2026 Disc Course Roundup - Tier 6: Chaos and Continuity

Another six entries for Tier 6, with albums from:

Father of Peace - The Year of Madness (2024) Men I Trust - Equus Caballus (2025) Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) The Murlocs - Rapscallion (2022) The Tea Club - If/When (2019) Yes - Union Review '91 (1991)

2025 Disc Course Spin-Off Results: Tier 6, Week 3

I would venture to say that there are really no wrong answers to this week’s Spin-Offs.  I would full-throatedly advocate for any of these eight albums.  In nearly all of these cases, the selection came down to some subjective preferences.  

Oak -  The Third Sleep VS Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Both of these albums are beautifully melancholic and emotionally evocative, and although they  may be coming at this description from different angles, I feel that there’s significant enough common ground between the two to warrant an equitable comparison.  There’s a unique compositional nuance to Pigments, however, that grants it a distinctive liminality.  

The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum VS Parannoul - Sky Hundred

The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum

Sky Hundred is great, and I have come to really appreciate Parannoul’s work, but it veers into unnecessarily noisy territory at times.  A Coliseum Complex Museum, in comparison,  is consistently pristine, and its songs capitalize on the power of this clarity.

George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 VS. Queen - Queen

Queen - Queen

A controversial Spin-Off, for sure.  Many, many fans have spoken out in support of Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, and I agree that their advocacy is warranted.  It is doubtlessly George Michael’s finest and most direct album, and his artistic vision shines brightly throughout its runtime.  If we were talking about later Queen albums like Hot Space or The Works, he might have won our.   At this early stage in their career, however, where Queen seems to have an astounding clarity of vision and a vital drive to match it, they are very difficult to unseat, in my opinion

Discipline - Breadcrumbs VS. Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia

Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia

This one wins the contentious Spin-Off award for this week.  Given the divisive nature of Even in Arcadia, I am sure to ruffle some feathers by giving it the win, especially given my progressive rock credentials.  After much consideration, however, I flew in the face of my usual preferences.  Breadcrumbs is beautifully melodic and conceptually compelling, but it doesn’t have the impact of Discipline’s early work.  Paradoxically, my lack of investment in Sleep Token’s earlier work has, I think, allowed me to approach Even in Arcadia unburdened by preconceived notions of their work.  I am really fascinated by the way in which they layer contemporary R&B with atmospheric progressive metal and bind it together with their distinctive identity presentation.  This fascination grants them the win.

Viewer’s Choice

Oak -  The Third Sleep VS Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum VS Parannoul - Sky Hundred

Parannoul - Sky Hundred

George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 VS. Queen - Queen

Queen - Queen

Discipline - Breadcrumbs VS. Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia

Discipline - Breadcrumbs

2025 Disc Course Results - Tier 6, Week 2

Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a Madman VS. Clutch - Blast Tyrant

Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a Madman

Considering all the hype about Ozzy’s final concert and subsequent passing, this Spin-Off seems to be destined to fall to nostalgic reverence for him and his legacy.  Clutch is very good at what they do, however, and certainly have some skin in the game, but when Ozzy’s distinctive tone and melodic sense is coupled with Randy Rhoads trend-setting guitar playing, the results are incontrovertible.  Ozzy clearly deserves this one.

Palm - Rock Island VS. Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us

Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us

Rock Island is a unique recording.  It features some clearly mathy aspects, but disguises the “guitarishness” usually associated with math rock using MIDI-triggered steel pan sounds while simultaneously smoothing over the angularity of the style with pop inspired melodies.  There’s clearly a lot to be interested in there that arguably could give them the win, especially since Kindly Bent to Free Us is perhaps the least convincing album I have heard from Cynic.  Despite its relatively tame nature, however, Kindly Bent to Free Us  has its own significant melodic strengths, and its restless, intense approach to composition put it in a category of musicianship that Rock Island does not quite reach on the whole.

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions VS. Tyler, the Creator - Chromokopia

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

Here is one that addresses the comparative strengths of “old” music and “new” music.  Tyler, the Creator is clearly a creative force in the current music scene, but he can’t hold a candle to Stevie Wonder during his classic period, who at the time of the release of Innervisions was nearly ten years younger than Tyler was when he released Chromokopia.  

Consider the Source - The Stare VS. Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson - Börn Náttúrunnar

Consider the Source - The Stare

Toughest Spin-Off of the bunch this time around.  Although radically different in tone, these albums are well-matched in terms of achieving what they set out to do.  I really love the starkly soothing Icelandic tone of Börn Náttúrunnar, and given the right setting, I find it incredibly moving at times.  The Stare, however, has an indefinably adventurous, boundary-crossing creativity that I think gives them the edge in this Spin-Off.

Viewer’s Choice

Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a Madman VS. Clutch - Blast Tyrant

Ozzy Osborne - Diary of a Madman

Palm - Rock Island VS. Lite - Strata

Palm - Rock Island

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions VS. Tyler, the Creator -
Chromokopia

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

Consider the Source - The Stare VS. TU-Ner - TU-Ner for Lovers

Consider the Source - The Stare

2025 Disc Course Results: Tier 6, Week 1

Jake Blount & Mali Obamsawin - Symbiont VS.  Amythyst Kiah - Still+Bright

Amythyst Kiah - Still+Bright

I have a huge amount of respect for the musicality and overall statement of Symbiont.  It's a powerful commentary on the relevance of folk styles to the current world that we live in.  Still+Bright has weathered the storm this year in a similar, if less academic, way.  The Appalachian setting of her songs, however, have repeatedly resonated with me and gives her the edge in a very tricky Spin-Off. 

Dummy - Free Energy VS Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk

Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk

Dummy is equal parts challenging and engaging, resulting in an enjoyably disruptive art-pop album. Imaginal Disk, however, is a triumph of production, concept, and execution.  It is certainly the most thought-provoking synth-pop album I have heard in quite a while.  It gets the win.

HHY & the Kampala Unit - Turbo Meltdown VS. Magma - Udu Wudu

Magma - Udu Wudu

In full transparency, I was not sure exactly which way this one was going to go.  Both of these albums have electrifying performances and challenging structures.  While I have enjoyed the polyrhythmic chaos of Turbo Meltdown more every time I have listened to it, the Red-adjacent soundscape and physicality of Udu Wudu hit me a bit closer to home.

Vok - In the Dark VS. The Knife - Silent Shout

The Knife - Silent Shout

Simply put, I love Silent Shout. It tickles my brain in uniquely musical ways.  In the Dark is a fine dance-pop album, but Silent Shout is a statement that I find too engaging to ignore.  

Viewer’s Choice

Jake Blount & Mali Obamsawin - Symbiont VS.  Lucy in Blue - Lucy in Blue

Lucy in Blue - Lucy in Blue

Dummy - Free Energy VS JayWood - Sling Shot

JayWood - Sling Shot

HHY & the Kampala Unit - Turbo Meltdown VS. Magma - Udu Wudu

Magma - Udu Wudu

Vok - In the Dark VS. The Knife - Silent Shout

Vok - In the Dark

2025 Disc Course Roundup Tier 6: Part 2 - Meaning in a Fractured World

Six more albums that show how fragile guides can show how to move forward, including:

The Besnard Lakes - A Coliseum Complex Museum (2016) Consider the Source - The Stare (2024) Discipline - Breadcrumbs (2025) George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice v. 1 (1990) Oak - The Third Sleep (2025) Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)

And here's the audio proof.

2025 Disc Course Results: Tier 5, Week 6

This post represents the conclusion of Tier 5!  We will have a “bye” week next week in which we indulge in a few more introductory “Album of the Day” posts and then we’ll tear into Tier 6.

Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia VS. Melt-Banana - 3+5

Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia

Even in Arcadia has gotten a bit of a bad rap from critics, but I personally like it.  In all transparency, I am definitely not a long-term fan of Sleep Token, so when people compare it unfavorably to the band’s older work, it doesn’t hold too much water in my opinion of the album.  I do think that the way in which they combine elements of prog-metal with contemporary R&B is pretty interesting.  Melt–Banana’s genre-defining noise rock takes more obvious chances, but 3+5 makes for an overall exhausting listening experience when taken as a whole.

Saga - Worlds Apart VS. Nick Millevoi - Digital Reaction

Nick Nillevoi - Digital Reaction

This was a pretty tricky one.  My initial impression of Worlds Apart was a bit unfavorable.  While it certainly had some high points worth recognizing, not the least of which is the killer 80s anthem On the Loose, it has some sagging moments as well that don’t do enough to lift it out of the sonic standards of its time.  My opinion of the album started to shift this week, however, and I am looking forward to coming back to it at a later date.  Although Digital Reaction may not be as immediate, it's adventurous in all the right ways, balancing virtuosity with playful risk-taking.

Queen - Queen VS. Prince - Controversy

Queen - Queen

Tough one here, no doubt about it.  As great as Controversy is, I think that Prince’s dedication to the concept is a bit distracting on this release.  He certainly found more nuanced ways to be controversial as his career progressed.  Queen, on the other hand, may not quite have the musical finesse on their debut that that they would later acquire, but they seemed to leap from the head of Zeus with a fully formed sonic concept that they would wield to great effect on later albums.  

David Longstreth, the Dirty Projectors, and s t a r g a z e - Song for the Earth VS. Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Both of these albums are fantastic crossovers between intellectual composition and accessible songwriting, and as is often the case, an argument could be made for either one of them.  I get the sense, however, that the intellectual side of Song for the Earth is more dominant, which makes it a relatively opaque listen in comparison to Pigments.  Brains and emotion are more balanced on this album, which results in an overall more inviting listening experience.  

Viewer’s Choice

Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia VS. Melt-Banana - 3+5

Sleep Token - Even in Arcadia

Saga - Worlds Apart VS. Nick Millevoi - Digital Reaction

Saga - Worlds Apart

Queen - Queen VS. David Gilmour - Luck and Strange

Queen - Queen

David Longstreth, the Dirty Projectors, and s t a r g a z e - Song for the Earth VS. Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments

Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments