The Progressive Thread

[killer_roach]

Instant pre-order for me

Agreed. More Star One is always good

[killer_roach]

Top prog albums of 2010, IMO:

1) Gazpacho - Missa Atropos
2) Motorpsycho - Heavy Metal Fruit
3) Frogg Cafe - The Bateless Edge
4) Sky Architect - Excavation Of The Mind
5) The Pineapple Thief - Someone Here Is Missing
6) Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno - Il Pittore Volante
7) Alcest - Ecailles De Lune
8) Red Sparowes - The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer
9) Xing Sa - Creation De l'Univers
10) Steve Unruh - Challenging Gravity

Honorable mention:
11) Orphaned Land - The Neverending Way Of ORwarriOR
12) Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here
13) Resistor - Rise
14) Argos - Circles
15) Univers Zero - Clivages
16) Disperse - Journey Through The Hidden Gardens
17) Ciccada - A Child In The Mirror
18) The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis
19) Unitopia - Artificial
20) Areknamés - In Case Of Loss...
21) Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time
22) Kayo Dot - Coyote
23) Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned
24) Hypnos 69 - Legacy
25) Shaolin Death Squad - Five Deadly Venoms
26) Nick Magnus - Children Of Another God
27) Ephemeral Sun - Harvest Aorta
28) Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - Sepulcros de Miel
29) Kaipa - In The Wake Of Evolution
30) David Minasian - Random Acts Of Beauty
31) Haken - Aquarius
32) Stick Men - Soup
33) Electric Orange - Krautrock From Hell
34) The Black Noodle Project - Ready To Go
35) Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit
36) John Zorn - In Search Of The Miraculous
37) Elephant9 - Walk The Nile
38) Mystery - One Among The Living
39) Yoso - Elements
40) Lucifer Was - The Crown Of Creation
41) Eris Pluvia - Third Eye Light
42) Demians - Mute
43) Rhapsody Of Fire - Frozen Tears Of Angels
44) Vanden Plas - The Seraphic Clockwork

Dishonorable mention:
45) Odyssice - Silence
46) Hawkwind - Blood Of The Earth
47) Spock's Beard - X

Still to listen to:
Pat Metheny - Orchestrion
The Watch - Planet Earth?
Glass Hammer - If

Anything else, feel free to give me a recommendation.

[Fizzeler]

Kamelot should be up there even though the album is not out yet (and I have yet to even hear there samples on myspace)

Just because they are Kamelot

[killer_roach]

Once I listen to it, it'll go up somewhere on the list, I'm sure.

Same with the Star One album.

[Fizzeler]

New Tangent album (I think) this year as well

[Meddle71]

Just saw this thread and was reading the first post...

...and it bothers me when people say that Pink Floyd and Rush are a misconception of the genre. Progressive musicians are among the most open-minded people in the music world, so I don't understand why fans insist on laying boundaries of who is and isn't allowed in this genre (which is the greatest genre known to mankind!). I do however, agree that wherever the arbitrary boundaries lie, both those bands would be closer to them then some.

Anyways, back on topic, I think that The Tangent's "Down and Out..." came out last November, if that's the album you mean.

Killer Roach, I agree with a good chunk of your list, the ones I've heard, anyway.

Haven't listened to your number one though, Motorpsycho. Not usually a big fan of the more eclectic stuff (I think that's sort of what they are right?), but I like some of the other stuff you listed, so I'll give it a try. I do listen to VDGG from time to time, and I think they're sort of the same subgenre, so we'll see what happens.

Last thing, I really liked Aquarius by Haken, hope there's more where that came from!

/wall_of_text

[Fizzeler]

Anyways, back on topic, I think that The Tangent's "Down and Out..." came out last November, if that's the album you mean.

Nope Tillison sent a message on facebook a few weeks ago about a new album

[killer_roach]

Meddle71: Motorpsycho is an eclectic prog band, although more in the psychedelic rock side of things for the most part (they're listed as eclectic prog mostly because they venture into other subgenres at times, including jazz rock). I'd say that Heavy Metal Fruit, their newest album, is probably closest to Danava than anything, with some definite nods to King Crimson and Deep Purple along the way.

On the inclusiveness factor with how it pertains to certain bands, I'm more of an accomodationist than anything, but I'll make nods to "progressive-influenced" or "progressive-inspired" albums and/or bands. (With the big two of Pink Floyd and Rush, I'd call the former largely a fellow-traveler of progressive bands, being heavily progressive-influenced, whereas the latter is a genuinely progressive band in its early years that mostly now [post-Moving Pictures] releases albums inspired by the progressive approach.)

EDIT: Fizzeler - If I were to include yet-to-be-released albums on my list, I'd probably have Phideaux's "Snowtorch" somewhere on there. But, since I've yet to hear it... consider the list a "top albums so far"

[Piscasis]

Still in the "to listen to" pile:
Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here

Yeah its a great album if you're into the mellow side of Porcupine Tree. In fact, I believe Steven Wilson actually produced it. It has a lot of great tracks on it. Not that progressive, but still a great album. Definitely one of my favorites of this year, top 5 for sure.

[killer_roach]

Just listened to that one, placed it in at #6. That's still doing pretty good, as the top 8 in particular are albums that I have quite enjoyed.