The Year 2012 and the sounds it makes.

[RosaFloydGuy]

New Anglagard is AMAZING. Like, superb. Definitely their best record.

[killer_roach]

The new Beardfish album has partially leaked... the only problem is that the track that's labeled as the 17-minute epic track "Note" is really the same as the six-and-a-half-minute bonus track on the album.

Apart from having not heard Note yet... it's pretty good.

[thatmarkguy]

New Anglagard is AMAZING. Like, superb. Definitely their best record.

Yes, it's fantastic. I'd say it's easily their best album.

I like it a lot, but best record? This is the band that recorded Hybris (the original 4-track album, before the reissue sullied its perfection with an inferior fifth track). Widely considered to be the finest prog album of the past 30 years.

I'll grant that Viljans Öga is better than Epilog. But neither one of them holds a candle to Hybris.


(Roach: if you're looking for more critical scoring than those at progarchives, visit gnosis2000.net . They also have Viljans Öga at #1 among 2012 issued albums, but those Echolyn and Flower Kings albums don't even break their top 40. Myself, I've cooled on the Echolyn album with the exception of "Island", which I still listen to regularly)



...and now that I see that there's a new Locanda Delle Fate album (and that it's actually good), a hunt begins.

[killer_roach]

Looking at Gnosis2000's rankings, I realize I still have yet to hear the new albums from No-Man, District 97, and Moon Safari... not sure quite how much I'll like any of them, but all of those bands are worth a listen.

And yes, I would say I prefer Viljans Öga to Hybris (although "the original 4-track album"? Tales From Topographic Oceans says hi).

[Rocket2Russia]

In light of the hugely positive response it got from Matthew Horne over at Tiny Mix Tapes, I found Songs About Nothing to be a bit of a disappointment.

[franticfish]

new ash borer out

\o/

[thatmarkguy]

(although "the original 4-track album"? Tales From Topographic Oceans says hi).

I meant the original issue/pressing of the album, which had 4 tracks, which I consider a better album than the more-widely-available reissue that had 5. The 'bonus track' is so much a step down from the first-pressing four that it actually makes the album worse. And I feel I need to clarify when I say "It is the only album for me for which every single track is a five star masterpiece" that I am not including "Gånglåt från Knapptibble" in that assessment.

[killer_roach]

Fair enough. I know how those reissues go - the reissue of Opeth's Morningrise comes to mind (the added track not only is not up to the musical standard of the others, but of a production level so low that Venom in their early days would've been ashamed to put it on a disc).

[MrFruitLord]

Mature Themes is incredibly boring.

[Runesmith]

Mature Themes is incredibly boring.

It really is. Whenever "Baby" comes on the radio I have to flip the dial or else I'm afraid I'll fall asleep.