Top 250: #6 - #10

Top 250 by ProgActive will now be finalized by listing the best of the very best, Top 10, in the last two entries of the series. In this elite group, there are only seven different artists. Five of them appear once. One of them appears twice. One of them appears three times. And, even though Blackfield has had lots of songs on the list and many of them very close to the top, they are not the artist appearing three times. Let's start with them.

10. 1,000 People, by Blackfield
(Blackfield II, 2007)

The other masterpiece on Blackfield II besides Once (#13) is the very next track on it. There are many types of beautiful music in existence; Aviv Geffen's talent lies in writing perhaps the most mournful type. The incredibly moving 1,000 People is a close relative to a more recent Geffen downer, Dissolving With the Night (#29) from the third Blackfield album. It is actually a reworking of an original song, sung in Hebrew by Geffen, for which he co-wrote the English lyrics with bandmate Steven Wilson.

Of all the songs written by Geffen, this one is in the top two of the most depressing ones. It makes you wonder why the man writes so much about longing to be gone from this life. Dissolving With the Night continued in exactly the same vein four years later. However, in spite of its subject matter 1,000 People is not a mournful tune in the same sense as, say, Adagio in G Minor by Tomaso Albinoni. It is a lovely if also sad song backed with a piano and strings and it used to play in a really heavy rotation. Hence, the tenth place in overall ranking.

9. Fear of a Blank Planet, by Porcupine Tree
(Fear of a Blank Planet, 2007)

Another track from another Steven Wilson project from 2007, Fear of a Blank Planet is the exhilarating opening track from the album carrying the same title. 1,000 People was Blackfield's ninth entry on the list; this one is Porcupine Tree's 15th, making them the artist with most entries on it by far. This is, finally, their last one; PT is one of those artists who have only one entry in the Top 10. Embedded below is Fear of a Blank Planet as the full length album version.

Lasse Hoile has created a music video for the song that can also be found in YouTube in glorious high definition. Unfortunately, on the background the track itself has been shortened from 7 minutes and 32 seconds to only 4 minutes and 19 seconds, so it didn't feel appropriate to embed it here. The album was actually a disappointment to us but this title track kicks ass - in particular, the first four minutes or so. After that it gets a bit repetitive. Great song by the British prog group who have de facto disbanded following 2009's horrendously disappointing The Incident.

8. Stake to Glory, by Engineers
(Forgiveness, 2005)

This song by Engineers is one of our most memorable finds in recent years. The same year the group released their self titled full length debut album they also released an EP length collection of songs called Forgiveness. It contained a single of that same title that was also included on the debut album, and a couple of other songs that weren't. Easily the best of them is Stake to Glory, which in our opinion is also better than anything on the actual debut album. Sometimes B sides can be better. Please listen to the song below.

As you can hear, the chorus of the song has been arranged like one of the pompous Phil Spector produced hits of the sixties. This nod to that particular era is interesting, but what makes this song truly great is the exceptional quality of the songwriting. Engineers have proven to be masters of composing unforgettably beautiful tunes, and this song is a shining example of that particular talent. Even though we didn't find this track until early 2010, it has managed to accumulate a respectable amount of listening and hence climbed to the eighth place on our all time list.

7. Perfect World, by Blackfield
(Blackfield, 2004)

Remember when we mentioned weighing Gravity Eyelids by Porcupine Tree (#30) against another song when trying to decide our number one favorite song of the entire 2000's? This is that song. Perfect World is the crowning achievement of Blackfield's career that they have never surpassed, although 1,000 People admittedly comes close. Like Where is My Love? (#24) it is not listed among the actual tracks of the album, but has been placed as one of the three bonus tracks of the two disc version.

Once again, a somewhat pessimistic message from Blackfield. This world is far from perfect, and cannot be mended: I wish we were reborn to a perfect world. This is not a direct statement about wanting to leave this particular plane of existence but an implication nonetheless. And this is where the group's outstanding success finally peaks. They have now appeared on the list a full ten times - seven times in the Top 40 alone. They won't appear again further up.

6. Bravado, by Rush
(Roll the Bones, 1991)

The Canadian prog metal giant Rush feels like a surprise find this far up on the list. In spite of being fans in the eighties, we seem to have almost forgotten about the group later on. As a result, they have appeared on the list only once before, with Animate (#155). Bravado is a song from one of their less than classic albums that we initially overlooked but noticed a little later on. Since then, this song has grown on us. We are happy to state that now we think it is the finest, most accomplished song in Rush's career, even though their greatest classics were made years earlier.

Roll the Bones the album arrived in a difficult era for the group. During the latter half of the eighties they had, album by album, veered further away from their prog laced heavy rock roots, until Presto (1989) finally became their first release that we actually removed from our CD collection shortly after buying it. Bravado also has a polished tech rock sound but it doesn't hurt at all when the quality of the songwriting is this high. A masterpiece from a great band, born at an unexpected point in time.

Top 250: #11 - #15

Recently, the nature of our Top 250 has been that there is a certain, limited number of artists whose songs and instrumentals keep appearing repeatedly on the list. This time, we show some variety by introducing not only one but two debutants who appear here for the first time, even though we are now nearing the Top 10. Let's begin with one of these newcomers.

15. Analyse, by Thom Yorke
(The Eraser, 2006)

OK, perhaps the Radiohead singer has appeared on the list before but not as a solo artist. Radiohead has so far had three songs on the list, with Videotape ranking highest (#152). Singer Yorke's solo album came out eight years ago, at a time when the best days of the group were already behind them. In our opinion, The Eraser is hardly a great album, but it contains a couple of interesting tracks and one masterpiece which is of course Analyse, embedded below.

The song imprinted itself to our memory perhaps a bit too easily when it played during the closing credits of Christopher Nolan's masterful 2006 film The Prestige. We felt already dumbfounded enough when the credits started to roll, and then there was also this absolutely stunning piece of mellow rock playing on the soundtrack. However, it would be unfair to suggest that Analyse didn't have merit also on its own. Proof of that lies in the fact that it has been able to take the 15th place on our list which has required some heavy rotation - without a film playing at the same time.

14. Peacock Tail, by Boards of Canada
(The Campfire Headphase, 2005)

The Scottish electronic music duo Boards of Canada, on the other hand, is no newcomer on this list. They have appeared three times previously, with Dayvan Cowboy (#60), Satellite Anthem Icarus (#75) and Julie and Candy (#168). The first two of those are both from their peak album The Campfire Headphase, as is Peacock Tail, our number one favorite track in their recorded output. By now that we are this far up on the list, it feels like every song is our favorite from each artist, signifying that they probably won't appear further up on the list. Which is probably true for Boards of Canada, as well as Thom Yorke.

Embedded above is a great achievement in electronically produced instrumental music. Once again, a relatively simple but infinitely beautiful passage of music has been composed. It is then simply repeated over and over again, and made interesting by adding new layers of variable instrumentation. Unlike the Maju track described in the previous blog entry, Peacock Tail doesn't come back down; instead, it simply soars higher and higher until the soundscape has been filled and it is time to fade out. Bliss.

13. Once, by Blackfield
(Blackfield II, 2007)

Blackfield is fast becoming one of, if not the most successful artist on the list. Prior to this, they have appeared on it already seven times. Four of these appearances are as recent as Where is My Love? (#24), Scars (#27), Dissolving With the Night (#29) and Pain (#34). It seems that the British - Israeli duo has really been able to strike a chord in us. Once is the opening track of their (once) eagerly awaited second album that was released in early 2007. At the time, we were already familiar with the first one and couldn't wait for more of the same to become available.

Once was released in advance of the actual album to serve as its preview. We remember finding it somewhere, listening to it and being very satisfied. The song had a bit more of a rock and roll feel than virtually anything on the debut album, which we felt was a peculiar choice, but the chorus sounded extremely beautiful. The rest of the album didn't live up to the expectation set by Once; it had one other great track, two or three pretty good ones - and also several forgettable ones. Once serves as its opening track.

12. Your Kettle, by Portal
(Blood Red Tape, 2008)

Here comes the other first time appearance listed in this blog entry! And what a surprise it is. Portal is  (or was) a virtually unknown Canadian progressive metal group who luckily take it relatively easy with their metal, limiting its use to hard, tightly played guitar riffs. They play their prog with an incredible precision that still somehow sounds effortless. There is also an Australian extreme black death metal band that has the same name, please be sure not to mix these two.

Your Kettle, embedded above, is a ten-minute masterpiece in complicated, metal laced progressive rock. We found it only about four years ago, yet in only half the time that many other artists have had it has managed to climb all the way to the twelfth place on the list. Blood Red Tape is Portal's third full length album, following A Taste of Things to Come (2001), The Vast Expanse Diminishing (2003) and an EP length release called Element (2005). We know of no more recent releases and the band may have split since their web site hasn't been updated in several years. But what a classic track they released before that happened!

11. On the Mend, by Foo Fighters
(In Your Honor, 2005)

The American rock group Foo Fighters has appeared on the list three times before this, most recently with the lovely Over and Out (#26). On the Mend is that song's stunning companion piece, yet another lovely track taken from the acoustic Disc 2 of the group's ultimate masterpiece In Your Honor. Rising this far up on the list has obviously been helped by an ideal release date, shortly before April 2006 when we started compiling it. But that is of course not the only reason for such a high ranking.

A better reason is that, as you can hear if you click what's embedded above, On the Mend is one of the best and most moving songs ever written about lost love. The lyrics, backed up by the most beautiful of melodies, compare losing a loved one to recuperating from an exceptionally severe illness. It is a question of survival: one more day that I've survived, another night alone. Foo Fighters are working at the very peak of their powers here. Needless to say, then, that they won't be appearing in the Top 10. Who will? Let's get into that next time.

Top 250: #16 - #20

Finally, we have reached the Top 20 of our Top 250 list. For a change, in this section all five tracks are from different artists and even more refreshingly from such artists that didn't appear last time or haven't appeared in a while in general. There is even one debutant on the list this high up.

20. We Subside, by The Pineapple Thief
(Variations on a Dream, 2003)

The British prog related guitar art rock group The Pineapple Thief has appeared on the list a few times before. Vapour Trails (#67), Remember Us (#113) and Resident Alien (#206) were all taken from their early masterpiece Variations on a Dream; only What Have We Sown? (#222) is from a more recent album. Our track number 20 is also from their pinnacle album, in fact it is the opening track. In our opinion, it is easily the finest song that the group has released.

When it comes to lyrics, We Subside is nothing special. But when it comes to music, it is absolutely brilliant. It elevates guitar rock into an art form. As you can hear by clicking the video embedding above, the song opens like a piece of classical music and manages to sustain that impression even when more regular rock instrumentation is introduced a little later on. Art rock has rarely been quite this artsy, and one might accuse the group of almost crossing the fine line between art and the artificial. We don't think they do that. In all the best ways, We Subside simply works.

19. Sending a Signalling Glance, by Maju
(Maju-1, 1999)

Immediately preceding the new millennium, the Tokyo based instrumental electronic music group Maju debuted with Maju-1 which perhaps isn't quite as significant a success as their second album that came out the following year. Still, it contains our number one favorite track in their output. Sending a Signalling Glance is nothing less than a perfect piece of electronic music. Its structure is very simple: a relatively simple melodic passage is repeated several times but in each iteration it becomes deliciously varied while new synthesizer sequences are added - and towards the end, removed.

Maju has appeared on the list twice before, with Once Again, I Revert to That Perspective (#55) and I Drew a Final Breath in the Dream (#106). Both of those two compositions are taken from their next album Maju-2 (2000). This one remains our favorite; there will be no more Maju songs further up on the list. We may have already mentioned that the group's publicly declared ambition is to describe what it is like to live in modern Tokyo through means of instrumental music. Sure sounds like that life is quite enjoyable. Mellow, even.

18. It's Natural to Be Afraid, by Explosions in the Sky
(All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, 2007)

The previous blog entry (#21 - #25) seemed to imply that there would be no more surprises in store on the list - just more of the same. This track goes to disprove that. The Texan post rock group Explosions in the Sky has not appeared on the list at all prior to this, so it is one of the highest rated debuts on it. (Fourth highest, in fact - there will be not only one but two first time appearances next time, on places #11 - #15, and one even in the top five!)

This lengthy instrumental captured our attention originally because of its memorable opening sequence - the first four minutes and ten seconds. However, the rest of the composition is also great. It is kind of strange to see a post rock group this high on the list since we have never been big fans of that particular genre of rock - the typical noisy guitar sounds irritate us too much. But here, the Texas group has evidently succeeded in mesmerizing the side of us that enjoys ambient music. Hence, a place in the Top 20.

17. All the Blue Changes, by No-Man
(Together We're Stranger, 2003)

There are no Blackfield or Porcupine Tree tracks present this time around, but what would a Top 250 blog entry be without Steven Wilson or at least one of his many projects? Mr. Wilson has made music with Tim Bowness as No-Man since the early nineties and the duo has appeared on the list already five times before, with Soft Shoulders (#81), All Sweet Things (#130), Truenorth (#161), Close Your Eyes (#185) and Pigeon Drummer (#219).

All the Blue Changes is the first pick from their peak album, 2003's impressive Together We're Stranger. This effortlessly beautiful song has played at ProgActive endlessly: it is one of those tracks that you never seem to grow tired of and is arguably the finest piece of work that No-Man has ever released as a recording. Sad, then, that it looks like the duo is now on an endless hiatus, with Steven Wilson busy with his solo career. Following Together We're Stranger, there has been only one more album release, Schoolyard Ghosts, and even that was six and a half years ago.

16. Emergency Room, by Engineers
(Three Fact Fader, 2009)

The British shoegazers Engineers need no further introduction. They have appeared on the list already seven times before, most recently with Thrasher (#37), A Given Right (#52) and Said and Done (#64). A major favorite of ours, obviously. Their peak album is not hard to select: Three Fact Fader, released five years ago, is an astonishing achievement even though its greatness didn't come as a total surprise. Their almost equally excellent self titled debut from 2005 already showed enough promise for music fans to expect great things from the group.

When it begins, Emergency Room sounds perhaps a little non-typical for Engineers - as well as for the top positions on this list. The guitar sounds are hard rocking and the soundscape seems overly filled with instruments. On top of that, the composition doesn't at first sound like it's going to be anything special. This false impression is quickly fixed when we reach chorus and suddenly realize that this is actually one of the group's most memorably written songs with some particularly beautiful passages repeating themselves over and over again. Rock meets mellow pop with incredible results.