Interactive Poll # 7 - Did you say catchy?

1. Phish - First Tube

2. Antique Seeking Nuns - Double Egg

3. The Mr. Albert Show - I'm not more than a Sign 

The Mr. Albert Show - I'm not more than a Sign ~ Flute makes me think of Ian Anderson in a perky mood.  Definitely very hook-y which is what I want to hear if thinking, “catchy.”  Like the guitars, really different kind of production, with the horns being Chicago-esque to my ear.  Catchy enough to contend, certainly.

Chrome Hoof ft. Shingai Shoniwa – Knopheria ~ Staccato throughout, with a catchy marimba sound underpinning a lot of it, which makes it different to me than a lot of sort acid-house music.  I don’t think I want to go the Knopheria, though.  This one not a contender for me.  Raff finally made room for someone else in my top 3 (sorry, Raff)  😉            

Wha Ha Ha - On the Floor ~ I could certainly hear this being the soundtrack to a video game or a cartoon….There is the repeated phrase, which could be addictive to some, but this one doesn’t do it for me.  It does make me laugh, not at it, but with it, so it gets some points for that, but won’t be a contender for me.  Or so I thought.  Then I found myself later on hearing it in my mind’s ear.  Oddball contender for me.

                Valdez - Black Eyed Susans ~ Kind of an alt-rock sound with just this one song (after I listened a couple of times looked at their writeup to see why prog).  I could see this having been played on those stations a lot in the time period.  Catchy in a radio-friendly way to my ear, so a contender.

                Todd Rundgren - Parallel Lines ~ Too familiar with Todd to put him in contention, for me. 

                Zaragon - Fear To Fight ~ Reminds me of the Ambrosia/Alan Parsons/Kansas era a bit, although it appears it came out much later.  Nice rocky piece, but I don’t quite hear a “hook,” which is sort of my definition of being termed catchy. Lord, now I sound like an A&R guy.  Where’s my cigar?

                King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Crumbling Castle ~  Now I really enjoy some space rock/psychedelia.  Harkening back to my SF roots like Quicksilver Messenger Service.   Enjoy the repetitive meditative raga-ish guitar sounds here and the psychedelic tremolos and such…Vocals are a little “marchy,” and kinda “alienish,” to me, but the castles are crumbling, after all and they could be on another planet.  Or maybe they’re ants, who knows?  This will be a contender.

                Dr. Dopo Jam - Cowboy Song ~ Love the opening, Monty Python to Zappa.  Then cowboys!  Moving to Montana soon?  Love the humour, and an epic tale to boot.  I don’t know how catchy it is, but it gets my quirky side happy. This is a contender.

                Antique Seeking Nuns - Double Egg with Chips and Beans (And A Tea) ~ Now I had seen this name before (and LOVE the name, always gives me a chuckle), but hadn’t heard anything.  I enjoy the humour aspect and the fusion of styles.  We’ll see if it sneaks into my mind’s ear later, but for right now, not a contender, missing that elusive “hook,” (for me). 

                Sweet Fingers - Good Night Robots ~ Actually, this one reminds me of a song from way back in the 1970’s, if it were played on a warped LP, so the progression and the dynamics are familiar to me, but it’s not the same song at all.  Maybe this is why I like it over other things I’ve heard in this genre?  I don’t know, but for now it’s a contender, it’s got that hook, at least for me.           

                Alan Stivell - Pop Plinn ~ My entry, so no vote from me.

                Good God - Dragon Song ~ At first I was thinking Zappa-esque, then thought I recognized something about it and then looked up the band in the archives.   So was I liking it from hearing John McLaughlin in the way long ago past?  I don’t know.  So even though it was hooky enough, I am going to refrain from putting it into contender status.

                Ben Levin - What a Special Day ~ More stuff that sounds Zappa-esque to me, with the humour and sarcasm, for that, made me laugh (again, with it, not at it).  Not a contender for me, unless it crops up in my mind later today, unbidden. 

                Phish - First Tube ~ I certainly know of this band, carried them many tours on the buses.  I never did go to one of their shows, though, nor heard much at that point in time.  Name familiarity isn’t enough for me to disqualify a piece for myself.  Nice jamming (which of course they were known for), but I don’t hear the “hook,” thing that I want for catchy.

                The Legendary Pink Dots - Princess Coldheart ~ Have heard the name, but unfamiliar with the music, here.  Reminds me of Piper At the Gates of Dawn PF.  Which is one of my faves of theirs.  Really nice retro sound.  I liked the regal horn sounds to go with the story.  I’m not sold on this as catchy, but I am going to go and listen to some more of theirs because I like their sound.

                Lucio Battisti - Abbracciala Abbracciali Abbracciati ~ This was really lovely in a relaxed and understated way.  Made me think of psych era Tim Buckley, Pearls Before Swine as far as some of the “dreamy,” quality to the music.  I did not find this one catchy, either, but it is very beautiful and, like The Legendary Pink Dots, will seek out some other of his music to listen to.

                Chicago – Now ~ Definitely an AOR kind of sound to me, and of course I know Chicago, but not this tune.  They had a hook, just not the kind that grabs me, but this is just not a style that appeals to me.  So not a contender.

                Purposeful Porpoise -Unexplored ~ I like this band a lot, have heard another piece by them that caught my ear on radio the other day.  That being said, even though I like them musically, esp with their violinist, I don’t hear what would make this particular tune catchy for me (I like to "hear" something from it once it's over and it's quiet).  I am going to seek more out by them, though.  Sorry this time, Mike.

                Burnin Red Ivanhoe - Ivanhoe i Brøndbyerne ~ Marked as Jazz Rock/Fusion, I hear a lot more psych in this, with the Farfisa-ish organ and the blurry kind of production….which, now that I read a bit about them, I understand why.  Might actually be a Farfisa, after all.  I had never heard of this, feel some echoes of bands like Fever Tree (when they were rocking).  I will let them contend. 

OK, just finished listening to the songs once again. Great job, everyone! Lots of interesting stuff this time around. Ruling out my own pick and the two songs I was already familiar with (Sweet Fingers and Lucio Battisti), here's my top 3:

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Crumbling Castle
The Legendary Pink Dots - Princess Coldheart
Antique Seeking Nuns - Double Egg

Not surprisingly for those who know me, psychedelic/space/Canterbury-tinged stuff tickles my fancy more than anything else. Then come the honourable mentions:

Alan Stivell - Pop Plinn (folk/world music is another love of mine)
Purposeful Porpoise - Unexplored (had no idea this was a supergroup of sorts - the track is excellent though)
Burnin' Red Ivanhoe - Ivanhoe i Brøndbyerne (not crazy about the vocals, but the instrumental sections are top notch).

AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: Am I allowed to post one more song or is it one song per member on here?

Well, you can always post a song out of competition, but Cristi has closed the nominations as far as I understand him, and people have started to vote. So I guess no new songs in the competition. But I'm not the boss. 

no one posted anything for a whole day so I said let's listen and vote. 

I wish Lorenzo participated, but he ignored this thread. 

The Latin Poll was almost over, or so I thought, some opened a discussion there, so... my bad, I did not mean to upset anyone, obviously. 

I didn't write it or perform on it so technically it's not my song.  Trust me no one here would want to hear "my" songs. 

you know what I meant 

Going through the first songs now.

The Mr. Albert Show - I'm not more than a Sign. To me a very classic prog sound that blends with more straight forward rock. Very much built around riffs and hooks. I'm surprised I haven't heard of the band, because it is absolutely not bad.

Chrome Hoof ft. Shingai Shoniwa - Knopheria. And now for something completely different. As it begins, it is not a sound I would normally associate with prog; it's more like electropop with some echoes of the 80's now and then. But then suddenly come some very proggy chord changes. Undoubtedly an intriguing combination, and as such it should be a possible contender for my votes.

Wha Ha Ha - On the Floor. This sounds very mysterious and weird, and mysterious and weird is almost always a quality in itself in my world. A cold electronic sound meets atonality and cacophony. Quite avant-garde at times. Nintendo on acid. I wouldn't describ it as catchy, but absolutely intriguing, and this is what matters. Later it changes to a mix of ska rhythm and Frank Zappa (!). In general, many genres are mixed in here. Another possible contender.

Valdez - Black Eyed Susans. 5/8 and 7/8 time signatures in the verse, then comes a more mainstreamish rock chorus. I like the organ and the handclaps, but I am not so fond of his singing. But absolutely not a bad song. Chassic prog elements after the second chorus. Melodically I somehow get associations to Sting.

Todd Rundgren - Parallel Lines. This screams 80's in almost every respect. The sound has never really been my taste. I acknowledge its qualities, but I can't see myself voting for it.

Zaragon - Fear to Fight. More 80's sounds (the synthesizer). Once again not something that appeals to me, but I do like the more heavy riffs that come in at some point before the first tempo change.