Friday13th: Prog On Discovery M4

Friday13th 06.04.19	Voting ends next Tuesday.
e210013 06.04.19	In a first verification, it seems to me a strange duet. It seems to me that both albums are, maybe, very different in style. I'll see it. Anyway, let's begin with the new prog journey.
TheNotrap 06.04.19	The Prog M4 has begun
e210013 06.04.19	"La Crudelta Di Aprile" is also available on Spotify my friends.
TheNotrap 06.04.19	A Jethro pick needs my absolute attention. Jethro vs Tangerine Dream, the clash of titans
e210013 06.04.19	I'm very curious about both albums. Despite I never checked before this album of Tangerine Dream, this is a band very well known by me, especially their albums of the classic golden era of the 70's. About the album of Unreal City I'm really very expectant due to several reasons. First, I read great comments about this album. Second, I'm a great fan of Italian prog since always. Third, because this is an album chosen by my friend Jethro, a man that needs no introductions as an expert in prog and in this particular sub-prog genre. In this moment I'm checking that album and I can say that I'm delighted with it. Great choice my friend. You never disappointed me with your choices. Congratulations. You have great prog stuff here, indeed, especially for guys like you and me who loves great keyboard work.
TheNotrap 06.04.19	My dad was a Tangerine Dream fan. Phaedra and Rubycon are classic stuff
e210013 06.04.19	Yeah I love both albums my friend. Still, if you're interested you can check also "Ricochet". I think they're the greatest masterpieces produced by them. "Ricochet" is perhaps my favourite.
TwigTW 06.04.19	Two bands I know and love-nice! Although, I'm unfamiliar with the Firestarter soundtrack.
TheNotrap 06.04.19	I don't think I ever heard "Ricochet" e210013, thanks for the rec friend, I'll check it out.
e210013 06.04.19	You're welcome pal. " Ricochet" is a standard of TD's typical sequencer / synth music. Recording during their European tour in 1975, the music spontaneously developed is in the direct line of the two previous efforts. Still, despite be a live album this is new stuff. If we compare it to the previous classic album Rubycon, this one has a quite cleaner sound, I think.
TheNotrap 06.04.19	Do you like Klaus Schulze? Timewind, Moondawn and Mirage are awesome.
Friday13th 06.04.19	@Notrap I do but never liked Timewind. It has this really annoying synth sound running through almost the whole thing. My Moondawn and Mirage are great, but my favorite is X. Utterly massive album.
e210013 06.04.19	Of course. Klaus Schulze is even more electronic than Tangerine Dream. All those albums are great, with many others. But if you like classical music I advise you to check "X", one of his best releases indeed. The album is a bit long, it's a double album. I think it represents his homage to the classical music in general. I think it represents a masterpiece of the Electronic Progressive music, in general too.
e210013 06.04.19	Sorry, I didn't see the comment of Friday. But it reinforces my opinion about "X".
TheNotrap 06.04.19	Guess "X" marks the spot! I'll jam that gem asap, I really like Klaus Schulze's electronic approach
e210013 06.04.19	Still, I disagree with you Friday. "Timewind" is an album that always impressed me. If you switch off the lights and lie down without nothing to think, you can fly into the space in your imagination. It always happened to me, seriously, I'm not joking.
TheNotrap 06.04.19	Yeah, that will happen when you hear Klaus Schulze, it's an out of the body experience and also Schulze's goal
e210013 06.04.19	Yeah. I don't know why but it happens to me, usually.
TheNotrap 06.04.19	Well it happens to me all the time
e210013 06.04.19	I ended to listen to "La Crudelta Di Aprile". You have here a possible winner Jethro. You revenge himself this year of me my friend. Last year I brought to here an amazing impressive Italian prog rock album of Il Bacio Della Medusa and this year you bring to us another true impressive Italian prog rock album. Amazing. By the way, what happens with those Italian guys? They were born to music? Sab, my friend. As "a vero Italiano", can you explain me that uncredible phenomenon? Is it becuase the climate of the south of Europe? Because if that is true we here in Portugal we should suffer from the same, don't you think so?. Besides, you live in the north of Italy and I'm not sure of that. Lol.
e210013 06.04.19	I remember one thing right now. Our friend Diva reviewed this album already on Sputnik some time ago. So, if you want that his review can help you, somehow, you may can read his review because it's great and very informative, as always. By the way, I miss your great reviews my friend.
Jethro42 06.04.19	Whoa, thanks for your kind words, Notrap and e21. If I'm a prog connoisseur, it's first because it's a passion, and second because i'm curious and willing to always discover and share new prog and subgenres. Here we assist to some keyboards and synths feast. I pretty much know Tangerine Dream's classic albums, but I'm not familiar with Firestarter. As for Unreal City, I discovered it in debut of spring when I've read a review in Progarchives with the band's name on it. Later (but too late for the tourney), I found that their second album, Il Paese Del Tramonto is still better than La Crudelta Di Aprile, but anyway, I find that the latter is a good starting point. Good jam to everyone!...
Jethro42 06.04.19	''By the way, what happens with those Italian guys? They were born to music?'' Yeah, Italian music scene is huge...They are in my opinion the kings of romantic music, and they are also very prolific into prog rock, that's why there is always an RPI reference to be found in most of prog rock reviews.
e210013 06.04.19	Yeah, I know my friend. But is there anything to do with the Mediterranean air? Maybe there is something about spring in Italy, who knows. Mystery...Lol.
Jethro42 06.04.19	I'm not sure why the Mediterranean flair is often mentioned to describe Italian music.. Are they alone to have that qualifier on all Mediterranean shores? I don't know. According to me, it's related to folk, and prog folk music. At least, the term is used when a given reviewer describes that kind of music very exploited in Italy.
Divaman 06.04.19	Whoa, my guys are up. I'm surprised -- for some reason, I thought I was going to be matched up with Art Bears.
SharkTooth 06.04.19	Dammit i didn't even finish the albums from last week The burden of limited time 😔
Jethro42 06.04.19	Hahah Divaman, brosky. No more brothership during this rivalry. Let's the hostilities begin =P
bgillesp 06.04.19	These happened to be ones I got ahead on. While I really liked the TD one, Unreal City is shaping out to be my favorite so far with all its weird elements. I vote for 2
Sabrutin 06.04.19	"Is it becuase the climate of the south of Europe?" Perhaps something in the pizza dough? On a serious note I'm afraid that, if good music is really bound to the air, we must be really suffering from the effects of global warming because well-written Italian rock music is far from popular among the youth. Sadly, young persons can be really hard to find at RPI concerts if you are not PFM.
e210013 06.04.19	Wow, seriously. I didn't know that. It seems that only the old guard like this kind of music? So, it seems that RPI is only for exportation? What a shame. What a waste, really. Still, we, the old guys , we like that, undoubtedly and surely. Long life to RPI.
e210013 06.04.19	Sorry Friday, I called you Diva. I corrected it already.
Divaman 06.04.19	Grrr! Jethro. Heh heh. Must confess, although I haven't begun listening to Unreal City yet, this was one of the ones from the original list of contestant albums that looked especially intriguing to me.
SharkTooth 06.04.19	1 was a well made album if nothing else, but i just don't have much if an interest in it, at the very least i feel it's above a 3
Jethro42 06.05.19	Yeah Divaman, we're in presence of half human, half animal creature rigidly carved with lifeless eyes, and only an inviting light coming from the mouth. And if you look closer into the mouth, a person is standing there beside a cross or a weapon or something, playing an instrument such as an harp. In the verso of the artwork, there is a bearded man carved into argile or such (representing God?) with a darkened open mouth and bright eyes this time. Unreal City, for real...
Friday13th 06.05.19	@e21 haha yeah I noticed. No big deal. Yeah, I guess I just think some are better though Timewind and Irrlicht are his most famous. Another good Klaus Schulze album no one talks about is Cyborg.
SharkTooth 06.05.19	just started 2 and it's already something much more suited to my taste in music
Jethro42 06.05.19	i guess I'll have to check Klaus Schulze. My favorite Tangerine Dream has to be Stratosfear, an album I owned in the past. Here's an excerpt with a flute like synthesizer. That relatively short track could fit in an early Steve Hackett album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i71P8kYPwWA Rubycon might be a good second one. Ricochet is also great. What a discog these guys have!...
bgillesp 06.05.19	Just watched Black Mirror: Bandersnatch today and I picked Phaedra when it came to it for anyone familiar with that movie
Scheumke 06.05.19	Owh damn bgillesp I never made that connection but now that you mention it, cool! New episodes out today!!! Curious to jam these two albums, let's see what we got here.
e210013 06.05.19	Yeah, "Stratosfear" and "Force Majeure" are also great and belong to my favourite albums from them. They belong to a much mellow side on their music.
Zig 06.05.19	Zeit is my favorite TD record. Think I'll enjoy very much this round. Never heard about Unreal City, though.
Sabrutin 06.05.19	@e21: the reality is that we are simply losing the culture of our own music (just like we are losing our cinema), there just isn't a true interest for Italian music outside of current trap/rap and shallow love songs. Thankfully I heard a prog-loving radio station play a song off the new album of the Banco... it's probably all the publicity it will receive outside of magazines (and who reads them anyway?).
e210013 06.05.19	It's a pity Sab. It's the same in my country, despite we don't have the same background in music. In Portugal in the usual radio stations we can only heard current trap/rap and shallow African/Brazilian love songs, completely mediocre in terms of lyrics and music. I can't hear radio anymore in these days. The dancing rhythms are the kings here. It's absolutely disgusting.
e210013 06.05.19	Yeah, "Zeit" is another great album of TD, Zig.
Divaman 06.05.19	I've noticed that with the cinema, Sabrutin. I'm a big horror film fan, and I remember the Italian goremeister films of the 70s and 80s. They were the go-to country for horror back then.
Divaman 06.05.19	Working through the Unreal City album for the second time. It's definitely a strong competitor. I love their use of synthesizers. Will have to check out their later albums.
neekafat 06.05.19	For some reason body horror films like The Fly and The Thing are among my favorite horror films despite me not being a big gore guy
Divaman 06.05.19	I greatly admired the Hitchcock-like horror of the great Dario Argento, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Italian gore meisters, such as Ruggero Deodato, Umberto Lenzi, and my favorite of them all, the great Lucio Fulci. They just don't make them like that anymore, heh heh.
Jethro42 06.05.19	Unreal City are clearly centered around the keyboardist who is using good old analog synthesizers to reproduce vintage sounds of the 70s, which gives them some charm and depht. I'm not a fan of all their arrangements (sometimes they try too hard to impress in the keyboards and bass departments), but each songs have something good to offer. i still prefer their second album Il Paese Del Tramonto, but I discovered it too late to choose it. No weirdness to be found on this one, and still more catchy melodies. i gave a first brief listen to Firestarter in the beginning of the preleminaries to give me an idea, and yesterday, I gave a full listen. It's a moving TD album in places, and I can detect progressive rock through it. It's a good laid-back, atmospheric and meditative-like album, in the band's tradition. Sometimes it reminds me of Alan Parsons Project, and it's a good thing. I noticed couple of songs that were fading out a bit fast, but perhaps it's just because it's a soundtrack.
Divaman 06.05.19	Although the TD album is technically a soundtrack, something about the way they approached it makes it feel more like a concept album to me.
Sabrutin 06.05.19	"I greatly admired the Hitchcock-like horror of the great Dario Argento, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Italian gore meisters, such as Ruggero Deodato, Umberto Lenzi, and my favorite of them all, the great Lucio Fulci. They just don't make them like that anymore, heh heh." I imagine you already know him but I suggest to add Mario Bava to that list, Ridley Scott's Alien was inspired by Bava's Terrore nello spazio. On a side note, if you love some mystery/thriller in you horror, I recommend you Pupi Avati's La casa dalle finestre che ridono (1976, known as "The House with Laughing Windows"). "They just don't make them like that anymore"... sadly true. I'll stop though because I don't want to derail the tournament's thread.
Divaman 06.05.19	Yes, Mario, and his son Lamberto. I loved "Demons".
e210013 06.06.19	I did a couple of listenings of "Firestarter" and I really liked it. It's an album in the tradition of the soundtrack films of TD in the 80's. It's an album very uniforme, well balanced and without weak points. It also sounds to me as a concept album. I need another listening to can gave to it my final rating.
Sabrutin 06.06.19	Nice Diva, I recommend you that Pupi Avati movie if you haven't seen it, it's not the goriest movie but the end is pretty memorable. Anyway, I had checked Unreal City's Il paese del tramonto years ago but I don't remember much. Listening to this album I can say that I like the vocals even though he doesn't follow the standard diction but really that's just thespian nitpicking.
Jethro42 06.06.19	^I never get tired of listening to Il Paese Del Tramonto. It contains more hooks, more meat than my actual nominee that tends to get saturated after a while.
Divaman 06.06.19	I'll check it out. Thanks, Sabrutin.
SharkTooth 06.07.19	my vote is for 2
Zig 06.07.19	1 gets my vote, because of Between Realities track.
e210013 06.07.19	After 5 auditions of both albums here is my verdict: Tangerine Dream - Firestarter: This is an album in the usual tradition of the soundtrack films of TD in the 80's. It reminds to me two other albums of that era, which I know very well, "Wavelength", another soundtrack album and "Le Park". It's an album very uniforme, well balanced and without weak points. It doesn't belong to their most creative and spacey era but it remains to me a very good album, maybe more commercial, but still good. A nice listening, indeed. Unreal City - La Crudelta Di Aprile: I was very curious about this album and this band. Of all these albums my main curiosity were this one and "From Silence To Somewhere" of Wobbler, because I've read great things about both albums. And I must confess that I'm not a bit deceptioned with this one. This is a great album that represents perfectly well the modern approach of the RPI style, which I love very much. At times it reminds me my beloved choice for the last tourney "Discesa Agl'Inferi D'Un Giovane Amante" of Il Bacio Della Medusa, especially in terms of the keyboard treatment. It isn't perfect but it's excellent. I must say this was the most pleasant prog journey of this tournament till now, to my taste. I love TD and I also love RPI, even its most modern side. We are in presence of two great albums were keyboards are the kings here. And some of you know my love to keyboards, which is my great passion, really. One has more electronic treatment and the other has a more classic treatment. Both are great in its own way. So, I decided to rate "Firestarter" with 3.5 and "La Crudelta Di Aprile" with 4.0. So, my vote goes to "La Crudelta Di Aprile".
Friday13th 06.07.19	1-2 Zig Sharktooth e21
Divaman 06.07.19	My vote won't surprise anyone. You all saw what I wrote in description of the Tangerine Dream album, and maybe you read the original review I wrote of it two years ago as well. I just find the album beautiful and hypnotic, and as I said, I see it as as much of a concept album as a soundtrack, akin to albums such as Rick Wakeman's Six Wives ofHenry VIII. I love the way one synthesizer will be playing something soft and lovely, and a second will suddenly come in and cut right through it (and right through me, as well.) And I particularly love the track "Charlie the Kid" as the musical embodiment of the character of Charlie McGee. As for the Unreal City album, it's as tough a competitor as I would expect. My friend Jethro has always been a connoisseur of prog rock, and I've learned about many great albums from him. This is one of those. I particularly love the synthesizers in this one (especially in that first track), and the keyboards throughout. My only complaint is a minor one - I don't love the vocalist. His voice sounds a little strained and unpleasant at times. But he's certainly serviceable, and not enough to hurt my enjoyment of the album in any way. Still, I will stick with the partner I brought to the dance. My vote is for Tangerine Dream.
Friday13th 06.07.19	2-2 Zig Divaman Sharktooth e21
e210013 06.07.19	Till this moment it seems to me a very interesting fight. I hope so.
Jethro42 06.07.19	Firestarter offers some good ideas, but I think they are not enough developed. It sounds a bit like shopping center music to me. I need my prog to be more varied and less ethereal, with a real rhythm section and punchy arrangements. I like Tangerine Dream and the likes to a certain dose, especially when it has contrast between tension and laid back stuff, as heard in Rubycon for instance. I would have hoped for more action, more musical movement because of the proposed plot. Unreal City, my nominee, is a band I recently discovered, and i've instantly felt their potential. With their debut La Crudelta Di April, band only scratched the surface in maturity point of view. Their second Il Paese Del Tramonto (I rec a try) offers more depth, colorful melodies and avoid the weirdness and awkwardness of certain parts of La Crudelta Di April. Guitarist improved and gained in confidence, and clumsy bassman was replaced by a tighter one. i prefer by far pure symphonic prog bands over electronic symphonies a la TD. So i vote for my own entry.
Jethro42 06.07.19	@Diva; I'm pleased to share music with you and all my sputmates, especially when it comes to prog, the best rock genre ever, that I grew up with :)
e210013 06.07.19	"the best rock genre ever, that I grew up with" Absolutely. It's the same with me. I started listening to this kind of music, what would be called prog, in 1974 with 16 years old, the glory days of prog. Imagine!
Jethro42 06.07.19	Yeah lucky you e21. i for myself was 15 or 16 years old too when I got initiated to prog, thanks to grand brothers of some friends of mine. It all started around 1978 with Crime Of The Century, Foxtrot (well, And Then There Were Three was my starting point, Steve Hackett, Yes, Gentle Giant in profusion, PFM, Mahavishnu orchestra, etc... Enough to enjoy myself.
e210013 06.07.19	Yeah, those were the days, really. My introduction was at school with my schoolmates. It's difficult to mention all, but there were albums of Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, Camel, Tangerine Dream, Santana, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Gentle Giant, ELP, VDGG, Jethro Tull, only to metion the most known. The albums you can imagine which were. The albums till that moment.
Friday13th 06.07.19	2-3 Zig Divaman Sharktooth e21 Jethro
Friday13th 06.07.19	@Jethro and e21 Wow, incredible to hear prog has stayed with you guys for that long. I hope to follow in your footsteps and prog on 40+ years from now!
Scheumke 06.07.19	After two listens of both I think I have a clear picture and preference. Tangerine Dream has a really nice atmosphere and is great music to game to (I found from experience lol). It doesn't have a lot of meat on the bones though, and for me it is best consumed as precisely that, music to have in the background while you're doing something else. I wasn't bored for a second with it though and I see myself playing it more often in a casual playlist where I don't have to pay attention to what I'm listening. Unreal City was something I never heard of, and I'm not very familiar with Italian prog music, except for maybe DGM. I have to say that while I think it wasn't always consistently good, I enjoyed it nonetheless. There are some really cool ideas and inspired passages here. I do not know if I will keep jamming it in the future though, because it didn't really click all that much with me. My vote goes to Unreal City in the end, for having a little more to digest and explore.
Friday13th 06.07.19	2-4 Zig Divaman Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke
Jethro42 06.07.19	@Friday, I don't know how I kept on progging to the point I knew each and every notes, each and every lyrics by heart - and not necessarily understood the meaning of them-, listening to the same stuff all over again, on a reguilar basis without ever getting tired of it. With years passing by, i confess that I've lost enthusiasm and interest for prog, especially in the 80s, during the prog decline. My remedy was all sorts of jazz, and I almost let prog totally aside, up until we got a prog revival in the 90s. It brought to me nostalgia and I came back again to the giants of the 70s, so the wheels keep on rolling. I hope you can keep on progging as long as e21 and me do, but the best initiation was during the 70s where people were either rocking or progging, or were a bunch of neirds dancing that disco and new wave that were coming their way with punk as well. Prog was like a mode, a religion. A world of ''peace on earth and mercy mild'' :)
e210013 06.07.19	Agreed, my friend. You said all what is need to say.
Divaman 06.08.19	Progging is a good thing to do. Which is why next week, I'll be attending a show from the Yes the Royal Affair Tour, featuring the Steve Howe rendition of Yes, What's left of Asia, John Lodge and his band, and Carl Palmer and his band. It's "Royal" in that it's highly incestuous -- all four of the bands will be featuring overlapping members. It's an outdoor show, so I'm hoping we get a clear night (that isn't a thousand degrees).
wham49 06.08.19	I am going with Tangerine drram, have been a fan since this release, "the Movie" probably. I too have have some years listening to prog, or at least prog bands, loves Yrs the first time Isaw the "owner of a Lonely Heart" video And I think I heard Signals around that time, Also had heard the first 2 IM albums which looking back on was very prog IMO, so 30 years, wow never realized that I am fucking old, hammered, and watching the Big Lebowski Right now. Was a roadie for Metalica on the "Speed of sound " tour, bunch of Assholes. LOL
Divaman 06.08.19	Do you mean "Thor", or the real "Big Lebowski"? Heh heh.
Sabrutin 06.08.19	Hard to compare these albums. I liked both about in equal measure but they really are two different worlds; La crudeltà aims to sound like old-fashioned prog, whereas Firestarter is 80s electronic. Crudeltà didn't fully grab me at first but it gets stronger as it progresses, with my highlight being the final long track. On the other hand Firestarter doesn't have individual highlights for me, but it stays consistently enjoyable throughout. All in all, I don't have a clear preference.
Friday13th 06.09.19	3-4 Zig Divaman wham Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke @wham well a drunk vote is still a vote! Cheers, my prog buddy. That's awesome you got to be Metallica's roadie! LOL like what year was that?
Friday13th 06.09.19	@Jethro haha yeah I like to think good music is like an old friend. When you need a pick me up it's always there and reliable. Then you meet someone who shares that same old friend and it's like you already know something about them. Every lyric and 7/8 riff!
bgillesp 06.09.19	Because I made my vote early you may have forgotten about it but I said 2 because while I really liked 1, the weirdness of 2 makes it one of my favorites so far
Friday13th 06.09.19	Oops, you're right bgillesp 3-5 Zig Divaman wham bgill Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke
Divaman 06.09.19	I know that not all of the proggers on this list are into prog metal, but I'm really liking the new Soen album. Just thought I'd share. It's not groundbreaking or anything, but so far, I like the actual songs, and I'm really enjoying their vocalist.
Friday13th 06.09.19	I think I heard a Soen song on one of those PROG magazine CDs, but I heven't really checked them out.
Divaman 06.09.19	They're not all that proggy, tbh, and on this album at least, not all that metal either. But I like them.
Jethro42 06.10.19	^I've heard Lykaia (2017), and wasn't impressed that much by the music. A kind of Katatonia vibes (The Great Cold Distance era) Great vocals indeed, and Martin Lopez' drumming, but i prefer Katatonia cos they are more pure progressive metal. Soen has something more commercial injected in. i'm going to try their new album nonetheless. @Friday ''I like to think good music is like an old friend'' You nailed it. I approve of your comment in its entirety up there!
wham49 06.10.19	I voted for TD a few days ago oops, just saw it, nevermind
hansoloshotfirst 06.10.19	damn it! I'm still undecided... Unreal City has more highlights but drags in parts. The Firestarter Ost lacks highlights but works better as a whole.
Friday13th 06.10.19	Alright, I liked both albums a lot. I was pleasantly surprised with Firestarter, as Force Majure was an album that unfortunately turned me off from checking out any later TD albums. It's got some very nice textures especially in the first few tracks, and only somewhere in the middle does it get boring for me. Unreal City is classic symphonic prog. I hear some ELP and Le Orme with flashy keyboards as well a good combination of hard rock and softer, melodic parts similar to Camel. No jazz, just pretty melodies and hard rocking. The production is appropriately old fashion besides maybe the snare drum sound. My only real critique is the second to last track which has the vocalist getting on my nerves a bit, but the last track more than makes up for it. My vote goes to Unreal City. I'm going have to check their next album! 3-6 Zig Divaman wham bgill Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke Friday
Papa Universe 06.10.19	I kinda hated both albums, but Unreal City at least has a little more variety to it, so I'll vote for 2.
Friday13th 06.10.19	3-7 Zig Divaman wham bgill Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke Friday Papa
TwigTW 06.10.19	I love that on Spotify Unreal City is listed under the name "Unreal City Prog Band."
Jethro42 06.10.19	@Friday; I agree with you about ELP and Le Orme. I would add two other modern symphonic prog bands from Italy; Finisterre and La Maschera Di Cera. And I can hear you about the singer on song ''Ecate''. He tries to hard to whisper with style...He sounds so wrong. Glad you want to check Il Paese Del Tramonto. it's the same formula as La Crudelta Di Aprile, but with no weakness, and more mature in style. Every track is from great to superb. I hold my promise to check Spidermilk from The Mercury Tree. By the way, if you will, check The Mars Volta links I gave to you at the end of M3.
Friday13th 06.10.19	@Jethro sounds good! I'm already well acquainted with the first two Mars Volta albums. It's true, some of Mercury Tree has that frantic guitar playing, like Robert Fripp on crack lol
Jethro42 06.10.19	Exactly :] At first, I noticed both drummers got exactly the same style, then I said to myself ''Oh wait...'' The Mars Volta music have so much in common with The Mercury Tree, I'm quite sure the former has a serious influence. No ripp off, obviously...
tmthycnnlly 06.11.19	I echo Sabrutin's thoughts pretty much word for word on these two. Overall, I'm giving my vote to Firestarter for the more cohesive listen which is almost a complete 180 based on first impressions. I'm glad I waited to let the album grow on me
Friday13th 06.11.19	4-7 Zig Divaman wham tmthy bgill Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke Friday Papa
hansoloshotfirst 06.11.19	My vote goes to Tangerine Dream.
TwigTW 06.11.19	It's good to hear Tangerine Dream. I pretty much stick to their classics, so I need to Branch out a little. Firestarter has an 80s keyboard sound that I enjoy, and its minimal spaciness is a nice contrast to the other albums we've heard recently, but unfortunately it's up against Unreal City. They are one of my favorite recent prog bands. Speaking in a general way, I think the Italians are probably the best at bringing that classic 70s prog sound into the 21st century. So... My vote goes to Unreal City.
Friday13th 06.11.19	5-8 Zig Divaman wham tmthy hansolo bgill Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke Friday Papa Twig
Divaman 06.11.19	I've had a ton of proofreading work to do this weekend, Twig, so I've been listening to a bunch of TD albums I've never heard before. (It's great proofreading music - no vocals to distract me.) They're pretty damned consistent - the albums always seem to at least be respectable, and they range up to excellent. Firestarter is still my favorite, though.
Sabrutin 06.11.19	I still feel the same as my last post, but in the end I'm voting for 2 because of its final track.
Friday13th 06.11.19	5-9 Zig Divaman wham tmthy hansolo bgill Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke Friday Papa Twig Sabrutin
Friday13th 06.11.19	Waiting for Gentleman, Casavir and Notrap
TheNotrap 06.11.19	I like "La Crudelta Di Aprile", it explores several textures with a hard rock soul, even without having the guitar in the lead role. I think there's a lack of vitality / strength in the vocals at times, but it's a minor detail. Firestarter is an enjoyable soundscape but somewhat one-dimensional, maybe I'm being unfair because I haven't seen the movie, so I don't have images attached to it. I think it must have been a reference to Stranger Things score. My vote goes to Unreal City. Both nice picks, congrats Jethro and Divaman.
Friday13th 06.11.19	5-10 Zig Divaman wham tmthy hansolo bgill Sharktooth e21 Jethro Scheumke Friday Papa Twig Sabrutin Notrap
Friday13th 06.11.19	I'm calling this vote for Unreal City! On to the next match.
Divaman 06.11.19	Oh well. Congrats, Jethro. Glad my boys made a respectable showing, anyway.
Jethro42 06.11.19	Cheers, Diva! Your knight was better than I first thought, and it gives me the willing to invest more deeply into the Tangerine Dream discog. Like you said in your blog, your opponent would have to be a tough one :) Cheers Notrap!
e210013 06.11.19	Congrats, Jethro. And congrats to you too Diva. Both albums are two great picks, indeed. Let's go to the next journey.
Friday13th 06.13.19	@Jethro finally getting around to Unreal City's Il Paese Del Tramonto and I'm loving it. Track 3 is especially impressing me right now.
Jethro42 06.14.19	Yes, what an album. Track 3 reminds me of some good Renaissance minus Annie Haslam. Some other Renaissance like passages are present through the album, thanks to the piano and organ all around. Track 2 is also great and its ending contains the same themes as the last song's ending, so it's probably a concept album affair. Keep on listening until you love them all. I can assure you it will happen. I gave a listen to Spidermilk. Less hyperactive than Permutations, it has great arrangements throughout the album, but I think you made a good decision in choosing Permutations. I have to give another serious listen to Spidermilk.