Progarchives.com has always (since 2002) relied on banners ads to cover web hosting fees and all. Please consider supporting us by giving monthly PayPal donations and help keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.
Joined: December 03 2016
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2
Topic: Looking for some recommendations Posted: December 03 2016 at 08:26
Hi All,
I have lurked here periodically and finally registered. I am long time (30 years or so) prog fan looking for some new recommendations. The bands I always listen to regularly are the following:
1) Yes (definitely my favorite band ever). 2) Gentle Giant (an extremely close second). 3) echolyn 4) The Flower Kings 5) Yezda Urfa 6) I have historically been a big King Crimson fan, but I haven't found myself listening to them much during recent years.
Stuff that I like some of, but not all of: 1) Magma 2) Anekdoten (I don't really like their most recent album) 3) Anathema
Stuff I have tried over the years and never really got into:
1) Genesis 2) Marillion 3) IQ 4) IZZ 5) Pink Floyd 6) Spock's Beard (I liked the first two albums)
I recently discovered Moon Safari and do like a lot of what I am hearing so far.
Stuff I don't like:
1) All prog metal. For example, I love Haken's song the "Coackroach King," but when their stuff starts to sound more metalish, I can't get into it.
The one common theme seems to be that I like a lot of vocal harmonies. Unfortunately, I find that when I try out different random bands, I generally don't like them (either they have metal elements or I can't take the vocals). Most of the prog I hear I do not like, but the stuff I end up liking is pure gold to me. Any recommendations?
Joined: October 19 2011
Location: Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 5902
Posted: December 03 2016 at 09:06
I'm in your corner. Love Yes, Moom Safari, and Vocal harmonies. There seems to be a moratorium on optimistic prog rock if you know what I mean? So without further adieu, here are some harmonic prog bands for your perusal.
2015 Barock Project's newest album Skyline... These guys are Italian, young, melodic, and very symphonic.
German band Seven Steps to the Green Door 2015 album Fetish is another winner.
2015 was a primo year for melodic prog with harmonic vocals? 3rd Degree's album... One's and Zeroes Vol 1 is another vintage treat from 2015.
If you dig pastoral melodic prog with vocal harmonies try Advent's...Silent Sentinel. Although American they have an English feel at times reminiscent of Gentle Giant.
My favorite album of 2016 is Gandalf Fist's ...Clockwork Fable. What a triple album masterpiece. A Steampunk prog rock musical! I compare the concept to Tommy and The Wall. Why? Because it's that detailed! Multiple singers. Great story! Love Every Song. I think I'll put it on now.
If you listen to those albums and like it, try out IO Earth's 2015 double album- New World. Harmonic, Symphonic, with world music influences.
Bottom Line? If you like vocal harmonies you're in for a treat because the last few years have born more pretty tonsiled vocals then the 90's and the early 2000's combined. Enjoy your treasure hunt.
Edited by omphaloskepsis - December 03 2016 at 09:16
Joined: July 01 2015
Location: Out East
Status: Offline
Points: 6777
Posted: December 03 2016 at 10:47
Right on, man! Your tastes seem right up my alley.
I'll have to second Zravkapt on Cherry Five. Very bright, upbeat, keyboard-driven prog that's a tad reminiscent of Yes. Phenomenal stuff. I'll also have to second Zravkapt on half the other stuff he listed. Birds and Buildings, SBB, Il Balletto Di Bronzo, and Eskaton are all top notch bands.
Some other ones that haven't been mentioned:
Gryphon - Their third album Red Queen To Gryphon Three is a perfect marriage of symphonic prog and pastoral, medieval-esque folk. It's all instrumental, but it should appease your Yes and Gentle Giant appreciation from a composition standpoint.
Anglagard - Very much an amalgam of all sorts of symphonic prog influences, these Swedish guys have a very dark, moody approach to their music. They have high standards of musicianship and composition in all of their work, and I think there are some slight Yes and King Crimson flavours in there that you may appreciate.
Et Cetera - A Quebecois band from the mid 70's that released just one album. The vocals are all in French, but the compositional approach is very Gentle Giant-like, and there are plenty of vocal harmonies to enjoy.
Maelstrom - A very similar band to Et Cetera, also hailing from Quebec. Check out the album Way Out for more Gentle Giant-influenced fun.
Trace - A 70's Dutch symphonic band with all sorts of keyboard wizardry to dig. Their album Birds is a little-known symphonic masterpiece.
Espiritu - Fantastic Argentinian symphonic band. Their debut album Crisalida has a very Yes-like approach.
And, if you haven't already, I highly recommend listening to the solo albums of Yes members. My top two are Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow and Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water. Both retain a lot of the Yes magic, with Anderson's focusing more on the storytelling and world building and Squire's focusing more on the instrumental side of Yes music.
when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents
Joined: December 03 2016
Location: Virginia Beach
Status: Offline
Points: 35
Posted: December 03 2016 at 12:30
Awesome! Thanks! I don't know what happened, but I couldn't log back in or retrieve my password so I set up a new account. Of the bands mentioned, I am familiar with these:
Advent Beardfish Birds and Buildings Gryphon Anglagard Et Cetera
Thanks for all of the great recommendations! There is plenty there for me to check out. I think I am going to be stuck on Seven Steps to the Green Door for a few days before I can move on to the others. I am listening to the album "Fetish" and cannot believe what I am hearing. Incredible stuff!
Have you ever really listened to the early Genesis albums though? I know you said you tried but my guess is maybe you just heard the pop radio hits and never bothered with the early albums with Peter Gabriel(and the first two with PC singing). I would say try "Selling England by the Pound" to start with.
Also, how about the Flower Kings? Great post seventies band who play in the traditional symph style.
Edit: Ok, I see where you mentioned the Flower Kings. I did not see you mention Van der Graaf Generator or Camel though. They are imo two of the best bands after the most obvious ones from the seventies.
Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - December 10 2016 at 11:45
Joined: December 03 2016
Location: Virginia Beach
Status: Offline
Points: 35
Posted: December 10 2016 at 13:09
AFlowerKingCrimson wrote:
Have you ever really listened to the early Genesis albums though? I know you said you tried but my guess is maybe you just heard the pop radio hits and never bothered with the early albums with Peter Gabriel(and the first two with PC singing). I would say try "Selling England by the Pound" to start with.
Also, how about the Flower Kings? Great post seventies band who play in the traditional symph style.
Edit: Ok, I see where you mentioned the Flower Kings. I did not see you mention Van der Graaf Generator or Camel though. They are imo two of the best bands after the most obvious ones from the seventies.
Yeah, I love the Flower Kings. I am familiar with early Genesis, Van der Graff Generator, and Camel. For whatever reasons, I never found myself wanting to listen to them regularly. They just never caught my ear the same way that bands like Yes, GG, and King Crimson did.
Joined: May 22 2007
Location: Michigan, U.S.
Status: Offline
Points: 65937
Posted: December 16 2016 at 04:39
Yesterday,
I was listening to the new The Syn album called Trustworks, and it reminded me a lot of Moon Safari, so I thought that I would recommend it to you. I happened to look at the back of the CD this morning and it says that it is produced by Moon Safari and Jonas Reingold (from The Flower Kings). It turns out that the album is Ralph Nardelli of The Syn backed by the entire Moon Safari band.
Joined: October 19 2011
Location: Texas
Status: Offline
Points: 5902
Posted: December 20 2016 at 16:52
It took me a few weeks but I checked out all the bands recommended. And I'm on a Christmas spending spree. like Rick5a, I'm partial to a splash of resplendent harmonies with my prog rock. Any more suggestions?
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
This page was generated in 0.457 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.