Friday13th: Prog On Discovery M8

bgillesp 07.07.19	Should be a good one
Friday13th 07.07.19	Yes it should. Voting ends next Sunday!
TwigTW 07.07.19	Those covers look like they're from different centuries. (but they are both from 1978!) Looking forward to this round.
Zig 07.07.19	Finally, my Art Bears! Gonna be a nice round.
Papa Universe 07.07.19	Diva's favourite symbol deployed: •
Divaman 07.07.19	Arghhh!
Friday13th 07.07.19	This taco...I mean Tako...is some meaty prog. HOLY guacamole when the guitar comes in on the long track Druga Strana. That is HEAVY. I'm digging the mix of Floyd, Camel, and Jethro Tull.
TwigTW 07.07.19	I assume that's a Kayo Dot ...because it knocked Diva out with one punch.
Divaman 07.07.19	Is that you, Mom?
Divaman 07.07.19	I'm working through my third listen of these two albums, even as I type this. After the first listen, I had a clear preference. After the second, I wasn't so sure. I usually give a given album three listens apiece, but this one might require a forth. The problem here is that maybe more so than in any other round this year, it's a comparison between apples and kumquats.
Divaman 07.07.19	Dammit Zig, I knew it. You got me in trouble with my wife AND my son, lol.
Friday13th 07.08.19	Hopes and Fears is more or less what you'd expect from a Fred Firth album. I don't think it's as disturbing as Slapp Happy's Desparate Straights, but it is pretty bizarre in an occasionally brilliant way.
Divaman 07.08.19	Not according to my wife it isn't.
Jethro42 07.08.19	Should I dip my toe in this icy water? Let's be open minded. Lol Diva!
Divaman 07.08.19	Hey, I have minuses but plusses also for Art Bears. But my wife is an '80s new wave gal who doesn't like a whole lot of prog rock. She's always liked Renaissance, and I've been able to get her into some Jethro Tull and The Who (who certainly had a progressive period from Tommy thru Quadrphenia.) But I can't even get her to like Yes or Pink Floyd. So as Monty Python would say, Art Bears is right out.
Divaman 07.08.19	Btw, my son hates all my music. The only reason I was in trouble with him over Art Bears is because when he asked his Mom when she was making dinner, she told him my terrible music had driven out of the front part of the house (where the kitchen is.) So he wanted me to turn it off so she would cook for him.
bgillesp 07.08.19	Is Tako actually a watch brand or a word that means something? The only time I’ve heard it is the “Tako Digital Sports Watch” from South Park
e210013 07.08.19	Yeah, it should be a good journey. I'm very curious about "Tako". I read good things about it. About "Hopes And Fears" I need to check it with another ears. I only checked it superficially when I read its review made by Zig. Good luck to both.
e210013 07.08.19	By the way, Diva. You don't have headphones to use, at least when your wife cooks? Lol.
Sabrutin 07.08.19	I'm digging Tako, there's a hypnotic quality to it and the third track feels like Camel.
e210013 07.08.19	After my first digging of "Tako" I can say it's an excellent album, as I expected. Like Friday and Sab, I can also feel some reminiscences of Pink Floyd, Camel and Jethro Tull. This album represents some great eastern winds that blew from the Balkans in those years.
e210013 07.08.19	After my first digging of "Hopes And Fears" I can say this is a very strange album, as I expected. It's even more strange and difficult to digest than "Desperate Straights" of two years ago. Diva is right. It needs much more listenings and isn't an album for all people and certainly it isn't for all occasions. I think it can only be appreciated by adventurous listeners. I'll see what the future listenings can give to me.
Jethro42 07.08.19	Oh my Lord! What kind of drums is that for Tako! It has to be redone or removed, otherwise it ruins the music. Perhaps it's a drum machine, but it's even not tight...Better remove it all, it's so bad. It's been a long time since I heard a drum spoil the sauce that much.
Jethro42 07.08.19	I hope i'll get enough of one listen for Art Bears. It doesn't bring out the best of me. Really really not my style. How on earth could it appeal for some?!? Sorry for my pessimism, but Jesus Christ!
MrSirLordGentleman 07.08.19	I can finally participate in this one since I finished my finals. I've heard Art Bears plenty of times already, so I'll just need to check Tako and everything that's eastern europe has my interest
Jethro42 07.08.19	Keep on being positive, Jethro!
Divaman 07.08.19	You just miss the song about the hat from the Slapp Happy and Henry Cow album, Jethro.
Jethro42 07.08.19	hhm, well, you make fun of me, are you... I know you liked that semblance of ditty. I was never able to rate that album. It was a bit less bad with time. That's why I'll give another chance to Art Bears. I hope you're done with them, for the well-being of everyone at home :)
MrSirLordGentleman 07.08.19	Not a RIO fan jethro? Me neither but I can certainly see its appeal
Jethro42 07.09.19	It could use of a minimum of readable structures. When it does, it can be interesting in parts.
Divaman 07.09.19	OK, I'm ready to vote. In spite of some of my comments here over the weekend, this was actually a close one. The Tako album is classic prog rock. I heard things that sounded like ELP, things that sounded like Chick Correa, and flute very much in the style of Ian Anderson. There was also some sweet guitar. The downside is that there were parts that were a little bland. I liked the musicians better than the songs. The Art Bears was, as expected, pretty out there. I definitely hear the strong Kurt Weill influence. The album had its ups and downs. Being a fan of melodic music, my favorite song was the one that Zig so aptly pointed out in review was modeled somewhat on the music of The Who, from the triumphant guitar to the Keith Moon-like drum parts. On the whole, though, the album was way too atonal for my taste. The Art Bears album is by no means my least favorite album in the tournament. But I enjoyed the Tako album enough to edge it out slightly. My vote goes to Tako.
e210013 07.09.19	After a second listening of both albums I think have a favourite. I continue thinking that "Hopes And Fears" is difficult to digest and isn't for all people and occasions.
Zig 07.09.19	Tbh, I don't expect Art Bears winning this round.
bgillesp 07.09.19	Desperate straights made semifinals 2 years ago though so don’t give up hope
e210013 07.09.19	Yeah, bgillesp is right.
Jethro42 07.09.19	It will be tight for me
TwigTW 07.10.19	Sorry if I'm late, I've lost all track of time and deadlines ... Art Bears gets my vote. I enjoyed the Tako, but What Art Bears did with keys and cabaret was more interesting and enjoyable (for me).
TwigTW 07.10.19	Oh, I see. there's no vote tally yet, so I guess I'm not late--just lost in space, as usual.
Friday13th 07.10.19	I'm voting for Tako. I think it's got a great mix of spacey stuff and hard-rocking along with some good melodies. Art Bears has a few rare moments of accessibility, but it's very odd and you'd have to be in the right mood to enjoy it even a little bit. It might be just me, but that Dagmar lady sounds the same as in Henry Cow and she always gets on my nerves. I would enjoy the music more if it were completely instrumental. 2:1 Divaman Friday Twig
Jethro42 07.11.19	Tako really makes me think of some quality Focus music. At least i like to imagine that Focus would sound like that in their latest miles. it's a good blend of jazz rock and classical with great soaring guitar and flute in Focus' tradition. My only gripe about Tako is the drums poorly played, but I'm kinda used to it now. Art Bears is for discerning ears. I'm rather indifferent to the RIO genre. It's even not funny to listen to the whole thing. It would be appropriated for a cabaret, like Twig said, but even there, I suspect the nightclub staff would remove that kind of music before losing customers. No offense, Zig. You made a courageous choice. I just don't ''get'' that kind of music. i've found good sparsed moments, but too little to late. Finally, it was not really tight for me. My vote is for Tako
Jethro42 07.11.19	To be honest, I will relisten to Hopes And Fears in trying to objectively rate that abstract, experimental (...and avant-garde?) beast. Not tonight :)
Friday13th 07.11.19	3:1 Divaman Friday Jethro Twig
Zig 07.11.19	No offense taken, Jethro. My vote goes to Art Bears.
Friday13th 07.11.19	3:2 Divaman Friday Jethro Twig Zig
SharkTooth 07.11.19	Really into Tako so far missed last week due to time but I'm back and I'm def voting this week
Jethro42 07.11.19	I just realized something today; I thought Tako was not added to Progarchives because for a moment, I thought the spelling was T-a-c-o, so it only leaded to a Japanese RIO band, and i found it weird that the band was not included. My bad. Tako, ok, Tako!
SharkTooth 07.11.19	lmao
bgillesp 07.12.19	Anyone else think of the Tako Digital Sports Watch when they see this? http://southpark.cc.com/clips/103347/sports-watch
Scheumke 07.12.19	Yeah I have to go with Tako as well. Both were not my favorites from this entire contest though tbh.
e210013 07.12.19	After three listenings I continue with a favourite. But, as usual, I always do four listenings of all albums before rating or review them, at least. This is really a very difficult prog journey to me.
Friday13th 07.12.19	4:2 Divaman Friday Jethro Scheumke Twig Zig
e210013 07.12.19	After 4 auditions of both albums here is my verdict: Tako - Tako: This is a very good album very well played and without weak tracks. It represents a very nice surprise to me that confirms all the good things I've heard about it. This is one more great album released in the East Europe when those countries were more or less separated of the rest of the world. When I heard this album it comes to my memory some of the greatest prog names, such as, Pink Floyd, Camel, Jethro Tull, Ozric Tentacles, Tangerine Dream and even the classical music of the Baroque period. So, this is a very good and interesting proposal. This is definitely one of the better albums by the Eastern European standards, at the time. Art Bears - Hopes And Fears: This is definitely the most difficult prog proposal of this tourney and one of the most difficult albums I heard till now in all my life, and I'm not properly a kid. I've two problems with this album, the vocals and the music. The vocals of Dagmar Kraus sometimes I love them but others I hate them. It's a kind of love and hate. I think it's only a question of an acquired taste. About the music, sometimes it's too much schizophrenic and dissonant but in other times it's very beautiful and great. I think that is when the musicians play together that this album shines. So, this is a very strange beast to diggest. Maybe it can grows more on me with time. Here we are in presence of two very different prog proposals. One is more classic and the other is a very avant-garde proposal. For many is probably too much avant-garde. But, we are talking about RIO, a very strange and special sub-genre of prog, which isn't definetelly for all tastes. So, I decided to rate "Tako" with 4.0 and "Hopes And Fears" with 3.0. Sorry Zig, but this is too much avant-garde, even to me. I liked much more of "Desperate Straits" than this one, really. So, my vote goes to "Tako".
SharkTooth 07.12.19	I think I'll go against the grain here, I think both are really good records, but Art Bears is what I find to be the more interesting record, prog that's this focused on putting lyrics front and center like this isn't something I see every day, and that's coupled with excellent instrumentation tl;dr: my vote goes to Art Bears
Friday13th 07.12.19	5:3 Divaman Friday Jethro Scheumke e21 Twig Zig SharkTooth
Divaman 07.12.19	I think the thing that many of us have trouble with with bands like Art Bears is more easily understood if you look at it in opera terms. We are all used, especially with pop music, to melodic music with hooks, which are like the arias in opera. Art Bears, on the other hand, is mostly working in a form of music that's more akin to recitative, the plot-driving passages sung in a style designed to imitate and emphasize the inflections of speech. (Apologies to Wikipedia for borrowing their definition.)
e210013 07.12.19	You can be right, sorry, wikipedia can be right, my friend. But, I never had problems with the operas or of the classical music, in general. I even love it, especially of the Baroque period. But I've some problems with many dissonant music of the last century and of this century that belong to the called comtemporary classical music. They're too much dissonant and incomprehensible to me.
Divaman 07.12.19	But most (or at least many) of us who like opera wouldn't like it if it was all recitative. You've got to throw us an aria once in awhile to keep us interested. (At least, that's the case for me.)
Friday13th 07.12.19	Yeah it sounds kind of like some more modern operas (honestly only ever intently listened to old operas like Mozart), but it really sounds like Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire" to me: https://youtu.be/bd2cBUJmDr8
e210013 07.12.19	I agree Diva. But it's something like that. Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire" is an excellent example of some dissonant music and reflects perfectly well what I said before. Definetelly we need many listenings and an open mind to can like it. As I said, this isn't music to all and especially it isn't music to all accasions. Definetelly I prefer something more "traditional", really.
e210013 07.12.19	Still, I like avant-garde music. For instance, I love "Pictures" of Island and "Les Morts Vont Vite" of Shub-Niggurath, only to mention two of the cases of Friday's tournaments.
Jethro42 07.13.19	Not kidding, I've heard operatic tendancies for Art Bears from the start, I forgot to share it with you guys. I swear to God. It's so evident. Pierrot Lunaire (a discovery) is a pretty good example, Friday.
MrSirLordGentleman 07.13.19	I prefer Tako, though I'll vote for Art Bears, so lemme explain myself a bit Kato certainly is more pleasent to listen to for me but that's just because it has a standard prog sound (that can be really bland at points). On the other hand, as many have stated, Art Bears is certainly a difficult album to listen to but it is way more creative, interesting and, in the moments in which it actually has a "normal" sound, it seems to show some real technical talent making in it overall a "better" album for me even if you certainly need to be in a specific mood for it and even if I could jam Tako more easily
Friday13th 07.13.19	5:4 Divaman Friday Jethro Scheumke e21 Twig Zig SharkTooth Gentleman
e210013 07.13.19	It's nice to see some discussion about the different tendencies of prog. This is precisely the beauty of prog. You can love more or less the different sides of prog.
hansoloshotfirst 07.13.19	My vote goes to Art Bears. Tako is a well rounded and pleasant listen and Art Bears isn't...but I find it much more engaging and memorable. Avant stuff is always pretty much hit or miss and here it hits my sweet spot. In two Minds is insanely good.
Friday13th 07.13.19	5:5 Divaman Friday Jethro Scheumke e21 Twig Zig SharkTooth Gentleman hansolo
MrSirLordGentleman 07.13.19	And here I thought this would be an easy win for Tako
TwigTW 07.13.19	Me too
e210013 07.13.19	"Tbh, I don't expect Art Bears winning this round." "Desperate straights made semifinals 2 years ago though so don’t give up hope." "Yeah, bgillesp is right." We never know, isn't it?
Jethro42 07.13.19	Unbelievable the score is tied! The kitsch art gains some more points!
bgillesp 07.15.19	I’ll get my vote in today
Papa Universe 07.15.19	in comes I, the decider: I vote for Tako
bgillesp 07.15.19	Booooo. Unless I end up liking it better
Papa Universe 07.15.19	you have it rated, bub
e210013 07.15.19	Guys, I hope you're ready to vote, soon as it's possible. So, let's face it. We need to have a last winner, ok.
wham49 07.15.19	shit thought I had till Tuesday sorryy guys, but I know who I woud want which is number 1
TheNotrap 07.15.19	Cheers guys My vote goes to Tako
Sabrutin 07.15.19	Reading this thread I thought that 2 was going to be a lot more impenetrable but it's actually... rather "tame" and somewhat catchy even? I like the witch vibes. As much as I can appreciate the Camel-isms of Tako, I vote for Art Bears.
Friday13th 07.15.19	8:6 Divaman Friday Jethro Scheumke e21 Papa wham Notrap Twig Zig SharkTooth Gentleman hansolo Sabrutin
MrSirLordGentleman 07.15.19	uwu
bgillesp 07.15.19	I don’t remember rating it, that’s funny. Either way my vote is incoming tonight, but as of now it’ll probably be 2.
Jethro42 07.15.19	Go, Art Bears Go seriously... Don't give up!
bgillesp 07.16.19	So Tako has some moments of obvious Pink Floyd worship, some Yes Worship, and some other moments that are clearly made of sounds all their own. Art Bears is weird and quirky in just the way I like. Both are among my favorites of the tourney this year, but I do think I’ll have to go with Tako. Sorry for holding things up. I’ve been applying to med school and will get married this weekend so I’ve been a bit busy
e210013 07.16.19	Congrats, pal. Double congrats. I wish you the best wishes, really. I hope with all your future responsibilities that we can count with you in the future, as always. Cheers.
TheNotrap 07.16.19	Congrats bgillesp ;)
Friday13th 07.16.19	Congrats, bgillesp! Well there you have it. Tako takes the win. 9:6 Divaman Friday Jethro Scheumke e21 Papa wham Notrap bgill Twig Zig SharkTooth Gentleman hansolo Sabrutin
e210013 07.16.19	Nice fight. Great.
Jethro42 07.16.19	Best of luck in your projects, bgillesp!
TwigTW 07.16.19	That was a close one. I really thought Art Bears might pull it off. ...and congratulatons Bgillesp!
Divaman 07.16.19	Yes, congrats bgillesp.