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Rick5 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post 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? 



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omphaloskepsis View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post 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.Wink
 


Edited by omphaloskepsis - December 03 2016 at 09:16
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zravkapt View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2016 at 10:15
Have you ever tried...

Nektar
5uu's
Beardfish
Birds And Buildings
Motorpsycho
SBB
Cherry Five
Il Balletto di Bronzo
Alphataurus
Eskaton

Magma America Great Make Again
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Direct Link To This Post 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
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timothy leary View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2016 at 10:58
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Quinino View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2016 at 11:30
Originally posted by Rick5 Rick5 wrote:

Hi All,

I recently discovered Moon Safari and do like a lot of what I am hearing so far. 



We share this, so I think you will probably enjoy Airbag and Anubis

Good listening !
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Rick5A View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post 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!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 03 2016 at 22:47
I guess some Rock Progressivo Italiano might work well enough. Banco to begin with, perhaps?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 10 2016 at 08:18
This is a new old-school prog band from Iceland. You might like them.

https://lucyinblue.bandcamp.com/releases
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 10 2016 at 11:43
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
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Rick5A View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 10 2016 at 13:09
Originally posted by AFlowerKingCrimson 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.
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Rick5A View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 10 2016 at 13:10
Originally posted by EverythingInStereo EverythingInStereo wrote:

This is a new old-school prog band from Iceland. You might like them.

https://lucyinblue.bandcamp.com/releases

Will check it out!
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rushfan4 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 10 2016 at 13:33
Sylvan - Posthumous Silence
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Direct Link To This Post 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. 
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omphaloskepsis View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post 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? 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 04 2017 at 06:17
I'd recommend:

Steven Wilson (especially solo albums)
The Pineapple Thief 
Il Rumore Bianco (the albums Antropocene and Mediocrazia)
Iamthemorning
the albums Heritage and Pale Communion by Opeth
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