The list seems varied in that among the ten, only one artist appears twice and there is music from several different countries. Although the list has been compiled from a prog point of view, it is not a prog list. In fact, the songs that can be classified purely as prog, are clearly in a minority here. But most of the titles listed have at least some kind of prog connection or have been influenced by it. Before moving to Iceland, we begin our tour in the U.K.
(Album: Weather Systems)
While the album Weather Systems was already mentioned as a disappointment in part 1 of this story, there is no denying that its opening track works really well. Melody and instumentation are impeccable, and the overall feel is familar from previous releases like We're Here Because We're Here (2010) and the masterful reworked compilation of older works, Hindsight (2008). If only the rest of the album had been as good as its first track!
9. Sigur Rós: Ég anda
(Album: Valtari)
The new album by the Icelandic group Sigur Rós was this year's biggest surprise. I honestly thought that they had already lost their creativity and didn't pay any attention to the new release when it first came out. Boy, was I wrong! Valtari is easily their second best album ever, following the undying masterpiece that was ( ) (2002). Ég anda is also an opening track and, unlike Anathema's song above, gives promises that the rest of the album is actually able to keep. Below, there is a link to the song accompanied by a strange video.
8. Arcana: Somnolence
(Album: As Bright as a Thousand Suns)
This short, moody, even sombre instrumental piece is also the opening track of the album. It runs just under two minutes but leaves an indelible impression on the listener, and precisely like the previous song on the list, makes promises that the rest of the album can easily keep. Arcana, that initially sounded like a cheaper version of Dead Can Dance, has now fully grown to real artistic merit of their own. I am eagerly waiting for more music like this from Sweden.
7. Motorpsycho: Into the Mystic
(Album: The Death Defying Unicorn)
Having already visited Iceland and Sweden, there is not a long way to check out Norway as well. The fanciful and fairly far-out musical fable called The Death Defying Unicorn by Trondheim's best known group Motorpsycho does not begin but ends with this outstanding track that proves one thing: prog is fun! And it sounds like they have had plenty of it when writing and performing this truly excellent piece of music that can leave the listener simply exhausted with pure joy.
6. OSI: Wind Won't Howl
(Album: Fire Make Thunder)
Now is the time to move to the United States, for the first but not the last time on the list. OSI is the prog metal group originally formed by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and the original keyboardist of Dream Theater, Kevin Moore, also of Chroma Key fame. On their fourth album Fire Make Thunder, drums are played by Porcupine Tree's Gavin Harrison. Expectations were high following the outstanding previous studio album Blood (2009) but the overall end result turned out to be disappointingly mediocre. Except for this one great song, for which there is no full recording available either in YouTube or Spotify. But you can check out a 35-second sample below: Wind Won't Howl plays between 2:23 and 2:58.
The remaining best five tracks of the top 10 will turn up here tomorrow!
Ei kommentteja:
Lähetä kommentti