Collaborators' Top Albums List - 2010

Soul Dreamer wrote: After seeing this list I know why prog is so "niche" and impopular with the "greater audience" . The top 10 has nothing (Haken maybe excepted), Agalloch's worst album is in the top 10...the rest is Rio/Avant which will never get a huge following, and jazz...my top 10 would be 100% different...where did the symphonic go...there are some great symphonic albums in 2010...

Such as, because I havnt come across any?

Dean wrote:  Excellent work Alex.   The results are a refection of current tastes/trends/fashion - it will be interesting to see how this pans-out over the next two years as these albums "sink-in"   The 2008 Collabs' top list has a few surprises when compared to the current PA chart for 2008:   Collabs' Top Albums List - 2008 1. Opeth - Watershed ... PA #22 2. Il Bacio della Medusa - Discesa agl'inferi d'un giovane amante ... PA #7 3. The Tangent - Not As Good As The Book ... PA #20 4. Pendragon - Pure ... PA #23 5. Beardfish - Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two ... PA #5 6. Steven Wilson - Insurgentes ... PA #36 7. Kayo Dot - Blue Lambency Downward ... PA #89 8. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath ... PA #1 9. Cynic - Traced In Air ... PA #8 10. Meshuggah - obZen ... PA #56   It would be interesting to know how the collabs view those 10 albums today.

I still reckon Traced in Air and BLD are excellent albums and that Watershed was good, but not great. Pure is still very good but I've cooled down a lot on TMV. Beardfish are still rubbish and The Tangents album is OK, Dont know the rest.

CCVP wrote: harmonium.ro wrote: So basically we've got four main genres in the top: avant-prog, metal, fusion and RPI. What happened with the other genres? Anyone wants to comment on that? I know Haken is in Heavy and Zeuhl is sepparated from RIO/Avant, but let's not think of that for a while. Mind you Alex, RPI is pretty much a non-genre. I have never understood the reason why the italian bands need to be separeted from the other symphonic bands. Hell, most of the big Brazilian progressive rock bands (as well as bands from the rest of South /Latin America) were much more unique, distinct and downright inovative than most of the Italians, besides having a own unique sound, quality or characteristic that could unite them in one single vein/style, which is the only reason why the Italian bands are separated.

Wow, I guess the former and past team members have really been wasting our time in ignorance.  Thanks for letting us know. 

harmonium.ro wrote: So basically we've got four main genres in the top: avant-prog, metal, fusion and RPI. What happened with the other genres? Anyone wants to comment on that? I know Haken is in Heavy and Zeuhl is sepparated from RIO/Avant, but let's not think of that for a while.

Interesting thought, I clearly see some avant, metal and fusion dominance there as well, but can't say if it is a trend,
some symphonic albums do/did very well in the general 2010-2011 top albums.

From my part, I think the last decade has seen some interesting developments in metal.
The main metal genres from the 90s (death,black,classic prog) had stagnated somewhat at the end of the decade.

But new directions were found by either adding progressive elements to the extreme metal genres from the 90s
or by adding "extreme" elements to the classic prog formula (even Dream Theater do growls now and generally sound "tougher" then 20 years ago)
Enslaved and Agalloch are examples of the first, Haken of the second.

Dunno if it will last much longer, I hear a lot of progressive-metal stagnation again with lots of bands just cloning somebody else, but some do get away with it (like Alcest )




Edited by Bonnek - February 25 2011 at 10:41

Dean wrote:   Collabs' Top Albums List - 2008 1. Opeth - Watershed ... PA #22 2. Il Bacio della Medusa - Discesa agl'inferi d'un giovane amante ... PA #7 3. The Tangent - Not As Good As The Book ... PA #20 4. Pendragon - Pure ... PA #23 5. Beardfish - Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two ... PA #5 6. Steven Wilson - Insurgentes ... PA #36 7. Kayo Dot - Blue Lambency Downward ... PA #89 8. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath ... PA #1 9. Cynic - Traced In Air ... PA #8 10. Meshuggah - obZen ... PA #56   It would be interesting to know how the collabs view those 10 albums today.

Can't believe Opeth made it that high, a lot of people consider it an average or merely good album compared to their earlier work.

That surprised me too. I love Watershed but it was my second Opeth album after Damnation. I recently went back to it after reviewing Blackwater Park...it's definitely a more prog album. I personally think the best songs (Lotus Eaters and Hessian Peel, the juxtaposition of Coil / Heir Apparent) really are among the best things Opeth has done, and definitely a stronger album than BWP.

Finnforest wrote: CCVP wrote: harmonium.ro wrote: So basically we've got four main genres in the top: avant-prog, metal, fusion and RPI. What happened with the other genres? Anyone wants to comment on that? I know Haken is in Heavy and Zeuhl is sepparated from RIO/Avant, but let's not think of that for a while. Mind you Alex, RPI is pretty much a non-genre. I have never understood the reason why the italian bands need to be separeted from the other symphonic bands. Hell, most of the big Brazilian progressive rock bands (as well as bands from the rest of South /Latin America) were much more unique, distinct and downright inovative than most of the Italians, besides having a own unique sound, quality or characteristic that could unite them in one single vein/style, which is the only reason why the Italian bands are separated.  Wow, I guess the former and past team members have really been wasting our time in ignorance.  Thanks for letting us know.

Nothing against you and the guys from the RPI Jim, it is just that this is one of those political decisions / collective decision I just don't agree. Every single important country for prog and every other music genre have their own scenes and I find in no way necessary to separate Italy from, say, France or UK or Yugoslavia or Polad / Czechoslovakia, etc, etc.

Great list, thank you for your efforts.

Mellotron Storm wrote: I think RPI should be seperate just like Krautrcok is seperate even though it's really German underground music.Both are unique in their own ways.There is a "sound" from each that stands out in my opinion from other genres.

A belated thankyou for your hard work - nice to see 3 of my choices in the top 10, and my number 1 is the top album for the 2nd year running (unlikely that I'll make it 3 in a row, though).