2014 Picks

I was just listening to the new Gong album for the first time and I am really loving what I hear, great stuff!

progbethyname wrote: Q-- The Road Of Bones Eloy--Reincarnation Live ON Stage Vanden Plas--Chronicles Of The Immortals Hibernal--Replacements Agalloch--The Serpent And The Sphere Jethro Tull--Steven Wilson remix (2014) boxset for A Passion Play Anubis    Hitchiking To Byzantium Anathema - Distant Satellites Devin Townsend--Casualties Of Cool Lacuna Coil--Broken Crown Halo

List revised. :) (in order)

1) IQ-- The Road Of Bones
2) Devin Townsend--Z2 (3cd edition)
3) Tim Bowness-- Abandoned Dancehall Dreams
4) Vanden Plas-- Chronicles of the Immortals: path 1 the Netherworld
5) Eloy--Reincarnation live on stage
6) threshold--For The Journey
7) Hibernal--Replacements
8) Pink Floyd--The Endless River
9) Agalloch--The Serpent and the sphere
10) while Heaven Wept--Suspended at Aphelion

*honorable Mentions (no order)

Saga--Sagacity
Transatlantic--Kaleidoscope
Arkan--Sophia
Gazpacho--Demons
Enchant--The Great Divide
Redemption--Live from the pit
Pendragon--The man who climbed mountains
Anubis--Hitchhiking to Byzantium
Devin Townsend--Casualties Of Cool
Illuvatar-- from the silence
Pallas-- WhereWhoWhere
Iced Earth--Plagues Of Babylon
Knifeworld-- The Unraveling

Non Prog...

Tears For Fears--Songs from the big chair (4cd box set)
Godsmack--1000 horsepower
Lacuna Coil--Broken Crown Halo.

Overall 2014 was yet another wonderful and memorable year for me in music, especially Prog all together. :)


Merry Christmas and happy new year to all you Prog nut-freaks out there. Enjoy.

^ I know what you mean, Richard. Tough ordeal to put some of these titles in order.
Some great titles you have as well.
Surely I felt that Threshold's For The Journey was a very pleasant surprise. Quality album. ;)

progbethyname wrote: ^ I know what you mean, Richard. Tough ordeal to put some of these titles in order. Some great titles you have as well. Surely I felt that Threshold's For The Journey was a very pleasant surprise. Quality album. ;)

 1- Swans - To Be Kind
2- Innercity Ensemble - II
3- Ne Obliviscaris - Citadel 
4- Angles 9 - Injuries 
5- IQ - The Road of Bones 
6- Lunatic Soul - Walking on a Flashlight Beam 
7- Corvus Stone - Corvus Stone II
8- The Merlin Bird - Chapter and Verse
9- Natural Snow Buildings - The Night Country
10- Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden
11- Gong - I See You
12- Fire! Orchestra - Enter
13- BADBADNOTGOOD - III
14- Atomic Ape - Swarm
15- St. Vincent - St. Vincent
16- Sharon Van Etten - Are We There 
17- Spectral Lore - III
18- Peter Christopherson - Time Machines II 
19- Musk Ox - Woodfall 
20- Grouper - Ruins
21- Logos - L'enigma della vita 
22- Merkabah - Moloch
23- Sundrugs - Low
24- Alexandre Desplat - The Grand Budapest Hotel 
25- Serdce - Timelessness

So just for fun, and partially because I think the 5 star trigger is being pulled waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too often, I'd like to ask PA members of how many genuine masterpieces they think were produced in 2014?

I have many favorites here, won't name them xxxxx

Kati wrote: Guldbamsen wrote: So just for fun, and partially because I think the 5 star trigger is being pulled waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too often, I'd like to ask PA members of how many genuine masterpieces they think were produced in 2014? While I think the year has been absolutely drenched in wonderful releases, I do not feel comfortable in awarding any of them with the full monty. Some, however, do have the potential to reach the upper shelf, but for me that takes time. Maybe in a year, I'll be able to sing the praises of one of these albums - stamping a 5 star rating on my review, but I want to be sure and not just driven by the moment I first hear something good (like I strongly suspect a fair few reviewers tend to do). lol Guldbamsen   now topped my favorite Grumpy Dean to the top of the list Guldbamsen I see no wrong in ones true opinion and the feeling they felt by listening to an album and due to that most wonderful euphoric feeling/listening experience giving it 5 stars

Thanks Sam

Guldbamsen wrote: Kati wrote: Guldbamsen wrote: So just for fun, and partially because I think the 5 star trigger is being pulled waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too often, I'd like to ask PA members of how many genuine masterpieces they think were produced in 2014? While I think the year has been absolutely drenched in wonderful releases, I do not feel comfortable in awarding any of them with the full monty. Some, however, do have the potential to reach the upper shelf, but for me that takes time. Maybe in a year, I'll be able to sing the praises of one of these albums - stamping a 5 star rating on my review, but I want to be sure and not just driven by the moment I first hear something good (like I strongly suspect a fair few reviewers tend to do). lol Guldbamsen   now topped my favorite Grumpy Dean to the top of the list Guldbamsen I see no wrong in ones true opinion and the feeling they felt by listening to an album and due to that most wonderful euphoric feeling/listening experience giving it 5 stars I didn't either when I first started visiting this site, but there are some reviewers out there who spread the 5 star rating like it's going out of fashion. When they then come across something that genuinely bowls them over, they've run out of stars. I've spoken to quite a few who've admitted to rating an album with 5 stars, yet with tracks on the album they didn't like  I don't think one should compare new releases to the classics (not always at least), but there are some who would do themselves good in, occasionally doing so - ie "Is this album really in the same class as Foxtrot, Close to the Edge, Yeti, Romantic Warrior, Alpha Centauri, Birds of Fire, Misplaced Childhood?" If not, then it's probably (just) a fantastic 4 star effort.  There is, however, nothing wrong in awarding an album with 5 stars. The thing is: does it continue to be a masterpiece? How many of these are worthy of this praise in the long run? Again, this is of course down to my own interpretation of the word 'masterpiece'. I feel it needs to be something special - and not 'special' in the "wow, there's some really nice guitar in there" - but more in the manner of "holy potato!!!!!! Now I believe in flying elephants and interstellar mating rituals". A masterpiece should be reserved for those rare glimpses one gets of infinity and beyond - the true soul orgasms.....IMO of course The current 5 star attitude, or the most commonly used, de-valuates the purpose of the ultimate rati