Best Albums Of 2012 - So Far

[Duncan Glenday]

Any thoughts?

I haven't bought much this year, and would like to blow the budget (by a little bit) on a few last-minute purchases before the year is out.

[Sean]

Being a list thread I think this should be in OT, though as year end approaches this sort of thing is kinda front page news, so.....

[NogbadTheBad]

Thinking Plague
Magma
Anglagard
Aranis
Unit Wail

[Gruno]

I have no prog music that falls into the "best of" category for 2012. Van Halen wins by a huge margin over any other music for me this year.

[wideopenears]

I'm a fusion head, as you likely know...but here are my faves of the year thus far:

Anglagard's new one that I can't remember how to spell
Thinking Plague's new one that I can't remember the name of
Tribal Tech-X
Panzerballett-Tank Goodness
Farmer's Market-Slav to the Rhythm
Fazjaz-Season IV
Tohpati Bertiga-Riot
The Avengers-On a Mission
Hiromi-Move
Henderson/Berlin/Chambers-HBC
Alex Machecek-FAT
Doug Lunn Project-s/t
Gary Husband-Dirty and Beautiful Vol. II

Off the top of my head. I also liked Echolyn's new one...

[LASERCD]

Trioscapes is sitting at the top of my list.

[Jerjo]

Astra - The Black Chord
The Future Kings of England - Who is This Who is Coming
Big Big Train - English Electric
The Pineapple Thief - All the Wars
Marillion - Sounds that Cannot be Made
I suppose that new Echolyn album
Steve Wilson's new live album

and Clockwork MotherFucking Angels!

[NogbadTheBad]

The Future Kings of England - Who is This Who is Coming

Was amongst my top 5 of 2011

[100423]

Thinking Plague - Decline And Fall
Storm Corrosion - s/t
Anglagard - Viljans Öga
Astra - The Black Chord
Steven Wilson - Catalog / Preserve / Amass
3RDegree - The Long Division
Rhys Marsh and the Autumn Ghosts - The Blue Hour
Enslaved - RIITIIR
Katatonia - Dead End Kings
Cirrus Bay - Whimsical Weather

Rush - Clockwork Angels... hasn't clicked with me the way I thought it would.
I'm sure there are more I'm missing, it's been a great year for music.

[arabicadabra]

3rdegree - The Long Division
Flying Colors
Neal Morse - Momentum
District 97 - The Trouble With Machines
Echolyn
IZZ - The Crush Of Night
John Galgano - Real Life Is Meeting


and somewhere around 23 to 30, I happen to like Pinnacle's A Blueprint For Chaos quite a bit
(but I'm biased)

[everythingtoexcess]

It's just been a silly year for new music. Silly.
Everything on arabicadabra's list plus...
It Bites - Map of the Past
Rush - Clockwork Angels
Marillion - Sounds that Can't Be Made (my current pick for favorite of the year, but who knows?)
Steve Vai - Story of Light (not all of it...maybe half of it. some of it is...eh.)
I'm sure there are others. I have to go through the pile and write everything down at some point.

[Desdinova]

Thank You Scientist - "Maps of Nonexistent Places"
Big Big Train - "English Electric Vol. 1"
Echolyn - "Echolyn"
I and Thou - "Speak"
Coheed and Cambria - "The Afterman: Ascension"

[Lieto]

This has been a great year of music so far, with lots of great releases, and the one I've kept up with the best so far!
Here;s my favorites so far:
Anglagard _ Viljans Oga
Magma - Felicite Thosz
Pat Metheny - Unity Band
Mike Keneally - Wing Beat Fantastic
echolyn - Echolyn
Marshall Gilkes - Sound Stories
Thinking Plague - Decline and Fall

Honorable mentions:
Beardfish The Void
Panzerballett - Tank Goodness
Espernanza Spalding: Radio Music Society

[Kanukisbrave]

what a great year so far...!

not quite in order of best-ness but close....


Big Big Train - "English Electric Vol. 1"
Echolyn - "Echolyn"
It Bites - "Map of the Past"
Marillion - "Sounds that Can't Be Made"
Storm Corrosion - "s/t"
Jadis - "See Right Through You"
Flower Kings - "Banks Of Eden"
Red Sand - "Behind the Mask"
Citizen Cain - "Skies Darken"
Cirrus Bay - "Whimsical Weather"
Flying Colors - "s/t"

waiting on Glass Hammer's new one and The Enid's new one sounds interesting as well.....

[trurl]

Someone better put "Perilous"-- I'm watching you people

[polmico]

So, so many. Beardfish's new one might be my favorite.

No one's mentioned Motorpyscho's The Death Defying Unicorn so I better do it. (Ew! Look how easy it is to italicize something!)

[strawberrybrick]

Well, D97 of course!
Also digging new tunes from Hawklords, Mahogany Frog...

[Plasmatopia]

Probably forgetting something, but two clear standouts for me are:

District 97 - Trouble With Machines
Anglagard - Viljans Oga

[Harbottle]

John McLaughlin's latest
Big big train's latest
Ian Anderson's Thick as a brick 2

[Sunhillow]

Anglagard
Jadis
Kotebel
Echolyn
Motorpsycho
Big Big Train
Mostly Autumn
Citizen Cain
IZZ.

[bondegezou]

As per the thread on the old PE, I'll stick with Jacaranda by Trevor Rabin. (As for some of the other suggestions above... I haven't gotten into Clockwork Angels. Decline and Fall is OK, but nothing special. Flying Colors, OK too. Liked what I've heard of the new District 97, but I haven't bought it yet.)

Henry

[PlaneGroovy]

Anglagard
Jadis
Kotebel
Echolyn
Motorpsycho
Big Big Train
Mostly Autumn
Citizen Cain
IZZ

OK, so I've done my very best here; currently I can only claim - from this list - that we have IZZ and echolyn on vinyl with Plane Groovy. However, I hope you'll be thrilled to hear that as well as echolyn and IZZ , we're also about to announce another BIG BIG release from your list, VERY VERY soon. And that's without any mention of the epic "Perilous" by Glass Hammer!

Cheers, Chris

For those of you who are cynical about the virtues of vinyl - and who live in the UK - it is open house here at Plane Groovy HQ. Come on down to hear these great albums on vinyl and you'll be converted! You might even get a beer or two out of the deal!

[Nicky Cupcakes]

No one's mentioned Motorpyscho's The Death Defying Unicorn so I better do it.

It's on my list! Not quite sure exactly where it will ultimately land for 2012, but so far I'm putting it at #3.

In countdown order, and subject to change on an almost daily basis:

Neal Morse - Momentum
Marillion - STCBM
Brice Plays Drums - Man the Animal Cannon
3rd Degree- The Long Division
Anathema - Weather Systems
Flying Colors - s/t
I and Thou - Speak
Motorpsycho & Ståle Storløkken - The Death Defying Unicorn
Echolyn - s/t #2
Big Big Train - English Electric (Part 1)

Still to listen to the new Glass Hammer or Beardfish, and Wing Beat Fantastic may creep up there as well.

[bill g]

what a great year so far...!

not quite in order of best-ness but close....


Big Big Train - "English Electric Vol. 1"
Echolyn - "Echolyn"
It Bites - "Map of the Past"
Marillion - "Sounds that Can't Be Made"
Storm Corrosion - "s/t"
Jadis - "See Right Through You"
Flower Kings - "Banks Of Eden"
Red Sand - "Behind the Mask"
Citizen Cain - "Skies Darken"
Cirrus Bay - "Whimsical Weather"
Flying Colors - "s/t"

waiting on Glass Hammer's new one and The Enid's new one sounds interesting as well.....

And thank you Kanukisbrave for including us in your list!!

[aplodon]

I don't have very many albums from 2012 yet. At the moment I would say these are the ones I like best (random order):

Magma - Félicité Thösz
Panzerpappa - Astromalist
Thinking Plague - Decline and Fall