Top Albums for the Year 2006, Part 1: The Masterpieces

My Favorite Albums of 2006

(In some semblance of order)

***Author's note:  Below you will find two different rankings for this year's albums. The first is merely a list consisting of a Top Ten with a following list of "Honorable Mentions." These are my favorite albums of the year, that is, the albums to which I have formed the greatest emotional attachments. The ensuing Reviews are ordered according to my personal, more objective judgment as to their quality, that is, the "best" albums of the year. Here I have tried to order the albums reviewed according to my personal determination as to what are the "best" albums of the year from a more critical, qualitative viewpoint, that is, without as much emotional attachment as "My Favorite" albums.  

2006 produced quite a number of high quality prog albums, though of less of a wide palette in terms of variety of sub-genres represented. From this year, my Favorites List has two (2) full masterpieces, seven (7) minor masterpieces, and ten (10) near-masterpieces (and a bunch of near-misses). A pretty good year!

The Rankings
(My Favorites)

1. KOTEBEL Omphalos

2. PURE REASON REVOLUTION The Dark Third

3. MAGYAR POSSE Random Avenger
4. SYLVAN Posthumous Silence

5. ROBIN GUTHRIE Continental and 2 EPS, Everlasting and Waiting For Dawn

6. IONA The Circling Hour
7. PAATOS Silence of Another Kind
8. MAGISTER DIXIT Cellules de Crises

9. FROST* Milliontown

10. iNFiNiEN How to Accept

11. ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS Double Eggs with Chips (and Beans)
12. ESPERS II
13. KARDA ESTRA The Age of Science and Enlightenment

14. MONO You Are There 

15. VIIMA Ajatuksia Maailman Laidalta

16. UZVA Uomo

17. OOIOO TAIGA
18. MIDLAKE The Trials of Van Occupanther 

19. RED SPAROWES Every Red Heart Shines Towards the Red Sun

20. OZRIC TENTACLES The Floor's Too Far Away

Honorable Mentions: 

21. ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE Øresund Space Collective

22. NEXUS Perpetuum Karma

23. BELIEVE Hope to See Another Day
24. TO-MERA Transcendental

25. UNEXPECT In a Flesh Aquarium

26. RUSSIAN CIRCLES Enter

27. PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI Stati di immaggionazione
28. ESTRADASPHERE Palace of Mirrors
29. THE GATHERING Home
30. THE D PROJECT Shimmering Lights

31. NEGURA BUNGET Om

The Reviews

5 star Masterpieces

(ratings of 100 to 93.34)

***** Album of the Year for 2006! *****

1. SYLVAN Posthumous Silence

SYLVAN's Posthumous Silence has garnered a lot of praise from some very worthy reviewers--and rightfully so. The album is a masterful, insightful, emotional, empathic and introspective theatric/ musical rendering of the toll that the psychological pressures of modern human society can exert on its individuals. Theatrically and emotionally it is devastatingly powerful--especially the second half. There is the question of category: neo, metal, heavy, or even prog (i.e. is it really more straight rock, e.g. like TRIUMPH, RAINBOW or JOURNEY?) As a vehicle for an amazing story, and as a vehicle for showcasing the extraordinary voice talents of Marco Glühmann, Sylvan have succeeded extraordinarily well.

Highlights for me include:  the gorgeous "Pane of Truth", despite being a little too long and drawn out), the psychologically powerful and disturbing, "Forgotten Virtue"; the beautiful and more progressive, "The Colours Changed"; the song that really sucks you into the disturbing world of mental illness, "Questions"; the classic rock anthem with a social-political message, "Answer to Life"; the theatric highpoint of the album, "The Last Embrace" (Wow!), and the final two songs which drive the two-sided message home, "A Kind of Eden" and "Posthumous Silence" (Wow! And, Whew! I'm worn out! Aren't you?).

Line-up / Musicians:

- Marco Glühmann / vocals

- Kay Söhl / guitar 

- Volker Söhl / keyboards 

- Sebastian Harnack / bass 

- Matthias Harder / drums, loop programming, sound effects, conductor (1) 

With: 

- Guido Bungenstock / additional guitar 

- Stefanie Richter / cello 

- Ensemble Vokalkolorit / chorus vocals 

- Angela Reinhardt / choir conductor

1. "Eternity Ends" (2:03) (5/5)

-

2. (I) "Bequest Of Tears" (3:19) (9/10)

3. "In Chains" (8:38) (17.25/20)

4. (II) "Bitter Symphony" (1:20) (4.25/5)

5. "Pane Of Truth" (9:06) (20/20)

6. (III) "No Earthly Reason" (1:57) (4.5/5)

7. "Forgotten Virtue" (6:43) (9/10)

8. "The Colors Changed" (5:58) (9.5/10)

9. (IV) "A Sad Sympathy" (1:42) (5/5)

10. "Questions" (6:59) (12.75/15)

11. "Answer To Life" (5:56) (9/10)

12. (V) "Message From The Past" (3:00) (10/10)

13. "The Last Embrace" (3:27) (10/10)

14. "A Kind Of Eden" (4:55) (8.75/10)

-

15. "Posthumous Silence" (4:59) (10/10)

Total Time: 70:02

94.0 on the Fish scales = A/five stars; a true masterpiece of progressive rock music and an essential addition to any music lover's collection. Marco Glühmann may be the most gifted male vocalist of the 21st Century. (I bet this story is amazing to experience live!) An album that simply deserves to be heard in full, start to finish, for it's brilliant storyline.

2. MAGYAR POSSE Random Avenger

The Post Rock sound on this album is so light and refreshing, much closer to the STEREOLAB and TORTOISE styles of the early PR years in the 90s than the heavy, murky stuff of the Naughties. 

1. "Whirlpool of Terror and Tension" (5:50) Staccato based rhtyhm structure with drums, rock instruments and percussives and keyboards along with the use of female vocalist Noora Tommila as a kind of horn section is brilliant. The simple, 1960s cinema-style guitar leads and use of string orchestra and is high tuned percussion instruments to accent the syncopated melody is all equally uplifting--adding much to this great song. (10/10)

2. "Sudden Death" (8:56) the initial melody line of this one was later stolen and developed differently into JAGA JAZZIST's wonderful "One-Armed Bandit." Kind of a keyboard/harpsichord sound developed by several instruments weaving the melody together. The long, sustained, deep wah-pedaled synth growls are awesome as are the drums and guitars throughout the opening, 'introductory' two minutes. Violin, electric guitar and synth then begin presenting another, slower melody line over the top until everything slows to a stop at 3:20 to allow for a piano-based interlude. Drums, bass and sensitively picked & strummed electric guitar also participate in the foundational aspects of this section until high register violin melody line and, later, Post Rock electric guitars brimming with potential energy, join in. Another quiet down at 5:55 allows piano and electric guitar to return the dynamic back to a gentler place--until that is, a strum at 6:40 announces the start of the final release. First electric guitar, then bass and second electric guitar, then drums and screeching/scratching violin announce their positions while building a beautiful MONO-like collective melody weave. Until the final 20 seconds of recapitulationof the opening riffs. Incredible song! And they never really got to the peak of their climax! (They didn't have to!) (20/20)

3. "Black Procession" (2:52) piano, strings, synths, singing bowls, and violin provide the lead for this slow, beautiful weave. (4.5/5)

4. "European Lover/Random Avenger" (12:32) opens with a bit of a "Tubular Bells" sound and feel--though bass, guitars and strings are in accompaniment of the bells sound from the opening. When the drums and lead violin enter they take over the melody delivery. Noora Tommila's voice is present again, this time in a single track, mixed into the background--which serves to add to feeling that this cinematic song is very much from a soundtrack from some 1970s European suspense-thriller. 

     The break down at the 5:30 mark opens up and extended space in which distant and near guitars are gently plucked and strummed, respectively. This section could be straight out of any song from BARK PSYCHOSIS's debut album, Hex. Gorgeous yet moody, even nostalgic. As the song enters the ninth minute it is building in intensity and, though it enters the realm of "ordinary" Post Rock, it loses none of its interest or allure. The final minute contains "distant" sounding accordion and percussive stringed instrument--as if one were present at the end of a circus/fair. (24/25)

5. "Intercontinental Hustle" (7:37) opens with a sound and style quite similar to that of the album's opening song, but then smooths out with sustained violin notes soaring above the staccato rhythms beneath. Synth takes a turn mirroring the violin's melody as the presence of percussion instrumentation amps up. At 2:50 everything quiets for a few seconds before the full force returns with its continued onslaught of volume and breadth of instruments presenting both the foundational rhythm and the melody track. Things quiet a little again with about three minutes to go to allow for the violin to try some inverted variations of its original melody themes. The sixth and seventh minutes find the melody fixing itself on one note, within one chord, for a bit before a cacophonous melee of free-form instruments (violin, guitars, synths) shred their instruments to the end. (13.5/15)

6. "One by One" (3:13) presents a laid back, almost campfire-like acoustic guitar-based song. Two guitars, a male voice in the background, and a little keyboard action, also in the background, give this song it's sleepy-time shape and sound. Nice, pretty, and unpretentious. (9/10)

7. "Popzag" (7:38) opens with organ providing another syncopated staccato rhythm track around which other instruments join and build--first a breathy keyboard synth, guitar, rolling bass, straight-time drums and Noora Tommila's "la, la, la, la" vocalizations. It's like a slowed down version of the opening song. Violin and electric guitar begin asserting themselves at the end of the third minute while the organ repeatedly bounces down a descending chord sequence. Guitars then take a turn with keys and violin moving into background support. The melody of the lead instruments at the 4:40 mark remind me of an ALAN PARSONS PROJECT song from their debut album. Just before the beginning of the final minute the song returns to its foundation while Noora's vocalizations turn to repetitions of downwardly stretched, "Haa-aah"s. Not a bad song, just a little more subdued and sedate than the previous highs. (12/15)

94.0 on the Fish scales = 5 stars; a masterpiece of progressive rock music. According to my calculations, Random Avenger is The new Best Album of 2006 and certainly one of the top ten Post Rock albums I've ever heard. I attribute this to the wonderful contributions of violin, two keyboard players, and voice of a Siren--as well as to terrific compositional sensibilities.

The "Minor" Masterpieces

(Ratings of 93.33 to 90.0)

3. KOTEBEL Omphalos

The reviewer on Prognossis has turned me on to several wonderful modern progressive rock artists--though his tastes are perhaps a bit more RIO/avante garde/eclectic than mine. AFTER CRYING, GOURISHANKAR, FROMUZ, FRENCH TV and now KOTEBEL are a few of his raves that I am enjoying getting to know. Omphalos is the best of the lot, so far.

I love female voices--especially good ones, with near-operatic quality, who have excellent accompanying bands (ANNIE HASLAM/RENAISSANCE, NINA HAGEN, NIGHTWISH, EPICA, DARGAARD, NIL, IAMTHEMORNING, UNIVERSAL TOTEM ORCHESTRA). And I love classically influenced music (though not so much music that borrows rather blatantly from classical themes as ELP, NEW TROLLS, and even RENAISSANCE have done), so KOTEBEL is quite a find for me. Every listen seems to bring greater appreciation and geometrically increasing enjoyment. But my favorite element of Omphalos is the strong, often dominant presence of the flute. This is an instrument used far too little, IMO, in modern prog. The old JETHRO TULL, FOCUS, and early GENESIS use of flute were, for me, such highlights to the 70s.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Carolina Prieto / vocals

- César García Forero / guitars, keyboards (2), bass (9) 

- Carlos Plaza / keyboards 

- Adriana Plaza / keyboards 

- Omar Acosta / flutes 

- Jaime Pascual / bass 

- Carlos Franco / drums, percussion

With: 

- Miguel Rosell Arreaza / cello (6)

1. "Ra" (13:12) is such an amazing piece, with so many moods an themes. At first I was quite overwhelmed by it--couldn't get into it, but now its familiar themes and flow is a very treasured journey. Some of the key changes just kill me! Time and tempo changes as well. (27/30)

2. "Excellent Meat" (9:00) reminds me of FROMUZ and NIL and even a little ON THE VIRG and KANSAS. Another song that took me several listens to get into. (I think the key with this album is familiarity; repeated listens seem to increase one's enjoyment and appreciation.) Organ, acoustic (Spanish) guitars, and a Bruford-esque snare really add so much to this temperamental song. Strangely: No flute! Brilliant musicianship. (17/20)

The next six songs are, I think, intended to be listened to and considered as one--a 'suite,' if you will. Especially since they all 'bleed' into one another. And that is precisely how I listen to them. They really do fit/belong together--and are, collectively, the second highest point of the album.

3. "Prologue" (1:36) definitely sets a stage of mystery and awe for the Pentacle Suite. A strong Moorish influence here, to be sure. (4.75/5)

4. "Sun Pentacle" (5:22) Flute and wordless operatic voice take turns singing the lead melodies, though electric guitars and synthesizers get their shots in, as well, in a moody, mostly heavy song. I feel as if I'm in an original "Star Trek" episode! (8.75/10)

5. "Mercury Pentacle" (7:23) begins with Carolina Prieto's beautiful, long and lilting vocal notes--which are soon joined by a Spanish/classically played acoustic guitar. Briefly joined by full band--with some very delicate drum/cymbal play--before the sonics very quickly ebb away, leaving the steady acoustic guitar arpeggios alone for a while before a background flute joins. Voice and rhythm section take turns entering, disappearing, always leaving the virtuosic guitarist plucking away, sometimes joined by the distant flute melody. An amazingly textured song with plenty of unexpected sounds, riffs, and shifts. Song ends with a plaintive electric guitar solo--a melody familiar from ANDREW LLOYD WEBER's Jesus Christ Superstar. (14.25/15)

6. "Venus Pentacle" (4:23) presents an acoustic side: piano, flute and cello. (And, later, some mellotron!) This song reminds me of DEBUSSY and JEAN-PIERRE RAMPAL-MICHEL LEGRAND-ALEXANDRE LAGOYA. An absolutely gorgeous symphonic mélange of classical and jazz, European style. (10/10)

7. "Mars Pentacle" (6:38) ushers back a jazzy FROM.UZ sound, full band performing, flutes and electric guitars taking the first leads, synth keyboard taking over briefly (my favorite sounds & melodies of this song). Definitely a progressive rock song as it is so reminiscent of the kind of stuff ELP, RENAISSANCE and THE ENID did in the 70s. (9.25/10)

8. "Epilogue" (4:51) takes a couple of the Pentacle Suite's previous themes (particularly from the previous, penultimate song, "Mars Pentacle") and slows them down, gives them to the flute, wonderful voice of Carolina Prieto (with lyrics! [not in English]), and, later, to a slide guitar and electric guitar. (10/10)

9. "MetroMnemo" (4:18). Someone asked on ProgArchives who does/has done the best ALLAN HOLDSWORTH copy and I have to answer, without hesitation, that the guitar work on this song is 'the best Allan Holdsworth playing Allan Holdsworth never did.' (Only, this may be better than anything AH ever did.) (IMHO) Even the song's construction is so similar to Holdsworth songs: full of sudden stops, shifts, time, key, and mood changes. There has never been a better 'copy.' Interesting end/fade out. (8/10)

10. "Joropo" (4:55). Flute and piano & keyboard synthesizers open this song--again sounding, to me, so much like much of JEAN-PIERRE RAMPAL's work with either CLAUDE BOLLING or MICHEL LEGRAND--though, of course, added to by the presence of electronics (I suppose, in the place of orchestration)--i.e. keyboards and fuzzed electric guitar. Really an amazing journey through the undulating countrysides of pastoral Europe! (9/10)

11. "Omphalos" (6:44) is quite possibly my favorite single song of the 21st Century. To be sure, it is in the top ten. Carolina Prieto's gorgeous voice carries me away to places high in the sky, high over ice-covered mountain peaks. And another performance of viruoso musicians. My only complaint is that it may go on just a little too long (i.e. the song could have happily ended at the 5:23 mark but instead chooses to come back for a reprise of the main theme--with little or no new development--for more than another minute.) (16/15)

Total Time: 68:23

92.76 on the Fish scales = A-/five stars. This may be my new favorite/"best of ..." the first decade of the 21st Century (The “Naughties”). Without any doubt or hesitation, this album deserves five stars, for it is, indeed, a masterpiece of progressive rock--a true example that "progress" is still being made in modern music.

4. PURE REASON REVOLUTION The Dark Third

The Dark Third took me by complete surprise. The second "new" progressive rock CD I purchased based on prog reviews/ratings, it immediately won me over and continues to grow on me almost a year later. I know I'm going to rate it even higher today than I would have done when I first got it. The vocal harmonies, unexpected song twists, melodic compositions, and kind of "concept album" feel to it make it a total winner.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jon Courtney / vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, programming

- Gregory Jong / guitars, keyboards, vocals 

- Jamie Wilcox / guitar, vocals 

- James Dobson / keyboards, violin, programming, bass, vocals 

- Chloe Alper / bass, vocals 

- Andrew Courtney / drums, percussion 

With: 

- Geoff Dugmore / drum loops

1. "Aeropause" (5:04) An absolutely stunning opening song (instrumental). It is quite obviously reminiscent of early Floyd, but who couldn't use a little more of that classic pedal steel? Drums are a bit murky (as they are throughout  the CD). My only real complaint about this song: I wish it would go on longer! One of the very best songs of the Naughties! (11/10)

2. "Goshen's Remains" (5:45) begins with Chloe Alper's pleasant vocals and as a rather straightforward rock song before dropping into a pretty string interlude before then ending with the exceptionally constructed and mixed multi-voiced harmonies that make this group and album unlike anything I've heard in the 21st Century. (9/10)

3. "Apprentice of the Universe" (4:16) is filled with those amazing four or five-part harmonies. I don't know or care what they're saying, it's just extraordinary--adds so much more to the music (which has some "light" electric guitar power chords and dancing synthesizers bouncing around behind the voices). (10/10) 

4. "The Bright Ambassadors of Morning" (11:57) spans 12 minutes with some wonderful sections: slow and spacey, lots of instrumental, soaring five-part harmonies, a very catchy chorus repeat woven into a very well-crafted (a la "Close to the Edge") current of four other verbal streams before settling into a very catchy instrumental section (bass-led!). These guys know how to weave fairly simple melody lines with both their voices and their instruments to create some very engaging, pleasing, and commendable music! The sections with “heavy" guitar-bass-drum rhythms are so watered down, never really abrasive or over the top--not even up to Porcupine Tree levels of "heavy" symphonic prog. I love the way certain themes--melodic, verbal, or harmonic--crop up in unexpected places throughout the album--truly giving this album a "concept" feel. (24/25)

5. "Nimos & Tambos" (3:44) A great three-section song with driving music behind the harmonized chorus parts. Again, too short! (9/10)

6. Is actually two songs in one: I. "Voices in the Winter," II. "In the Realms of the Divine." (6:35) The first has a very familiar sound/feel but I haven't been able to place it. Filled, of course, with the wonderful vocal weaves--this time mostly male dominated, Chloe mostly backing with "ooo's." It really is dominated by the vocals, the instrumentals almost being incidental though they are very present. The second song, about two minutes long, starts out kind of Kronos Quartet meets Black Sabbath before the voices start singing to each other, repeating each other's message, then bag! It's over. Strange. Never quite lets you get to engage. (8/10)

7. "Bullits Dominae." (5:23) Is probably the least engaging song on the album. For the first two minutes it's almost Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" or Abbey Road-like. When Chloe takes the lead vocal over the metal rhythm section. (8/10)

8. Is actually two songs in one: I. "Arrival," II. "The Intention Craft." (8:53) Has a very Floydian feel to the instrumental intro before turning heavy, with some accompanying strings and great synths dancing around in the background (sometimes too far back there). Some of the album's best bass and lead guitar work coupled with a great reprise of the conversation harmonies and melodies from "The Bright Ambassadors." This is definitely the peak performance of the album--they put it all out there with their most energy, best timing, best precision, great vocal work--it all mixes so well. IT REALLY WORKS!!, Floyd meets meets Art of Noise meets PT, meets  and yet it's all so new, so unusual, so fresh, so unpredictable, so intriguing. (18/20)

9. Is actually two songs in one: 1. "He Tried to Show them Magic," and II. "Ambassadors Return." (13:14) Rush: it opens with an intricate vocal weave (harmonied and multi-voiced, of course), which slows into an even more intricate weave of at least five layers of harmonied lines. Who compared these guys to Beach Boys, The Reasoning or Mostly Autumn? Those groups can't hold a candle to Pure Reason Revolution! Love the "get the Led out/Moody Blues" riffs 3:30 into the song just before they reveal the meaning of The Dark Third in the "he showed them magic" lyric. And then, 5:15 into the song: fade and BLANK. There's a bizarre five minute gap of absolute silence (!!) before some bells and harmonized "Ahh's" bring us back to the 60s. (Is this the Beach Boys? Where's Chloe? How did they get the Wilson boys to do this!?) Bizarre! Mysterious! Off the wall! What the heck! Let's play it again!! Such a great sound! (17.5/20)

91.60 on the Fish scales = A-/five stars; a debut masterpiece of refreshing and sophisticated progressive rock music. One weak song will not a modern prog classic ruin! Especially one that offers such a fresh and unusual gift: unparalleled vocal harmonies.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece and an amazing debut by a young 21st Century band. Essential for the education, edification, and collection of any prog lover!

5. ESPERS II

The Pennsylvania-based Prog Folk band led by Greg Weeks and singer Meg Baird release their second album. With II the trio is "officially" expanded to a sextet.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Greg Weeks / performer, vocals, producer

- Meg Baird / performer, vocals

- Brooke Sietinsons / performer

- Helena Espvall / performer

- Otto Hauser / performer

- Chris Smith / performer

With:

- Laura Baird / flute

- Gary Olsen / performer

- Jesse Sparhawk / performer

- Lord Whimsey / performer

- Paul Sommerstein / performer

- Willie Lane / performer 

Instrumentation:

6- & 12-string acoustic guitars, Fender Jazz Bass, cello, recorder, flute, sleigh bells, gongs, bells, '78 Les Paul Custom, Space Echo, Echoplex, Crumar Toccata, Crumar Performer, Univox Mini-Korg, dulcimer, Arp Odyssey, Omnichord, Doric transistorised organ, singing bowels, drum kit, doumbek, dholak, bongos, Crybaby, Blue Box, Big Muff (Russian), and Fuzzrite.

1. "Dead Queen" (8:13) eerie space notes drop like water droplets before a "Stairway to Heaven"-like guitar enters at the end of the first minute. Multiple voices singing in amazing harmony weave enter at 1:35. The verses are very slow and methodic like one of MEDIÆVAL BÆBES' slower, more delicate songs. Violin and fuzzy electric guitar duet in the instrumental section, left and right channels, respectively, before recorder-like stringed instrument instrument joins in the left (and continues playing harmonics beneath the next vocal verse and successive instrumental section). A whole mess of odd instruments (see "Instrumentation" list) join in to create quite an unusual sonic landscape through to the ending fadeout. (13.5/15)

2. "Widow's Weed" (6:51) raw electric guitar dominating the acoustic instruments at work in the wings, this is dark music rises and falls over three minutes before "settling" down to a slower, more spacious soundscape in which Meg sings in a dreamy-downer voice. (13/15) 

3. "Cruel Storm (5:17) a bluesy base with acoustic instruments, electric bass and electric guitar, precedes the entrance of the amazing voice of Meg Baird. This sounds like a song from 1970-71--from the likes of GAY WOODS or Maddy Prior from The Woods Band, BARBARA GASKIN (Spirogyra), or even Judy Dyble, Jacqui McShee, or Sandy Denny. A simple song but astonishingly beautiful. (9.5/10)

4. "Children Of Stone" (8:54) opens with a more traditional folk rock instrument palette, including drums and bass, before male-and female chorus of voices enter in a gorgeous wave of woven harmonies. Flute and picked guitars create a bit of "I Talk to the Wind" sound/feel in the third minute and carry it forward beneath the next verse of vocal weave. AT 3:05, after the end of the second verse, an eerie old synth screams single notes portamento-style until 4:10 when the next vocal verse begins. In the sixth minute a couple voices take the lead while a very low synth portamento note counterposes, singing in a foreign language. Other instruments--including beautiful solo vocalise threads--join in and build a fairly thick soundscape--though all and every instrument and voice somehow remain distinct and distinguished. Very cool, beautiful, and memorable song. (18.5/20) 

5. "Mansfield And Cyclops" (5:57) another gorgeous song that sounds like it came from 1971 with another incredible vocal from Meg. The difference between this and "Cruel Storm" is that the instruments' contributions are significantly more enriching and noteworthy: drums, multiple guitars, and other stringed instruments. This feels like it could come from a TIRILL MOHN album. (10/10) 

6. "Dead King" (8:02) guitars, hand percussives, strings, and flute open this one before Meg enters and sings an English-style folk ballad. There is an odd "organ" and "synthesizer" as well as some background vocal help. This one drags a bit and is more interesting from the instrumental perspective than the vocal or lyrical presentation--especially as it moves into the middle when creepy, eerie, even scary sound embellishments take over. (13/15)

7. "Moon Occults The Sun" (6:47) opens simply, weaving several traditional folk instruments together, before cello and drums enter and move the music into a more forward direction. Around the one-minute mark a male vocal enters in the lead department (with some far background support from Meg). The active drums and cello make for some interesting bridges between the verses until the three-minute mark when another strange fuzz-embellishment to an electric guitar teams up with a different sustain-prone guitar to give us a very interesting, beautiful weave. This goes on for a full two minutes (of prog bliss) while the band jams beneath. Cool! Things calm back down for the final minute and the final vocal verses. (13.75/15) 

Total time 50:01

91.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a veritable modern masterpiece of refreshing Prog Folk; definitely an essential addition to any prog lover's music collection. 

6. IONA The Circling Hour

Any Iona album is worth owning and listening to regularly--even the most recent, more-overtly and heavily Christian, Another Realm. The Circling Hour is no exception. Coming right on the heels of guitarist DAVE BAINBRIDGE's IONA-collaborated "solo" effort, Veil of Gossamer, and six years since the last studio album, the supreme achievement that is Open Sky, 2006 finds the band still in great form.

Song favorites:  the three-part "Wind, Water and Fire" suite (30/30); 6. "Sky Maps" (6:43) (10/10); 5. "Factory of Magnificent Souls" (5:06) (9/10); 1. "Empyream Dawn" (7:50) (9/10); 3. "Strength" (5:59) (9/10), and; the gorgeous finale, 11. "Fragment of a Fiery Sun" (2:47) (4.5/5). 

While this album just doesn't have the staying power of their previous efforts, it is still an amazing display of prog folk mastery, one that has few equals in 21st Century prog world. Nothing less than four stars will serve.

90.90 on the Fish scales = A-/five stars; a masterpiece of Prog Folk and a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music in general.

7. OZRIC TENTACLES The Floor's Too Far Away

Newcomer Brandi Wynne steps up from her previous guest appearance to that of full-on collaborator--mostly on synth and in the production booth. Otherwise, this album represents Ed in an almost-solo capacity. You go, Dude!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ed Wynne / guitar, synth, drums (5,7,9), bass (2,6), fretless bass (9), sampling & programming, co-producer
- Brandi Wynne / bass (1), synth & Fx (2), co-producer

With:
- Tom Brooks / "bubbles" (3,5,7)
- Matt Shmigelsky / drums (1,2,6,8)
- Merv Pepler / percussion (2)

1. "Bolshem" (4:48) actually a pretty cool groove--a steady but easy-going pace with some fine performances (and fine coherence) across the board, start to finish. (8.875/10)

2. "Armchair Journey" (5:53) seems to get a jump start from the bleed-over from the previous song but is, in fact, a totally different song. The long spacey intro is really great--quite YES-like, but then, in the third minute, Ed breaks out his STEVE HILLLAGE--but then backs off--it's only a tease while he lets the drums (grâce à Matt Shmigelsky) show off a bit before taking off/over himself. The bass (Ed's) is pretty great throughout: not just a rhythm keeper but also a part-time melody-maker. The dreamy Fender Rhodes is cool too--there are parts that make me think I'm in the middle of the lush soundscapes of NOVA's Narada Michael Walden-produced Vimana, 1976. This is great--not just regurgitated old OT stuff.(9.125/10)

3. "Jellylips" (6:07) opens with computer-effected weirdness (like the treated voices in Kanye West's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"). The drum, bass, and synth cohesive rhythm track has some nice staccato elements but is otherwise another variation on the "drive with the top down country road" format that this band excels at. I've got to hand it to Tom Brooks and Ed's synth mastery (with perhaps a little assist from new-energy newcomer Brandi Wynne) for the very creative soundscape they've pulled off for this one. The solos are 90% synth generated, 10% Ed's Hillage-guitar. Kudos for sound and palette creativity. (8.875/10)

4. "Vedavox" (2:51) Space-African sound palette with talking drums, drones, and all-kinds of teeth, nose, and thumb instrument sounds all woven together within a kind of Arabian orientation. Again, credit is deserved for the sheer creativity behind the sound choices devised to make this weave. (8.875/10)

5. "Spacebase" (9:36) the slow bouncy percussive synth-bass intro reminds me the work of both Berlin School-KLAUS SCHULZE and SONAR. Other instruments soon join in to create the usual full-spherical four-dimensional surround-sound. It feels as if the bouncy synth-bass is quite often either the lead instrument, or the melody-setter, as well as, occasionally, the attention-getter. Even when Ed is soloing on his guitar I find myself much more interested in what the bass line is playing. That super-funky BILLY PRESTON ("Space Race")-reminiscent sixth minute is so ill! And the synth player(s) just keeps driving it home throughout the next minute--even while a separate synth tries to take over and Ed's searing guitar play really does. Cool, simplistic PAUL HARDCASTLE-like solo synth in the seventh as the support palette of instruments slowly shifts to a more dream-jungle-like soundscape--until 7:25 when the robot funk "bubble" voice takes over and carries the lead well into the ninth minute. Overall, quite a magical, danceable ride. (18.5/20)

6. "Disdots" (6:48) more great multi-multi-dimensional sounds woven together magically across many levels in a very jazz-rock fusion fashion with some great drumming, bass play, and Steve Hillage-like lead guitar work. (13.5/15)

7. "Etherclock" (8:01) using a foundational soundscape that sounds remarkably like something from one of ANDREAS WOLLENWEIDER's early albums, this one takes off into planetary reconnoitre before going heavy rock 'n' roll with one of Ed's raunchier guitar sounds soloing away. The interesting rhythm guitar chord strum play in the fourth minute is quite JAN AKKERMAN like. Great MOOGY KLINGMAN/UTOPIA-like synth play in the sixth as Ed's guitar continues its creative strum play. A song with some great highs (the syncopated strumming) and irritating lows (the raunchy guitar). (13.33333/15)

8. "Splat!" (8:59) a very funked up weave (that my wife loved!) sets up plenty of opportunities for solos--many that come from the synths as well as a few tamer ones from Ed's electric guitars. (I count, minimum, five different ones--which is actually small when compared to the number of synth sounds employed.) Solid, very good, but just not enough to raise it to "write home about" level. (17.75/20)

9. "Ping" (6:39) a dreamy sci-fi keyboard soundscape over which Ed flies around on his fretless bass. Besides Brandi's keys, I'm not sure there's anyone else contribution to this one. Daryl Stuermer (with Jean-Luc Ponty)-like acoustic guitar joins in and then takes over for the third minute as the music flattens out and runs a few red lights. Impressive! The fourth minute presents some very PAT METHENY GROUP-like polyrhythmic math rock odd time sigs and playing while the drums and electric guitar take off in straight time over the top. Very impressive!! Another one of those once-in-a-album songs that serves notice that this band is very much alive and producing highly creative, highly charged music. (9.5/10)

Total Time 59:42

I think the creative input added by Brandi has definitely provided a much needed shot in the arm--this despite the signs that the OT moniker is becoming a shadow mask for Ed to realize his ideas in solo. The sounds created by the computer keyboards for so much of this album are highly original and, therefore, to be commended and praised. Otherwise, I'm not sure the band has any new ideas to contribute to rock/progressive rock music in terms of song structures and style. (Though I should perhaps be reprimanded for accusing a band that has originated and perpetuated a style that is very much all their own of not being creative or progressive enough!) On another positive note: this album gets the "Big Funk Seal of Approval" from my Prince-loving wife. (It's rare that she ever asks me to turn up my music much less dances her sultry Soul Train dances right next to me while it's playing.) 

90.28 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and a real turning point in the lineage of OT sound and energy. Welcome, Brandi! Just what the band needed!

8. OOIOO Taiga

Amazing, startling percussion-and-voice-oriented 'tribal' music from this all-female band from Japan. Led by composer, drummer and lead vocalist Yoshimi P-We, this music will surely bring a smile to your face in the same way that hearing Magma for the first time will because it is so different from anything you've ever heard before and yet you can immediately appreciate the genius and virtuosity of the music and its musicians, respectively. The terms "tribal" and "cheerleader" used by other reviewers of TAIGA's music are quite appropriate and yet the music is anything but simple.

1. "UMA" (3:38) opens with drums (multiple?) and the call and response vocals of Yoshimi P-We being mirrored and answered by her band mates. Very little other instrumentation is added to this one other than more percussives, whistles, and a few industrial and spacey synth sounds. Infectious--like the work of a cheerleader squad on its audience. (9/10)

2. "KMS" (9:00) opens with some kind of electrified Japanese string instrument going through some scales in chord formations. A set of hand drums and multiple electric guitars (?) join in. The multiple electronic string instruments repeat their scales over and over, each presenting a slightly different variation in order to create a harmonic chordal effect. At 2:30 it all stops and a bass line enters, jazz snare drum and brass and electric stringed instrument take up the Coltrane-like multi-instrument chordal creation process. At 4:10 the instruments begin to diverge and travel their own individual, almost independent paths. Female lead vocalist soon begins keening over what sounds like a kind of Creole Tex-Mex Calypso. So unique and unusual! The next section, within which the vocalist whisper raps, sounds like South African music. Then it gets weird with syncopated drum "solo" with all kinds of computer electronic zips, pops and clicks. Electric 'guitar' takes over the lead and seems to beat the percussionists into submissive organization until the end fade. (16/20)

3. "UJA" (7:50) opens with some very West African-sounding tribal drum rhythms over which odd computer synth 'noises' snort and squeak while oddly distorted guitars interject their own scratchy sounds. At 1:33 Yoshimi P-We's vocals enter, alternating with King Crimson-like guitar leads, all playing over a hypnotically paced group drum and percussion weave. P-We seems to be calling the instrumentalists to action before an interesting primal "Ah-ah-oh-ho-oh" multivoiced vocal weave works into the music. At 4:10 a rather radical shift occurs into the music--a kind of P-Funk/PRINCE-like sound and rhythm structure--marching along at quite the celebratory parade-like pace. Synth sounds are shot in and out of the soundscape like lasers in a fight between Star Wars' Rebel Forces and the Imperial Army. The final outro with calypso steel drums and Casiotone-like synth is . . . fitting. (12/15)

4. "KRS" (3:44) is extraordinary for its use of drum rolls on a snare drum as a wave sound, pulsing, percussive synths and guitars and steel drums as and then the gorgeous multi-voice folk-like singing over the top. Like nothing else I've ever heard! (10/10)

5. "ATS" (8:07) opens with a gently paced percussion and bass weave within which more odd synth and vocalizations are interspersed. It sounds a bit like a TOM TOM CLUB song. The polyphonic weave continues unchecked for three minutes before things seem to break down--as if each instrumentalist has walked out of the room--when, in fact, they've merely each walked over to new instruments--which they soon begin to play. Hand drums. Vocals. Casiotone synth. At 5:05 a kind of barbershop quartet tuning chord signals the wholesale switch into a kind of Santana-like Latin rhythm over which epithets and Fripp-like solo sounds continue to flow from multiple voices and multiple synths and guitars. Great song! (13.5/15)

6. "SAI" (15:02) the longest song on the album opens with South African-like guitar riff that gets repeated over the next four minutes as the song's foundation. Distorted guitars, bass, voices, percussion, synths and more guitar lines weave in and out of the mix--though the opening minutes of this one are very vocal dominated. In the fifth minute it seems as if the vocals take over the song's foundation. Then, in the sixth minute, a slower, steadier percussive weave (tuned percussives) teams with electric guitar to give the song a solid center. Then 'monkey' voices enter and the tempo and melody change, though the instruments remain basically the same. In the eighth minute the guitar plays in thrashing chords with voices accompanying each thrash. The next few minutes continue to explore the uses and noises possible from the electric guitar over some very TOM TOM CLUB-feeling rhythm section work--and they're in a groove! Until 13:45 when we return to the opening guitar sounds and riffs with comic-like bass and drum play to end. A good song that almost plays out as if it were a song devised to experiment with guitar sound. (27/30)

7. "UMO" (3:31) opens with a scream from the girls before a soulful multi-drum base rhythm is laid down. Yoshimi P-We and her companions move into call and response mode again, like a cheerleader and her squad. Very catchy and amusing. Yoshimi P-We and her companions are in highly animated form. An incredible song that will keep you coming back for more! (10/10)

8. "IOA" (6:51) this one starts out chaotically before a chorus starts singing in what sounds (to my ears) like a Polynesian or Native American song. The strings, horn, percussion and drum structures accompanying this are quite unusually syncopated--almost alternating with the vocal sections but also partially or occasionally woven in with them. At the two-minute mark the tempo and weave shift--everything kind of comes together into a more tightly gathered group weave. Very hypnotic. A break from the vocals opens space for a lone synth to solo while the very tightly woven African rhythm continues below. Voices and drum-machine-sequenced handclaps join in with the African-like multiple lead guitar melody lines. Singular electric guitar gets a solo in the final minute. It does feel odd to hear anything in this album be left alone to stand out--which does not happen for very long as multiple synths join in till the song's end. Great song. (9/10)

Not for the faint of heart and yet not to be feared--this is odd but wonderful music! Like musical composition taken on by dancers or cheerleaders and/or nonmusicians. Truly adventurous. Reminds me of the 1980 TALKING HEADS when Brian Eno had the band members all try each other's instruments as an exercise in perspective and creativity.

90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of truly creative, truly progressive, rock music.

9. UZVA Uoma

Over 71 minutes of wonderful folk-tinged instrumental jazz fusion from this seven-member jam band (and a whole mess of guests) from Finland. Throughout the album I enjoy the electric instruments like the bass and the drum kit drumming, but it is the traditional folk and classical instrumentation that really love:  harp, violin and strings, xylophone, marimba and other hand percussions, flutes, and other woodwinds (sax, bassoon, clarinet). I also seem to enjoy the slower parts best--even though the album never gets going at break-neck speeds, they just have a brilliant way of magnifying the weave of melodies during the slower sections. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Heikki Puska / lead, slide & acoustic guitars, piano (5,6), bass (5,6,9), percussion (5-10)
- Lauri Kajander / rhythm guitar
- Antti Lauronen / soprano, sopranino & tenor saxophones, flute, piccolo flute, dizi, quena, tárogató, bass clarinet
- Heikki Rita / clarinet
- Veikka Pohto / bass
- Ville Väätäinen / drums
- Olli Kari / vibes, marimba, glockenspiel, percussions
With:
- Lari Latvala / violin
- Inka Eerola / violin (10)
- Tuure Paalanen / cello
- Saara Rautio / harp
- Timo Kortesmäki / bassoon
- Aarne Riikonen / drums (1,5,6,9)

1. "Kuoriutuminen, part 1 (2:10) (5/5)
2. "Kuoriutuminen, part 2 (6:17) (9.25/10)
3. "Kuoriutuminen, part 3 (5:08) (10/10)
4. "Different Realities (11:14) (/20)
5. "Chinese Daydream, part 1 (3:12) (10/10)
6. "Chinese Daydream, part 2 (5:43) (/10)
7. "Arabian Ran-Ta (9:59) (18/20)
8. "Vesikko, part 1 (4:00) 
9. "Vesikko, part 2 (6:14)
10. "Vesikko, part 3 (12:56)
11. "Lullaby" (4:22) (8/10)

Total Time: 71:21

Album highlights include:  the album's gorgeously scored opening suite, "Kuoriutuminen," Parts 1, 2 & 3 (30/30) the wonderfully Japanese-flavored 8-10. "Vesikko" suite (23:02) (40.75/45); 7. "Arabian Ran-ta" (10:00) with its wonderful shift at the 3:50 mark (18/20); the stepped down beauty of "Chinese Daydream, Part 1" (3:12) and then the shift into a higher gear for the brass-dominated "Part 2" (5:43) (8/10); the brassy, American jazz rock sounding, 4. "Different Realities" (11:14) (8/10), and; the pretty, if simple, harp-based, 11. "Lullaby" (4:22) (8/10).

There's a lot of music here, but it is all quite enjoyable and some of it compositionally masterful.

90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of folk-based jazz fusion.