Friday13th: Progday Discovery M4

Friday13th 10.06.17	Let's hope we don't get another weekend server crash lol
Divaman 10.06.17	Happy Prog Day, everybody. I have to say, I look forward each Friday to see what treats our friend Friday13th has for us. It's like getting a surprise package at the start of every weekend. Thanks, Friday13th.
Friday13th 10.06.17	You're welcome, Divaman! This one should be good...bnelso55 knows his prog ;)
Divaman 10.06.17	Friday, 1st and 3rd tracks for Heldon have been taken down due to copyright issues, according to YouTube.
Divaman 10.06.17	Can't find the album on Spotify either.
Jethro42 10.06.17	Happy Prog Day! And I second Divaman. Bravo Friday, you're the man! I've heard bits and pieces of each, and it's gonna be another tough call...Heldon is not available on youtube anymore for me (copyright matter), save ''Une Drôle de Journée''. If it's the same for you, they are on Bandcamp; https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/stand-by
Friday13th 10.06.17	Oh no! Okay, let's use bandcamp. Thanks, Jethro.
bgillesp 10.06.17	Next Friday is Friday the 13th
Friday13th 10.06.17	^ haha well it's gonna have to be extra special
Divaman 10.06.17	Link for Universal Totem Orchestra looks like it's only for the first track.
Jethro42 10.06.17	lol I don't have access to that UTO link. Album is on spotify...
Friday13th 10.06.17	Okay, I changed the link and tell me if you see the playlist. Otherwise, you can either just search for it under youtube playlists or look it up on spotify. EDIT: I changed the youtube link a second time, and it should refer to the playlist. I could only figure out how to copy the playlist link from my phone haha
TwigTW 10.06.17	copied and pasted... feel free to crash at anytime Sputnik.
bnelso55 10.06.17	Alright! Here we go! Yet another great match up, Friday. I'm about half way through 1 and I can already tell I'm going to dig it. Strong Crimson and Magma vibes can never be a bad thing. For being a product of the late 70s, it's amazing to me just how heavy the title sounds!
bnelso55 10.06.17	Sorry for the link troubles everyone. Hopefully it's all been sorted.
Friday13th 10.06.17	@bnelso the links for #2 are fixed (if anyone can't get it on youtube, just look it up spotify). Yeah, I was very impressed especially with the t/t of Stand by and how heavy it is. Now listening to Mathematical Mother, I am also very impressed with the first track. One of the best modern takes on Zeuhl I've ever heard. This is not going to be easy.
Friday13th 10.06.17	I am loving Mathematical Mother. It's like Magma and Yes, and then all of a sudden we get some insane Dream Theater riff and Petrucci solo. Beautiful singing, high energy, engaging, over-the-top...oh man I'm in trouble haha
Jethro42 10.07.17	Albums are so different one and another this time. ''Stand By'' the song is easy to love. Rhythm section and guitar crush everything on their passage, as if something serious was going to happen... UTO is rather busy, there are so many things going on. I feel songs are often too much loaded. Variety and clever arrangements are usually cool, but the songwriting is still more important. The instruments interplay and the musicianship impress me, but I'm not totally seduced composition-wise, plus I can barely breathe here and there.
Jethro42 10.07.17	Don't get me wrong, UTO offer magic moments in every turns. They know how to generously (excessively) prog.
Friday13th 10.07.17	@Jethro I think it has fairly good songwriting at least in respect to the Zeuhl genre. Especially the two longest tracks are very well done imo.
Jethro42 10.07.17	Yeah, when they're into Zeuhl, I'm more open minded cos they have to obligatory deliver some repetitive, quirky, hypnotic patterns and they're well done. But I don't know, I feel couple of their arrangements are rushed and forced sometimes, and i'm not always sure they fit well in a given song context. But with each listens, everything seems to get in place. I'd not be surprised to see UTO going to the final ;)
Sabrutin 10.07.17	Stand By is really good and pleasant to just leave playing in the background. Maybe it lacks a bit of oomph as an "album" but from your words it seems that UTO could suffer from being "fat", so we'll see when I jam that one too
Friday13th 10.07.17	@Sabrutin I agree "Bolero" is a bit like background music, very similar to Tangerine Dream Stratosfear/Ricochet era or Klaus Schulz. The first half strikes me as pretty assertive though.
Sabrutin 10.07.17	I realized that the t/t was instrumental only when it ended and I heard the voices in the second track. It's a pretty good sign
Jethro42 10.07.17	I cannot listen to Heldon anymore. A page inducing me to buy the album appears every time I try. Do we need to have a bandcamp account in order to be able to listen to it in unlimited time? Edit, I managed to bypass their trap, but for how long...
Friday13th 10.07.17	Hm, I'm not sure how bandcamp works. Anyone know? To be safe, make sure you're not wasting plays/playing without listening.
Divaman 10.07.17	I did that at least 3 or 4 times with the Mother Turtle album. I think you can do it indefinitely.
Jethro42 10.08.17	In song ''Stand By'', there is a good portion that reminds me of the prog rock/space rock band Crippled Black Phoenix. Of course, the guitar mostly sounds like Fripp but more dirty, more tortured. Both seem to ''slide'' the guitar's neck the same manner. Drummer tends to play (almost) like Bruford himself. I listened to KC's songs ''Industry'' and ''Level 5'' as a homage. Even ''Une Drôle De Journée'' makes me think of the intro of ''Waiting Man'' by KC, when the synth is full speed. ''Bolero'' is a great, hypnotic track centered around synthesizers and sequencers, but luckily surrounded by real musicians that come to humanize the whole thing. I wish there were more gritty guitar, and less synths. As usual, this is gonna be a tough call...
Friday13th 10.08.17	@Jethro Definitely agree with you on "Stand By". Though obviously influenced by Crimson songs like "Schizoid Man", "Larks Tongues", "Red" and "Fracture", Crimson wouldn't quite reach that heavy electronic sound till like "Level 5!"
Jethro42 10.08.17	Great songs selection, Friday. And many other songs could be named, since Heldon's guitarist really seems to be Fripp's number one fan, and obviously both share pretty much the same technique. I even hear stuff from Discipline era on here. It proves the Heldon's guitarist was ahead of his time haha...
SCREAM! 10.08.17	Halfway through 2 and liking it a lot so far. There's a lot going on but the quieter moments give you a bit of a chance to breathe before they propel you into something groovy and crazy all over. No complaints about the songwriting here. Looking forward to 1, the description of that one sounds interesting as well although it's got some very tough competition
e210013 10.09.17	Sorry guys. I arrived a bit later, this time, for the feast. But I hope to recover the lost time. About the 4th round, I think it's very interesting, as happened with the previous ones. Apparently a prog electronic French band with deep influences of Fripp that belongs to the classic era of prog and an Italian band influenced by the zeuhl prog sub-genre of our days, seems to me avery interesting and curious "fight". You never cease to surprise me, Friday 13th. Nice, really. But, I must confess that I was never an expert on prog electronic and even less on the zeuhl prog sub-genre. About prog electronic, I only know some artists of the classic prof era, such as, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Brian Eno, Edgar Froeze, Asra and kraftwerk. From zeuhl, I only know Magma, and only few albums from them. So, for me, it will be a very interesting and curious journey of prog. I'm very glad to accept to be part of this tournement. Thanks Friday 13th, because you're the man who created this and thanks to Jethro that called my attention to it. He did it in the last year, but then I arrived a bit latter that I should . But as we usually say, it's better later than never.
Jethro42 10.09.17	@SCREAM; You're right, the songwriting is all right. I was blinded by the over-the-top attitude and all their intricate bursts. Each time, I feel like I attended to a magic trick seance. I'm amazed, and I'm not sure of what has just happened... In fact, it's a very well done prog, produced by real magicians. I'm definitely interested in hearing their other albums. @e21; I cant guide anybody to electronic music either, but I can suggest you a great Zeulh album. It's Eskaton - 4 Visions. I know that you already dig Magma, but apparently, 4 Visions is a great album to experience Zeulh for the first time, so it's highly recommended. As for my heads up for your participation, it's my pleasure, pal.
e210013 10.09.17	Thanks, Jethro. I'll put Eskaton - "4 Visions" in my list of albums to check out. Do you know a stream for the album?
Mythodea 10.09.17	I've never heard of a Zeuhl album, so your recommendation is being considered, Jethro42. Stand By, man, what an album. It gives me impressions I never thought I'd get from a progressive rock album, specifically: the bass's sound reminds me of Atheist (fretless, sqeeky and loud) and a sequence from the latter half of the t/t reminds me The Call of Ktulu by Metallica. The final track has just kicked in, so more on that later.
e210013 10.09.17	I agree Mythodea. "Stand By", what an album. In this moment I'm goin with three listenings and I continue loving the album. It's almost a perfect marriage between synths and heavy guitar. It seems to me that this 4th prog journey shall have a very tough final decision.
Divaman 10.09.17	Good morning, fellow proggies! For your reading pleasure, I've just posted a review of the classic Procol Harum live album, "Live With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra". I'll be back in a little while to vote on this round's selections.
e210013 10.09.17	Nice, Dive. I just saw that a few minutes ago. Very soon I'll post a comment on it.
Jethro42 10.09.17	Eskaton - 4 Visions is on youtube. Album is more accessible (in Zeuhl standards) than Magma or Dun - Eros, but just like Universal Totem Orchestra (that I consider more eclectic than Zeuhl), there is still a lot going on. Bass is groundbreaking and the instruments interplay and vocals are amazing. Enjoy guys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyrefoqcBLc
e210013 10.09.17	Thanks, Jethro. This is a subgenre of prog that I must know better in the future.
Mythodea 10.09.17	Stand By, what an album. [2] Incredible second half in an already astonishing album of space/psychedelic/progressive/electronic(.....) rock.
SCREAM! 10.09.17	@diva I'd love to hear your thoughts on that 2.5 you gave to Heldon. In absolutely loving both of these and can't imagine giving either such a low rating!
Divaman 10.09.17	OK, I'm ready to vote. My vote is for Universal Totem Orchestra. (Hey, no spoilers there, my friend SCREAM!). Friday, you probably knew you were in trouble in terms of my vote when I posted my little prog music manifesto before the contest started. With Heldon, I really missed the vocals (except for those little spoken-word Kraftwerk words spoken during the 3rd track). I really like the little Eno-like synth flourishes during the second track, and parts of the 3rd track were really pleasing, especially when they went all Tangerine Dream on my butt. But the first track was kind of harsh, and way too electric guitar centered for my taste. The playing was excellent on the track, but it wasn't enjoyable for me to listen to. On the other hand, with Universal Totem Orchestra, I never heard the word Zeuhl before (although I've since read up on it a little -- thanks for educating me on something I was unfamiliar with). But I know what I like, and I like this. I loved the vocals -- I'm an opera fan, so the operatic style of the lead singer didn't bother me at all. And a number of the tracks were very piano based, which I also enjoy. I didn't write down what track it was (apologies for my indolence), but on one of the tracks about two-thirds of the way through the album, there was also some sweet, sweet sax. My ratings aren't really based on any pretense of objectivity as to the quality of the albums, just on my own enjoyment factor. And in terms of my enjoyment, although I listened to them three times each, I knew from the first listen that my choice was going to be Universal Totem Orchestra. Having said that, I'm curious to see how the rest of you vote, as I know many of you have a higher tolerance for harsher sounds (as in Heldon's first track) and all-instrumental music, than I do.
Divaman 10.09.17	Also, I definitely heard the Dead Can Dance comparisons on Universal Totem Orchestra, and there were times I once again heard some things that hearkened me back to Renaissance.
e210013 10.09.17	Ok, Diva. I've no problems with your decision about Universal Totem Orchestra. I must confess that I I've not heard the album yet, so I don't have an opinion about it. But 2.5 to "Stand By", is absolutelly incomprehensive to me. Especially because I know that you've a fine music taste. The first track is a very heavy track, basically in the great style of Fripp, very heavy, I know, but I know you like King Crimson. Fripp is simply one of the best guitarists ever, with a unique and original style. The second track is a kind of an intermission between the first and the third track. The third track is almost a perfect example how to marriage electronic music with a heavy guitar style. And I also know that you like Tangerine Dream, too. Of course, I respect your opinion as I always do with all people. And above all we are talking about music, a very subjective thing, which most of the times depends of our taste and mood. So, don't get me wrong. But it's very hard to me, and seems to Scream!, too, to can understand your rating to this album, despite your little prog music manifesto before the contest started. Sincerelly I think this is a great and original album, a different and original way to do electronic music at the time. I can understand that your ratings aren't really based on any pretense of objectivity as to the quality of the albums, just on your own enjoyment factor. But 2.5 to this album is too low for me, my friend.
Friday13th 10.09.17	haha I don't mind, Diva. It has to be one or the other, and not surprised if Stand By doesn't do it for some. If you're just getting into Zeuhl, check out Magma's MDK (whuch I wrote a review for hehe) and maybe Jethro's rec of Eskaton - 4 Visions. The vocals aren't as pure operatic soprano as UTO, but you'll get the jist of the genre.
Jethro42 10.09.17	Song ''Stand By'' is a hit or miss. For me it's a hit from start to finish. It's like the soundtrack of being captured in an endless nightmare from which you cannot move, being paralysed and vulnerable. Out of the two albums, it's probably the only song I love in its entirety.
e210013 10.09.17	I absolutely agree with you about "Stand By", Jethro. But "Bolero", is also a great track. I think it's a kind of Tangerine Dream meets Fripp, or if you prefer, Eno meets Fripp.
Jethro42 10.09.17	It's funny to hear that. Eno and Fripp have already worked together in different projects. I don't know how it sounds... I never got around them. I'm unable to listen to Bolero anymore. My bandcamp is unbearable. I found another stream for the two other songs. I have a good idea of what Bolero sounds like. It's not my style, but it's great.
Jethro42 10.10.17	Bolero was better with each listens. I wish I could spin it few more times. Too bad.
Divaman 10.10.17	Do you keep getting that annoying broken heart graphic? It seems like bandcamp gives you two free listens, then starts trying to guilt you into buying.
Divaman 10.10.17	What can I say, e and scream, I'm not a high marker in general. I've currently got 2,123 albums rated, and in all my years of music, I've only given out fourteen 5's. You guys don't seem to have noticed, but I only gave Todd a 2. (Sorry about that, Fripp).
Jethro42 10.10.17	Yeah that's it, Diva. I thought I was alone since no one complains until now.
Divaman 10.10.17	I didn't complain because I don't care how many times I break their hearts, heh heh.
Divaman 10.10.17	It is kind of annoying, though.
Jethro42 10.10.17	Damn right. I was to say to SCREAM and e21 that you were not a high marker, but I did not dare to say it lol. You have a huge quantity of 4s though.
Divaman 10.10.17	Going back to what we were talking about, e, in the first round, I actually gave each album a half-star higher rating than I really wanted to because I didn't want to offend the people who recommended them. But then I thought about it and decided that I'm just going to rate each of these albums the way I would if I found the album randomly on my own, so I went back and changed the ratings of those first two albums to the ratings I really feel in my heart. I don't want to detract from anyone else's enjoyment of these albums, but I really want to rate them as honestly as I can. And really, I'm enjoying being exposed to all of these albums, even if each one isn't to my own particular taste.
Jethro42 10.10.17	True, it's not easy to give an album a low rating in a tournament context for the reasons you gave, and even more so that it can give a lower average rating, given few people voted for the album.
SCREAM! 10.10.17	"You guys don't seem to have noticed, but I only gave Todd a 2. (Sorry about that, Fripp)." I hadn't noticed but Todd has been my least favorite so far so I'd let that one slide ;)
e210013 10.10.17	@ Diva I also like to be exposed to all these albums. About the ratings, I knew that before. You and Jethro are the bad guys and I'm the good guy, ah, ah, ah. About "Todd", I can see why. I'm not a great fan of that album too. I hesitated to give it a 3.0 or 3.5. But 2.5 to "Stand By", even for you, I think is a very low rating. Especially for someone like you who likes King Crimson and Tangerine Dream. Cheers my friend.
e210013 10.10.17	@ Jethro About the impossibility to hear an album more than three times on Bandcamp, I think I have a solution. If you open a new window without a registration on Google, as an unknown person, I think you can listen to the album more three times, in the same computer. I did it with "Mother Turtle II", and it resulted. I heard it three times as me and one more time as unknown. Try it my friend, and tell me something latter.
Friday13th 10.10.17	So far we just got Divaman's vote: 0-1
SCREAM! 10.10.17	It's a tough one. UTO has these awesome funky/groovy moments spread throughout that I enjoy a lot and are so much fun Heldon though tickles my metal fancy with how heavy it gets at times. Didn't expect something like that from 70's prog and I'm very pleasantly surprised
e210013 10.10.17	Do you know "Red" of King Crimson already, Scream? That is undoubtedly one of the heaviest albums already made, and is an album of the 70's, too. "Stand By" is from 1979 and "Red" is from 1974. With all the influences of Fripp on the guitarist of Heldon, he was considered the French Fripp, I've no doubt that "Red" deeply influenced "Stand By". That is clearly seen on the track that gave the name to the album. "Red" is considered one of the most influential albums in the prog metal.
TheIntruder 10.10.17	I love both albums. This was a tough decision. But I prefer Mathematical Brother. I chose this album.
Friday13th 10.10.17	*Mathematical Mother haha 0-2
TheIntruder 10.10.17	Sorry man. Mathematical Mother will be.
Jethro42 10.10.17	I just listened to Yezda Urfa - Boris (1975), and just like I thought, there are similarities into the song building of both Mathematical Mother and Boris. Pretty much the same prog style (save the Zeuhl thing). Both are complex, adventurous and melodic with frequent tempo-shifts, and some of the patterns are quite of the same source in places. Of course, Boris were using vintage musical equipment, but if one doesn't consider it, I bet Universal Totem Orchestra was influenced by Yezda Urfa, and it would be a good thing. My vote is almost done. I give my verdict soon.
bgillesp 10.10.17	I gotta vote UTO. I couldn't wait for Heldon to end on that last song it drew on for so long without changing much. Both had good moments and bad ones but UTO had more variety to me
Friday13th 10.10.17	0-3 @Jethro I didn't think of Yezda Urfa or Renaissance like Divaman said. Listening again, though, I can hear it. There is a good amount of symphonic prog I immediately identified with Yes (like the keyboard and piano parts), but lots of the best prog bands also fit that description.
Friday13th 10.10.17	Alright...time to get my vote out of the way...like tearing off a large band-aid. I still "Stand By" my opinion that Heldon has the best song in this battle. Haha. But...I'm really hyped about UTO. It's certainly the best prog album I've heard from last year. The captain is abandoning the Heldon ship, y'all. Voting for Mathematical Mother. 0-4
MrSirLordGentleman 10.10.17	No one's surprised by the fact that Stand By is from 1979? It really sounds like modern prog at times
Friday13th 10.10.17	^ true dat, at least the t/t
Jethro42 10.10.17	@Friday, it takes courage to vote against yours. I ''Stand By'' the same opinion; Song is the best of it all. I would have liked to relisten to ''Bolero'' (mission impossible), but I heard it 3 times, and it was enough to remark it was mainly focusing on electronic music accompanied by the whole band (I think). The thing is I'm not really fond of electronic music. I confess that in the band context, it was an original way to do electronic music. It wasn't enough to rivalize with UTO. Every songs from Mathematical Mother have their strenghts which mostly reside in their instrumental arrangements I don't think there is a real perfect song, but they all offer brillant instrumental breaks. The female vocals are gorgeous, but the vocal lines are not outstanding imo. Band certainly knows how to prog, and I agree about your Yes reference. I'm not sure if Diva talked about Renaissance the band, or the period...In any case, Long live to the crushing Stand By, but I vote UTO the magicians.
Jethro42 10.10.17	Song ''Stand By'' is timeless, but yes, ahead of its time...
MrSirLordGentleman 10.10.17	So far Heldon is a borderline 4.5 Still gotta check the other album to decide tho
Jethro42 10.10.17	You will have to struggle to make a choice, then.
Friday13th 10.11.17	0-5 You're in for a treat, Gentleman. Glad to see that 4.5! Even a loser can be a winner haha
Mythodea 10.11.17	Um, is there somewhere I could listen to Mathematical Mother? The YouTube link is not allowed for my country, for some reason.
Jethro42 10.11.17	Do you have spotify?... Or deezer?...It's available in both of them.
Mythodea 10.11.17	No, unfortunately I don't support music platforms - other than YT, that is.
Jethro42 10.11.17	Try there; http://progstreaming.com/extended//pages/play-album.php?activeAlbum=2016-12-16-22%20-%20Universal%20Totem%20Orchestra%20-%20Mathematical%20Mother
Papa Universe 10.11.17	I vote #2
Mythodea 10.11.17	I actually downloaded and am halfway through. It's a tough call for me still.
Friday13th 10.12.17	0-6
SCREAM! 10.12.17	Going to go with 2 as well. Feel bad that it's turning into such a landslide for 2 since this has been the best round for me so far. Loved both albums. 2 wins by a slight margin for being more engaging throughout.
SCREAM! 10.12.17	Can't we knock out Todd and move Heldon up to the next round? ;)
Friday13th 10.12.17	haha not how it works! 0-7
Jethro42 10.12.17	Since I could have only heard Bolero 3 times and it got better each time, I decided to give Heldon a sincere 4. @Friday; Due to the fact sputnick is gonna crash soon, could you give the next 2 albums today, without calling this one, given that we're still waiting for lots of participants who haven't given their vote yet.
e210013 10.12.17	Congratulations Jethro. 4.00 is the right rating for "Stand Bye". I knew that a man with a fine taste like you will change your rating with a more couple of listens, ah, ah, ah. Yeah,it seems a real mess with this site again. I haven't yet my final veredict, but I hope that the site don't crash again, as usual. Especially because I'm not going on line during all the weekend.
Jethro42 10.12.17	Finally, we agree to give the same rating...I feel generous hahah 3.5 would not be enough because of the t/t alone.
e210013 10.12.17	It's never late to learn with wise people, ah,ah,ah.
Divaman 10.12.17	2.5. Max.
Divaman 10.12.17	Site is very sluggish today. If it stays up long enough for Friday to get tomorrow's new round up, I suggest everyone copy the links as quickly as possible before it crashes again.
TwigTW 10.13.17	I'm loving the Heldon. Progressive electronics and krautrock are right up my alley. In fact, I just bought it on Bandcamp. (It seemed like the least I could do after breaking that heart so many times ;-) I hear hints of Tangerine dream, King Crimson, Fripp & Eno in there. Given time it will probably grow into a 5 for me. So, it's weird that I'm not voting for it... At first I thought Mathematical Mother was light jazz-rock, but it has really grown on me. I've never heard anything else quite like it. I love the vocals. They are like another instrument thrown into the mix. I don't usually connect to a prog album through the vocals, so this is a pleasant surprise. Ratings wise the two albums are a virtual tie for me, but Mathematical Mother is a hair higher--so Universal Totem Orchestra gets my vote.
Frippertronics 10.13.17	just for Scream (and his very sacrilegious comment about my boy Todd) UTO gets my vote :^)
e210013 10.13.17	I had already read something about both albums before, but I had never the opportunity to heard them before. But I had great expectations about both. Here are my feelings about them. Heldon - Stand Bye: "Stand By" sounds like a cross between Fripp and the best and classic Tangerine Dream's period in the 70's with some "vocals", if we can call it that, in the style of Kraftwerk. I can also see influences of Can and Brian Eno on it. This is really an album with a very heavy sound. Undiscriminating listeners might call the album boring. I prefer the word hypnotic. It seems to me very innovative and totally different from the electronic music acts of the time. It seems to me an album with a nice balance between synthetic hypnotic electronics and tortured Fripp-ian guitars. I like it very much. It was for me a great surprise. It's almost perfect for those who likes lots of synths with heavy guitar, or vice-versa. If you love 70's Tangerine Dream as much as you love 70's King Crimson, then you will love this album. Or is great too for the lovers of Fripp and Eno experiences. This is one of the first and most powerful examples of where progressive rock and early electronic music collide with vigor. I must say that it satisfied all my expectations. So, I rated it with a 4.0. Universal Totem Orchestra - Mathematical Mother: "Mathematical Mother" is an album influenced by so many and varied music styles by a truly quixotic Italian Band. We can hear soaring classical vocals, the perfect piano accompaniment, the amazing bass, or the move between jazz, fusion, funk, classical, Arabian and progressive styles. I can see why they're considered a zeuhl band due to some influences of Magma, such as the arrangements hover from bombastic Wagnerian explosions to jazzier climes, again a Kobaian characteristic. But only Magma sounds like Magma. I can also see occasional forays into Arabic, Gothic and Gregorian chants. The voice of the female singer is capable of a wide variety of tones, octaves and styles, but much closer to opera than anything else. We can also hear often a soprano female voice and a male baritone voice. But, the star on here is the keyboardist. His work is very impressive. Still, all the rest instrumentation is great, particularly the bass playing is marvellous. Finally, the instrumental arrangements are perfect. This is an amazing album with a very strong Italian feeling. It supplanted all my expectations. So, I rated it with a 4.5. So, for all I wrote before the only thing to do is to vote on UTO's album. P.S. Damn, this is really a serious rival to my Quarteto.
Sabrutin 10.13.17	I too am voting for UTO. I like Stand By but for my tastes Mathematical Mother offers more and a full listen is easier than I thought it would be, because there are a lot of memorable pleasant sections and generally the music never falls into aimless territory, even though it starts to tire me a bit in the last tracks (then again it does last for 50+ minutes). The first part of Architettura dell'acqua is really lovely
Friday13th 10.13.17	Happy progday the 13th, y'all! haha Should have seen this coming...only bad luck for Stand By. A true landslide here. haha "oh, the humanity!" I'm gonna go ahead and call the vote over and start the next round. Mathematical Mother wins this round unscathed, 11-0.
bnelso55 10.13.17	Sorry for not making it to the polls, Friday13th. I’ve had serious trouble with accessing the site these past 2 days. The results for this round are quite interesting given the strength of Stand By. It checks so many of the right boxes for me with its 70s-era Tangerine Dream and Crimson vibes. The title track might be my favorite of all the music I’ve heard in this tourney thus far. It’s so surprisingly heavy! I’m not overly familiar with progressive electronic music, but the record as whole feels so original to me. Even if it isn’t moving on in the contest, I know this is one I’ll be coming back to. I’ll probably just give in and download it so I can stop breaking Bandcamp’s heart!
SCREAM! 10.13.17	"I'm gonna go ahead and call the vote over and start the next round. Mathematical Mother wins this round unscathed, 11-0. " Oh man, I hate how these results make Heldon seem like it's White Arms of Athena level bad when that couldn't be further from the truth Such a solid round
Mythodea 10.14.17	The site put me down again these past two days so I couldn't vote. Good think is I really didn't know what to vote anyway! Both albums sound magnificent to me, with Heldon being so elegantly raw at times and UTO being my first contact with this branch of progressive. Excellent choices and for me this round ends with a tie.
Friday13th 10.14.17	^ good to hear, Mythodea. Yeah, the Sputnik crashes are getting ridiculous.