Collaborators' Top Albums of 2015
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Topic: Collaborators' Top Albums of 2015
Posted By: Andy Webb
Subject: Collaborators' Top Albums of 2015
Date Posted: February 01 2016 at 01:25
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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 ·
http://www.anekdoten.se/" rel="nofollow - Official
Website ·
https://open.spotify.com/album/0vT5Tg2EtMcn1zR0f2R5DP" rel="nofollow - Spotify
Stream ·
https://soundcloud.com/anekdoten/get-out-alive" rel="nofollow - 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 ·
http://stevenwilsonhq.com/" rel="nofollow - Official Website ·
https://soundcloud.com/steven-wilson/first-regret-3-years-older" rel="nofollow - 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 ·
http://jagajazzist.com/" rel="nofollow - Official
Website ·
https://open.spotify.com/album/6fYrUpMK6oECo0QeFwwRRm" rel="nofollow - Spotify
Stream ·
https://soundcloud.com/ninja-tune/jaga-jazzist-starfire" rel="nofollow - 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 ·
http://www.riversideband.pl/en/" rel="nofollow - Official
Website ·
https://open.spotify.com/album/7mICCIhq0W6Z0JCqvsdum3" rel="nofollow - Spotify
Stream ·
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN0uSZ8xNcs" rel="nofollow - 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 ·
https://www.facebook.com/elephant9music/timeline" rel="nofollow - Official
Facebook ·
https://open.spotify.com/album/5WKJFzZN5yMsyhmypRasPs" rel="nofollow - Spotify
Stream ·
https://soundcloud.com/rune-grammofon/elephant9-with-reine-fiske-occidentali" rel="nofollow - 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 ·
https://www.leprous.net/" rel="nofollow - Official
Website ·
https://open.spotify.com/album/0BTCS1O61sSYZ8o5kCqx03" rel="nofollow - Spotify
Stream ·
" rel="nofollow - 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) ·
http://www.unrealcity.it/" rel="nofollow - Official
Website ·
https://open.spotify.com/album/38kt4wIff2OAsG9LOp5t0m" rel="nofollow - Spotify
Stream ·
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4crT6aRWwg&index=1&list=PLxq0NvHXVd_CcRcdXdbEHWP9skWh5vlVw" rel="nofollow - 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 ·
http://www.lafabbricadellassoluto.com/" rel="nofollow - Official
Website ·
https://open.spotify.com/album/6W0H02a113bSU2kBFAI1vL" rel="nofollow - 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 ·
https://www.facebook.com/CICCADA-195885230446298/timeline" rel="nofollow - Official
Facebook ·
https://open.spotify.com/album/4Lyeoajglbj4eMJbLg5W8e" rel="nofollow - 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 · " rel="nofollow - · https://open.spotify.com/album/75PkoACggK42ndA08HjoCe" rel="nofollow - Spotify Stream ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">  
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Replies:
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 01 2016 at 01:32
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https://open.spotify.com/user/andy_w1/playlist/4FBrq3b2jvJd09sxyQHCls" rel="nofollow -
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http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
...albeit it feels a little strange doing so much better in the popular vote than the collaborator's vote! 
Guldbamsen wrote:
, another three in the next 15 spots 
and another 4 in the next 20
(so that's 10 in the top 40)... 
Oh well, I guess given that the downside meant that I got to listen to whole lot of great music doesn't make it such a bad thing. 
Well done to Anekdoten with a career-best album (to date).
.
I didn't know Sonar either, I'll have to listen to the album that track is great