Our friend Jethro describes this next match as one pitting "technical spacey prog" against "complex, classic symphonic prog". Here's what it looks like:
The Mercury Tree - Spidermilk
The Mercury Tree’s latest is a continuation of their last: heavy avant-prog with experimental and math rock tendancies. But Spidermilk is the fruition of their microtonal/xenharmonic experiments, being their first album composed entirely on 17-EDO tuned and fretted guitars. Just as Harry Partch predicted in his manifesto on modern microtonal music, “Genesis of a Music,” what begins as impenatrable cacophany on first listen gradually morphs into a surreal escape into otherworldly songs upon repeated listens. Look no further than “Vestments” for the album’s prog accumen, reappropriating King Crimson’s Discipline era for a brave new world of microtonality. I saw them live and they deftly replicated this microtone for microtone. Certainly the most innovative prog rock band in the United States today.
https://themercurytree.bandcamp.com/album/spidermilk
vs.
All Traps on Earth - A Drop of Life
All Traps On Earth is a another Swedish amazing prog band and A Drop Of Light represents another great traditional prog album written in a modern way. It's a project close to Anglagard. Three members of Anglagard, Johan Brand, Thomas Johnson and Erik Hammarstrom are present on it. Their music is obviously influeced by Anglagard with some jazz and classical tones that in sometimes reminds us Magma and Zeuhl in general due to the vocals of Johan's daughter, Miranda. Their music is rich and complex with great compositions and outstanding arrangements with some influences of King Crimson . Sometimes it also reminds me of their compatriots Anekdoten.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1kYMMmUG2W0MRJ0nBHBno9?autoplay=true
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfGmEb_JHiE
I confess, I might have a slight prejudice in one direction going into this one, but we'll see how it works out.
