The 49 Americans - E Pluribus Unum (1980)

  

Today we have a wonderful little LP courtesy of the prolific David Toop along with, presumably, 48 others bright individuals. Coy, catchy pop with a marked intellectual slant. Think amateurism meets academia; progressive twee if you will. The first half of the album is composed of a dozen lovely vignettes while the latter half is, well, a pop-opera about a dragon terrorizing some faraway kingdom. If that doesn't convince you to give this album a shot nothing will.

We should be more ideal ideally
Oh yes we should of course should
We should be ideal ideally
So we wouldn't have to pretend

Chakra - Satekoso (1981)

Really airy and cute new-wavey art pop from Japan. The synths on this album kind of glide and float throughout each song in an almost ethereal, and even kind of psych-y, way. A lot of Zolo influences too. Chakra almost like a Japanese version of Propoganda, with some parts of the album even being reminiscent of Kate Bush or Descloux. Tropical, quirky, and fun, Satekoso makes for a great listen if you're in the proper mood.

you
need
me

The Scene Is Now - Burn All Your Records (1985)

Now here's an interesting band. You might know this band because Yo La Tengo covered their song "Yellow Sarong," The Scene Is Now were a weird band from mid 80s NYC so they often get lumped in with no wave. But trust me they aren't anything like your Circle X or your Swans or Y Pants or any of that. In fact it's really hard to tell what genre they are. They're sometimes defined as "postmodern jug music" but I prefer just calling them jangle pop, really schizophrenic and disoriented jangle pop. The album consists of 20 relatively short tracks that are poppy but also dissonant. In some tracks its almost as if they try to sound bad, and it ends up giving it a really endearing and cute sound. This album might take a few listens to click but I ~highly~ recommend this album.

A man in the moon
Taps on the window
How will we know your silhouette
How will we reach you (Are we real?)

Mami Chan Band - Live! (2001)

Mami Chan Band are the multinational experimental pop project of Andrew Sharpley, with all members contributing vocal work, ranging across multiple languages, even lapsing into a Dénudé-esque blend of french and japanese, recorded live between 1999 and 2001. The music on this disc is incredibly eclectic, ranging from the deranged yet cutesy melodica and bass waltz of "mon pére communiste et ses amis fume de l’herbe sur la patinoire"to the breathless toybox pop of "la valse", yet always retaining a sweetness and charm that soften the band's experimental edge. Pop music that's like nothing else, and the kaleidoscopic Louis Wain cover is pretty neat as well!

love & beauty

Biota- Invisible Map

From what I’ve gathered listening to an infinitely small sampling of all the music out there, all genres have their highs and lows.  Whether it’s a specific moment or scene, or just a handful of artists and albums, every category (save for an anomaly or two) offers both great and horrible music.    However, for me personally, the range of quality is never as extreme as with progressive rock.  At its best prog is both complex and evocative, offering varied and intricate instrumentation that can still stir up abstract yet potent emotions.  Conversely, emotions and an artistic focus are often eschewed for technical wankery, pseudo-intellectual concepts, and general soullessness.  Whenever I hear an album described as 'progressive rock', I get both excited and nervous, as the potential for both success and failure is massive. 

The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea (2006)

The Fiery Furnaces, consisting of brother/sister duo Matthew and Eleanor Freidberger, spent most of 00's proving just how ambitious, inventive and varied pop music could be. The two started attracting attention after the release of their debut, Gallowsbird's Bark, but that was primitive, at least relative to what the duo would produce later. 2004's sophomore release, "Blueberry Boat" showed just how ambitious they were in terms of song structure and lyricism - the album played out like a series of schizophrenic operas, Eleanor's pinpoint enunciation ringing clear over Matthew's oddball synthesizer melodies and constant changes in rhythm, tempo and style that made their music seem so irreverent and unique, and as an album, really showcased how talented the two were, and lay the foundation for their later work - including this, which in my opinion, is truly their magnum opus.