The Best of the 21st Century So Far

First of all, I apologize if there is already a thread about the same topic. I tried to run a search - to no avail.

As the past 15 years have seen a resurgence of progressive rock (and progressive music in general), I am curious to know which albums PA members consider as milestones of this particular period, in any of the subgenres listed here. Personally, I have a few ideas, but I will have to think it over a bit, as there has been so much great music released since the beginning of the century that is often hard to choose.

Raff wrote: First of all, I apologize if there is already a thread about the same topic. I tried to run a search - to no avail. As the past 15 years have seen a resurgence of progressive rock (and progressive music in general), I am curious to know which albums PA members consider as milestones of this particular period, in any of the subgenres listed here. Personally, I have a few ideas, but I will have to think it over a bit, as there has been so much great music released since the beginning of the century that is often hard to choose.

All the sub-genres listed on PA are currently litmus tests for the Prog credentials of artist submissions received from the site members. This may or may not be consistent with the future aims of the site. For me, credible Prog ceased circa 1979-80 so I'm intrigued that like many other PA members, you appear to believe without demur that progressive rock and progressive music in general continues to be reflected in the roster of artists admitted to our archive from 2000 onwards. If this is so, would it not suggest that PA is no longer a Prog Rock archive but is really a progressive music appreciation site?

ExittheLemming wrote: Raff wrote: First of all, I apologize if there is already a thread about the same topic. I tried to run a search - to no avail. As the past 15 years have seen a resurgence of progressive rock (and progressive music in general), I am curious to know which albums PA members consider as milestones of this particular period, in any of the subgenres listed here. Personally, I have a few ideas, but I will have to think it over a bit, as there has been so much great music released since the beginning of the century that is often hard to choose. All the sub-genres listed on PA are currently litmus tests for the Prog credentials of artist submissions received from the site members. This may or may not be consistent with the future aims of the site. For me, credible Prog ceased circa 1979-80 so I'm intrigued that like many other PA members, you appear to believe without demur that progressive rock and progressive music in general continues to be reflected in the roster of artists admitted to our archive from 2000 onwards. If this is so, would it not suggest that PA is no longer a Prog Rock archive but is really a progressive music appreciation site?

More like a splitting hairs site.

Yeah, going with "really awesome albums from 2000 onwards", I'll say these with 5 star masterpieces in bold and the rest a good 4.5 from me:

Symphony X- V: The New Mythology Suite, Iconoclast
Transatlantic- SMPTe
IQ- The Seventh House, The Road of Bones
Madder Mortem- All Flesh is Grass, Deadlands
maudlin of the Well- Bath, Leaving Your Body Map, Part the Second
Opeth- Blackwater Park
Pain of Salvation- The Perfect Element, 12:5, Remedy Lane, BE
Sigh- Imaginary Sonicscape, In Somniphobia
Porcupine Tree- In Absentia
In the Woods....- Liveatthecaledonianhall
Kayo Dot- Choirs of the Eye, Blue Lambency Downward, Coyote, Hubardo, Coffins on Io
The Mars Volta- De Loused in the Commatorium, Amputechture, The Bedlam in Goliath
Muse- Absolution, Black Holes and Revelations
Nemo- Presages, Si Partie I, Si Partie II
Virgin Black- Elegant... and Dying, Requiem Mezzo Forte
Cult of Luna- Salvation, Somewhere Along the Highway
Disillusion- Back to Times of Splendor, Gloria
Enslaved- Isa, Ruun
Far Corner- s/t
The Gathering- Sleepy Buildings
Guapo- Five Suns, Black Oni
Isis- Wavering Radient
Marillion- Marbles
Paatos- Timeloss
Peccatum- Lost in Reverie
Virus- Carheart
White Willow- Storm Season, Terminal Twilight
Indukti- SUSAR
Ram-Zet- Intra
Sieges Even- The Art of Navigating by the Stars
Drudkh- Blood in Our Wells, Microcosmos
Ellipsis- Imperial Tzadik
Hiromi- Spiral
Gijira- From Mars to Sirius, The Way of All Flesh
NeBeLNeST- Zepto
OOIOO- Taiga
Protst the Hero- Kezia
Sikth- Death of a Dead Day
Unexpect- In a Flesh Aquarium, Fables of the Sleepless Empire
Between the Buried and Me- Colors, The Great Misdirect, The Parrallaz II: Future Sequence
Canvas Solaris- Cortical Tectonics, The Atomized Dream
Deathspell Omega- Fas--Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum; Paracletus
Epica- The Divine Conspiracy
The Pax Cecilia- Blessed are the Bonds
Riverside- Rapid Eye Movement, Anno Domine High Definition
Yakuza- Transmutations, Of Seismic Consequence
Birds and Buildings- Bantom to Bohemoth
Burst- Lazarus Bird
Cynic- Traced in Air
Dark Suns- Grave Human Genuine
Intronaut- Prehistoricisms, Valley of Smoke
Saena- s/t
Sculptured- Embodiment
To-Mera- Delusions, Exile
Delue Grander- The Form of the Good
Diablo Swing Orchestra- Sing Along Songs for the Damned and Delerious
Fen- The Malediction Field, Epoch, Dustwalker
Giant Squid- The Icthyologist
Karnivool- Sound Awake
Mastodon- Crack the Skye
Thy Catafalque- Roka Hasa Radio
Wobbler- Afterglow
Ihsahn- After
In Lingua Mortua- Sona des Refuses
Rolo Tomassi- Cosmology
Universe Zero- Clivages
hAND- Breathing
Leprous- Bilateral
Sub Rosa- No Help for the Mighty Ones
Tartar Lamb II- Polyimage of Known Exits
Frequency Drift- ...Laid to Rest, Over
Headspace- I Am Anonymous
Vaura- Selenelion

Oh my Frish, milestones .. 

^ Clappies to you, Sir!

^That's vintage Ian, Sleeper!

sleeper wrote: Yeah, going with "really awesome albums from 2000 onwards", I'll say these with 5 star masterpieces in bold and the rest a good 4.5 from me: Symphony X- V: The New Mythology Suite, Iconoclast Transatlantic- SMPTe IQ- The Seventh House, The Road of Bones Madder Mortem- All Flesh is Grass, Deadlands maudlin of the Well- Bath, Leaving Your Body Map, Part the Second Opeth- Blackwater Park Pain of Salvation- The Perfect Element, 12:5, Remedy Lane, BE Sigh- Imaginary Sonicscape, In Somniphobia Porcupine Tree- In Absentia In the Woods....- Liveatthecaledonianhall Kayo Dot- Choirs of the Eye, Blue Lambency Downward, Coyote, Hubardo, Coffins on Io The Mars Volta- De Loused in the Commatorium, Amputechture, The Bedlam in Goliath Muse- Absolution, Black Holes and Revelations Nemo- Presages, Si Partie I, Si Partie II Virgin Black- Elegant... and Dying, Requiem Mezzo Forte Cult of Luna- Salvation, Somewhere Along the Highway Disillusion- Back to Times of Splendor, Gloria Enslaved- Isa, Ruun Far Corner- s/t The Gathering- Sleepy Buildings Guapo- Five Suns, Black Oni Isis- Wavering Radient Marillion- Marbles Paatos- Timeloss Peccatum- Lost in Reverie Virus- Carheart White Willow- Storm Season, Terminal Twilight Indukti- SUSAR Ram-Zet- Intra Sieges Even- The Art of Navigating by the Stars Drudkh- Blood in Our Wells, Microcosmos Ellipsis- Imperial Tzadik Hiromi- Spiral Gijira- From Mars to Sirius, The Way of All Flesh NeBeLNeST- Zepto OOIOO- Taiga Protst the Hero- Kezia Sikth- Death of a Dead Day Unexpect- In a Flesh Aquarium, Fables of the Sleepless Empire Between the Buried and Me- Colors, The Great Misdirect, The Parrallaz II: Future Sequence Canvas Solaris- Cortical Tectonics, The Atomized Dream Deathspell Omega- Fas--Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum; Paracletus Epica- The Divine Conspiracy The Pax Cecilia- Blessed are the Bonds Riverside- Rapid Eye Movement, Anno Domine High Definition Yakuza- Transmutations, Of Seismic Consequence Birds and Buildings- Bantom to Bohemoth Burst- Lazarus Bird Cynic- Traced in Air Dark Suns- Grave Human Genuine Intronaut- Prehistoricisms, Valley of Smoke Saena- s/t Sculptured- Embodiment To-Mera- Delusions, Exile Delue Grander- The Form of the Good Diablo Swing Orchestra- Sing Along Songs for the Damned and Delerious Fen- The Malediction Field, Epoch, Dustwalker Giant Squid- The Icthyologist Karnivool- Sound Awake Mastodon- Crack the Skye Thy Catafalque- Roka Hasa Radio Wobbler- Afterglow Ihsahn- After In Lingua Mortua- Sona des Refuses Rolo Tomassi- Cosmology Universe Zero- Clivages hAND- Breathing Leprous- Bilateral Sub Rosa- No Help for the Mighty Ones Tartar Lamb II- Polyimage of Known Exits Frequency Drift- ...Laid to Rest, Over Headspace- I Am Anonymous Vaura- Selenelion

Sleeper, you need to stop holding back, man.

Electric Masada - Mountains Of Madness - radically different, noisy, jazz-metal, shocking
Magma - K.A. - Reemergence of one of the greats
Nik Bartsch Ronin - Holon - Minimalism is a rock environment, landmark
Thinking Plague - A History Of Madness - one of the two TP albums that announce TP as a force on the Avant scene
Ske - 1000 Autunni - Yugen keysman blend a beautiful mix of avant, symph, jazz & retro, stage setting for new experimentation
Aranis - Songs From Mirage - Chamber Rock without drums, stretching the pallet back to area previous covered by the likes of Julverne
Present - Barbaro - Definitive in the way to release a CD/DVD, stunning
Guapo - 5 Suns - one of the best representative of the new young wave of Zeuhl bands carving out their own territory
Cheer-Accident - Fear Draws Misfortune - Post-Punk Pop Prog - multifaceted, ever changing, echoes of Cardiacs, another band stretching definitions
Vezhlivy Otkaz - Gusi-Lebedi - Russian Folk Avant classic one of the great Eastern European bands opened up to new audiences by AltrOck distribution.
Miriodor - Avanti! - One of the best of the Avant instrumental bands, a personal favorite as it introduced me to modern avant along with C-A
Koenjiyakkei - Angherr Shisspa - One of the modern wave of Japanese dark heavy edgy Avant bands
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of Natural History - Unlike anyone else, single-handedly created Metal In Opposition
Secret Chiefs 3 - Book M - blending Metal, Folk & Middle Eastern vibes
Diablo Swing Orchestra - Singalong Songs Of The Damned & Delirious - Swing Metal with an Operatic vocalist - bizarre but it works.

Raff wrote: HolyMoly wrote: Interpreting "milestones" as simply "really awesome albums", I think this should be a fairly uncontroversial topic.  Maybe best to set aside the questions of which albums pushed music forward the most, and whether or not those albums should be on PA. I'll get back to ya on this.  Food for thought. Thank you, Steve, for expressing in clearer words what I probably botched. This will teach me to post threads just before I have to leave for work, without thinking over every single word to avoid being misunderstood. Indeed, what I meant was "really awesome albums", and my main purpose in asking this was to encourage people (myself included) to explore the great music produced in the first 14 years of this century. My reference to PA subgenres was merely instrumental, though I see I should have specified that being included in the database was not necessary. In any case, I never intended this thread to turn into a discussion on the direction PA should take. When I decided to come back to the forums a few months ago, after a four-year absence, it was not in order to try to change the way this site works. My one and only purpose is to spread the word about new music worth listening to, not to question whether prog still exists, or whatever other quasi-philosophical issue some people want to talk about.

I certainly didn't mean to derail the thread Raff but your OP simply triggered a few thoughts and it snowballed from there. Apologies if any perceived offence was taken.