Magma's E-Re II or Pendragon's Indigo

Apples and oranges, and just a poll of curiosity that was inspired by Goodgulff's (Bored of the Rings reference) http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=88445 polls, whose poll was in turn inspired by someone else.  I think Bored of the Rings a decent reference because this is such a boring poll.  Gandalff used 300 ratings minimum for albums that the 10 minute plus tracks came from for his 2008-2012 poll, and I wondered how well a track with less than 300 ratings from that period could fare against his first poll option (that happens to have no votes at this time, but it's a recent poll and I know Pendragon has quite a few fans at PA and it is off a very popular modern album) -- of course one track is from a favourite band of mine off an album I rate very highly, whereas the other is of a style I'm not that familiar with.   I think both bands are a little controversial at PA too in that both can inspire love and hate in listeners, though perhaps Pure is one of Pendragon's most generally accessible (in terms of Prog audience) albums, whereas I think that an album such as Magma's KA would be generally more accessible to general Prog audiences, and has a higher average rating ( I prefer E-Re)

This time I don't expect people to know both tracks before voting (though if people do vote for one, of course they should know that one at least).  However, here are both tracks for those that want to get to know both:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccr-VkEpE18

http://grooveshark.com/#!/s/m+hnt+htt+R+II/2Fs4Ht?src=5

I expect that quite a few would have problems with my Magma choice as the Christian Vander vocals may be hard on some.  I love them -- find them so exuberant.  I just love this track, as well as the album it's off (works better not as a standalone, but...) Note: I love to finish posts in such an unfinished way instead of stating what seems to me the bleedin' obvious even if I choose to explain what seems to me the bleedin' obvious often).

"Oh that knee, gotta love that knee... Oh whee, that knee, oh whee...."


Edited by Logan - July 20 2012 at 15:14

I got to know Pendragon's Pure a bit because it was once recommended to me as an album that I might enjoy despite not being into Neo-Prog (but for me it's rather too Arena Rock oriented).  I guess there are only so many guitar riffs once can come up with, but if one checks the youtube link, there's a metal-style guitar riff between 3:09 and 3:18 that sounds so damn familiar to me, and for some reason the song I'm thinking of isn't coming to my head (sure such riffs haave been used in a lot of music, but I'm probably thinking of something from the 80s or 70s).  it just came to me, I'm thinking of an Ozzy song or Black Sabbath song, maybe Crazy Train...  When I associate people usually say I'm crazy, but I do have a crazy train of thought processes....

The whole song off Pure (Indigo) sounds familiar to me *(bits remind me off this (such as Pink Floyd), and other bits remind me of that....).  Magma is hardly breaking new Magma ground with E-Re, but it has less generic qualities to my ears, which is not to dismiss Indigo as poor as the package is put together competently.  Magma has the more unique style/ vision, I think it's fair to say, which doesn't mean that one should prefer Magma.

Edited by Logan - July 20 2012 at 16:22

Ah, well Indigo has twice the number of votes already.  Course I don't mind which track wins out.  Of course a lot of people, like you, Sleeper, have tried and failed to appreciate Magma, and I don't think the track I chose would convince Magma detractors to like the band.

By the way, Anthony, even though of course one should know both to fairly answer the poll question, I'm okay with people voting who only know one track (I would just hope that they would mention that in a post).  Gandalff's 300 ratings criteria made me curious about how much the number of votes by PA forum would correspoind with the numbers of ratings for the albums. You see,  I seem to recall (someone correct me if I'm mistaken) there being some concerns with people coming over from the Pendragon forum specicificallyy to boost up the ratings of Pure.  Something of a campaign that led to people registering at PA just to rate that album so that it would remain the most popular album at PA (that frontpage thing) and be the highest rated of the year.  I don't say this to open up any potential old grievances, but it was another reason why I wondered how well it would fare amongst PA regulars against the less rated E-Re (there are about a hundred fewer ratings for E-Re -- mind you, E-Re came out the following year as Pure).

lol

Wanorak wrote: it all sounded the same to me

Wanorak wrote: Pendragon

lol

It's a little embarrassing, but I couldn't make friends with either Magma or Pendragon. Curiously, both bands have one characteristic in common: to my ear, they just tend to go round and round in endless circles without actually moving anywhere.

Argonaught wrote: It's a little embarrassing, but I couldn't make friends with either Magma or Pendragon. Curiously, both bands have one characteristic in common: to my ear, they just tend to go round and round in endless circles without actually moving anywhere.    Only Pendragon does this in a more matter-of-fact, even-keeled, solemn manner, whereas Magma explodes into rampant battle chants. So, for a listener like me, it's sense of doom vs. sense of menace. 'Choose your method of execution'   In this poll I'd probably go for Magma, because at least they are a little more memorable.

I might have chosen a neither option, but that's too easy. ;)

That's an interesting observation about the going around in circles with both, and a thoughtful post completely.  I  know Magma does have that circular quality with  music of theirs.  If you haven't heard it, I recommend checking out Attahk which has more brevity than some other albums (you'll still find the chants and, I was going to post Mahnt and Dondai, but yeah, such circular rhythms to that album too.  To me the music gets somewhere, or more precisely, it takes me somewhere, but sometimes  it's more about a hypnotic journey than any destination for me (like with a lot of electronic music I listen to -- lots of little circles and bigger circles ("I'll be the roundabout").

By the by, since I'm incoherently rambling, this is my fave off Attahk and one of my favouritest Magma pieces:

Mellotron Storm wrote: Magma, in fact that is a top three album for me from them. I love how dark and nasty it is compared to say K.A. Just my tastes i guess. I've held off getting the new Magma because it's been described as joyful and pleasant. Hmmm... well i actually took the plunge and ordered it today because everyone seems to like it. We'll see.

It's in my top five at least, but certianly E-Re is one of my favourite Magma albums.  That and Attahk are the ones I've played the most over the last couple of years.  My other faves are Kobaia, 1000 Degress Centigrade, and Wurdah Itah, but I love every Magma album (jncluding Merci), and I love Offering too.

I like E-Re more than KA -- I do love "KA II". 

I really like Felicite Thosz, but there is almost nothing new there.  I loved live versions of compositions off it already.  I actually was expecting that album to be done by Magma before E-Re.  It's short.  I do love the piano on it, but I kind of got tired of that album really quickly (EDIT: no I didn't, I'm listening to it again and enjoying it as much as ever.  I love it!)  It's really nice, and if you don't know all the music off of it already, it might please more.  When I got it I played it repeatedly -- I'm OCD, and so that's the way I sometimes play music.  I think it's my OCD personality that appreciates repetition in music (though I dislike a lot of repetition from my kids).  My mind is a very repetitious place, but somehow listening to repetitious music and playing the same music again and again and again drowns out the constant head-noise and voices telling me to "chill, chill, chilll" (that last part is a joke of sorts from a very tired brain). 

Anyway, I guess I just over-listened to it {EDIT: no it seems I didn't.  I guess I don't always feel like playing the same album many  times every day, though).  Especially since you like Offering, I think you'll enjoy FT.  I really wish it was longer, though.  The final track could have been beautifully, and easily developed more for the album, and more variations of themes could have been utilised without padding the album.

What I really like about FT is Christian Vander's exuberance in Nums and especially Ohst, and the beautiful tranquility of music (like in Teha) with exciting moments (Duha is energetic and darker than other music, if not really dark.,  Great track).  It is far more joyful and pleasant than dark, but certainly has contrasts.  I love both the darkness and joyfulness of Magma.

It is funny with Zahhr that Vander did this short and silly dark music to, I guess, negate the sweetness of what came before.  Totally superflous, but then I guess it's mean to act as a way of seperating the Felicite Thosz suite of tracks from Les Hommes Sont Venus.  By now I'm just talking to myself.  Enjoy the joy!  Maybe I'll review it when I get back in a week and a half from a trip.

By the way, I have been listening to it again as I wrote this, and I sure didn't tire of it after all as you can see by me edited in thoughts (which I edited in before posting). 

Uhh, Magma, seriously.

Logan wrote: Ah, well Indigo has twice the number of votes already.  Course I don't mind which track wins out.  Of course a lot of people, like you, Sleeper, have tried and failed to appreciate Magma, and I don't think the track I chose would convince Magma detractors to like the band. By the way, Anthony, even though of course one should know both to fairly answer the poll question, I'm okay with people voting who only know one track (I would just hope that they would mention that in a post).  Gandalff's 300 ratings criteria made me curious about how much the number of votes by PA forum would correspoind with the numbers of ratings for the albums. You see,  I seem to recall (someone correct me if I'm mistaken) there being some concerns with people coming over from the Pendragon forum specicificallyy to boost up the ratings of Pure.  Something of a campaign that led to people registering at PA just to rate that album so that it would remain the most popular album at PA (that frontpage thing) and be the highest rated of the year.  I don't say this to open up any potential old grievances, but it was another reason why I wondered how well it would fare amongst PA regulars against the less rated E-Re (there are about a hundred fewer ratings for E-Re -- mind you, E-Re came out the following year as Pure).

I actually have Studio Zund so I've heard everything from Kobaia to KA (my votes based on the live version of E-Re, I dont have the album). Magma's a band that has a lot of qualaties I should like, but they never seem to click with me.

I think those Pendragon fears ended up being unfounded since Indigo stayed highly rated (which isnt a surprise, a lot of people like that album) but dropped down the list to about 10th if I remember right.

I have mixed feelings about "Pure" but Indigo is brilliant for sure.