The Weekly Album Suggestion Thread v. One million lights are shining bright

[Indiscipline]

The Cave blew me away. In my opinion, the true mark of an epic classic is its ability to perfectly mix and balance elements which - examined singularly - feature a crazy high cheese/cringe risk quotient, and this songs succeeds with impressive elegance and efficacy in that regard.

. The intro is pure inner soul athmosphere. It could have been your run of the mill "desert" pic.
. The middle eastern colours aren't an overused spice here, but a rational expressive necessity true to a culture's expression. Plus, I love the way they're sparkled over the most classical among western minor progressions.
. The rythm section is a dervish in perpetual motion, yet in a strange brilliant way it brings gravitas, not chaotic speed.
. The Plato's myth reference rings desperately urgent, not easily preachy. It's not easy to talk about dark and light without sounding like bad superficial fantasy, but it is done here.
. I love high range powerful baritones. This guy thunders without losing tenderness
. The call-answer structure is how song was (re)born with plagal chants in the middle ages. The formula feels totally refreshed here, without losing a bit of its powerful long tradition.

Thanks Evermind for doing this.

[Train of Naught]

The Cave truly is one of the best songs of the year and one of the most 'complete' songs that I can recall, for a song with such an epic feeling, it's so short (meant as a good thing since it doesn't really miss anything). Hence why I've sent it so much in roulettes

The album is good, but did fall out of my top 10/top 15 of the year for sure. Assuming we aren't going to do an awful lot of multiple albums by the same band especially now in the start, I wanna mention something that was mentioned before too. Mabool is the best Orphaned Land album and maybe one of the best concept albums that I know. The album flows better than pretty much any album I know, though Prophets & Messiahs probably has OL's strongest tracks ever in The Cave and Chains Fall to Gravity I'd say. The album just fails to come to a great climax like Mabool does, in my opinion.

[lordxizor]

So the Orphaned Land album has the same problems to me as most progressive metal these days. It's just so damn cheesy. I used to love the dramatic aspects of prog music, but now I find it to be a huge turn-off most of the time. There were a couple moments on this album that nearly made me laugh due to the cheesiness of it. I dunno... musically it's good. I get why people would like it. I wish that stuff didn't bother me so much because I know I'm missing out on some great stuff, but I just can't get over it.

Oh well... on to next week's suggestion!

[Evermind]

What does everyone think about the censorship in one of the songs? I have the disc here ready to spin in the car tomorrow as opposed to just playing it via bluetooth, I may take some time to flip through the booklet as I listen (parked, of course!). I remember that part throwing me for a loop but now it's not so jarring.

I think the censorship is fine, as it was the band's decision and not something forced on them. The censorship makes sense especially given how the album is centered on political issues and themes. Also it's more than one of the songs, I totally remember some beeps in We Do Not Resist and Left Behind and possibly more songs.

Killer album, a certain front runner for AOTY for me. This thing owned me up till Ostura came out, and it still gets serious playtime. Best tracks are The Cave and Chains Fall to Gravity.

I knew you were a fan from your Facebook page. I actually thought to go see the band simply because of your posts related to their gig you saw, but I remembered not liking them in my roulette and decided to pass.

I guess at this point I need to listen to Mabool!

The Cave blew me away. <snip>

Did you know the album beforehand or was that your first listen? Anyway, glad to have you on board!

Oh well... on to next week's suggestion!

No worries, fairly sure it won't be your run-of-the-mill prog metal entry based on what I've got in my PM right now.

Also, big plus to Hansi Kursch guesting on Like Orpheus. That's a home run of a song.

So the Orphaned Land album has the same problems to me as most progressive metal these days. It's just so damn cheesy. I used to love the dramatic aspects of prog music, but now I find it to be a huge turn-off most of the time. There were a couple moments on this album that nearly made me laugh due to the cheesiness of it.

*growly voice* AND FIGHT!

[Train of Naught]

What about (believe the line went like this) the line in We Do No Resist: "Masters of treachery and measuring their *PEEP*s"

[jingle.boy]

The Cave blew me away. In my opinion, the true mark of an epic classic is its ability to perfectly mix and balance elements which - examined singularly - feature a crazy high cheese/cringe risk quotient, and this songs succeeds with impressive elegance and efficacy in that regard.

. The intro is pure inner soul athmosphere. It could have been your run of the mill "desert" pic.
. The middle eastern colours aren't an overused spice here, but a rational expressive necessity true to a culture's expression. Plus, I love the way they're sparkled over the most classical among western minor progressions.
. The rythm section is a dervish in perpetual motion, yet in a strange brilliant way it brings gravitas, not chaotic speed.
. The Plato's myth reference rings desperately urgent, not easily preachy. It's not easy to talk about dark and light without sounding like bad superficial fantasy, but it is done here.
. I love high range powerful baritones. This guy thunders without losing tenderness
. The call-answer structure is how song was (re)born with plagal chants in the middle ages. The formula feels totally refreshed here, without losing a bit of its powerful long tradition.

Thanks Evermind for doing this.

This sure blows away my description of The Cave from Round 1 of my roulette!

[Indiscipline]

Did you know the album beforehand or was that your first listen? Anyway, glad to have you on board!

Wasn't aware of their existance until lonestar's submission in Jingle's roulette.

I'd like to add that, despite generally refusing growls (they make my throat hurt via ear conduit, if it makes sense), the ones in The Cave feel right, sorta like the only particular musical instrument able to do justice to those particular notes. 

This sure blows away my description of The Cave from Round 1 of my roulette!

I have the advantage of not having to make sense!

[The Walrus]

Kobi's voice is so freaking pleasant to hear. The growls are tolerable to me (a good thing, not in a negative way), but his clean singing is just superb, lovely voice.

[Evermind]

Moving on! This week's album is recommended to you guys by Sacul.

Snarky Puppy - We Like It Here (2014)

Instrumental Jazz Fusion
Length: 54:38

1. Shofukan (6:33)
2. What About Me? (6:42)
3. Sleeper (6:51)
4. Jambone (5:07)
5. Kite (6:12)
6. Outlier (6:45)
7. Tio Macaco (5:43)
8. Lingus (10:45)

Michael League – electric bass, Moog keybass
Bill Laurance – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards
Justin Stanton – Fender Rhodes, keyboards, trumpet
Cory Henry – Hammond B3 organ, keyboards
Shaun Martin – Moog talkbox, keyboards
Bob Lanzetti – electric guitar
Mark Lettieri – electric guitar
Chris McQueen – electric guitar, baritone guitar
Chris Bullock – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Bob Reynolds – tenor saxophone
Mike "Maz" Maher – trumpet, flugelhorn
Jay Jennings – trumpet, flugelhorn
Nate Werth – percussion
Larnell Lewis – drums
Yannick Hiwat – violin
Tessel Hersbach – violin
Mara Tieles – viola
Susanne Rosmolen – cello
Julio Pimental – percussion on tracks 4 and 7
Steven Brezet – percussion on tracks 4 and 7

You can check this album out via:

Spotify Link
Official YouTube playlist
Yandex.Music link

If you don't want to blindly dive into the whole album, check out these officially released songs from the album:

Snarky Puppy - Shofukan
Snarky Puppy - Sleeper
Snarky Puppy - Lingus


Sacul: This is a very comfy and fun album, by very talented people, and has some proggy moments. Lovely jazz fusion that everybody can like - it will put a smile on your face for sure.

---

According to Wikipedia, Snarky Puppy is a Brooklyn-based "...fusion-influenced jam band..." led by bassist, composer, and producer Michael League. Snarky Puppy combines jazz, rock, and funk and has won three Grammy Awards. Although the group has since included vocalists and has backed singers, League once described Snarky Puppy as "a pop band that improvises a lot, without vocals".

This album was performed and recorded live in October 2013 at the artistic compound Kytopia in Utrecht, Netherlands. It was released in February 2014, debuting at number one on the iTunes Jazz Charts.

[Sacul]

Such a nice record, I think even progheads will find something to enjoy here 

[The Walrus]

Actually pleasantly surprised it's not prog. I enjoyed Family Dinner Vol. 1 when Sacul sent it in my roulette, so I'm looking forward to this. Will listen later today.

[Crow]

will add this to my to-listen list (which is p. short now so i should be able to get to this quickly enough)

[Mosh]

Love Snarky Puppy! More later

[Evermind]

I've listened to some bits here and there and I'll admit I'm really curious about this album! I'll check it out on my commute tomorrow.

[Train of Naught]

Actually pleasantly surprised it's not prog.

Oh don't be mistaken, this is definitely a proggy album though more jazz fusion than prog. It is so fucking good though, probably the single most fun record I've discovered in the last few years and What About Me? has become one of my recent favourite tunes. Thanks Slackul!

[twosuitsluke]

Listening now.

I've heard these guys mentioned quite a bit around here but I was obviously confusing them with the Industrial band Skinny Puppy 

This is really pleasant so far.

Edit: so after listening through the whole thing I was pleasantly surprised. This is the sort of album that makes me wish my Dad was still alive. He loved jazz more than I did and he definitely would've loved hearing new music in this style. For me, I enjoyed it but couldn't see myself revisiting it that often. I'd probably stick it on as background music whilst I was concentrating on other things. Jazz is just a bit to all over the place for me to really love it.

Good album though and this thread is doing its job, getting me checking out albums I may not otherwise.

I need to come up with my own submission soon.

[The Walrus]

Good stuff, although for the jazzy stuff I prefer stuff more like The Rippingtons or Incognito. Very pleasant album although it sometimes sounds like it meanders a bit much.  Really tasty playing all around, hope it grows on me with a few more listens throughout the week.

[Mosh]

I like the description of Snarky Puppy as a pop band that improvises a lot. That's surprisingly apt. I've also seen them described as "party jazz" which is kinda meant to bring up a similar connotation I guess. Their music is huge on groove, simple melodies, and is easy to dance to. They can be pretty loud and usually play in rock venues. But they still have a lot of cred with hardcore Jazz audiences. With those things in mind, they are a good "gateway" band for pop/rock fans who aren't familiar with Jazz or are put off by its denser elements. Sort of similar to Big Band music in the 30s and 40s, but with actual cultural relevance today. I wouldn't really describe them as proggy, jazz fusion depends on the definition being used (both terms can be pretty fluid).

We Like It Here is a good album and the one that really turned me on to the band. Nice diverse set of tunes. Lingus is the one that seems to get the most attention, which is deserved. The keyboard solo alone is already a classic. It's hard to listen to this album and not feel energized. There's not much more to it.

My favorite Snarky Puppy is actually Sylva. It is a more unified piece and has a bit more going on musically, in my opinion. It also has the addition of an orchestra to expand the sonic palette further. I also highly recommend the Family Dinner albums to hear them collaborating with other musicians (lots of vocalists) and doing arrangements of other people's work. Those albums also got me into the band Knower, which was another great find.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I've never even heard of this band, but I'm really loving them so far. A lot of instrumental stuff doesn't really work for me, but this is amazing.

[Crow]

tried listening to this just now but didn't get through the last two tracks. i dunno. it's not bad but it was kinda boring to me & i started zoning out after like the third or fourth song

not my thing, basically, but i already knew that

[lordxizor]

I liked the Snarky Puppy album. Jazz is one of those things that in theory I like, but rarely go out of my way to listen to. It was definitely a nice change of pace from the usual rock genres I listen to.

[Nekov]

Gave the album a spin. Even though I enjoyed the music, the album fails to engage me into it to a degree that I want to listen to it again.

[Sacul]

I'm quite glad some of you are enjoying record  . It can be a bit dense to listen to at first, so if you'd like something with shorter and catchier songs, with a more pop approach and vocals, I highly recommend their album Family Dinner Vol. 1 - great mix of fun and emotional pieces.

[Crow]

hey some people liking it is gonna be better than when my pick shows up here and nobody likes it

[Evermind]

I listened to We Like It Here today, and I thought the music was enjoyable, but I had basically the same problem with it I have with most of the instrumental albums, I can't focus my attention on anything there and I end up not remembering anything in particular. But nothing there made me want to turn it off, it's definitely an enjoyable album. Out of the songs, I think the one I really liked was Kite.

Also, it's much more fun to watch them actually performing it via YouTube videos than just listen to the audio.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

hey some people liking it is gonna be better than when my pick shows up here and nobody likes it

Except for maybe me.

[Crow]

You have one album of theirs rated highly but none of their others rated

I actually need to check if they're on your banlist now, hmm

Edit: yeah they are, I figured as much

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

You have one album of theirs rated highly but none of their others rated

I actually need to check if they're on your banlist now, hmm

Edit: yeah they are, I figured as much

[Sacul]

I listened to We Like It Here today, and I thought the music was enjoyable, but I had basically the same problem with it I have with most of the instrumental albums, I can't focus my attention on anything there and I end up not remembering anything in particular. But nothing there made me want to turn it off, it's definitely an enjoyable album. Out of the songs, I think the one I really liked was Kite.

Also, it's much more fun to watch them actually performing it via YouTube videos than just listen to the audio.

I get you, watching their performances is fantastic, and I feel this album is better digested one song at a time, and better with the videos. Give Familiy Dinner Vol. 1 a try - most songs have vocals and are pretty catchy, very nice album.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Just dropping in to say I've been listening to this album all day, and it's going the list of albums to acquire. Going to check out their other stuff soon as well.

[Kwyjibo]

Finally have listened to both albums.

Orphaned Land: starts strong and is good overall, needs more listens to really appreciate it I'm sure, but I will set it on my "to buy" list. And although I really like it, it is cheesy as fuck sometimes.

Snarky Puppy: Not bad, not bad at all. But its sometimes too easy listening for my taste, too much Jazz-light and too much noodeling. I'm not sure if this has serious replay-value but I will give it some more spins nonetheless.

[The Walrus]

Finally have listened to both albums.

Orphaned Land: starts strong and is good overall, needs more listens to really appreciate it I'm sure, but I will set it on my "to buy" list. And although I really like it, it is cheesy as fuck sometimes.

How so?

[Evermind]

Just dropping in to say I've been listening to this album all day, and it's going the list of albums to acquire. Going to check out their other stuff soon as well.

Well, that means this thread is working as intended!

Orphaned Land: starts strong and is good overall, needs more listens to really appreciate it I'm sure, but I will set it on my "to buy" list. And although I really like it, it is cheesy as fuck sometimes.

I think it's nowhere near the levels of Ayreon cheese, for example. Glad to see you participating though!

By the way, I have two entries in my inbox for the next two weeks, and I'm probably just going to toss a coin to decide which one goes first this Sunday, but after these two it's free game for anyone who wants to recommend something to the community. Send your PMs, descriptions (if you want to) and in a few weeks it'll be your album in the spotlight.

[Crow]

Ready to lose a coin toss 

[Kwyjibo]

Finally have listened to both albums.

Orphaned Land: starts strong and is good overall, needs more listens to really appreciate it I'm sure, but I will set it on my "to buy" list. And although I really like it, it is cheesy as fuck sometimes.

How so?

The choir, the female vocals, the keyboards/orchestra in the opener for example. Maybe cheesy is the wrong word, in german I would say it's "kitschig".