Friday13th: Summer of Prog Discovery M4

Friday13th 06.19.18	Voting ends next Monday.
e210013 06.19.18	I'm very curious about both albums. I never checked Triana before but I think they're considered the best Spanish prog band. I'm curious to see their fusion between the taditional Spanish music with prog. About Shub-Niggurath I had never heard of them before. Another French zeuhl band, a style which I'm not very familiar, yet. Still, I read many positive things about their music. Then, I've great expectations about both albums. So, let's see it. Nice prog journey, fellows.
TwigTW 06.19.18	"Spooky music for weddings" sounds intriguing. "Darker genius" sounds good too. Looks to be another great round.
Papa Universe 06.19.18	I mean, Shub-Niggurath is named after Lovecraft. It better be the best bloody thing ever.
bgillesp 06.19.18	It'll be hard for me to vote against myself but we will see. Jamming 2 now.
Jethro42 06.19.18	2 starts with a creepy, paralysing bang. it's promising.
bgillesp 06.19.18	The vox remind me slightly of my Slapp happy rec from last year. 2 is awesome so far, so whichever one I vote against I'll be sad. These both will probably be in my top 2-4 overall this year by the end
Sabrutin 06.19.18	I'm going straight into 2 too
Papa Universe 06.19.18	jesus christ, 2 is fucking weird
Papa Universe 06.19.18	will have to return to it later, because right now I am in no mood for oddities of the sort.
Sabrutin 06.19.18	Check the second song if you stopped at the first. It's heavy, at about 19:05 of the YouTube link offered above I started grinning. Sweet stuff
bgillesp 06.19.18	Well, last round was my 2 least favorite of the tourney, this round is my two favorite so far. Currently, Triana is winning out, but I'll give them both more time
Sabrutin 06.19.18	I'm totally in love with Cabine 67 off Les Morts Vont Vite. That thing wrecks me harder than any modern "djent"
bgillesp 06.19.18	Closer is probs my fav off 2
bgillesp 06.19.18	Also a heads up, there are YouTube uploads of my rec, but the times are off or the upload is incomplete so be wary. There is an upload on YouTube of their entire discography so going to it and only listening to this album will work too
Sabrutin 06.19.18	Seems tracks 5-6 of Shub-Niggurath weren't in the original album and appeared with a CD reissue. Just some trivia
smaugman 06.19.18	eh i have problems listening to music in spanish
smaugman 06.19.18	but my vote goes to 1, 2 is way too fuckin weird lmao
SCREAM! 06.19.18	Definitely intrigued for 2 following these comments haha
Divaman 06.19.18	I do have a preference after first listen, but I'll give them each another couple of listens before voting.
Sabrutin 06.19.18	To me 2 feels lovecraftian by name and by nature. I think I found my first true keeper of this tourney. Haven't checked 1 yet
Jethro42 06.19.18	What does lovecraft mean? edit; Horror fiction a la Lovecraft, seen on wiki.
zakalwe 06.19.18	cthulhu and what have you
Jethro42 06.19.18	What do I prefer, Meshuggah or Shub-Niggurath...?
Sabrutin 06.19.18	"at about 19:05 of the YouTube link offered above I started grinning" ^ this part hits me harder than any Meshuggah tbh
Papa Universe 06.19.18	it's one of his fine monsters
Friday13th 06.19.18	Shub-Meshuggarath
Jethro42 06.19.18	You need to have a good cardio to listen to Meshuggah...rath ;)
gagnonov 06.19.18	my vote goes to 2. i did enjoy 1 a lot, but i'm conflicted. some parts i absolutely adored, while others didn't do much for me. their synth sound is perfection, though.
Friday13th 06.19.18	If you guys haven't checked out the Prog Snob facebook page, you're really missing out on some quality prog memes.
Sabrutin 06.20.18	They post some funny stuff yeah but they were too much into prog metal for my tastes when I followed the page a few years ago. Had a peek, lol https://goo.gl/1jBWjv
Jethro42 06.20.18	Shub is successful for a nightmare soundtrack, but it doesn't have any replay value for me. It gives me bad shivers in my back. It's so sinister and distressing, I'm losing my French. Hijos is not really prog if compared to El Patio, and it doesn't appeal as much as the latter, but it's a good and easy listen, there are catchy songs and it has standout tracks such as ''Sentimiento Di Amor'', ''Necesito'' and the title track. My vote goes to Triana, no contest.
bgillesp 06.20.18	I'm gonna go with Triana as well. Jethro, none of my favorite songs off the album are the ones you listed as standouts which I find funny. I agree El Patio is proggier but I think Hijos is better still
bgillesp 06.20.18	Only by a little though. And I also just want to say Shub is my #2 overall in this comp so far even though I'm not voting for it
Jethro42 06.20.18	Maybe I could find a better song than the t/t if I tried, but ''Sentimiento Di Amor'' and ''Necesito'' in particular rule. What is your top 3, bgill?
bgillesp 06.20.18	Rumor and Sr. Troncoso are my top 2. Any of them could take 3rd really though
smaugman 06.20.18	when will there be english prog :(
Papa Universe 06.20.18	when my rec comes around
TwigTW 06.20.18	The Triana is great, but I'm still trying to make up my mind about S-M. The first spin was interesting, but I can't even guess how it will hold up over multiple listens. Time will tell...
Jethro42 06.20.18	Olé! bgill
Jethro42 06.20.18	@smaugman, what about an instrumental one?
Sabrutin 06.20.18	1 is pleasant but I think it's not exciting. I like the Camel-isms though. I'm honestly confident with my vote but I'll wait a little more
Divaman 06.20.18	Some of my prog rock friends might be interested by the review I just posted of Tomita's "Snowflakes Are Dancing" album. It's not prog rock, but I find it to be related, as I wrote about in the review. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/77379/Isao-Tomita-Snowflakes-Are-Dancing/
Friday13th 06.20.18	Love that Tomita album. Debussy's music is obviously classic, but the fusion itself is great. Much better than Switched-on Bach.
Divaman 06.20.18	I agree. Much better than his Mussorgsky or Holst, also.
Jethro42 06.22.18	I found the courage to relisten to Shub, and I realize it's a big chunk to swallow, but there is at least a little something of my taste in each and every tracks except for the bonus ones. One can get used to any music style it seems. Still, my vote remains the same, I guess I couldn't change it anyway...
wham49 06.22.18	I go with 2, the weirder the better
bgillesp 06.22.18	What's the score at?
Papa Universe 06.22.18	yeah, I vote for Triana. Shub is not an average, but it is 2.5 as fuck
Friday13th 06.22.18	4:2 smaugman: 1 gagnonov: 2 Jethro: 1 bgillesp: 1 wham: 2 Universe: 1
SCREAM! 06.23.18	Having been introduced to Zeuhl in previous tourneys, I'm not finding 2 as weird as I expected based on the reactions (I mean Zeuhl as a whole is a weird genre but this fits pretty well into that from the little I know of it) Going with 2.
Friday13th 06.23.18	4:3 smaugman: 1 gagnonov: 2 Jethro: 1 bgillesp: 1 wham: 2 Universe: 1 SCREAM: 2
Friday13th 06.23.18	@SCREAM agreed. It sounds like Magma with some RIO like Aksak Maboul. The weirdest thing is the noise rock influence, which you hear a bit with Aksak but not nearly as much as Shub.
zakalwe 06.23.18	I haven’t listened to either of these nearly enough but I’ll go with 1 it’s a bit less insane in the brain.
Divaman 06.23.18	Not a good round for me. Triana didn't really do much for me one way or the other (although there was one point during one of the listens when I was getting into some of the percussion). As for Shub-Niggurath, I was really enjoying the first 15 minutes or so - it was weird, but kind of interesting. But as the album went on, it deconstructed itself to the point where it all started to just sound like random noise to me. I vote for 1.
bgillesp 06.23.18	6:3. I wish both could move on, both are amazing albums to me
Sabrutin 06.24.18	I'm surprised by how many of you guys were defeated by the quirks of Shub. I see why it's hard to love but I don't see how it made so many proggers scratch their heads honestly
Divaman 06.24.18	I need some melody, Sab. I'm a progger from the Jethro Tull-Yes listener base. I don't even like King Crimson when they get all discordant -- I like them on stuff like "The Court of the Crimson King" and "The Wake of Poseidon". I was OK with most of the Slapp Happy album last year (except for the last number) because weird as it was, there was some sense of melody (and elements of Kurt Weill-like stuff). This one started off interesting, but then it just became unpleasant for me. (Didn't do my wife any favors, either. Every time she walked into the room when it was on, she asked, "What the HELL are you listening to?!" But she's an '80s new wave girl.)
Jethro42 06.24.18	Shub is a beast. A torture. It's more of a malicious surprise box than an actual musical piece. It appeals to the dark sides of the mind, and they excel at it. It's a continual suspense that surprises us at every turn. It's a beautiful work of art in its own way, after all.
Divaman 06.24.18	Here's what it made me think of. A number of years ago, my wife's band was playing at an acoustic venue in Manhattan. The band before them came out, and began to warm up. There was a female vocalist, a trumpeter, a guitarist and I don't remember what else. After a very long warm-up period where they were all noodling around, doing their own thing, I turned to my wife's guitarist and said, "Bill, I just realized something terrible." "What?" He asked me. "They've already started!" He looked at me in horror and disbelief, and just said, "No!" But they had. Those guys were playing in the same style as this band. I have no idea if they were any good at it, because I wouldn't even begin to know how to evaluate it. But I walked out front until they'd finished.
SCREAM! 06.24.18	Shub definitely goes through moments of melody and moments of discordance but, to me anyway, it all still sounds very deliberate and works. The moments of discordance build some serious tension while never losing their musicality due to the general rhythmic patterns they follow and also due to the fact that certain members are always working together as a sort of "base" that the discordance is then layered over. I can definitely understand why it wouldn't appeal to some but the more I listen to it and let it sink in, the more I enjoy it.
zakalwe 06.24.18	lol div Good lad.
Divaman 06.24.18	I was actually pretty sure during the early part of that first listen that I was going to vote for Shub. But this was a case of "they had me, and then they lost me."
Papa Universe 06.24.18	heh. that was actually a funny tale, pal
smaugman 06.24.18	I agree with divaman. I like melodic prog a la genesis and jethro tull. King crimson glt their moments but often lose focus, shub was just plain uncomfortable, and it went on for far too long
Divaman 06.24.18	Story is funny, but true. I hated to walk out on any band. I'd usually try to hang in there in the spirit of camaraderie, no matter if a band was good or bad. But those guys were just a bridge too far. (And in fairness, they probably weren't especially into my wife's little Blondie/B-52's influenced band, either.)
Sabrutin 06.24.18	I do value melody, my most listened band ever is literally Toto lol. But as Scream said it all sounds deliberate to me, it's controlled chaos. Not to mention that I love a creepy/sinister/hostile vibe in any form (not only in music) so I admit that in part Shub wins me over by nature. They are both valid albums but I'm definitely voting for Shub
TheIntruder 06.24.18	These are two great albums. But I love the madness and avant-garde feeling of the French album. So my vote goes to Shub-Niggurath.
hansoloshotfirst 06.24.18	ugh, had a busy week... anyway I was already familiar with Shub-Niggurath and i still find it amazing. Although it's understandable why some people are put off by it. Its atmosphere never fails to suck me in. beautifully nightmarish. Triana was pretty cool but nothing more. It isn't as memorable or impactful as Shub. So my vote goes to 2. @ Diva before I forget it. congrats to you. (for your victory last week)
Divaman 06.25.18	Thanks Han. They don't get much tighter, although this one is pretty close too.
tmthycnnlly 06.25.18	^hansolo pretty much said everything I was going to say. Vote goes to 2.
bgillesp 06.25.18	6:5. Honestly I'm glad to see it so close. I love Triana to death but I'm loving Shub too
e210013 06.25.18	Triana - Hijos Del Agobio: This is a very good album and very well ballanced. It has some vey good tracks, of which standout, in terms of prog, the title track, "Sentimiento De Amor" and "Necesito". But in general all the tracks are good, despite "Recuerdos De Triana" doesn't appeal too much to me. I hesitated between a 3.5 or a 4.0, but since it's a very well ballanced album and I think it can't grows more in me, it deserves a solid 4.0. Still, I must confess I was expecting a little more of it. Definttely, I must check their debut too. Maybe it can please more to me. Shub-Niggurath - Les Morts Vont Vite: "Les Morts Vont Vite" is a beast of an album. It's a very weird album that represents perfectly well the dark side of prog. It reminds me "Pictures" of Island of the last tourney. Both albums can show us that can be beauty in the dark. This French album has vocals in the Zeuhl style, indeed, but musically is more close to the RIO/Avant-Prog style. Its sound is more close to the sound of bands like Univers Zero, Art Zoyd and Present than to Magma, but perhaps even more dissonant. I can see traces of the dissonant contemporary "classical" music too. Besides, its music isn't that so far of many things made by King Crimson. This is an album that slowly has grown in me, since the beginning. This is probably a piece of art. And as many pieces of art, it isn't for everybody or even for all moments. I'm going to give to it a 4.0, in this moment, but I suspect that, with time, it can grows in me to a 4.5. I'll see it. Apart my album, this is the album that impressed me most in this tourney, so far. So, my vote goes naturally to Shub-Niggurath.
Jethro42 06.25.18	Yeah Shub reminded me of Island as well for the cold, hostile nature. Shub were certainly influenced by early Univers Zero which are French too.
e210013 06.25.18	Absolutely, my friend. It was precisely "Island" that comes to my mind. Besides, I'm a great fan of that album. Actually, Univers Zero, Art Zoyd and Present are all "French" bands. Univers Zero and Present are Belgian bands and Art Zoyd is really a French band.
TwigTW 06.25.18	These are still growing on me, and I could definitely use more time with both of them. Like Bgill said, I wish they could both move on. But they can't, so I'm going over to the dark side... My vote goes to Shub-Niggurath.
Divaman 06.25.18	Looks like Shub has made a big comeback.
bgillesp 06.25.18	6:7, Its not over though
Divaman 06.25.18	I'm not sure. I have it at 6:9. I'm waiting to see Friday's official count.
bgillesp 06.25.18	Oh, you're right. I missed 2 of them when i went from 3 to 5. Well I hate to go down in the first round but hopefully its to the eventual winner
Frippertronics 06.25.18	put me down for 1
bgillesp 06.25.18	7:9, thanks for the pity vote
Friday13th 06.25.18	Boy, this has been a tough one. One the one hand, I really like Triana. Great guitar playing. Still, this album is definitely less impressive than El Patio, mainly due to the novelty factor. Shub is some weird stuff. It is creepy, dark and unsettling, but I like it and think it's quite good. I'm giving my vote to Shub by a thin margin. 7:10 smaugman: 1 gagnonov: 2 Jethro: 1 bgillesp: 1 wham: 2 Universe: 1 SCREAM: 2 zakalwe: 1 Divaman: 1 Sabrutin: 2 Intruder: 2 hansolo: 2 tmthy: 2 e21: 2 Twig: 2 Fripper: 1 Friday: 2
e210013 06.25.18	It seems this journey is closed. Can we see the next one, please?
Divaman 06.25.18	Good match.
Papa Universe 06.25.18	It was somewhat obvious Shub was going to win, Triana is more or less a bet on safety.
Divaman 06.25.18	Not to me it wasn't. Triana was up pretty by 3 in the early voting, but Shub had that late run, with 7 of the last 8 voters going Shub's way.
Friday13th 06.26.18	Alright, Shub is moving on and we got the new list up.
bgillesp 06.26.18	I really don't understand people who think Hijos is inferior to El Patio. Equal sure, because El Patio was amazing, but this is too! I totally get voting for Shub more than I get the El Patio preference though
gagnonov 06.26.18	that was hype great round, bgillesp
TwigTW 06.26.18	Well, that was quite the turn around. Will definitely continue to spin the Triana. It's a good discovery, even though though it didn't move on.