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Progressive rock

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Well, there's a nice thread bump that I haven't seen in awhile. This thread has provided me with some interesting listening. Prog rock info pre-internet was pretty sketchy, so this thread was an education on a lot of groups that I didn't even know existed back in the day.

I have gotten into the habit on check AllMusic though. I think there's a pretty significant genre difference between prog rock and prog metal.
 
ImpalingNarwhal said:
I do love some Mars Volta. Those first three albums, mmm.
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Muh man. I also quite liked Bedlam cause I got wrapped up in the concept story, plus it all flows together so damn well and is an almost constant onslaught, packed to the gills. He's not as good as Jon Theodore but Thomas Pridgen was a fun drummer to listen to, that energy is exciting to listen to.

I recently got into some of Omar Rodgriguez Lopez's "solo" work, in particular his album Xenophanes that Pridgen thought was going to be a Volta record while working on it. It sounds similar to Bedlam but with all Spanish vocals, with some beautiful duets between Omar (who can actually sing) with this girl Ximena Sariñana. The last 4-5 tracks are great. I'd also recommend an earlier solo album he did called "Old Money", it's got Theodore on a few tracks, plus the bassist from Volta (Juan Alderete), it's a damn good listen overall.

I stumbled onto this one band called Closure in Moscow that's somewhat proggy, and it's weird how similar the singer sounds like Cedric Bixler Zavala of Mars Volta. Their overall sound is a bit similar to Volta, but mixes in some interesting pseudo opera rock elements. It's a bit of a grower, not all the tracks from their album "Pink Lemonade" have stuck with me, but I feel the title track is pretty great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOW3JAZ9MoQ
 
I frequent the Metal thread a lot but this thread might be more up my alley since I'm a big DT fan amongst other bands like Kamelot, Seventh Wonder, Symphony X, etc... Anyway on the topic of DT concerts they are second to none in terms of sounding so spot on. I'm looking forward to their next Live DVD release Breaking the Fourth Wall set to come out soon. Here's a preview of Through the Looking Glass Live in case anyone is interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9_tFbFWzqc
 
DT were pretty bad (well, bad for DT standards) when I saw them live in 2010.

They played two shows of 1h 15m each (unusually short for DT), and then wasted 40 minutes of both shows on the same two songs (A Nightmare To Remember and The Count of Tuscany). Then totally ruined Solitary Shell, one of their most minimalistic songs, by adding an unnecessary, masturbatory jam that did absolutely nothing for me or improved the song in any way.

They also played Prophets of War, and fuck that song.
 
I saw Yes in 2011. Very underwhelming performance. Their new singer at the time, Benoit David from Mystery, was clearly not cut out for the touring life (in spite of being the youngest by a good margin) and was sick all the time. He was really struggling to keep up when they got to my area and just couldn't hit the right notes. Also didn't help that the sound mixing was awful for half of the concert before they got around to correcting it.

After that concert he came down with laryngitis and they had to cancel the rest of the tour.
 
Saw Yes live back in March with the new vocalist Jon Davison performing Close to the Edge, Going for the One and The Yes Album back to back (and in that order), it was an amazing show. Not only were the band in great shape, but they played all of the tracks perfectly. Sound mixing was surprisingly great, but I've heard that it really varied by venue.

I was pretty disappointed that they didn't debut any new material on the tour, but Heaven and Earth ended up being very mediocre so I'm kinda glad nothing was played from the album.
 
Some of my friends are in a prog rock band and are releasing their first album in a few weeks. They're called If Anything Happens To The Cat. As far as I know this is the only available preview track out so far: http://iahttc.bandcamp.com/

This one is from an earlier EP. The album will probably have a version with better quality, but I'm linking this version as I think it's one of their better songs. Hope this isn't regarded as spam. I genuinely like the genre and think their stuff merits sharing.

Edit: Full album has been released and is also on Souncloud.

https://soundcloud.com/iahttc/sets/sun-drunk-moon
 
DT stopped standing for Dream Theater for me years ago. Why waste the acronym when Devin Townsend satisfies basically every genre I'm interested in?
 
I'm a HUGE fan of Yes. I like everything from the original Yes album, Close to the Edge, Relayer, to more pop-like stuff from the '80s and early '90s, to things like Open Your Eyes, The Ladder, and Magnification (the latter being so underrated). I also just got a chance to listen to Fly from Here, which I was hesitant to listen to because it was a major album with Jon Anderson on board. Regardless, it was an awesome album, and there was no track I disliked. However, Heaven and Earth was a big disappointment. It just didn't have much drama and intensity to it. It was like "Yes-lite" if that makes any sense.
 
too many good stuff already mentioned, some recommendations from my part

Suspyre - The Silvery Image
Anthriel - The Pathway
Time Requiem - The Inner Circle of Reality
Agora - Zona del Silencio
Mechanical Poet - Woodland Prattlers
Adagio - Underworld
Haken - Visions
Angra - Temple of Shadows

beato_angelico said:
yes, that's what I was talking about.
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yet you post nothing relevant to this thread... why don't you share some bands pal?
 
SoldnerKei said:
too many good stuff already mentioned, some recommendations from my part

Suspyre - The Silvery Image
Anthriel - The Pathway
Time Requiem - The Inner Circle of Reality
Agora - Zona del Silencio
Mechanical Poet - Woodland Prattlers
Adagio - Underworld
Haken - Visions
Angra - Temple of Shadows
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yes, that's what I was talking about.
 
Phil S. said:
I'm a HUGE fan of Yes. I like everything from the original Yes album, Close to the Edge, Relayer, to more pop-like stuff from the '80s and early '90s, to things like Open Your Eyes, The Ladder, and Magnification (the latter being so underrated). I also just got a chance to listen to Fly from Here, which I was hesitant to listen to because it was a major album with Jon Anderson on board. Regardless, it was an awesome album, and there was no track I disliked. However, Heaven and Earth was a big disappointment. It just didn't have much drama and intensity to it. It was like "Yes-lite" if that makes any sense.
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Yup.

Especially disappointing after watching them live last year, one would think playing their proggier material live would inspire them to make another album in that vein, but nope.
 
I've been a big fan of Riverside since discovering them last year and today I wanted something similar so I googled "bands like Riverside."

This led me to Indukti and holy shit are they good. Their first album just so happens to have the Riverside lead vocalist on it (when they actually have any vocals) and I'm just loving this stuff.

Also looking in to Quidam and Osada Vida.

The only annoying thing is actually finding a place to buy this stuff. Being in Australia means I either have to pay crazy prices for imported CDs or try and find ways to trick music stores in to letting me purchase outside of my store region.
 
This new Skyharbor album is pretty good.

744_14086226800542f72c6rz4.jpg
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Skyharbor - The Constant
 
So what makes a progressive rock band? Playing something where the musicians push themselves to perform difficult songs?

I know some of Rush's songs are pretty complex for rock music, but I really couldn't tell you anything else about the genre...
 
Progressive rock is about bringing a wider "palette" to the music through more complex harmonies and progressions (often via several key changes) and time signature changes. A high degree of musicianship is definitely needed to facilitate that, although I think that aspect often gets overstated when you consider that this is just as valued in other types of rock and metal.
 
For something a little different, I was looking for some prog rock with indian/eastern influences and stumbled upon this lost early 70's gem from Wulf Zendik.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bc4WhrdYcA

I think it's really cool! Not really prog rock as such, but you guys might find it interesting. From the youtube description: Stylistically it provides a curious medley between dense buzzing drone ragas, fuzzed out psych rock and avant-garde theatrical lyrics.
 
Does anyone have any recommendations for prog metal bands that heavily feature the violin? Ne Obliviscaris is an example of what I'm looking for.
 
Poimandres said:
For something a little different, I was looking for some prog rock with indian/eastern influences and stumbled upon this lost early 70's gem from Wulf Zendik.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bc4WhrdYcA

I think it's really cool! Not really prog rock as such, but you guys might find it interesting. From the youtube description: Stylistically it provides a curious medley between dense buzzing drone ragas, fuzzed out psych rock and avant-garde theatrical lyrics.
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Garaj Mahal is great for this, just stumbled on to their music, extremely tight 4 man group. They released a lot of their music freely on torrents and at high quality as well. Was messing around downloading some of their 24 bit recordings on Archive.org last night.

Here's a youtube link, to be honest, they are more Fusion Jazz/Funk than prog rock, but they're a killer group and have the influences you're looking for.

Also, can never go wrong with John McLaughlin's work on Shakti, Joy.
 
Anyone even slightly interested in modern progressive rock needs to check out the Swedish band Kaipa if you haven't already. They aren't all that well-known (I myself had pretty much missed them until earlier this year), but man, do they deserve to be! It's an absolutely wonderful brand of melodic progressive rock with a major folk music influence, and also some more jazzy stuff here and there. The band has changed quite a bit over the years since they started out in the '70s, and in fact there are two Kaipas now: A modern line-up that was formed about 15 years ago when one of the original founders "rebooted" the band (this is now the "real" Kaipa that still makes new music), and a classic-but-new line-up (called Kaipa Da Capo) that includes more of the original members and recently started playing their old material live (I saw them back in October, it was really fun). Personally I actually like modern Kaipa better - the music is just a bit more structured, a bit more melodic, a bit more fun - but it's all good stuff.

Their latest album is called "Sattyg", and is probably my album of the year. Truly brilliant stuff!

To give you a quick taste, just listen to the instrumental part playing at the start of this video (right after they stop joking around):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPrCPvduJ7w

If that doesn't do it for you, I don't know what will! To me this is completely irresistible. When that guitar comes in, it just fills me up with happy feelings. And all of their later albums are full of stuff like this.

So yeah, buy "Sattyg", and then also their other albums (or check them out on Spotify - the '70s stuff isn't on there though). IMO their 4 latest or so (from "Angling Feelings" and forward) are the best they've done, but that's me!
 
RoadHazard said:
Anyone even slightly interested in modern progressive rock needs to check out the Swedish band Kaipa if you haven't already.
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I've learned about them few months ago. One of the songs from "In The Wake of Evolution" appeared on my radio on Spotify and it intrigued me enough to check the full album; and then their other albums. In the end, according to Spotify's "Year in music", it was my most played band in Autumn. :D

I agree with you, they are wonderful.
 
Mr_Zombie said:
I've learned about them few months ago. One of the songs from "In The Wake of Evolution" appeared on my radio on Spotify and it intrigued me enough to check the full album; and then their other albums. In the end, according to Spotify's "Year in music", it was my most played band in Autumn. :D

I agree with you, they are wonderful.
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Awesome!
 
Oh hey, I didn't know we had a prog thread. I'm gonna lurk here now. :P

My favorite "classic" prog bands would be King Crimson, Genesis, and Gentle Giant, but I like a lot of prog and prog-adjacent music. Prog is kind of a weird genre to properly define, I feel like it's more to do with the creator's mindset than anything.

Glad to see some mentions of Cardiacs in here. Probably my favorite band ever, even if Tim Smith didn't consider them prog. :P

The early bird catches the worm, does the worm think that's the way we all go?
 
Skimming through this thread makes me miss how some video games used to take heavy inspiration from Prog Rock music in the 80s and early 90s. I think I've said this in another thread in the game boards, but damn, I'd kill for an adventure title with full Prog Rock score. Something like the early Genesis stuff, or King Crimson. Screw modern status quo and their taste, give me something like that, dammit!!
 
MagnaderAlpha said:
Skimming through this thread makes me miss how some video games used to take heavy inspiration from Prog Rock music in the 80s and early 90s. I think I've said this in another thread in the game boards, but damn, I'd kill for an adventure title with full Prog Rock score. Something like the early Genesis stuff, or King Crimson. Screw modern status quo and their taste, give me something like that, dammit!!
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Prog Brutal Legend would be incredible. Imagine exploring Roger Dean-inspired floating islands and then heading down to to the medieval English countryside to watch Peter Gabriel frolic. You fight by hitting people with a hammond organ.
 
teruterubozu said:
It's very good.

Skyharbor - Allure

The Contortionist new album is very good too.

The Contortionist - Language I: Intuition
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Hey, some really solid recommendations. Nice vocalist. Thanks.

Yagharek said:
Subbed as well. Been in the mood for expanding the playlist beyond DT and Pink Floyd.
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jambo said:
Riverside really scratched the 70s Pink Floyd itch for me, just with a heavier edge to it.

The guitarist is wonderful.
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I second the recommendation of Riverside. Try Opeth and Haken too. Their last CDs are fucking insane.


I pretty much love anything similar to program rock/metal. Meaning that fusion jazz will scratch the itch for me, for example. I like the site progarchives for their variety of bands and styles.

If you guys have other recommendations, pls.
 
Listening to older Prog Rock and newer ones, I think I've come to the personal conclusion that I don't like the "sound" of new music. And odd, it's not particularly new. I think up to the mid-80s, the use of sound in music kinda took a shift. I'm not skilled in studio craftsmanship, but perhaps it was a more "produced" unified sound and abandonment of "stereo" sound. Not strictly to Prog Rock, but I like my music where it feels like the instruments are floating around you and you can pick each sound out distinctively from each other(particularly the way stereo sound plays with their placement around you). It just sounds "cleaner" to me, and is fuckin' awesome to listen to in surround sound or headphones. Mid-80s and onward, it really feels like music was trying hard to push it's way into using a more universal "wall of sound" technique, which became the standard for ALL genres. I just... don't care for that. I want to hear the guitar riffs tickle my eardrums, the bass vibe my veins and the drum beats echo in my stomach. Course, this is coming from someone not in the industry, just an average Joe picking up the difference he's heard through his life spent listening to music.
 
The new Anathema album is really good too. Surprised they're barely mentioned in this thread, they're an excellent band.

I've never really considered Rush to be full-on prog. Sure they're influential to the genre, but a bunch of rock bands were doing concept albums back in the day.
 
The record label Kscope released a label sampler (Kscope Volume 6) for free on bandcamp: http://www.kscopemusic.bandcamp.com/

The CD contains songs from 2014 albums of Anathema, Gazpacho, The Pineapple Thief, Steven Wilson, Lunatic Soul, North Atlantic Oscillation, ENGINEERS, Se Delan, Nordic Giants and Iamthemorning.
 
I'm pretty much a sucker for anything that has Mellotron in it, which happens to be most prog bands (from the 70's anyways). The Moody Blues are my favorite, but I haven't sifted through the whole of this thread to see if there's any other fans.

I'm always up to hear new Mellotron tracks though if anyone has some to share. :)
 
Chickadee said:
I'm pretty much a sucker for anything that has Mellotron in it, which happens to be most prog bands (from the 70's anyways). The Moody Blues are my favorite, but I haven't sifted through the whole of this thread to see if there's any other fans.

I'm always up to hear new Mellotron tracks though if anyone has some to share. :)
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You should check out Spock's Beard if you haven't, they have a lot of that!
 
Any fans of Uz Jsme Doma here? I've been getting into them recently, because they were compared to Cardiacs, and I'm addicted enough to that band I will seek out anything compared to them.

I can definitely hear where the Cardiacs comparison comes from. They've got a similar "punky, circusy, manic, super complex, but strangely catchy" sound, and they've even got a sax! Though they're less English eccentric and more, well, Czech eccentric. :P I also hear some Residents, Pere Ubu, Zappa, etc. in there. Really cool RIO band.

Seem like a great live act, too.
 
teruterubozu said:
The new Anathema album is really good too. Surprised they're barely mentioned in this thread, they're an excellent band.
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I liked maybe two songs from their latest record.

We're Here Because We're Here was perfect and after that they've been unsuccesfully trying to replicate what made it so special since.

Weather Systems was good though.
 
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