New Millenium Prog Albums: Semi-Final Group B

Saperlipopette! wrote: Logan wrote: I have been really back into Kayo Dot after the modern band championship poll, and am voting for Choirs of the Eye over K.A.  Much as I like K.A., I do find CotE a better and more satisfying album.  K.A. I find lacking, cliche for a Magma fan (quite formulaic), and even quite cliche for a Prog fan generally.  I finding it lacking in textures, nuance and, I don't usually this word for music, but lacking in emotion or mood, and rather dull -- feels. Unlike most, I like the "K.A II" track the most.  Of modern Magma albums, I prefer E-Re by a wide margin, partially because of Christian Vander's exuberance in the "Hhai" and related part. While I can understand the excitement of K.A.'s arrival, taken on it's own, it is to me, to use a word many hate, Magma's most overrated studio album. In full agreement with this. I find it a complete mystery that K.A actually is the highest rated, and the second most rated Magma studioalbum on PA. I have a hard time listening all the way through the third part, which has a kind of glorious finale of a christian rock opera/musical (of unaturally high quality) feel to it. Still the second best album of this lot, no doubt.

I'm not surprised, I think it is the one that would be the most accessible to Progheads generally and I belive that quite a few liked and reviewed it who are not into, well, the kinds of related music that we like.  I rather feel like Vander wanted to make an album that would not only appease Magma's fans but would find success amongst people into Prog generally (not the first time Magma has gone for accessible, but he went way too far with Ooh, ooh Baby before and alienated people -- I enjoy that in a humorous way, btw) 

The third piece, in particular, I feel to be very Prog cliche.  It's noodly, rocky, and very bombastic.  I think the Flower Kings might enjoy it.  For a band that plays RIO concerts, I think it's a pretty mainstream album (mainstream in a Prog context).  I really do find the album pretty superficial and formulaic.

I mostly loved it when I got it, but it did not hold my interest that long on the whole.

BTW, not worth arguing semantics, much better to explore bigger picture ideas in dialogue than get word-picky, but I don't find ther use of mystery derogatory., and use that and similar expressions in the same way.  But different people use language differently, and their own idiom to the table.... Communication can be very clunky.

By the way, if I were to choose three fave Magma studio albums, by the way, they would be Kobaia, 1001 Degress Centigrade, and Wurdah Itah.

Magnification. Even if it's too late.

Magnification! 

Magnification, even if it's late

Magma followed by Tool & PT