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Andy Webb View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Collaborators' Top Albums of 2015
    Posted: February 01 2016 at 01:25
Welcome to the 11th annual ProgArchives Collaborator’s Album of the Year contest!

As is our annual tradition here at ProgArchives, the collaborators that work tirelessly behind the scenes of the site – the admins, special collaborators, collaborators, Prog Reviewers, and VIP members – get together to discuss and exchange the best music of the year. Each collaborator submits a list of his or her favorite albums of the year, and I again had the honor to collate these lists into an exhaustive list of the best music this year had to offer.

 

The collaborators of this site shock me each and every year at the simply daunting amount of music that they are exposed to each year and the depth that they listen to each album. 2015 proved to be another stunning year for progressive music, and the array and variety of the music that was released shocked me more than any other year. Old favorites, new favorites, and everyone in between offered something new and exciting this year, and you can find just about anything on this list. This year, 61 voters selected a record-smashing 307 albums as their favorites from 2015.

 

Each year, I am simply shocked by the amount of quality music our collaborators are able to listen to, and 2014 proved no different! Many voters brought albums that sadly they were the only voter for, but it shows just how far our collaborators look for high quality progressive rock. This list, I feel, is an excellent source for anyone who wants to jump into the more obscure field of progressive rock. While of course every album could not have been evaluated by every voter, this provides an excellent snapshot of our site’s taste.

Now, without further ado,

The ProgArchives Collaborators’ Top Albums of 2015

1.   Anekdoten – Until All the Ghosts Are Gone

The masters are back – the Swedish experts in heavy prog haven’t released a studio album since 2007, and it seems that 8 years in between A Time of Day and Until All the Ghosts Are Gone were well spent. The band’s sixth studio effort tops our list this year and shows just how creative a band can be even after years out of the studio. Anekdoten rightly takes the top spot this year, and all we can do is they rush back to the studio to give us another delicious offering.

Until All The Ghosts Are Gone is the long awaited album from Anekdoten, a wait of eight years since the  excellent A Time Of Day. Fortunately it's been worth the wait as it's as good as and sometimes better than most of their back catalogue. Some achievement when you consider the illustrious company it keeps…The haunting and melancholic melodies, the dynamic rhythm section and of course the ever present Mellotron…As a whole Until All The Ghosts Are Gone is a stunning achievement, an album that can sit proudly alongside anything in the bands past.” – Nightfly, Special Collaborator

Statistics:

·        Genre: Heavy Prog

·        Country: Sweden

·        413 ratings, 4.29 stars

·        Appears on 45% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 5

·        Official Website

·        Spotify Stream

·        Song Sample (Get Out Alive)

2.   Steven Wilson – Hand. Cannot. Erase.

It seems like there isn’t a year where the master himself, Steven Wilson, has a hand in the production of a masterful piece of progressive work. Steven has personally been at the top of our curated list 4 times, and productions that he’s been directly involved in add an additional 2 – it’s clear that Steven knows what he’s doing. Hand. Cannot. Erase. is no different – this exquisite production is a display of Mr. Wilson’s songwriting ability, instrumental ability, and production ability (the album just simply sounds good) and it’s no surprise that it was a hit among our collaborators once again.

             

Steven Wilson takes us back on another journey of his progressive rock adventure, and the expectation were high because of the quality of his music… Sometimes we can feel the light atmosphere with the piano and the flute and at others times, the heavy blast of guitars…the music here has this atmospheric feel, almost cinematic with different moods and sounds, from melancholy, to dreamy and to explosive… This album combined the quality of songwriting and musicianship with refine arrangements. It's got an overall sound that is new and old, melancholic and modern. It's a natural evolution of the man's career that his marked by his originality and creativity.” – rdtprog, Special Collaborator

Statistics:

·        Genre: Crossover Prog

·        Country: United Kingdom

·        864 ratings, 4.32 stars

·        Appears on 35% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 4

·        Official Website

·        Song Sample (First Regret/3 Years Older)

3.   Jaga Jazzist – Starfire

Our second non-prolific Scandinavian outfit of the list, Jaga Jazzist is perhaps the ultimate prog fusion band. The eight-piece band never fails to provide a unique sound, and the atmosphere produced in their sixth release, Starfire, is no exception. Starfire is dark, moody, and groove-based – they never miss a beat and always keep on time. They flirt with electronics, brass, strings, and more, and it pays off. The album is a slim five tracks, but the 50-minute adventure holds you in the whole time, and it fell into the third spot on our list.

         

What an incredible breath of fresh air! I am so glad to be reminded by an album like this of how much I love upbeat, happy-go-lucky groove tunes like these. From the first notes of the opening song, Starfire, I was gushing with a big grin across my face… The entire album plays out like some incredible soundtrack music… This is an awesome album of great mood pieces--all deserving of film soundtrack contracts… it's just a little at the edge of what I consider progressive rock music--which is really a good thing…  Check out the album! You will LOVE it!” – BrufordFreak, Collaborator

Statistics:

·        Genre: Jazz Rock/Fusion

·        Country: Norway

·        25 ratings, 3.89 stars

·        Appears on 32% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 1

·        Official Website

·        Spotify Stream

·        Song Sample (Starfire)

4.   Riverside – Love, Fear, and the Time Machine

Our first metal band on the list, Riverside’s newest offering comes into fourth place this year. Despite the genre placement, however, Riverside has taken much the same route that Opeth took in their past two releases. Like many of the other albums present on this year, Love, Fear, and the Time Machine is a mood-driven album. While there is a heavy riff here and there, Riverside chose to take a step back this time and produce a true work of atmospheric art. The band’s sixth album rests amid a decade-long history of marvelous releases, and it’s very much so home amidst its brothers.

            

LFTM represents Riverside at their most mature, both on a musical and an emotional level… this new album is a purposeful exploration of a warmer, lusher, more hopeful side to the band… Riverside gives us a vision of life with hope, happiness, and purpose at the end…Spacier, lovelier, and happier, "Love, Fear and the Time Machine" laps and flows like the waters at, well, a riverside. Instrumental sections sound organic and naturally flow in and around choruses and verses…. I feel that they have completed their emotional journey, and they've taken me along for the ride.” – Second Life Syndrome, Prog Reviewer

Statistics:

·        Genre: Progressive Metal

·        Country: Poland

·        384 ratings, 4.08 stars

·        Appears on 27% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 1

·        Official Website

·        Spotify Stream

·        Official Music Video (Found (The Unexpected Flaw of Searching))

5.   Elephant9 – Silver Mountain

Elephat9, or more accurately, Elephant9 with Reine Fiske, have wowed us before – 2012’s Atlantis was a display of what happens when the avant meets the jazz meets the groove meets the Hammond B12 – and what happened was beautiful. The collaboration returns this year with Silver Mountain, and where Atlantis brought a frantic pace throughout the whole experience, Silver Mountain is a much more deliberate, groovy offering. The screeching Hammonds and Mellotrons are still there, but the album takes much longer to build, and as with many things, with patience, the longer wait pays off, landing Silver Mountain at number 5.

            

I was surprised how different this album is when compared to the previous ones… Just the way they jam and the way the organ often seems to boil under the surface. I kept waiting for them all to break out but it rarely happens here. This is a trippy album that is often subdued and comes across as being improvised jams. The thing is we get four lights out musicians who have done something really special here in my opinion… This is a long one, a double vinyl album clocking in at 76 minutes but much like "Bitches Brew" the time flies by… You can't go wrong with any of the four studio albums this band has released but this one and "Dodovoodoo" are my favourites so far.” – Mellotron Storm, Prog Reviewer

Statistics:

·        Genre: Jazz Rock/Fusion

·        Country: Norway

·        27 ratings, 4.11 stars

·        Appears on 21% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 1

·        Official Facebook

·        Spotify Stream

·        Song Sample (Occidentali)

6.   Leprous – The Congregation

Clearly, the Scandinavians, or perhaps specifically, the Norwegians, are doing something right – Leprous, the Norwegian tech prog metal band, have released The Congregation, their fifth effort, to much critical appeal. Leprous is an example of a band with no qualms about what direction their music goes, and it seems that each time they release an album, they explore a new direction or musical opportunity and they never seem to miss.

            

Let it be kept no secret: I firmly believe Leprous are the most evocative band operating within progressive metal today… the new album brings a revitalized emotional immediacy to Leprous' music, and in this respect I am more affected than I have been by an album in many a while… Where some of my favourite progressive albums take a few listens to 'get' them, The Congregationhad me hooked from the first listen… With The Congregation, Leprous have once again proven that my recognition of them once as the most promising band in progressive music has been well-founded. Time and again, they've delivered on that promise, and I cannot wait until their next presumably unfolds in 2017.” – Conor Fynes, Prog Reviewer

               Statistics:

·        Genre: Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

·        Country: Norway

·        292 ratings, 4.10 stars

·        Appears on 21% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 2

·        Official Website

·        Spotify Stream

·        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G9Qd_84YZs&feature=youtu.be">Official Music Video (The Price)

7.   Unreal City – Il Paese Del Tramonto

The first appearance of an incredible number of Italian prog bands on this year’s list, Unreal City represent perhaps one of the bets years in Italian prog seen in many years. Il Paese Del Tramonto is everything that one looks for in a well-crafted, evocative Italian prog record – synth driven, dynamic, and endlessly fun to listen to. While the band holds true to the remarkable tradition of 1970s RPI, the band also forges its own path in modern prog, pulling influence from across the prog spectrum. Il Paese Del Tramonto impressed our collaborators so much to place it at seventh on our list.

          

[Unreal City] seem to have incorporated mountains of hours in reliving the RPI greats of the past and simply learned from their glorious history and forged a new form of RPI… Within the confines of one track, there is an abundance of diversity, feeling, mood swings and technical know-how that will make your head shake/quake in disbelief. Not even a bum second on this piece of plastic, just a sheer pleasure ride… The cover art is drop-dead beautiful, the sound ecstatic and musically, a glaring omission of any kind of occasional blandness or prog-by-the-numbers. The end result is possible the finest RPI album in recent and past memory, full of bravado, courage, balls and delight. A classic prog album.” – tszirmay, Special Collaborator

               Statistics:

·        Genre: Rock Progressivo Italiano

·        Country: Italy

·        255 ratings, 4.04 stars

·        Appears on 24% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 0 (next highest: #2)

·        Official Website

·        Spotify Stream

·        Youtube Stream

8.   La Fabbrica Dell’assoluto – 1984: L’ultimo Uomo d’Europa

The second Italian band in the top 10, La Fabbrica Dell’assoluto is a new face on the scene, releasing their debut 1984: L’ultimo Uomo d’Europa this year. LFDA (as I’ll refer to them as that’s a bit easier to type out!) plays a much darker and more bombastic style than Unreal City and have a good time doing it. It’s clear even from the beginning that LFDA have a good time playing their fast paced, energetic brand of RPI and parts even seem to be influenced by the raw energy of metal in the early 80s alongside the RPI bands.

           

Every year in every progressive rock-related style, there are those couple of particular titles that stand out and hugely impress right from the very first play, destined to become a truly special work that makes a massive impression, only growing in stature and reputation as rave reviews and good word-of-mouth spreads… For its entire 55 minute length, you'll be hard pressed to find a more thrilling and satisfying modern Italian symphonic work that stands just as strongly as many of the vintage classics so beloved by generations of Italian progressive music fans. This is not merely some fawning imitation, instead La Fabbruca dell'Assoluto indulge in the sounds of their favourite Italian prog heroes and fuse it with youthful energy, confidence and sheer guts, offering an almighty kick up the backside of the RPI style.” – Aussie-Byrd-Brother, Special Collaborator

Statistics:

·        Genre: Rock Progressivo Italiano

·        Country: Italy

·        49 ratings, 4.32 stars

·        Appears on 16% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 1

·        Official Website

·        Spotify Stream

9.   Ciccada – The Finest of Miracles

Ciccada is a band that is perhaps a bit more surprising than some others – I admit that the first time I had heard them was when I was putting together this list. The Finest of Miracles is this Greek band’s sophomore effort, and even with just one other release under their belt, the band clearly knows how to put together an album. Ciccada is also perhaps our only “traditional” prog album on the list, with the album being very much so in the vein of much of the classic prog we have come to love. This by no means implies the band is ‘by-the-numbers-prog,’ as they have been able to forge their own sound of folk-meets-rock-meets-prog-meets-jazz, and it brought them up to the ninth spot on our list.

        

Diversity is something of a central characteristic to be given Ciccada's second album. The foundation of their style is progressive folk rock, but with details and excursions from jazz, traditional folk music and symphonic progressive rock incorporated into the totality, alongside elements that one might describe as chamber rock to boot. A well made album on all levels, and while not as challenging as it may sound from description, the overall production merits that description due to the sheer diversity of the material. As the band cites bands such as Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant and Gryphon as sources of inspiration, those with an affection for those bands appear to be a likely key audience for this CD.” – Windhawk, Special Collaborator

               Statistics:

·        Genre: Eclectic Prog

·        Country: Greece

·        189 ratings, 4.02 stars

·        Appears on 16% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 2

·        Official Facebook

·        Spotify Stream

10.        Guapo – Obscure Knowledge

Guapo is perhaps one of the most well-known bands in the modern avant-garde rock scenes today and has been steadily producing high-quality productions for a number of years. Similar to their last effort, Obscure Knowledge is three lengthy jam-oriented songs full of cranking Rhodes lines, chugging drum lines, and a guitar and bass duo that never seems to relent. Those who enjoy this type of furious jam-oriented avant-prog (I myself am one of them, and I hope you are too) love this stuff, and it’s no wonder that Guapo have once again found themselves a top spot on our list.

              

Once again I'm left spellbound by the sheer power of the music from [Guapo]… Sounds pulsate as the atmosphere becomes uncomfortable then it kicks in hard before 2 minutes followed by the guitar lighting it up… Powerful organ runs as well then the guitar rips it up again… Man this can be so experimental but they give me enough melody to balance it out really well. This is an intriguing album that will appeal to Avant fans especially.” – Mellotron Storm, Prog Reviewer

Statistics:

·        Genre: RIO/Avant-Prog

·        Country: United Kingdom

·        40 ratings, 4.17 stars

·        Appears on 19% of all lists

·        Number of #1 listings: 2

·        http://www.guapo.co.uk/">Official Website

·        Spotify Stream



Edited by Andy Webb - February 01 2016 at 01:39
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 01:32

1 Anekdoten Until All The Ghosts are Gone 451
2 Steven Wilson Hand. Cannot. Erase. 356
3 Jaga Jazzist  Starfire 265
4 Riverside Love Fear and the Time Machine 195
5 Elephant9 with Reine Fiske Silver Mountain 178
6 Leprous The Congregation 167
7 Unreal City Il paese del tramonto  161
8 La Fabbrica Dell'assoluto 1984: L'ultimo uomo d'Europa 157
9 Ciccada Finest of Miracles 142
10 Guapo  Obscure Knowledge 140
11 Godspeed You! Black Emperor Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress 132
Iron Maiden The Book of Souls 132
13 Pandora Snail War and Peace 126
La Conscienza di Zeno La notte anche de giorno 126
15 Echolyn I Heard You Listening 125
16 Enslaved In Times 124
17 Hooffoot Hooffoot 122
18 Ozric Tentacles Technicians of the Sacred 118
19 Reve General Howl 116
20 The Dear Hunter Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise 112
21 Battles  La Di Da Di 107
22 The Tea Club Grappling 106
23 Beardfish +4626-Comfortzone 100
24 Magma Sl*g Tanz 94
25 Nemo Coma 93
26 Between The Buried and Me Coma Ecliptic 91
27 David Gilmour  Rattle That Lock 87
28 Symphony X Underworld 86
Glass Hammer The Breaking of the World 86
30 IO Earth New World 83
Dungen Allas Sak 83
32 Gazpacho Molok 81
Spock's Beard The Oblivion Particle 81
34 Bjork  Vulnicura 79
Sanguine Hum Now We Have Light 79
Sylvan Home 79
37 Unit Wail Beyond Space Edges 77
38 Zombi Shape Shift 73
39 Alco Fisbass Alco Frisbass 71
40 Arena  The Unquiet Sky 69
41 Corvus Stone  Corvus Stone Unscrewed 67
42 Dave Kerzner New World 66
3RDegree Ones and Zeros, Volume I 66
44 The Tangent A Spark in the Aether 63
45 Nice Beaver The Time It Takes 62
46 Chon Grow 61
47 Møster! When You Cut Into the Present 60
48 Comedy of Errors Spirit 59
49 Intronaut The Direction of Last Things 58
La Curva di Lesmo La Curva di Lesmo 58
Simon Steensland A Farewell to Brains 58
52 Brainticket Past, Present & Future   57
Methexis Suiciety 57
54 Battlestations The Extent Of Damage 56
Roz Vitalis Lavoro D'Amore 56
56 Goblin Rebirth Goblin Rebirth 55
Grand Tour Heavy on the Beach 55
58 Big Big Train  Wassail 54
Steve Hackett Wolflight 54
60 Yuka And Chronoship The 3rd Planetary Chronicles 52
61 Tribulation The Children of the Night 50
62 Barock Project Skyline 49
63 Thieve's Kitchen The Clockwork Universe 48
Circle  Pharaoh Overlord 48
Zs Xe 48
66 Karnataka Secrets of Angels 47
67 William D. Drake Revere Reach 45
68 Deafheaven New Bermuda 44
Baroness  Purple Album 44
Ryley Walker Primrose Green 44
71 Pond Man It Feels Like Space Again 43
72 District 97 In Vaults 42
Homunculus Res Come Si Diventa Ciò Che Si Era 42
74 Tim Bowness Stupid Things That Mean the World 41
TesseracT  Polaris 41
76 Scherzoo Three 39
Witchwood Litanies from the Woods 39
78 Nik Turner Space Fusion Odyssey 38
79 Perhaps Third 37
Seven Steps To The Green Door Fetish  37
Öresund Space Collective  Different creatures 37
Mystery Delusion Rain 37
83 Vespero Fitful Slumber Until 5:00am 36
T Fragmentropy 36
Davy O'List  Second Thoughts 36
Arcane Known/Learned 36
Perfect Beings II 36
88 Neal Morse The Grand Experiment 35
89 Sannhet Revisionist 34
Toe. Hear You 34
Agusa Tva 34
92 Delirium L'Era della Menzogna 33
VdGG Merlin/Atmos 33
Mew  +- 33
95 Gentle Knife Gentle Knife 32
Alejandro Matos La Potestad 32
Cherry Five Il pozzo dei giganti 32
Luca Turilli's Rhapsody  Symphonia Ignis Divine 32
99 Queensryche Condition Human 32
100 Spettri 2973 MMCMLXXIII La nemica dei ricordi 31
Turzi  C 31
IZZ  Everlasting Instant 31
103 Advent The Silent Sentinel 30
Sonar  Black Light 30
The Gentle Storm  The Diary 30
Komara Komara 30
107 The Great Discord  Duende 29
108 Angel Ontalva Tierra Quemada 28
Cailyn Lloyd Voyager 28
Amadeus Awad Death is Just a Feeling 27
VIII Strada Babylon 27
Eldberg  Par er Heimur Hugans 27
Mouse on the Keys The Flowers of Romance 27
Frank Zappa Roxy the Movie 27
The Aristocrats Tres Caballeros 27
VAK Aedividea 27
116 Julian Julien Terre II 26
Dreadnaught Gettin' Tight With Dreadnaught 26
Thy Catafalque Sgùrr 26
Brezhnev Fun Club  Il Misantropo Felice 26
120 Pyramaze Disciples of the Sun 24
ÖXXÖ XÖÖX  Nämïdäë 24
Caligula's Horse Bloom 24
Subterannean Masquerade The Great Bazaar 24
Hands Caviar Bobsled 24
ni  Les insurgés de Romilly 24
126 Fripp and Cross Starless Starlight Loops 23
Res Gesta Odissea 23
Blind Guardian Beyond The Red Mirror 23
129 Necromonkey Show Me Where It Hertz 22
Vanden Plas Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld II 22
Alpha Wave Movement  System A 22
132 Osanna Palepolitana 21
Arcturus Arcturian 21
Native Construct  Quiet World 21
135 5R6 Islands  20
Enablers Rightful Pivot 20
Jono Silence 20
The Psychedelic Ensemble The Sunstone 20
Murky Red No Hocus Without Pocus 20
Korekyojinn Fall Line 20
141 Baron Torpor 19
Magicfolk Saltarello 19
Apothecary That's What You Get For Talking 19
Ontogeny  Hymns of Ahriman 19
Earthside  A Dream In Static 19
Artaud Beats  Logos 19
Steam Theory Asunder  19
Lubianka Cerimonies 19
Rendezvous Point Solar System 19
Profusion Phersu 19
Zu Cortor Todo 19
152 Angra Secret Garden 18
Khatsaturjan Beast, Man, and Machine 18
Space Invaders Dreadnought 18
Mindgames Paradox of Choice 18
Transmigrant The Philomath 18
Edison's Children  Somewhere Between Here and Now 18
Periphery Juggernaut 18
Kinetic Element  Travelog 18
Feat Esserela Tuorl 18
Schnellertollermeier  X 18
King Crimson Live at the Orpheum 18
Manna/Mirage Blue Dogs 18
Ghost Rhythms Madeleine 18
Upsilon Acrux  Sun Square Dialect 18
166 The Decemberists   What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful Word 17
Zip Tang Private Shangri-la 17
White Raven The First Breath 17
Equations Hightower 17
Our Oceans Our Oceans 17
Asturias  Missing Pieces Of My Life 17
Ghost  Meliora 17
Apogee  The Art of Mind 17
Kamelot Haven 17
Quorum  Another World 17
6:33 Deadly Scenes 17
Hedersleben The Fall Of Chronopolis 17
Solaris  Martian Chronicles Live 17
Krokofant Krokofant II 17
181 Archive Restriction 16
Cary Grace Tygerland 16
Fjieri Words Are All We Have 16
Herba D'Hameli Interiors 16
Kanoi  Buru Haze 16
Sumac  The Deal 16
Ubi Major Incanti biomeccanici 16
Pantommind Searching For Eternity 16
Antimatter The Judas Table 16
190 Mechanik Eadem Mutata Resurgo 15
A Forest of Stars  Beware the Sword You Cannot See 15
Colin Bass  At Wild End 15
Unified Past Shifting the Equilibrium  15
Pyramids  A Northern Meadow 15
Sigh Graveward 15
196 Toxic Smile Farewell 14
Forgotten Suns When Worlds Collide 14
Arti e Mestieri Universi paralleli 14
Ligro Dictionary 3 14
We Lost The Sea  Departure Songs 14
Pryapisme  Futurologie 14
Rosetta  Quintessential Ephemera 14
Nightwish Endless Forms 14
The Badge  Le relazioni pericolose 14
My Dying Bride  Feel the Misery 14
Lindsay Cooper (with Fred Frith, Gianni Gebbia and Lars Hollmer) Angels on the Edge of Time 14
Tounda IV 14
208 Iamthemorning  From the House of Arts 13
A Formal Horse  Morning Jigsaw 13
Ulysses #Emotion 13
Esmerine Lost Voices 13
Senmuth  Nadisamaya 13
Lychgate  An Antidote for the Glass Pill 13
Armonite  The Sun is New Each Day 13
Solar Project  Here I Am 13
Umphrey's McGee  The London Sessions 13
217 Squarepusher Damogen Furies 12
Mammatus Sparkling Water 12
Deerhoof  Fever 121614 12
Buckethead Rotten Candy Cane 12
Falling Edge  Convergence at Fossils Falls 12
Paralell Mind Connections 12
Biglietto Per L'inferno  Vivi. Lotta. Pensa 12
FM Transformation 12
Magic Pie King for a Day 12
226 Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster Wires / Dream \ Wires 11
Coheed and Cambria The Color Before the Sun 11
Marbin  Aggressive Hippies 11
Major Parkinson  Live at Ricks 11
Tomas Bodin  She Belongs To Another Tree 11
Neo Prophet   Time 11
Shining IX: Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Ends 11
Muse Drones 11
Akinetón Retard Azufre 11
Ben Levin Group  Freak Machine 11
236 Metatag Surrender 10
Girón Stones 10
Abstrakt Limbosis 10
OTEME L’Agguato. L’Abbandono. Il Mutamento 10
At War With Self Circadian Rhythm Disorder 10
Buckethead Orange Tree 10
Krallice  Ygg Huur 10
243 Motorpsycho (and Ståle Storløkken) En konsert for folk flest 9
STPO. L'Imparfait multiple de dieu 9
Progression by Failure Sonic Travelogue 9
Flor de loto  Medusa: En vivo en Buenos Aires 9
Buckethead Bats in the Lite Brite 9
Jean Michel Jarre Electronica 1 9
Galactic Cowboy Orchestra Earth Lift 9
David Torn Only Sky 9
Kylesa  Exhausting Fire 9
Minimum Vital Pavanes 9
Slivovitz All You Can Eat 9
254 Sadist  Hyaena 9
Alkaloid The Malkuth Grimoire 8
Maat Lander The Birth Of Maat's Galaxy 8
Pseudo/Sentai Bansheeface 8
Red Jasper  The Great and Secret Show 8
Buckethead Twisted Branches 8
Steve Moore  Cub 8
Föllakzoid  III 8
Electric Orange Nein! 8
263 Exovex Radio Silence 7
Loomings Everyday Mythology 7
Quanah Parker Suite degli animali fantastici 7
Gletscher  Die Einöde 7
Alio Die and Lorenzo Montana  Holographic Codex 7
Buckethead Crest of the Hill 7
269 The Amazing Picture You 6
Dutch Uncle O Shudder 6
Frank Zappa Dance Me This 6
Mondo Drag  Mondo Drag  6
273 Jono El Grande Melody of a Muddled Mason 5
Lay Llamas Space Jungle Mantra 5
Not a Good Sign From A Distance 5
Intervals The Shape of Colour 5
Buckethead Digging under the Basement 5
278 Moonwagon   Rule of Three 5
Steve Roach  Alive in the Vortex 4
Caspian Dust and Disquiet 4
Buckethead 29 days til Halloween: Blurmwood 4
Richard Pinhas Live in Japan 4
283 Karda Estra Strange Relations 3
Panzerballett Breaking Brain 3
Robert Rich  Filaments 3
Buckethead 28 days til Halloween: The Insides of the Outsides 3
Envy  Atheist's Cornea 3
Circuline   Return 3
Martigan Distant Monsters 3
Drudkh A Furrow Cut Short 3
Box of Shamans Belief and Illusion 3
292 Brian Ellis Group Escondido Sessions 2
Marchesi Scamorza Hypnophonia 2
Michael Brückner and Mattias Brüssel  Ondes Intergalactiques: Live at the Cosmic Nights Festival 2015. 2
Dodheimsgard A Umbra Omega 2
Franck Carducci  Torn Apart 2
Yak  Quest for Stones 2
Vostok Programme Vostok Programme 2
Kingcrow Eidos 2
John Zorn Inferno 2
301 Nerve Institute  Fictions 1
Biosphere (and Deathprod) Stator 1
Spirits Burning Starhawk 1
Tuliterä  Tulikaste 1
Godsticks Emergence 1


Edited by Andy Webb - February 01 2016 at 21:33
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 03:59
Nice for us to be represented again here on PA! Clap ...albeit it feels a little strange doing so much better in the popular vote than the collaborator's vote! Shocked 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 04:03
Damn...I have a salamander to shave!
I was sure Swilson would run away with this.

Great work Andy and thanks again for doing this

I'm very pleased to see my personal AOTY Silver Mountain come in at number 5.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 04:25
Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

I was sure Swilson would run away with this.
Me too. The Anekdoten album is so much better, in my opinion Smile

Thanks Andy Thumbs Up
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 04:31
Great job again Clap. The 1st of February has become a day I look forward to during the past few years.

Originally posted by Meltdowner Meltdowner wrote:

Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

I was sure Swilson would run away with this.
Me too. The Anekdoten album is so much better, in my opinion Smile

Thanks Andy Thumbs Up

100% agreed. The Anekdoten album was on top of my list.

These albums were my contribution to the 2015 list. Until All the Ghosts Are Gone, The Time It Takes and La Potestad belong to the finest releases of the 2010s in my humble opinion. Between parentheses are the numbers in which these albums appear on the list:

 1. Anekdoten - Until All the Ghosts Are Gone (1)
 2. Nice Beaver - The Time It Takes (45)
 3. Alejandro Matos - La Potestad (95-98)
 4. Cailyn Lloyd - Voyager (108-115)
 5. District 97 - In Vaults (72)
 6. Battlestations - The Extent of Damage (54-55)
 7. La Coscienza di Zeno - La Notte Anche di Giorno (13-14)
 8. IOEarth - New World (30-31)
 9. Ciccada - The Finest of Miracles (9)
10. Grand Tour - Heavy on the Beach (56-57)
11. Big Big Train - Wassail (58-59)
12. Roz Vitalis - Lavoro d'Amore (54-55)
13. Red Jasper - The Great and Secret Show (254-262)
14. Profusion - Phersu (142-152)
15. The Psychedelic Ensemble - The Sunstone (137-142)
16. Corvus Stone - Corvus Stone Unscrewed (41)
17. Unreal City - Il Paese del Tramonto (7)
18. Advent - Silent Sentinel (103-106)
19. Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine (4)
20. Perhaps - Third (79-82)

Four from this list are in the top 10, #1 and #9 at the same places. There is a cluster of albums from my list in the 50s.

The year 2015 was a year of long awaited albums: Anekdoten (8 years), Nice Beaver (more than 10 years - it took time indeed) and Red Jasper (c. 18 years, I was the only one to add this album).

Looking at the top 10, I see that three of the first six albums come from Norway. Ragnarøck seems to be booming these days. I think I give the new Ulver album a listen this week.


Edited by someone_else - February 02 2016 at 08:05
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 04:32
Wow, for the first time since I've been on PA (almost the start of this formula), I've never had so many of my top yearly picks selected and that are well ranked in the compounded PA Top list
 
I've got three of the top fiveStar, another three in the next 15 spots Approveand another 4 in the next 20Hug (so that's 10 in the top 40)...
Added to the fact that I've heard at least 10 more albums (but didn't select them) in that top 40, I think it's been years since I've been as much in phase with PA spiritClap
 
I've thought about 2015 being maybe the best year since the millennium.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 05:21
Andy thanks for doing this, it's been real fun participating and communicating with everyone about our favourite albums.
It turned out to be a very surprising list, turning the spot light on bands that aren't exactly popular but no doubt about are just as good if not better than the usual suspects.
Thanks again Andy!

P.S - I'd like to mention that Reve General are listed twice here, first at #26 and then at #109 as Rêve Général, I guess that won't change anything but still...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 05:27
^ It kind of changes: they are actually at #19.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 05:35
Quite a few of my picks in the top 50, though I think the Hands album would have deserved to rank higher. Great job as usual, Andy (and everyone who provided a list)Clap!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 05:36


wow 300+ albums! Guess I'll be spending some time on youtube this week.

And glad to see Anekdoten taking the main prize!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 05:39
Didn't participate this year as the only 2015 album I've actually heard is the Riverside one, and I found that disappointing. Pleasently surprised to see a non Steven Wilson album on top, looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 06:04
Very cool, great work Andy, thanks! Nice to see Reve General in the top 20 & Guapo in top 10.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 06:34
Thanks for doing all that work Andy.
Yay! Anekdoten wins! The only other time Anekdoten had my album of the year was 2003.
There's four in the top ten that I haven't even heard yet.
"The wind is slowly tearing her apart"

"Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 08:20
I just realised that I've got 4 (4!!!!!!!!!!) in the top ten this year
That is a first. I usually have 4 in the top 100. Jaga, elephant9, Guapo and Fabbricca. Would not have guessed that going into this.
Just goes to show how big of a difference there is between the frontpage folks and the collabs...which to me is very exciting. It'd be boring if everyone ate tuna. Some people need their swordfish.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 08:28
Originally posted by Meltdowner Meltdowner wrote:

^ It kind of changes: they are actually at #19.

That's great!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 08:28
Another thing I'd like to add is that I found it excrusiatingly hard producing this list. Looking down the final result now and I find so many albums I would have liked to include. I count at least 15 that are just as great as 2/3rds of my list.
Wonderful year for progressive music!

Edited by Guldbamsen - February 01 2016 at 08:29
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 08:34
I have managed to completely forget about Elephant9's album. Shame on me.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 08:41
Way to go AndyClap

Four of mine made the top10 with another two in the top20. Really surprised Guapo made the final 10...hopefully more people will check out that album.


Edited by zravkapt - February 01 2016 at 09:44
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2016 at 08:48
Anekdoten – Until All the Ghosts Are Gone


I Totally agree Clap amazing album .
Prog On !
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