Friday13th: Friday's Prog Discovery M8

Friday13th 04.15.16	Maltid is some zany goodness. Hyped to check 2 with those two beaming 4.5's.
Cimnele 04.15.16	already knew Maltid, Samla are a great band in all their phases
Jethro42 04.15.16	Interesting match once again. Both are better with each listens, but we feel from the start that they have so much to offer.
Onirium 04.15.16	I like 2's slightly minimalistic approach very much
TwigTW 04.17.16	And on a somewhat related prog note, Yes have announced they are touring this summer (without Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, or Rick Wakeman). The set-list will include 2 songs from Tales From Topographic Oceans and the complete Drama album .
Sabrutin 04.17.16	Going to be tough beating Maltid.
Jethro42 04.17.16	@TWIG sounds very interesting. I wonder who is gonna fill the shoes of Chris Squire.
Onirium 04.17.16	@Jethro Squire had temporarily retired from touring a few weeks before his death, and the band had hired Billy Sherwood to replace him.
Jethro42 04.17.16	Ok, I see, thank you sir.
Jethro42 04.17.16	Still not an easy round. 2 is way more accessible. It's a soothing classical tinged folk. Guitars and strings remind me of either Mike Oldfield or Dogma, the latter mostly cos of the guitar melodies and tonality. 1seems less and less silly with each new listens. These guys have a good sense of humour. It contains amazing instrumental parts led by electric guitar, with the adding of silly vocals. The drummer would become a percussionist for The Flower Kings decades later. Everything makes sense with each listens. Even the vocals ended up making me smile. Hard to make a choice.
TwigTW 04.18.16	This is the round I have been waiting for.
Friday13th 04.18.16	Another tough match indeed. 1 is great, kinda like Grand Wazoo by Frank Zappa. Kinda need to be in the mood for the wackiness, though. 2 is beautiful and good for anytime. It might not be edgy or rocking enough to hold my attention for the entire length, though.
Onirium 04.19.16	Maltid is a perfect example of typical 70s quirkiness. In a way, we've lost this sense of amusement and complete rejection of norms, in both musical and broader contexts. Even experimentation often seems codified, and that was especially towards what the RIO movement in which Samla Mammas Manna took part aimed their criticism. This is a generalization, of course; experimental music has not died yet, and I assume it never will. After all, it was obscure forty years ago as well.
Jethro42 04.19.16	Before, I rarely had the obligation to listen to an album as many times as Maltid in order to try to capture its essence, and yet I find it hard to catch it all. It's busy and so much is happening. But I like the arrangements, even the most dissonant ones to an extent. RIO is prog at the most complex, so it takes time to digest, and when it's done, it pays off...usually. But often we have to be in the mood, like Friday said.
gagnonov 04.19.16	true; modern prog has become so self-absorbed it can't even catch the essence of what it tries to emulate
Jethro42 04.19.16	I love the creativity of 2. A beautiful instrumental folk with classical leanings. The orchestration is soothing, peaceful and warm, but I wish it was a bit more dense, more expressive. I think it's too delicate, but I guess the music was meant to be ambient. I like the contrast it does when comes the electric guitar soaring. It reminds me some good moments of either Hostsonaten or Dogma, but these passages are only a few. Tales and Travels doesn't bite enough when it goes to the classical territory, but the compositions remain gorgeous nonetheless. I'm still unable to give my vote. I dig both of them. And they are so different.
Sabrutin 04.20.16	I dig both of them. And they are so different. [2] Exactly, another tough round. I think I'm leaning more towards 2 right now.
Jethro42 04.20.16	1 keeps me interested till its ending. The impressive musicianship, the wacky and original instrumentation, the comedy style of the vocals (I sometimes hear/imagine Thijs Van Leer from Focus taking the mic, and it makes me smile). So I enjoy Maltid the most. 2 is too quiet and inoffensive. While the compositions are for the most part appealing, I think it's missing of colours and texture. And I would only listen to that kind of music from time to time.
Jethro42 04.20.16	Maltid for me.
Sabrutin 04.21.16	I agree, 2 at times feels like it should try to bite me more. But I think it was meant to be a relaxing experience to use as a background, and I believe it excels at that.
TwigTW 04.21.16	I like the quirkiness of #1. It's a little jazzy, a little rock, and a there's bit of musique concrete thrown in too. It had me wondering what they would do next the entire listen. The vocals sound like a banshee wailing in the night, not usually my favorite thing, but in this case it just made me like the album more. I enjoyed the drumming too. I enjoyed it all except the ending. I was expecting a definitive ending to the piece (it does sound like one large piece to me, rather than a collection of individual songs), but it just petered-out. That was my one disappointment. Listening to #2 now. It sounds pale in comparison to #1. I'm wondering if that's because #2 is a weaker album, or if most things would sound weak after listening to #1, lol.
TwigTW 04.21.16	Oh, wait, I just read the description where it says the last three tracks on #1 are bonus tracks--so maybe I am wrong about the ending because of the bonus tracks. I will have to re listen with that in mind.
Friday13th 04.21.16	good call, yeah try not to decide based on bonus tracks. 1:0
bnelso55 04.21.16	I'm going to have to go with 2. Jethro's points are solid. It's quite serene and accessible, but I personally found it to be creative and engaging. Although 1 is tremendous and I can't think of any reason not to vote for it, I think 2 just hit home for me this time. A lot of great music in this tourney. Wow.
TwigTW 04.21.16	I used the word "weak" to describe 2, but tame would have been a better choice. It is very well constructed. It sounds very pastoral to me, and I can see myself listening to it while hiking. It actually sounds sunny.
Friday13th 04.21.16	1:1
bnelso55 04.21.16	"I can see myself listening to it while hiking." I actually thought of something similar. The music does make me think of being outside.
gagnonov 04.21.16	going with tales and travels
Friday13th 04.21.16	1:2
Jethro42 04.21.16	From album Tales and Travels, I can't get number 7 out of my head (Iceland Water)
Onirium 04.22.16	2 is a great record, indeed, wonderfully integrating Finnish folk music to a jazz-rock context. The palette it creates is very interesting, but I feel it could have been much broader. I don't feel the music perfectly renders all the potential textures it could. The music itself is gorgeous - the opening track, especially - but as a whole, I think the result is a somewhat redundant record that didn't leave me completely satisfied. But it still is an excellent record. Maltid is a special, completely unique album. To me, it challenges much of the criticism (of pretention, ostentation, pointless complexity, etc.) that has been made toward progressive music. It's a surprisingly humble and free-spirited record. Drastically different albums, in the end, despite their apparent similarities. My vote goes to Maltid
Friday13th 04.22.16	2:2
Friday13th 04.22.16	I'm going with Maltid too, though 2 is quite a great find especially for its recency and obscurity. 3:2
Friday13th 04.22.16	Hot damn, ran out of free jams on the website for Tales and Travels! Tracks 1, 2, 5 and 6 are especially great. Really sorry that Maltid just edges it.
TwigTW 04.22.16	That happened to me too, but I found that I can get more listens by clearing my cookies.
Sabrutin 04.22.16	Tales and Travels is also on Spotify guys.
Friday13th 04.22.16	okay great idk though, I think limiting oneself from just streaming for free is good. I might buy it if I want to keep listening.
TwigTW 04.22.16	That is a good point. It really isn't a streaming service. The reason they exist is to sell music, after all.
tmthycnnlly 04.22.16	1 took a while to grow on me it's quite a fun record. However, vote goes to 1 for being a very serene record that I needed for a hectic week
Friday13th 04.22.16	What? Maltid is serene...I think you mean 2, bro. Well I'm not here to judge opinions so... 4:2
TwigTW 04.22.16	My vote goes to Maltid. I am still a little disappointed that the album goes out with a whisper instead of a bang, but the rest of the album is so interesting that it still gets my vote. 2 is beautiful. I will definitely be listening to it over the summer, but it is too tame next to 1.
manosg 04.22.16	Both albums are very interesting and unique. Maltid has more of a flair whereas Kivenpyörittäjä is more gentle and relaxing. Not an easy choice, but last few weeks have been a bit bothersome so I appreciated the serene nature of Kivenpyörittäjä more. Vote goes to 2.
Friday13th 04.22.16	5:3
Sabrutin 04.22.16	I'm voting for 2 too. At first it felt like 1 was the obvious choice but like the last round in the end 2 rewarded me the most.
Friday13th 04.22.16	5:4
Friday13th 04.23.16	So we're a bit slow on votes! New list coming for Friday and so you guys know what's up.
SCREAM! 04.23.16	Sorry man, it's been a busy week! Will get my vote in today
SCREAM! 04.23.16	Count me as another vote for 1. 2 is beautiful but a little overlong for my liking
SCREAM! 04.23.16	I can see myself lsitening to both of these on occasion though
Friday13th 04.23.16	6:4
Snowdog808 04.23.16	I vote for 2 for what it's worth. This was almost as close for me as the last round though.
Friday13th 04.23.16	It's all still up in the air, so it's worth a lot! 6:5
Friday13th 04.24.16	Hey, so this is still a thing, guys. Don't make me hunt you down, slackers ;)
manosg 04.24.16	haha this is very close and it'll be a shame if we don't have a few more votes.
TwigTW 04.24.16	Indeed, agreed
AnimalsAsSummit 04.25.16	I vote maltid
Friday13th 04.25.16	7:5
MrSirLordGentleman 04.26.16	I'll go with Maltid
Friday13th 04.26.16	8:5
SharkTooth 04.26.16	for now I'm going with 1
Friday13th 04.26.16	9:5 okay I'm going to go ahead and call Maltid the winner