This post gives us the first glimpse into Tier 3, where we start to get a good indication of what our Mid-Year Top 12 is going to look like. What I find really fascinating by this point is how the Viewer’s Choice results have deviated from the Prime results, sometimes culminating in completely different showdowns!
To keep things moving, there are six results posted for each tournament.
88Kasyo Junrei - Genma Taisai VS. Slothrust - Parallel Timeline
88Kasyo Junrei - Genma Taisai
Overall, the songwriting, performances, and general vibe of Parallel Timeline is engaging, but the frenetic virtuosity of Genma Taisai, along with some momentum borne of a year or two of interest, gives it the edge.
clipping. - Dead Channel Sky VS. Missing Persons - Spring Session M
clipping. - Dead Channel Sky
While I have had my misgivings about Spring Session M from a songwriting perspective, it has generally won me over this Spring. Choruses are hamfisted and repetitive, but by and large, the playing is subtle, detailed, and flawlessly executed in way befitting a group of Zappa alumni. Dead Channel Sky, however, is immediately raw and arresting. Dahveed’s Digg’s verbal execution is simply beyond belief, and the texture of his voice allows his performances to drip with menace. This, along with the album’s avant-garde tendencies, distance it from any nostalgic edge that Spring Session M might have.
Jenny Hval - Classic Objects VS. Monika Roscher Bigband - Witchy Activities and the Maple Death
Monika Roscher Bigband - Witchy Activities and the Maple Death
Both Jenny Hval and Monika Roscher are artists whose clarity of vision is fueled by immense intellect and innate musicality, despite being rendered in significantly different ways. In terms of quality, these albums are nearly matched. In terms of character, however, I have to give the prize to Monika Roscher. Her distinctive big band compositional concept sits at a unique stylistic nexus that just happens to hit me where I live. .
Keith Jarrett - My Song VS. Count Basie and Quincy Jones - Basie One More Time
Count Basie and Quincy Jones - Basie One More Time
A compelling case could also be made for either of these “jazz giant” albums to advance. Clearly, Keith Jarrett’s incomprehensible mastery, which is matched by his bandmates, provide him with the freedom to imbue every melody and chord with meaning and musicality for those dedicated enough to honor it with a focused listen. Count Base, as a big band leader, is more tied to Quincy Jones’ compositions, and therefore has less improvisational freedom. The band’s stylistic nuance and vital drive, however, is more immediately and consistently engaging, earning him this win
The Tongue of Eden - Fallow VS. Opeth - The Last Will and Testament
Opeth - The Last Will and Testament
I don’t know that I have heard another project cross extreme metal with electronica in quite the same way as The Tongue of Eden. Their novel approach is consistently interesting, and also consistently captures my attention. The Last Will And Testament, however, is simply a masterfully crafted album that summarizes everything that Opeth has ever done well. And in their career, they have done LOTS of things very well.
Randy McStine - Mutual Hallucinations VS. Meer - Wheels Within Wheels
Meer - Wheels Within Wheels
I have fought through a lot of resistance with Meer, and I think that it's because my least favorite part of the album is its first three minutes. First impressions are hard to shake. After sitting with it over the course of the Spring, however, I have been increasingly drawn into its distinctive style. While I think that Wheels Within Wheels is inarguably a prog album, it's a bit tricky to pin down a clear antecedent. They don’t seem to directly mine the “Big Three” (King Crimson, Yes, and Genesis,” but have a unique take all their own. That realization, along with the album’s orchestral scope and impressive compositional strengths, finally won me over.
Viewer’s Choice Results
SlapSlap - Good Idea, Bad Execution VS. Soft Machine - Bundles
Soft Machine - Bundles
clipping. - Dead Channel Sky VS. Missing Persons - Spring Session M
Missing Persons - Spring Session M
Jhariah - Trust Ceremony VS. Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick VS. Count Basie and Quincy Jones - Basie One More Time
Count Basie and Quincy Jones - Basie One More Time
Dream Theater - Parasomnia VS. Health - Rat Wars
Dream Theater - Parasomnia
Circe Link & Christian Nesmith - Arcana VS. Meer - Wheels Within Wheels
Meer - Wheels Within Wheels
