Le Sacul's fav records! v2. Hey boy, where are you going with that little toy?

[Lolzeez]

ITAOTS is one of the greatest albums of all time and anyone who disagrees needs to listen to it louder.

[Sacul]

Blackbird there is my fault, so you're welcome

NMH is one of those albums I always see in lists, but never checked out, and the description doesn't make me want to either. 

You'll always have my respects for this you kind sir

I'd say give it a chance nevertheless. Who knows, you may like it

It sounds so incredibly generic and dull to me. 

Well I think exactly the same about Coheed, so 

But as much as I dislike generic music, I've found that Blackbird has a fucking tight songwriting, and Myles has a unique, charming voice that, for me, it makes the band stand out.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

ITAOTS is one of the greatest albums of all time and anyone who disagrees needs to listen to it louder.

It's a great record, but it's most definitely not an album I'd say is better when played louder, and frankly I don't think that's what they were going for with it either.

[Train of Naught]

ITAOTS is one of the greatest albums of all time and anyone who disagrees needs to listen to it louder.

If I had ever heard this album we might've been in for a great discussion 

[Elite]

ITAOTS is a fucking piece of shit that's only liked by hipsters who want to be different for the sake of liking stuff no other sane person would.

Sorry for my rant, but I really, really dislike that album and I honestly don't get what's so good about it at all

[Tomislav95]

ITAOTS is a fucking piece of shit that's only liked by hipsters who want to be different for the sake of liking stuff no other sane person would.

Sorry for my rant, but I really, really dislike that album and I honestly don't get what's so good about it at all

I also don't get what's so good about it but I love it

[ThatOneGuy2112]

ITAOTS is a fucking piece of shit that's only liked by hipsters who want to be different for the sake of liking stuff no other sane person would

Sorry for my rant, but I really, really dislike that album and I honestly don't get what's so good about it at all

You make it sound as though this album is some sort of big experimental indulgence. Oh lord.

[Sacul]

ITAOTS is a fucking piece of shit that's only liked by hipsters who want to be different for the sake of liking stuff no other sane person would

Sorry for my rant, but I really, really dislike that album and I honestly don't get what's so good about it at all

You make it sound as though this album is some sort of big experimental indulgence. Oh lord.

Yeah, it's actually a pretty simple album 


But I can understand your frustation - I was in the same boat for quite some time. But somehow it clicked with me wtf. I may be a bit hipster, but I like it for it's raw quality, and how joyful and depressing it is, not because it's "different" or whatever pretentious tag people might give it.

[Fluffy Lothario]

The appeal of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is no more incomprehensible than that of an album like Piper At the Gates of Dawn. It is experimental, but not in a way that's ego-driven or trying to be eccentric. It's just a really personal album, and the person it's about happens to be quite quirky.

[Elite]

You know what? I'll just try listening to this thing this afternoon. I've never heard it in full, I always found myself so turned off by this dude's voice that I stopped halfway through 'Two-Headed Boy'. I mean it, I want to comprehend why people like this, even though I don't necessarily want to like it myself. Whatever, I'll waste 40 minutes on this album this afternoon.

[Zantera]

No matter what, I always think dismissing a band because of the vocals tend to be a big mistake because once you get over that bump, it's usually really worth the challenge. Most of the bands where the vocals were a roadblock for me (like BTBAM or Opeth), once I got over that, they became some of my favorites.

[Elite]

Yeah, I usually don't have that much trouble with vocals in general (though I tend to like male vocals better than female vocals), it might have had something to do with the deliberate lo-fi production as well, as I usually don't like that at all (why would you make your music sound bad on purpose!?). To be honest, I can't really recall exactly why I didn't like it, just the fact that I really thought it was bad.

I'll report back after listening this afternoon.

[Zantera]

Yeah, I usually don't have that much trouble with vocals in general (though I tend to like male vocals better than female vocals), it might have had something to do with the deliberate lo-fi production as well, as I usually don't like that at all (why would you make your music sound bad on purpose!?). To be honest, I can't really recall exactly why I didn't like it, just the fact that I really thought it was bad.

I'll report back after listening this afternoon.

You bring up an interesting point that I kinda agree with myself. With NMH, I don't mind it, because the album is what, 20 years old? It being Lo-Fi doesn't bother me that much. But I do have a pet peeve with what you're saying, and if I hear a new album that is deliberately lo-fi, it feels like a lazy excuse to not put any effort into the sound production. But with NMH I feel it's so connected with their style, and the album being so old that it doesn't bother me.

[mikemangioy]

No matter what, I always think dismissing a band because of the vocals tend to be a big mistake because once you get over that bump, it's usually really worth the challenge. Most of the bands where the vocals were a roadblock for me (like BTBAM or Opeth), once I got over that, they became some of my favorites.

This.

[home]

I just listened to ( ) by Sigur Rós and that was really beautifull! I love the "ghostly" sound and the louder parts some songs climax into. I also tried to listen to some Hip Hop stuff you posted, but I can't really get into it, I mainly don't like the rapping but I might try listening again to it some othertime.

[Sacul]

You know what? I'll just try listening to this thing this afternoon. I've never heard it in full, I always found myself so turned off by this dude's voice that I stopped halfway through 'Two-Headed Boy'. I mean it, I want to comprehend why people like this, even though I don't necessarily want to like it myself. Whatever, I'll waste 40 minutes on this album this afternoon.

You have long afternoons, don't you?

Yeah, I usually don't have that much trouble with vocals in general (though I tend to like male vocals better than female vocals), it might have had something to do with the deliberate lo-fi production as well, as I usually don't like that at all (why would you make your music sound bad on purpose!?). To be honest, I can't really recall exactly why I didn't like it, just the fact that I really thought it was bad.

I'll report back after listening this afternoon.

You bring up an interesting point that I kinda agree with myself. With NMH, I don't mind it, because the album is what, 20 years old? It being Lo-Fi doesn't bother me that much. But I do have a pet peeve with what you're saying, and if I hear a new album that is deliberately lo-fi, it feels like a lazy excuse to not put any effort into the sound production. But with NMH I feel it's so connected with their style, and the album being so old that it doesn't bother me.

Well I do like lo-fi when it's an actual artistic choice and improves the songs, and somehow that seems to be part of how that album was recorded - some instruments sound too good to be all real low fidelity.

I just listened to ( ) by Sigur Rós and that was really beautifull! I love the "ghostly" sound and the louder parts some songs climax into.

They're a unique band - hop you have fun getting into their wonderful discography 

I also tried to listen to some Hip Hop stuff you posted, but I can't really get into it, I mainly don't like the rapping but I might try listening again to it some othertime.

The rapping was what prevented me from liking hip-hop for the longest time, but once I get used to it, I started to appreciate the rhymes, the flow, and how it really felt like a complement to the beats. It's a pretty different kind of music, and approaching it with a rock/metal mentality won't work - at least it didn't for me 


Holidays has had me traveling a lot, but now it's time to return to a normal pace. Next update in an hour or two.

[Sacul]

23
Lun
Destiny Potato


Only now I do realize that's a girl with pink hair

I've been closely following David Maxim Micic's work since... early 2013 I guess? He also had a band called Destiny Potato (excellent name, and I'm not even kidding) which made some tasty djent, yet hadn't released an album... until last year.

Looking back at 2014, there were lots of awesome releases, and while Distant Satellites was my AOTY, and even made my past list, I must admit it was an inclusion biased by the hype - it was the first Anathema album I was looking forward to as a new fan, specially after Weather Systems. I still love that album, but Lun has grown the most on me since then, and I believe it fairly deserves this spot here. And because I limited the Anathema albums to 2 - don't really want to repeat what happened on my v1

So what do we have here? A perfect blend of djent and pop, with female vocals. No, really. And it fucking works! The polyrhythmic riffs have quite a downtuned yet extremely clear sound - David's signature style. For the first time there are real drums, and they even do a few blast beasts here and there! Then we have Alex. Oh boy, she is definitely what makes this record so special. Not only she has a nice voice, but her self-taught skills are beyond awesome, for she can sing some very catchy pop melodies and then blow your mind with powerful growls - might not have the largest vocal range, yet her powerful voice more than makes up for it. Add some nice experimentation to the mix, like some folk instruments, or unexpected ambient/brutal sections, some electronic elements, and you have a fairly unique, rocking album that deserves more love than it gets.


Recommended song: Love Song


22
Operation: Mindcrime
Queensrÿche


I need more like these

An absolute classic. This is how I like my metal - catchy, memorable, and each song being clearly different from each other yet tied together by a common sound. The riffs are glorious, and Tate's voice slays it. The only thing that prevents this from being higher in the list is "Suite Sister Mary", which I think just drags for too long. Otherwise, this album is near perfection. Won't waste your time anymore with it as it's pretty probable you're already familiar with it. If not, go fix that immediately!.. you bastard.


Recommended song: Speak


21
Flying Colors
Flying Colors


Definitely better than DT post-Octavarium

Where was this album on my first list? Somewhere around the top 10 I guess. Well, I can easily see why I had put it there - I loved it a fucking lot, and still love it a lot. It's just that I've found albums I love even more!

So, after Portnoy left DT, he went into many bands, and while some of them weren't my cup of tea (*cough* Adrenaline *cough* Mob *cough*), I fell in love with Flying Colors from the first listen. This album basically is the answer to "what would happen if some excellent prog musicians teamed up with a pop singer and made more accessible songs?". Well, if you expected some prog-fest, I'm really sorry for you, maybe you should check for some up-and-coming bands on ProgArcchives. Oh, didn't you know what to expect? Neither did I. Maybe because I barely know half the musicians involved back then (was just getting into prog and DT), but a friend recommended it, so what the hell, gave it a listen. Loved it.

Inspired on both old-school and modern rock bands, these guys just made some simple, catchy and awesome music. Some songs are a bit heavier, almost metal-ish, like Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, one of my favorites, while others would be perfect radio hits like The Storm - some even take a bit of jazz fusion and blues influences, like Blue Ocean. You've got some wonderful ballads on Kayla and A Fool In My Heart. And a kind of proggy epic, 11-mins closer track because why not? Excellent record all in all.


Recommended song: The Storm

[Bolsters]

Destiny Potato & Flying Colors =

I never did warm up to Operation: Mindcrime though.

[Train of Naught]

I knew O:M would be the 'Metal Classic', I believe that's the only classic album that doesn't bore you to tears.

Well the other 2 you both sent me songs of, I'll probably check them out sooner or later.

[Fluffy Lothario]

I had Mindcrime on cassette. Never got into it.

Flying Colors did sound pretty good when I checked them out.

[Tomislav95]

I know you're sending Destiny Potato in roulettes but I heard just one song last summer. It was pretty cool but not really my style.
O:M is legendary album, I don't have excuse for not listening to it for a long time.
And Flying Colors is also great. I managed to get one of my friends who is not progressive rock fan into them. But they're pretty accessible so it's not that weird I heard one YouTube reviewer comparing them to Asia and I think he was spot on.

[Zantera]

Meh

[jakepriest]

I checked out that Lun stuff and it's definitely interesting. Will check out more of that after my exams end. 

Queensrÿche I haven't had the time to check out yet. I love Silent Lucidity, but that's like the only song I know. 

I haven't really liked anything MP has done since leaving DT apart from Transatlantic, and this falls into the category aswell. I just feel it's incredibly mediocre and the singer isn't particurarly good, Neal comes to save the day a few times but that's about it. 

[Train of Naught]

I haven't really liked anything MP has done since leaving DT apart from Transatlantic, and this falls into the category aswell.

Nightmare?!

But I guess you're talking about the stuff where he actually parttook in the songwriting

[jakepriest]

I haven't really liked anything MP has done since leaving DT apart from Transatlantic, and this falls into the category aswell.

Nightmare?!

But I guess you're talking about the stuff where he actually parttook in the songwriting

Yeah I meant the bands he was a full part of. Adrenaline Mob, Flying Colors, Winery Dogs (ugh) etc. Nightmare is killer. 

[Elite]

Meh

[Sacul]

I knew O:M would be the 'Metal Classic', I believe that's the only classic album that doesn't bore you to tears.

The only metal classic that doesn't bore me to tears... so far

Meh

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Mindcrime is such an incredibly consistent metal album. It's got the essence of an essential concept album; strong stand-alone songs all offering something different with an great sense of cohesion to string it all together.

[mikemangioy]

LUN is always awesome.

[Evermind]

Great pick with Operation: Mindcrime and not a bad pick with Flying Colors either.

[Sacul]

So Bolsters has told me it's time for my second roulette, so I guess it's time to accelerate the pace a bit

20
Judgement
Anathema


I guess covers like these were popular back in the 90s...

Yup, you guessed it. Another mothafucking grower. One of those I couldn't remember a single note of it after a few spins, yet not I have memorized most of Judgement even today. Heh, funny how life works. This is a 90s classic and Anathema's most praised record, or at least the fan's favorite.  But their discography is so consistent you could say virtually any of their albums ia you fav and I wouldn't mind because I might love that record too - sadly, couldn't include them all on the list. Not again

Probably their darkest effort, might seem similar to the previous one, Alternative 4, but this is on another level. If you like dark, atmospheric rock, this is your thing.


Recommended song: One Last Goodbye


19
The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
Brand New


Fantastic cover

In the end, it's all about the feels.

This last year has brought me new questions, new solutions to be found. As I'm finishing the freshman year, and look back at these last 12 months, it's incredible the amount of things that happened to me. Expanded my tastes, not just in music, but in other arts and even in certain aspects of life. One of those I've noticed is that now I have a big attraction towards feels in music. If back in 2014 I could have said, for example, that Steven Wilson's HCE was meh because it wasn't creative or innovative, it would have seemed fair to me. But it's my 2015 AOTY because of all the hard-hitting emotions contained on it - feels like a very personal album to Steven, and I definitely connect with it. But it has been a tough period too. Thus it's not surprise I ended up loving The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me.

The album is a self-reflective portrait of not just teenager times, but life and all the wrong things that come with it. It's an emotionally deep, and in depth, look at religion, love, loneliness, isolation, sex, abuse, angst, and overall just pain. It's mature, gripping, and almost emo in nature but never stretching to those extremes. The first 5 songs, are absolute masterpieces, among my favorites of all time. They are perfect examples of everything wrong with the trials of life. The guitar chords and progression are masterful and the drumming is perfectly in tune with it. Top it off with the brilliant lyrics and resonating vocals that just give this album such a haze like feeling. To me listening to this record is like sitting in a dark empty room, naked in the cold ground, looking for heat, while staring outside into the evening sky. But my body gets warmer, bit by bit, slow but consistent. Call that crazy, but that's exactly the feeling I get - it may make me feel like a piece of shit, but in the end, it serves as a cathartic experience that leaves me in peace.

This is how I feel emotional music should be - honest, raw, without cheese. It's not for everyone, and only for the faint of heart because of the mood it leaves you in, but if you want a unique experience, this is it.


Recommended song: Limousine (MS Rebridge)


18
Pressure & Obsession
Ruined Machines


This guy deserves more love

Oh boy, where do I start with this one? Maybe from the beginning. Ok.

This is the first "proper" album I ever listened to. Long time ago, I used to make some tutorial vids on YouTube on how to use emulators and such (those were... interesting times ), and because I couldn't use copyrighted music, started to look for some some royalty-free stuff. Found Jamendo, the biggest site for that. Around that time I'd also started to slowly get into prog, but admittedly didn't use to listen to full albums, just individual songs. So I looked for some instrumental progressive rock that I could use as background music. And this is what I found. Wow.

The first thing that I noticed was how it didn't sound like anything I'd heard at the time (yet I still think the same today). And that speaks of how hard a time I have trying to describe Ruined Machine's style, for it is instrumental, with some big post-rock and space rock influences, and some electronics and metal, yet it doesn't really sound like any of those genres. And I became attracted to its underlying nostalgia, and it's still something I can relate to.

It baffles me how this guy didn't get more recognition, because while his Jamendo account registered thousands of free downloads, his Bandcamp has just a few supporters. I'm one of them, of course. Also worth noticing that, for an album that didn't have such a big budget, and has some virtual instruments, it sounds pretty clean.

Pressure & Obsession is more of an experience, a journey that's not mute, for the music speaks for itself.


Recommended song: The Extremist Heart


17
OK Computer
Radiohead


/mu/core

Oh boy, talking about growers. THIS is one of the biggest growers ever recorded. While I was slowly expanding my tastes outside prog, I was checking come top 50 lists that seemed very interesting, and a few featured Ok Computer. Didn't think much about it at the moment, but later I saw it as #1 on Rateyourmusic, and read that critics praised it on release as an instant classic, so I was definitely intrigued. "The fuck is this crap?" was me after a first listen. "Overrated as hell". Even discussing with friends that loved it, I couldn't find any appeal on it: annoying singer, noisy production, weird sounds, ugh.

But, you know... I kept getting back to it. Why? I could hit my head against the wall all day long, but I wouldn't remember why. Something... attracted me to it. Was it the atmosphere? The occasional mellotrons? The catchy yet noisy tunes? Maybe it was at the same time I got into Sigur Ros, so I started to appreciate Thom's vocals. Then the production didn't bother me. Even the songs I had disliked kept growing and growing. Now, after relistening while writing this, I wonder if it should be higher on the list.


Recommended song: Exit Music (For A Film)


16
Shadows Of The Sun
Ulver


I've always been fascinated by this cover...

Ulver are one of the most fascinating acts out there, one of the very few capable of making masterpieces on very different styles and genres. Anyone into black metal, specially the most atmospheric branches of it, knows their debut, Bergtatt, is a classic. Fans of experimental electronic music praise Perdition City for its noir atmosphere and seamless blend of sounds. I don't consider myself an ambient lover, but I'm pretty sure anyone who is into that kind of music, will find in Shadows of the Sun something more than worth listening. Yes, they've made all those styles, and while some members have come and gone, their leader is still the same, musical genius Kristoffer Rygg (aka Garm).

What they've crafted here makes the label "ambient" feel very restrictive, because while Shadows of the Sun has a big focus on atmosphere, it's not the whole picture. Yes, there is some seriously heart breaking tonality here. Yes, the vocals as somber, and hoarse, which ties in with a grief-laden theme... But that's just part of it. A bevy of instruments come together to enhance the album's variety, such as a trumpet, theremin, cellos, violins/violas, and various guitars. The atmosphere is consistent, the instrumentation, the vocals, the songwriting, they are all consistent, yet each track has something different to offer, whether its ambient bliss like the fantastic opener EOS, or some explosive experimentation with heavy percussion like Let the Children Go.

The clean production, paradoxically, makes such a bleak record sound warm and comfortable. Garm's deep voice is soothing, and at times is just part of the layers and the atmosphere, like another instrument. These guys are fantastic.


Recommended song: EOS

[Crow]

I dig Judgement a lot but I still feel I never liked it as much as a lot of others seem to. It's good.
The Devil and God is fantastic, though.
Didn't you send me a song from thee guys in my roulette, that song was okay.
OK Computer is overrated in general but it's a good album, yes.
I stiiiill neeeeed thiiiss

[Train of Naught]

Limousine still fucking haunts me, I love it. I've listened to the album a few times but I'm still not super familiar with all of it, so I guess I'll revisit sometime. You know what I think of EOS 

I don't like anything I've heard from Radiohead at all, not interested to delve deeper into their stuff, either.

[Sacul]

Didn't you send me a song from thee guys in my roulette, that song was okay.

It's just one guy bro

[ThatOneGuy2112]

The Devil and God is such a crushing experience. Really heavy, terrific lyrics and just tortured music in general.

OK Computer is good, but I'd never call it a masterpiece by any stretch, though I can see why it's come to be known as a classic album. Karma Police is a particular highlight for me. I'd take Kid A over it any day though.