Anteater

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Anteater

18. Tartar Lamb – Sixty Metonymies (2007)


Here's a pop quiz question for everyone: what happens when Toby Driver, better known as the mastermind behind such acts as maudlin of the Well and Kayo Dot, teams up with fellow Kayo Dot electric violinist Mia Matsumiya to shelve the metal tendencies and dive fully into that vast ocean known as classical music?

The answer to this question comes in the form of Tartar Lamb's Sixty Metonymies, my favorite release from 2007 and among the most curious explorations into minimalism that's come out in over a decade. Violin, trumpet, guitar and drums work together, sometimes blatently but mostly in a darkling sort of quiet, to breathe a fresh yet stark creative approach into a sound that's been raped and murdered by dozens of post-rock bands over the last decade. Jazzily arranged in tracks ranging from less than 4 minutes to over 16 minutes and occasionally touched by other elements that go beyond expectations, I've found that I've enjoyed spinning this just as often as Bath, Choirs of the Eye, etc. Like much of what Driver works on, it bears the unmistakeable stamp of someone who lets a note or two speaks for itself rather than always forcing an orchestra or walls of noise down your ear canals to get a point across.

So my affections aside - for those of you into post-rock and modern day classical music, or simply for those who enjoy some the quieter classical/jazz moments in whatever motW or Kayo Dot albums you own, this is an essential.

Track Highlights: Trumpet Twine the Lamb Unhyne



17. Magma – Attahk (1978)


My favorite Magma album, as well as being among their strangest and most accessible. To put it simply, this is what happens when progressive rock/opera has a car crash with funk, gospel and R&B, and for some confounded reason the result is freakin' brilliant. Infectiously danceable at times yet still possessing the characteristic Kobaian-language vocals and godlike drumming that French band leader Christian Vander is known for in other Magma albums, this is Zeuhl as nobody had done before or since, for never has incongruity and mind-boggling musical lunacy been so fun, and never shall it be again!

Track Highlights: Maahnt, Nono



16. It Bites – Once Around The World (1988)


My favorite release from one of my favorite 80's bands. In a sort of parallel to Talk Talk (sorta), It Bites were originally a pop group who over the course of their decade-long career evolved into one of the few and far between notable prog. bands of the era. Along with a reputation for explosive live shows, they had a great frontman in the form of Francis Dunnery and combined rediculously high-end instrumental talent, pop-group like vocal harmonies and an occasionally quirky sense of songwriting which make them interesting to me amidst the groups which overshadowed them at the time.

Interesting Fact: Steve Hillage from Gong helped produce this.

Structure-wise, the album basically alternates between their more complex tracks and the more commercial ones, resulting in occasional imbalance. Their progressive rock tendencies are best illustrated on tracks such as 'Old Man and the Angel', which despite being over 9 minutes long possesses quite a bit of catchiness despite its techical complexity at times, the 15-minute Genesis-esque title track and the odd yet pretty "Hunting the Whale" which features sailors. Still, they're on their game even on the more pop-oriented side of things, for "Kiss Like Judas" and "Yellow Christian" are fine songs in themselves; the latter in particular is about as close to a perfectly constructed ballad as you're ever going to hear.

So although this was one of the singularly most uncommercially-commericial works of the 1980's (if that makes any sense at all), it holds a special place in my collection and there's nothing that sounds quite like it. It's leagues better than most neo-prog too, lol!

Track Highlights: Yellow Christian, Old Man and the Angel

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

dac

Hmm... I love Part the Second, I'm a sucker for strings, and a whore for post rock. Yeah I think I'll check this out.

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sidewinder

This does sound appealing, thanks for the reco.

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last.fm | my collection on RYM | vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear
I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

storymilo

Cool reviews so far, despite me having heard of about 3 of the albums.

But I guess thats my fault

Anteater

15. Ozric Tentacles – Pungent Effulgent (1990)


Ah the ever amazing Ozrics, the kings of space grooving since the late 80's. Along with Erpland, Strangeitude and Jurassic Shift, this particularly cool set of tracks shows these guys at their most inspired psychedelic drum n' guitar driven peak, along with one of the best opening tracks on an album ever (Disolution: The Clouds Disperse), which has an extremely awesome two minute build up before going supernova.

It's not all rave fodder though; highlights such as 'Phalarn Dawn' are particularly class in setting a calming mood, while 'Agog in the Ether' is a creepy tribal foray into beat-heavy world music, and it all this and more that contributes to making Pungent Effulgent a keeper and a particular favorite in my collection.

Track Highlights: Disolution (The Clouds Disperse), Ayurvedic



14. Make A Rising – Infinite Ellipse and Head With Open Fontanel (2008)


Another favorite from last year. Rooted in both the worlds of psychedelia and Indie-related shit but resembling none of the bands that inhabit either of those domains, Make A Rising are a lot more than most people bargain for in their pop music. For one thing, they switch style and approach on the fly without warning; going from a Beach Boy-esque piano ballad on 'All One or None' to a sort of accordion snowed-out folk freakout with Gentle Giant xylophone on 'Transmutation' is quite the leap after all, but here it fits like a fresh tailored suit and, surprisingly, doesn't seem pretentious at all considering how other bands make a big deal about being all "conceptual".

So regardless their eccentricies, its a cohesive album and by all means a brilliant indicator of just how much potential they hold as a band despite only having been around a few years, and even after half a dozen spins will continue to surprise you.

Track Highlights: Sneffels Yokul, Peaceful Paths


13. Camel – Rain Dances (1977)


The most oft-forgotten work by Camel, coming off the heels of the classic Moonmadness but before the emphasized pop schema they'd begin exploring in 1978's Breathless. Seemingly nothing special when listened to initially, Rain Dances manages to incorporate the best of both musical directions while at the same time proving to be jazzier than anything else they'd done up to that point. Along with the fact that none of the songs are over six minutes, part of the appeal here is that this is where Richard Sinclair (of both Caravan and Hatfield and the North), became both bassist and vocalist. Mel Collins is on sax here also (an instrument Camel didn't have before), and the songs themselves benefit greatly from both of their presences, on occasion resulting in tracks that rank among the best the group has ever done (First Light, One Of These Days I'll Get An Early Night).

Now that I think about it, I really am very surprised how much its all grown on me since I first started listening to Camel a lot a year or so ago, and that's why its made my list despite the fact that both Mirage and Moonmadness had instantly appealed to me beforehand. For you see, an album that grows with you is just as valuable as anything you loved at first listen, and that's what happened here.

Camel fans, or even those who are new to them, should check this out.

Track Highlights: First Light, Unevensong

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

sidewinder

I should check out that Camel disc, I the first 4 albums but haven't heard anything after that. Logically this should be next.

Make A Rising also sounds very interesting, I'm likely to check that out first.

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last.fm | my collection on RYM | vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear
I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

Anteater

Enjoy them both dude!

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Anteater

12. Tears For Fears – Songs From The Big Chair (1985)


One of the more interesting success stories from the mid 80's and my favorite of the decade overall, though its hard to explain why without going around in circles. Cause sure, I love the infectiousness of "Head Over Heels" and the great dynamic sensibility of "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" despite the massive airplay they both get, but what people tend to overlook is the fact these guys weren't afraid to experiment in studio or vary their approach to songwriting, as jazz-flavoured "The Working Hour", New Order-ish "Mothers Talk" and oddly jarring pieces like "Broken Revisited" or "The Conflict" certainly illustrate. I mean, its one thing to have a few strong singles and a bunch of filler, but when the filler turns out to be far more interesting than an album's selling points, you know that its something worth staying with.

Hence, I suppose the draw for me when it comes to Tears For Fears (and specifically this album) is the knowing that not just any old pair of singers/songwriters could have done a pop album like this. The diversity of the tracks and subtle dissonances within many of them were certainly above and beyond what associated bands were doing at the time, and as a result this has aged for me just as well as anything the Heads or XTC has.

For 80's afficiendos who are looking for something a bit more interesting, get this if you don't have it already. I personally couldn't do without it!

Track Highlights: The Working Hour, The Conflict, Head over Heels


11. Trist – Hin-Fort (2007)


The album that got me into both ambient and black metal, encompassing both beauty at its most organic and natural while sometimes proving capable of scaring the shit out of you when you least expect it within the two hours of its runtime. Walls of sound and hair-raising vocal samples normally aren't my thing, but here they really, really work for me..and there are times I wonder how it succeeds where many have failed. The best explanation I can come up with is that while it drones harshly and there's often little variation outside the occassional use of strings, samples and piano, the mood it sets is unequaled by anything I've encountered beyond GY!BE's debut and some of Ulver's early material, and that certainly counts for something in my book, and there have been times when I have felt it surpasses even them.

Track Highlights: Fort, Schlaflos


10. Caravan - In the Land of the Grey and Pink (1971)


My favorite Canterbury scene album and wonderfully vivid experience from start to finish, though saying such may seem contrived on my part. For those who won't listen to something unless its relevant to whatever angst you're going through in real life, look elsewhere; what we have here is silly, very English and has every bit of its "screw it all I'm happy" sentiments tatooed in plain sight with Golf Girl and the title track, but that's part of what makes it a wonder to behear in the first place. And wonders behold, even with a 22-minute cut of brilliance like Nine Feet Underground, the music never ceases to accessible, warm as summer, poignant and well played, and there's nothing better one can look for with music of this kind.

Track Highlights: Winter Wine, In the Land of the Grey and Pink, Nine Feet Underground

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

jackhammer

You have names I haven't heard of and some great cool prog and then names like tears For Fears and It bites creep in. I love this list for those idiosyncracities! Keep it up and I think TFF were a solid Pop band and I have their Tears Roll Down greatest hits CD and I still think it's well written Pop. If you get some Prefab Sprout in here then I will be shocked but damn pleased too!

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