris that I went off it.   I find reviewing, critiquing and overthinking music can put me off it and in that case I thought I should try to be more critical and open to negative suggestion to be fair -- to question the worth I gave to it and to try to hear it from another perspective. I like to experience music more than actively think about it so I rarely have much of substance to say or that I wish to express about music.

I went off a variety of films I had appreciated when in film studies. The critiquing, thew analysing, and breaking it down put me off. It's a reason why I don't liking reviewing albums much. I was writing reviews for show called The Prisoner for a website, and that too put me off.   On the other hand, sometimes arguing for the worth of band has made me explore the music more and appreciate the band much more. This happened for me with Paul and Swans. But I ramble...

I've listened to music by all those you mentioned but Garmarna. I'm listening to the album Guds spelemän right now and enjoying it. Thanks.

Soup is one I particularly enjoyed and remedies has one of my favourite album covers. I should listen to its Visions album from 2021. I'm not a TFK fan either. I actually prefer some of their more modern stuff to their early stuff. I bought Space Revolver in I think 2004 or early 2005, hoping to try more contemporary music, and I do count that amonsgt my least favourite music purchases. I also did get Hybris around the same time and loved it! Sometimes too to make it more well balanced in a way, I do avoid the heaviest of hitters, but it's not, as some have claimed in the past, obscurity for obscurity sake.