10. Transatlantic - The Whirlwind
Rejoice! Transatlantic is back! Now, before hearing the album I already had a pretty good idea of what it was going to be like. Guess what? Turned out I was right. Overworked, overlong, unoriginal symphonic prog on steroids, with less-than-subtle Christian overtones. So yeah, it's a big
Neal Morse show. And it's awesome.
9. Pure Reason Revolution- Amor Vincit Omnia
Pure Reason Revolution, on the other hand, took the sound of their first album and pretty much threw it out of the window for their second. This album is full of electronics and weird synths, and it's even more overproduced than their first album. Yet, it still manages to rock, and the multi-layered vocals give it the distinctive PRR sound.
8. Muse - The Resistance
Pah pah PAAAH! Muse just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and all the better for it. To their credit though, Matt and his pals do try new stuff on this album, including a smooth RnB-style track and a three part-symphony, both done beautifully. But the
Queen-pastiche that is United States of Eurasia is just too much.
7. Devin Townsend Project - Ki
I'm pretty convinced that this is Devin Townsend's
Damnation: A metal artist making a quiet, haunting album for a change, rather than his usual (tiresome) racket. This is still Hevy Devy though, and it is indeed a very heavy album: it's heavy on atmosphere and tension. It does go on for a couple of tracks too long though.
6. dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion
Dredg is a new find for me. At first glace, they seem like your run-off-the-mill angst-ridden alternative rock band. That's what they are, of course, but there's a bit more to them: A tendency to experiment and fill their album with quirky instrumental exercises as well as highly catchy rock songs. Accessible and rewarding.
5. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Another new find, and a highly interesting one. Apparently, what we have here is a mostly acoustic concept album band. I'm still in the process of getting into it, but I know it should be up here. It's a musical journey as only concept albums can be, the vocals are great and the words are... very, very weird. And it rocks.
4. Regina Spektor - Far
The odd one out. This has nothing to do with any music I ever listen to. I don't care. This is gorgeous. It's one of those slightly offbeat, foreign gals with a piano. Think
Björk, but nowhere near that level of eccentricity (good thing too). It's lighthearted, funny, cute, silly and very beautiful in places.
3. Porcupine Tree - The Incident
The Inevitable Steven Wilson. After a lot of albums with a common theme, the Genius himself now provides us with a full-blown concept album. But you know that. If you read this, you should probably have this album. If not, get it, you fool! As for my opinion, I think
Fear Of A Blank Planet was better. But this one is miles better than
Insurgentes.
2. Marillion - Less Is More
Talk about inevitable. As this album is just new, acoustic versions of older tracks, I wasn't going to put it in here... but damn, I have to. Most songs are better than their original versions and the whole thing flows perfectly and has a very consistent atmosphere. This is Marillion as I want to hear them. They beat almost everyone without even trying.
1. Phideaux - Number Seven
Of the many new bands I have discovered this year, Phideaux gets the cake. You may have heard of his masterpiece
Doomsday Afternoon, which I consider the greatest album of the decade. Number Seven comes eerily close to that level of genius. What makes it so great? It has everything: the compositions, the instrumentation, the words, the melody, the vocals. All the while, none of it is overdone (here's looking at you, Mr. Morse). Phideaux is slowly gaining recognition in the progressive rock genre; I highly recommend you check this out.
I think we saw some excellent releases in 2009, as well as some great new discoveries. To all happy listening in 2010!
Muse
