Collaborators' Top Albums of 2012
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=91834
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Topic: Collaborators' Top Albums of 2012
Posted By: Andy Webb
Subject: Collaborators' Top Albums of 2012
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 14:37
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Welcome to the 8th annual ProgArchives Collaborator’s 2012 Album of the Year contest! Again we find ourselves at the pinnacle of the musical year – the end. Each year, ProgArchives hosts a contest to see what the best progressive rock albums of the year were. The contest is open to all the collaborators of the site, including VIP Members, Prog Reviewers, Collaborators, Special Collaborators, and Admins. Each collab is allowed to vote for 10 albums. Over the past few months, these lists have been collected and collated into the Collaborator’s 2012 Album of the Year list. I returned as the collator for a second time this year, and I was very pleased with the results. We as collaborators wanted an earlier deadline, and even with less time, I was amazed to find myself faced with 82 voters and a record-breaking 264 individual albums that were nominated. I’d like to thank all the collaborators that took the time to compile their list that made this post possible. As a listener, I was shocked by the huge diversity in sonic power and musical creativity that was presented to the progressive rock scene this year. Incredibly well-crafted efforts in each of our subgenres came out this year, and while some seemed to impress our collaborators the most, there were so many to choose from. Sadly, however, as we see each year, each release couldn’t be carefully evaluated by all our collaborators, so this list is not as comprehensive as we would hope. Enough of my chatter – without further ado, here it is: The ProgArchives Collaborators’ Top Albums of 2012 1. ANGLAGARD – Viljans Öga To many, Anglagard was the symbol of the resurgence of progressive rock in the 1990s. Possessing a unique style driven by King Crimson and Yes along with a number of other influences, their 1992 debut album Hybris is heralded as one of the best progressive rock albums of all time. They quickly followed the album with Epilog in 1994, but disappeared afterwards. Reunions occurred over the next two decades, but it took 20 years after their debut for the band to reappear in the studio. Viljans Öga is the fantastic result. “Listening to Viljans Oga is as if they've never been away and they've simply taken up where they left off all those years ago… It's Anglagard doing what they do best…the mellow pastoral moments creating strong dynamics alongside the heavier bombastic parts, expertly weaved together with their trademark quirky touches. All this would count for nothing without the strength of the compositions… Viljans Oga can easily sit alongside Hybris and Epilog as some of the most enjoyable symphonic prog I've ever heard.” –Nightfly, Special Collaborator Statistics: · Genre: Symphonic Prog · Country: Sweden · 429 ratings, 4.33 Stars · Appears on 28% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 9 · Song sampler (“Ur Vilande”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F53692376[/FLASH]
2. BIG BIG TRAIN – English Electric (Part One) Big Big Train are no strangers to the progressive rock scene, but they are perhaps the best modern example of a band who matured and developed over time. Forming in the early 1990s, the band’s early output did little to the fledgling progressive rock scene of the time. Over the next 15 years, however, the band developed into one of the most well-respected modern crossover/symphonic prog bands of the day. Their 2009 masterpiece The Underfall Yard seemed hard to bear, but their follow up, English Electric (Part One), did just that.
“[English Electric (Part One)] is, in short, a true prog original, as well as one of my biggest surprises of the year - having been none too impressed by the band's back catalogue, I really hadn't planned on giving them another go, but … I'm profoundly glad I did. Big Big Train fans will be thrilled by their heroes' latest triumph; prog fans who have previously given them short shift might be advised to give this one a taste because it might just win them over.” – Warthur, Prog Reviewer Statistics: · Genre: Crossover Prog · Country: United Kingdom · 385 ratings, 4.28 stars · Appears on 32% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 3 · Song Sampler: (“Judas Unrepentant”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F55267367[/FLASH]
3. ECHOLYN – echolyn Another familiar face, Echolyn has been releasing high-quality and well-respected symphonic progressive rock since the beginning of the 1990s. While the band’s influence seemed to wane as the ‘90s came to an end, 2002’sMei showed a strong return from the American powerhouse. 2005 saw The End is Beautiful, and when the band went silent, many feared that was the band’s end as well. That was proven wrong almost 7 years later when the band announced the release of their eighth, self-titled, album. Echolyn proved to be an incredible return for the band. “Echolyn have brought us an octet of stellar sonic craftsmanship. There is a mellow maturity present throughout this experience. Musically and thematically, it is an emulsion of Mei and The End is Beautiful, an enchanting exploration of the breadth of human emotion. Oddly, this is the band's second eponymous album…Echolytes know what to expect from this quintet, and they delivered eight times over. Well done gentlemen.” – Epignosis, Special Collaborator Statistics: · Genre: Symphonic Prog · Country: United States · 262 ratings, 4.15 Stars · Appears on 25% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 4 · Song sample: (“The Cardinal and I”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F77338808[/FLASH]
4. THE FLOWER KINGS – Banks of Eden Four in a row, we have one of the original 1990s progressive rock revival bands. The Flower Kings, headed by prog rock veteran Roine Stolt, have been producing high quality modern symphonic prog for over two decades continuously. Uncharacteristically, though, Banks of Eden, the band’s 11th studio album, comes after an unprecedented 5 year gap. It was worth the wait, however, as Banks of Eden follows the already wonderful Sum of No Evil with some of the band’s freshest material yet. “I find the band's 2007 release The Sum of No Evil to be an absolute masterpiece, so it was difficult for me to imagine a fitting follow-up. My faith in Roine and company is strong, however, and after hearing Banks of Eden, it is even more unwavering. One of the best things about TFK is their ability to remain stylistically consistent while still providing depth of variety. Banks of Eden is further evidence of this; although the classic TFK sound is mostly unchanged here, this album is different from anything the band has ever done before… this is modern prog at its finest. The Flower Kings are not kings by name alone.” – Anthony H, Prog Reviewer Statistics: · Genre: Symphonic Prog · Country: Sweden · 347 ratings, 4.11 Stars · Appears on 23% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 4 · Song sample: (“Numbers [Excerpt]”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F48804338[/FLASH]
5. MOTORPSYCHO (feat. STÅLE STORLØKKEN) – The Death Defying Unicorn Motorpsycho have, just like its friends here, been around since the early 1990s. Similar to Big Big Train, however, the band made a small impact on the budding Norwegian prog scene in its early years. The trio kept plugging on, however, and produced an incredibly large amount of material over its two decade existence. The band slowly began to gather steam as it collaborated with other well-known Norwegian musicians such as Jaga Jazzist and, on this offering, Ståle Storløkken. The Death Defying Unicorn is a massive double-concept-album that uses the already incredible musical power of the band and Storløkken in addition to the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. This massive album is perhaps their best yet. “Motorpsycho has become somewhat of a cult hit around the prog community of late hailed by many respective reviewers and collabs as album of the year so I had to indulge. Before I approached the album I had no idea what to expect…so I put on the headphones one dark evening after midnight and let the music immerse my soul. I think I was lifted into another plane of existence as the music simply nailed me to the couch with its inexorable power. I can only include with the inevitable after being treated to a mesmerising musical explosion like this. The album is an undisputable masterpiece of prog and one of the must listen to albums of 2012.” – AtomicCrimsonRush, Special Collaborator Statistics: · Genre: Eclectic Prog · Country: Norway · 187 ratings, 4.19 Stars · Appears on 20% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 2 · Song sample: (“The Hollow Lands”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F77339303[/FLASH]
6. MAGMA – Félicité Thösz The kings of Zeuhl don’t come around often anymore, but when they do, they can still produce a mean piece of avant-garde mastery. Félicité Thösz follows the band’s wondrous 2009 output Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré and shows no slowing of the 40-something year old band. The band retains their classic styling to please classic fans while exploring enough new territory to certainly bring in many new wary explorers – the band even features a track sung in French rather their native Kobaian! “On this (hopely till know) not too much anticipated 2012 release of one of the most original and progressive bands of progressive rock history we get to hear a different side of Christian Vander's composition skills. Instead of creating a dark operatic en technical album, Magma returns with an angelic celebration of life…another must-have Magma release for fans an perhaps the easiest entry into the band's discography to this date. The production is great, the compostion briljant and the album has a really postive, mysterious & adventerious mood that really cheers me up.” – Friso, Prog Reviewer Statistics: · Genre: Zeuhl · Country: France · 135 ratings, 4.23 Stars · Appears on 15% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 3 · Song sample: (“Ëkmah”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F51344773[/FLASH]
7. THE MARS VOLTA – Noctourniquet Sadly this incredibly experimental album proves to be the last of one of the most celebrated experimenters of the last decade. The Mars Volta may have split up in early 2013, but their last effort, Noctourniquet, was an experience of musical exploration, the bounds of sound, and how far they can bring their fans without driving them insane. The Mars Volta have explored many sonic routes, from mind-blisteringly technical yet incredibly emotional heavy Latin prog to mellow acoustic Latin-inspired jams. To many, this album rivals their highly-celebrated 2002 debut De-Loused in the Comatorium, and I can see why. “Let me start off this review by saying that this is quite possibly The Mars Volta's best work. After repeated listens it seems to just keep getting better, it's slowly creeping its way into my top 2 TMV albums with Deloused and Frances up there previously and it shows no signs of slowing it's journey into my favorite records of this year and of all time… It's a record seething with emotion and like most TMV records uses that to make the songs memorable and fantastic-sounding. It's a formula that's been working for years now but with Noctourniquet it seems very much refreshed, like this is a new era for TMV.” – The Truth, Prog Reviewer Statistics: · Genre: Heavy Prog · Country: United States · 214 ratings, 3.67 Stars · Appears on 14% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 4 · Song sample: (“Zed and Two Naughts”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F38777281[/FLASH]
8. THE TEA CLUB – Quickly Quickly Quickly Perhaps the biggest underdogs of the contest, The Tea Club are the newest contestants, with their debut coming out in 2008. The band weaves an incredible form of accessible yet wonderfully progressive music that entrances the listener. Being released in November of 2012, the album was late to rise to the challenge, but it provided ample competition to the big dogs of the fight. With such a phenomenal effort so early in its career, The Tea Club are destined to live a truly entrancing career of quality music. “[Quickly Quickly Quickly] picks up where "Rabbit" left off and but finds the band pushing further into longer, slightly more complex tracks…Just as Rabbit was clearly a better album than General Winter, QQQ shows further sonic growth over its predecessor. But the Teas have avoided the trap of getting mired down in too much cerebral posturing or unnecessary shred. They achieve pleasing complexity without abandoning their strengths: unapologetic melody, colorful storytelling, and an authentic, intimate connection to their listener…this one is close to perfect. One of 2012's gems” – Finnforest, Special Collaborator Statistics: · Genre: Crossover Prog · Country: United States · 45 ratings, 4.34 Stars · Appears on 10% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 2 · Song sample: (“The Eternal German Infant”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F75191415[/FLASH]
9. STORM CORROSION – Storm Corrosion Steven Wilson and Mike Åkerfeldt are perhaps two of the most beloved figures in progressive rock at the current moment. So when news leaked that the duo would be collaborating on a separate project from Opeth, the progressive rock community was in a buzz. Mike Portnoy was rumored to be a member, but he was out not soon after word leaked. Years past after the rumor was released, and 2012 finally saw the culmination of their work in Storm Corrosion. A dark experience of dark folk-tinged prog delicacies, the project turned out to be about just what every prog fan hoped for. “Whatever you think [Storm Corrosion] will be, it isn't…you might be tempted to imagine that this will sound like some kind of combination of [Opeth and Porcupine Tree]. It doesn't. That said, in my opinion it's the best of them. This is the kind of album that takes the listener on a voyage, that you just want to put on a nice stereo system and close your eyes and let the music carry you away. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Talk Talk, not necessarily in how it actually sounds but just in how exquisitely it's put together…every track feels perfectly composed and paced, with 10 minute songs that seem to pass in the blink of an eye and gorgeous soundscapes that feel like portals to other worlds…if you're looking for a beautiful, otherworldly trip then this is the album for you.” – VanVanVan, Prog Reviewer Statistics: · Genre: Eclectic Prog · Country: United Kingdom and Sweden · 291 ratings, 3.75 Stars · Appears on 14% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 0 (highest placement #2) · Song sample: (“Drag Ropes”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F52394363[/FLASH]
10. RUSH – Clockwork Angels Rush are the unadulterated kings of the Heavy Prog genre and have been for almost 40 years. The second 1970s survivor on the list, Rush have continually produced high quality music in a number of different forms over their long career. Clockwork Angels is the band’s 19th studio album, a feat few bands reach. Returning to the concept form, the band weave a dense dystopian narrative through impressive song writing ability that shows the band is hardly done. Some may not have been impressed by this album, but many more welcomed it amongst the bands many other masterpieces. “Clockwork Angels is a concept album and as such should be viewed as a whole and listened to in its entirety in one sitting…this is a definitive Rush album wherein the sum is greater than the parts…as a modern Heavy Prog album it is a triumph… Musically we are treated to enormous riffs, kenetic bass-playing and some of Peart's best drum work in decades…This could be the best Rush album since "Moving Pictures", it is certainly on a par with "Signals" and was rewarded by reaching #2 in the Official US Album Chart, quite a feat by the un-hippest rock band on the planet.” – Tony R, Administrator Statistics: · Genre: Heavy Prog · Country: Canada · 462 ratings, 3.95 Stars · Appears on 12% of all lists · Number of #1 listings: 2 · Song sample: (“Caravan [Single Edit]”) [FLASH WIDTH=500 HEIGHT=81]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url= http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F64637553[/FLASH]
Full list incoming... ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">  
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Replies:
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 14:46
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Because the whole list is so darn massive, I'm going to break it up into parts. Here we have the top 100
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Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:01
Thanks Andy for another year of hard work  I think the list reflects the love for the long-awaited comebacks, what a year for prog music! oh - and I think Karl might want to appeal seeing Enslaved in #11  |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:08
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I was disappoint it didn't edge out Rush, as I though CA was weak. I was shocked, though, at the sheer number of points the first few albums got - they blew GfD out of the water, and those numbers were high too! ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:16
Not a bad list, if slightly predictable. Good to see Magma and Motorpsycho get in there. If only something else could have beaten rush. 
But I'm happy with the #1 spot, which is most important to me. Even though my personal #1 was quite buried. 
And let this be known as the year where S Wilson didn't even come close to winning! ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:26
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Well, as ever, Andy has put a great deal of work into this, for which I am grateful. So, the following comments should be seen as an observation, not a criticism (God, I'm getting paranoid). This is a poll like all others, a snapshot of opinion amongst a select group of people, and not necessarily representative of the whole community who love prog, so should not be taken all that seriously. It is interesting. It is informative. It will lead to debate. I really stopped taking a great deal of notice of such things some years ago, probably about the time I realised that Marillion would never win a critics poll again Wait, they did win that reader's poll in Prog magazine though. Oh well, I didn't take that all too seriously, either, but I do suspect that that poll was slightly more representative of the community as a whole. This is also a little bit of sour grapes on my part ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:34
101-200
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Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:35
14th ain't too shabby for a band who you say won't win any critics polls anymore  I really liked their new album. It wasn't Marbles, but it was as close to that quality as they've done since. ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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lazland wrote:Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:46
No, my friend, 14th isn't that bad, and my comments were slightly tongue in cheek, although the general point, I think, that any list or poll can never be wholly representative does hold true. What is also true, of course, is that your presentation will, I am sure, introduce some new music to people who might not otherwise have gone to that act without seeing the list, and in that context, it does put the site in a very positive light  ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:48
I'll just say.....thanks so much Andy for your hard work. Great poll and was lotsa fun. 
------------- ...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell" |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 15:48
It took me about a half hour to get those damn soundcloud embeds to work again, so it better introduce people to new music! ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:00
| Thanks Andy, this has been fun! |
Posted By: Anthony H.
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:00
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Clockwork Angels is the only album I'm not pleased to see there. I'm actually really dissapointed that it is, particularly since it beat Marillion and Godspeed. I don't understand that in the slightest.
But an absolutely fantastic list overall! Thanks for your hard work, Andy. And thanks for the quote, as well! -------------  |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:06
To wrap it up, 201-265
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Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:10
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Thanks Andy! Glad that my decision to add Rush to my list slid them past the Cookie Monster growls of Enslaved, who I hear will be number 1 on MMA. ------------- 
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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:11
Clockwork Angels is the only Rush album I do not own. I have to say that I really did not enjoy the tracks I heard on the radio or streaming, and I think I would hate it if I purchased it, something I thought I would never say about a Rush album. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:18
Yay. One of my albums is last on the list!  ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Anthony H.
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:21
It's nearly outrageous how much better Sounds That Can't Be Made is than Clockwork Angels. STCBM really should have made it on the list. ------------- |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:30
E-Dub (Eric), who I really miss around here, has made the point on the Marillion appreciation thread that he doesn't come here too often those days because of an impression that there is an inherent bias against h era Marillion. I think he has a point personally.
------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Warthur
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:42
Wow, what a list! I can't say I'm surprised to see Anglagard top the list out - they were my #2 pick after Final Conflict's Return of the Artisan (which I'm glad to see at least tied for #76) - but I'm thrilled to see Motorpsycho do so well too, they really deserve it.
I'd say that Marillion are #14 this year for two reasons: firstly, STCBM was really, really good. Secondly, they had an incredible amount of competition. I dare say that if you pitch STCBM against any other recent year it'd do as well and would probably do better than it managed this time. But yeah, always worth taking these things in a pinch of salt. Personally I'd be interested in rerunning the poll in 5 years or so to see what albums have stood the test of time.
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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 16:49
I agree wholeheartedly with all these points, especially if we rerun the poll at a later point. The results would definitely be different. I might repeat here that this is not to detract from the hard work Andy puts into all of this, it is just the nature of such opinion snapshots. I could also say that I am very much biased in favour of Marillion, although I did put STCBM behind Sylvan and Ioearth in my contribution. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 17:12
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Excellent work Andy. If there's one big shock with this list, it's that absolutley no Prog Metal of any description makes the top 10. Is Dream Theater and Opeth the only bands people will take note of? That would be really disappointing. Didn't get many albums last year, but was definitely hoping my top 2, To-Mera and Between the Buried and Me, would have ended up higher on the list, two exceptional albums there. ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
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Posted By: zravkapt
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 17:24
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Great work Andy! The top ten turned out pretty much the way I figured it would. At least two of mine got in there. ------------- Magma America Great Make Again |
Posted By: valravennz
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 17:33
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Well done again, Andy! I was very glad to see at least 3 of my picks in the top 10. It was also great to see The Mars Volta up there as well, even though they were not on my list. It was a pity that Dead Can Dance and God Speed You! Black Emporer, did not feature a little higher, but I can live with it! I really enjoyed the poll ------------- 
"Music is the Wine that fills the cup of Silence" - Robert Fripp |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 18:21
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7th for Noctourniquet eh? Not bad. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 18:25
- yes no love for PM this year, even Threshold (good album) was lower than 15th...We'll make it up next year  |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 19:35
Utopia? I was quite disappointed with the Threshold album, not bad but I was expecting much better after 5 years, the Headspace album was much better and so was Wilson's performance on it I felt. ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: February 01 2013 at 20:27
------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Gallifrey
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 01:57
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60th for Iamthemorning If the poll was taken in a few months time, I'd expect it to be higher, as it's beginning to get the popularity it deserves (currently 3rd on the 2012 charts) ------------- http://thedarkthird.bandcamp.com/ |
Posted By: SaltyJon
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 03:17
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Woo, my favorite (and best-placing choice overall) made #15! Didn't hear any of the top 10 this time round.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Salty_Jon" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 03:19
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Well it turned out OK and I like Anglagard even if it didnt get in my top 10 I am pleased to see Motorpsycho there perhaps should have won it But Mars Volta didnt deserve it really - just a popular band Nice to see Rush and the wonderful album by Flower Kings! Excelelnt job! ------------- 
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Posted By: Eria Tarka
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 03:28
| Nice to see Noctourniquet so high! |
Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 04:02
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Storm Corrosion is another popular album but still not great enough for top 10. Overall though a pleasing result, but popularity reigns supremem in most cases and bands like Shadow Circus that are underrated go way down the list. -------------
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Posted By: aapatsos
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 04:09
(Utopia)It actually felt a bit the other way around to me, MoP being better than the loooong Headspace album (still good though) - but yeah I can understand why you were not impressed, it was too 'safe' |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 06:35
I'm not sure "safe" is quite the word. I remember discussing this with Jared some years ago, Threshold arent likely to surprise but their song writing/composition is usually very strong regardless. It just wasn't as strong as usual for me. Sadly money's tighter these days, I can't get anywhere near as many albums now as I used too, so theres a lot that I want that I've just had to pass on. ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 08:00
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Great work again, Andy! The 2012 vintage was on par with that of 2011, both being very good prog years. I find three of the albums I picked in the top 10 (of which two have the same ranking as i gave them), and only one for which I was the only voter (last year there were four). I just posted my top 20 in the appropriate thread (click http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=91091&PID=4713424#4713424" rel="nofollow - here to view). ------------- 
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Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 09:30
Haha, that's one bright light on the horizon yes. Apart from that I must conclude that I'm getting very out of touch with the prevailing music on the site. I don't see anything in the top 4 tat appeals to me at all. |
Posted By: TheGazzardian
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 09:38
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As expected, nobody but me voted for my #1 - I'm just into music that obscure! Clearly I am the insider here =P but in seriousness, avant heads are missing out, check out Volcano the Bear!
Overall great list, nice variety! |
Posted By: Nightfly
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 10:03
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well done Andy - as with last year you've done a fantastic job and got the results out so quick after the deadline! Did you stay up all night?
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 10:33
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Thanks Andy. The list is always a great opportunity to make new discoveries. Plus it's a pretty good quick reference for all the new releases. I spotted several album by artists that I knew but didn't know they had new stuff out. 2012 has been my driest year for new acquisitions due to unemployment since April. Looks like that will change soon and I'll have some catching up to do. Currently taking a chronological trip back in my collection. So of the seven I got, one made top the top ten - Big Big Train. All the others are the list of 200. Note to self, try to find more obscure stuff. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 11:00
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Interesting list. I have to admit, that I'm not familiar with most of the top 10, but I'm aware of them. Maybe it's time I gave some of them a listen. Glad to see The Flower Kings so high up !!!
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm 
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 12:22
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I'm working my way through the soundcloud clips right now. Lots of good stuff.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 12:34
I'm flattered, Andy used an excerpt from my review of Noctourniquet. 
------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 12:51
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Here's my take on the top 10 from the clips - 1 Viljans Oga - Anglagard: My first time sampling the band. Put that one my to get list. 2 English Electric Part One - Big Big Train: Already got one, verry nice. 3 Echolyn - Echolyn: Sampled this one a few months ago on Progstreaming. Already interested, 4 Banks of Eden - The Flower Kings: I've got one album already, still can't get into them. 5 The Death Defying Unicorn - Motorpsycho: I was expecting metal. Pleasantly surprised. 6 Felicite Thosz - Magma: I've sampled Magma before on this site. Still not interested. 7 Noctourniquet - The Mars Volta: I've sampled TMV on this site and wasn't impresses. This intrigues me. 8 Quickly Quickly Quickly - The Tea Club: Interesting. This one is at the bottom of the Progstreaming set, so won't be around much longer. I'm going to have to try out the whole album. 9 Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion: The first I heard of this was in a recent Steven Wilson interview. I was already curious. This is on my must get list now. 10 Clockwork Angels - Rush: I only have the albums with the Cygnuses in my collection and used to have a VHS of the Grace Under Pressure tour live. Of course I am familiar with more of their stuff it's just never been a high priority to add more albums for me. However I may have to get this one. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 13:51
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^I'm happy my soundclouding is being put to good use. ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 14:20
It's fantastic Andy, and a real service to the site. I know you realise this, but I will repeat that my comments on the first page were intended as relating to lists and opinion polls in general, not the fantastic work that you have undertaken. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Any Colour You Like
Date Posted: February 02 2013 at 16:06
| I was the only Drudkh vote, I feel even more kvlt. |
Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: February 03 2013 at 01:09
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Any Colour You Like, I voted for 5R6, who are Kharkiv pals with Drudkh, let's share some kvlt here!
Andy's the man  I have to admit this is the first top-3 in years I'm completely agree with - fantastic comebacks and amazing records, expecting my "echolyn" 2LP to arrive soon! A bit disappointed with Magma and Storm Corrosion being on Top-10 (the "i-put-on-a-list-popular-bands-only" syndrome from fellow collabs, eh?) and pi$$ed off with The Mars Volta there, IMO this is their weakest effort. Glad for The Tea Club underdogs, what an excellent album they got! Shame Marillion didn't make it, STCBM is their best since "Marbles" I guess
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Posted By: Any Colour You Like
Date Posted: February 03 2013 at 03:00
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Posted By: AtomicCrimsonRush
Date Posted: February 03 2013 at 17:02
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Well done Andy on this feat of endurance. I think I was pleased overall with the result as it features albums that I rated highly. Still not a fan of Storm Corrosion but that is becasue my expectations were so high. Mars Volta was a decent album but I was hoping Neal More might get in there. Also Shadow Circus deserve more recognition but too obscure I guess. -------------
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Posted By: Warthur
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 06:51
| The more I look at the big list the more interesting stuff I see. For instance, both the Galahad albums from 2012 had a pretty warm reception around here, but in terms of the votes on this list Beyond the Realms of Euphoria beats Battle Scars hands down. I can sort of see why - if I were forced to pick one or the other for my "desert island" Galahad pick I'd go for Beyond every time - but it's interesting to see it come out in the vote like that. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 08:30
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Thanks for the work Andy. Absolutely baffled why Viljans Oga has won so many over. Its one long dirge to me whatever the high technical level of the music. The BBT album is very nice but really lacks punch to be so highly placed imo. I don't like The Flower Kings much and Rush made an excellent hard rock album (but is it prog??). Storm Corrosion is the only other one in the top ten I've heard and its been months since I felt a need to play it. My favourite album was Anathema's Weather Systems which made NO 20. Perhaps starting the album with a duet and finishing with someone recounting a near death experience was a little unusual but I love it! I think the only pick in my top ten that no one else picked was Presto Ballet's Relic Of The Modern World. Genuinely surprised at that although it was a great year in terms of sheer number of quality releases.
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 10:38
98
 What's this one.... I love the old Italian fusion band , but neither ProgArchives nor Rate Your Music list if...
============
Great work Andy ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 10:55
| Thanks for putting this all together. Great format. Great job. As for the poll itself. The cadillac of fanboyism. Mention Steven Wilson and frost it with some Opeth. Storm Corrosion is a mediocre album at best. Rush must be good. Mars Volta, come on. The inclusion of popular bands with mediocre albums to the exclusion of less popular bands with great albums is a trademark of the collaborators poll. For any newbie the place to get an idea of an albums worth is the regular top 100 albums of the year. At least there the fanboyism does not try to justify itself |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 12:39
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Anybody know if the PA AOTY title has been used by any bands as
endorsement for their album? Or promoting a new album, eg; "New material
from 7 time Progarchives Album of the Year finalist Neal Morse"
------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: Gallifrey
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 12:53
I'm sure if it was won by someone who actually uses the site (Phideaux, etc), then they would, but would only use it if they won. ------------- http://thedarkthird.bandcamp.com/ |
Posted By: Gallifrey
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 13:00
You basically said my opinion of 2012. Weather Systems is godly. My second is Iamthemorning, which is actually starting to get some recognition. But I don't really get most of the top 10, especially Anglagard. ------------- http://thedarkthird.bandcamp.com/ |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 13:33
-------------
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Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 13:37
------------- "The wind is slowly tearing her apart" "Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 19:14
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1 Viljans Oga - Anglagard 361 3 Echolyn 277 6 Felicite Thosz Magma 162 15 Lost Tapes - Can 102 19 Atlantis - Elephant9 82 28 Concerto for Piano and Electric… - Kotebel 66 38 Valta - Alamaailman Vasarat 52 46 Sister Death - Alex K. Redfearn 42 Pandora's Pinata - Diablo Swing Orchestra 42 Acte V - Forgas Band Phenomena - 42 53 Decline and Fall - Thinking Plague 40 Out of the Coma - Comus 40 66 Quetzacoatl - Corima 34 73 The Letter - Cosa Bravo 32 151 Made in Belgium - Aranis 14 179 Mirror - Yugen 12 These all made my top 30, nice year for an Avant head. The ones missing that made my top 10 were 3 Mice : Elaine di Falco/Cedric Vuille/Dave Willey - Send Me a Postcard Unit Wail - Pangaea Proxima Bärtsch, Nik/Ronin - Live 2 x CDs ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 19:27
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I think that Anglagaard could put out anything and people here would worship it. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 19:31
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Replace Anglagard with Wilson or TMV and we may agree. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 19:34
I think that's true of Wilson as well. TMV has had misses, that, to their credit, showed a level of diversity in their music. They were, after all, in the top ten this year. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:03
Yeaaa.......... ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: Anthony H.
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:07
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The "fanboyism" yell is nonsense. Yes, because if you don't like an album, anybody who does is obviously just a fanboy! And I wonder why I don't participate with this site too much anymore. ------------- |
Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:17
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It's all a matter of taste people. Epignosis(Rob) has made it well known that he doesn't like Anglagard which is cool. I'm not a fan of Kansas either or ELP except for their debut. It's good we all have different tastes and opinions isn't it ? ------------- "The wind is slowly tearing her apart" "Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:19
I liked it, i was just surprised on how much attention and praise it got. Mreh. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:21
I haven't heard the Flower Kings or Mars Volta that were in the top ten but have the others. A good list though.
I personally didn't think Anglagard's new one was as good as their previous two but in time that may change. I still had it at number three in my list though. ------------- "The wind is slowly tearing her apart" "Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:22
That isn't what I said at all. Please read my post again. I said, and I quote: "I think that Anglagaard could put out anything and people here would worship it." Not nearly the same thing. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:22
------------- "The wind is slowly tearing her apart" "Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN |
Posted By: Anthony H.
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:26
I know, Rob. I was more responding to a few earlier posts. ------------- |
Posted By: Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:32
In my opinion, although it's not a bad album, I can't help but feel the same way about the new Anglagard album as you, John. For me it's a little too fragmented, and the instrumental melodies are not quite as memorable. There's also not as many reprises/repeated passages as on their previous albums, which helped them have a real flow. Still a fine album, but then you put on either `Hybris' and `Epilog' and it shows up how much better than the newie they are! I think I sort of had it in my top 10 list for a little while, but it very quickly dropped off....too many more exciting instrumental albums last year that were far superior to my ears! 
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Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:44
For the most part, yes. Very experimental electro-rock with latin vibes. I liked the album, but I still prefer their heavier material. ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 20:53
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Synth-Prog yo. Very good stuff, Noctourniquet should be looked into.
------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: February 04 2013 at 21:32
Why don't you participate? Because people have opinions? Perhaps it is nonsensical to get too serious about opinions.
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 04:01
Doooh!!!! Of course... the album's name came first...
  However I still didn't find it under the letter "G
 ".... but under the letter "I" Shouldn'ty it read Giardino Onirico, Il ??   ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 11:58
Ok Mr. Leary, you're kind of contradicting yourself here. In your first post, you've done your best to discredit every 'fanboy's' opinion. Then your second post you decry foul with the 'I'm allowed to have an opinion too' plea. I believe that the concern is not that you have a different opinion than others, the problem is that you give the impression off that your opinion is more valid than others' opinion. Obviously many people on this site liked Storm Corrosion enough to include it in their top ten. Is your opinion more valid than every one of theirs? Yes, it's nonsensical to get too serious about opinions but it's inconsiderate to elevate your own opinion over so many others. |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 12:13
| Where do you see me elevating my opinion over the herd. I put my opinion on a page with numerous other opinions. Actually I respect your opinion about my opinion. My opinion is not more valid than others but as I pointed out the people who make up the body have a more complete opinion than the collaborators poll and it says the album you mentioned is a 3.7 album after over 250 ratings. We could talk about the other two albums also but I won't bother. So don't make it about me. Who cares anyway in the long run. |
Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 12:44
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Now when you put it that way, I see your point and don't take exception. Your initial post raised my hackles with the negative connotation of 'the cadillac of fanboyism'. If it wasn't meant to be confrontational and derogatory towards anyone that liked the album then you were vastly misunderstood. . . .and not by me alone. The only reason that I really care is that I really like this site and feel strongly that everyone's opinion is valid. If a fifteen year old kid comes on here and really likes Storm Corrosion, they're going to read your post and make the leap to 'liking this album is akin to sheep-like idol worship'. They're either not going to post for fear of being ridiculed or even worse, go somewhere else with a bad taste in their mouth. . . . and I'm just using Storm Corrosion as one example from your initial post. I didn't personally think it was very memorable either. When you say it the second way, yeah, you've got a valid point there.
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Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 13:05
| Last year at the Collab polls we had Opeth in the number 2 position of the year while an absolute masterpiece of prog rock, in the top 50 albums of all the history of prog rock was in 4th place. All I would say to a newbie, which I did say in my original post was the top 100 albums of the year is a better and more accurate opinion of an album's worth. That does not mean the Collab poll is not of value. The format of it is absolutely wonderful and I wish the top 100 albums of the year had such an awesome format. As one person said he believed such and such a band could release anything and people would go bonkers about it. I think that is true to a certain degree but I also think time is the great leveller. What is a masterpiece today may be run of the mill in the future. |
Posted By: Roland113
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 14:22
| I'm with you regarding Opeth, they're just not my cup of tea . . . so you're saying that the Discipline CD is worth listening to? |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 14:38
| I consider it to be a masterpiece. |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 14:41
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The Discipline album is very good, but I thought that the Opeth one was very good as well. I was so happy to have growl-free Opeth. Both of them made my top 10 last year; maybe even my top 5, but I don't remember for sure. -------------
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Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 14:57
| I don't want to hijack the thread, especially ranting about last years list. As I said the format of the poll is awesome and as expected the winners won't meet everyones expectations. So lets hear more opinions and gripes......... |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 15:21
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I get a little confused when people complain a lot about "popular" stuff
making the top 10, and lesser-known but just as good stuff not making
the top 10. By my reckoning, if the lesser known stuff were more
popular, then it would naturally rise up in the polls. But it isn't, so
fewer people vote for it. It turns into a chicken/egg thing. We
don't operate outside of natural physics and social dynamics here. Should some less popular stuff be more popular? Sure. Everything should be more popular. But it can't. This post is blowing my mind.
------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Mellotron Storm
Date Posted: February 05 2013 at 22:11
------------- "The wind is slowly tearing her apart" "Sad Rain" ANEKDOTEN |
Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: February 06 2013 at 01:31
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Deerhoof climbed a couple points this year. Good show lads.
------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 06 2013 at 01:51
I think this was aimed at the fact that well established bands including Rush , The Flower Kings and Anglagard only made the top of the list because of their so called fanboys . Perhaps an objective way of going is to ask yourself whether these albums are a good representation of prog rock and of the modern prog scene. My feeling is that the list is a tad on the side of retro but then I would have been quite happy if retro symph prog band Glass Hammer had made the top ten but annoyingly they didn't. I expected to see BBT near the top because it contains all the right ingredients. I just felt it lacked something. ''Balls'' perhaps??! Its a nice album though playing directly to a prog audience and tapping in on nostalgia. I like it but just not quite as much as others.
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Posted By: Warthur
Date Posted: February 06 2013 at 11:43
I didn't participate in the Best of 2011 poll but if you asked me to name the best album from that year, Discipline would have been it.
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Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: February 06 2013 at 11:57
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I went back and looked and I did have the Discipline album as number 1 and the Opeth album as number 2 in 2011. -------------
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Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: February 06 2013 at 18:56
The correlation between the Anglagard comment and Opeth's Heritage is spurious at best. Heritage was a very polarizing album amongst long time Opeth fans, yet better received by those that were otherwise turned off by previous releases. I am also not finding the "top 50 all-time" list in which it is rated number 4. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow"> https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: February 06 2013 at 21:02
| Well of course there is no top 50 albums it is the top 100 albums and i think if you look you will find Discipline somewhere around 46th or so. I was not referring to Opeths album being on the top 100 of all time. I still stand by my opinion that the top 100 albums of the year is a more accurate reference tool than is the collaborators poll. Since it is only an opinion you should treat it as such. |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: February 07 2013 at 03:23
Ok, fair enough. Your first sentence only mentioned 1 artist by name so it appeared the whole sentence was about a single band.
To more directly address the intent of your statement: I mostly agree with you. However, I take the all-time rankings with a grain of salt, particularly with bands that have large discographies. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow"> https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: February 07 2013 at 10:00
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Back to the "fanboy" complaint - it does seem as if established and popular prog artists do tend to dominate the rankings. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, even if the release by said artist is "substandard" (which is in the eye of the beholder anyway). For better or worse, the system does reflect the "best" releases, where "best" equals that one deemed best by the most people, i.e. it is a popular choice. I will concede that there may be some "fanboy" voting by people who are lifelong fans of, say, Rush, and any new album of theirs will pretty much get an automatic vote. I'm not willing to guess as to how often this happens, nor am I willing to doubt any collab's judgment in what they thought was the best of the year. But the excitement of a new release, especially after a long hiatus, does tend to be reflected in an album's ratings, at least in the short term. This made me think of a point I had on another thread a few weeks ago, as I was lamenting the fact that one year (at maximum) really isn't enough time to develop my "favorites" list of that year. In a couple of years, I may suddenly realize how good Tea Party's (to use an "underdog" example from this past year) new album is. But I can't then go back and fix my vote for 2012. Once the poll's done, it's over, and we're on to a new year. I tend to take a long time to absorb and truly appreciate and understand prog albums, and often I need several years of perspective to arrive at a judgment which truly reflects how I feel. Sure, some albums are "instant favorites", but most of them aren't. I raised this point on a thread and didn't expect much of a response, but several people seemed to agree. The "Best of (Year)" list would ideally be a cumulative thing, where one's favorites are adjusted and refined over time, rather than judged as "Best" in a much shorter time frame. I realize this would require a lot more work on somebody's part, but if enough people think this way, I'd be glad to put my head together with some others to see what we could do. If not, no skin off my nose, but I think it's an interesting idea. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: February 07 2013 at 10:09
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Unfortunately, it is pretty much impossible to listen to every prog album that was released in 2012; therefore many collabs, like most people, are going to choose to listen to the new releases that come from the "popular" bands since they are familiar with those "popular" bands. They will also choose to listen to albums released from lesser known bands, but in all likelihood the lesser known bands that they listen to will be different than the lesser known bands that the other collabs listen to. There were a number of collabs who only listened to 5 or 10 new releases this year, so everything they listened to was included in their top 10 whether or not they deserved to be in a top 10 or not. i.e. it was OK, but since i only listened to 5 albums, this album is my number 5. This is just the nature of a site made up of all unpaid volunteers. -------------
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Posted By: rushfan4
Date Posted: February 07 2013 at 14:13
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By the way, is the Collab list going to be posted on the PA home page, or at least the album of the year? Just curious. -------------
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 07 2013 at 14:44
What you say is quite true of course. My favourite album for 2005 would probably still be Deadwing but Glass Hammers The Inconsolable Secret would now be my second favourite album of that year yet at its time of release I was bitterly disappointed with it mainly because they had taken me out of my comfort zone on the second disc. Of course you also accumulate albums for a year over a period longer than a year. That has to be the main point. I may end up buying albums on that list over the next few years and like them better than my current picks. Arguably we should not even have a collaborators list anyway. Why is it necessary?
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Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: February 07 2013 at 15:09
You're right on the money with your 2005 example too -- the same kind of thing happens to me a lot. ------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Wolfhound
Date Posted: February 07 2013 at 16:22
| Concerning the Opeth album, I thought it was pretty good, but it is the only album of theirs I like. I was never able to get into them until the 2012 album. |
Posted By: timothy leary
Date Posted: February 07 2013 at 16:34
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Time changes everything. On the 2010 100 albums of the year Seventh Wonder #3, Vespero #5 Collaborator poll Seventh Wonder#100 Vespero # 216 +....actually not even on the poll.
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