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Progaholic2 View Drop Down
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Points: 32 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Melody and Songwriting - assistance needed
    Posted: January 21 2017 at 07:50
Hi Ladies and Gents

I am finding it increasingly difficult to find prog bands that have the faintest clue how to write a descent song, (a 30 second intro to a 30 minute epic). 

Every time I listen to a track, I just know that the the first line of music will be repeated in the second line and quite often the 3rd line, (e.g: In the air tonight - a bad example I know but you see what I'm saying).

The next thing is the structure: we seem to be going back to the old verse chorus verse chorus format. So f**king boring.

I don't really care about the lyrics, it's a bonus if their imaginative, but the music comes first.
There are a couple of exceptions that I've come across - Cirrus Bay, (the guy behind the band, Bill Gillham, is one of the few composers who understands the importance of interesting chord-progressions. Also, Wobbler don't fall into the predictable structure catagory. Their stuff isn't all good, but sometimes they really hit the mark.

So....I need your help. I love symphonic/folk,neo prog and I would REALLY appreciate some suggestions of bands that fit the above. 

Many thanks
Roger
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andreol263 View Drop Down
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Points: 790 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 08:04
Give a listen to the newest album from Mike Oldfield, you definitly should like it :D
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Magnum Vaeltaja View Drop Down
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Points: 6777 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 21 2017 at 08:57
Originally posted by Progaholic2 Progaholic2 wrote:

I am finding it increasingly difficult to find prog bands that have the faintest clue how to write a descent song, (a 30 second intro to a 30 minute epic). 

Every time I listen to a track, I just know that the the first line of music will be repeated in the second line and quite often the 3rd line, (e.g: In the air tonight - a bad example I know but you see what I'm saying).

The next thing is the structure: we seem to be going back to the old verse chorus verse chorus format. So f**king boring.

So....I need your help. I love symphonic/folk,neo prog


Well, there's your problem! LOL

Embarrassed Joking aside, I have found some modern symphonic/symphonic-y prog that I was personally quite impressed by. Hopefully you'll find them to be of interest: 

Karfagen - Spektra
Gustavo Santhiago - Animam
Sanhedrin - Ever After
when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents
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moshkito View Drop Down
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Points: 16125 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 23 2017 at 06:56
Originally posted by Progaholic2 Progaholic2 wrote:

...
I am finding it increasingly difficult to find prog bands that have the faintest clue how to write a decent song, (a 30 second intro to a 30 minute epic). 
...

Kinda scary to see this mentioned here, specially when the comment specifically shows a "format", and a lot of the original "progressive" and "prog" was not exactly about the "format", although they still followed a lot of generically known formats. I've always liked the comment from the guitarist in AD2 that in their early days, they did not like the rock thing, and were using, instead, a lot of the ideas and concepts in classical music, instead of a song format, and those are extremely clear all the way to Vive La Trance's first half of the album. 

And then the band died!

The worst, FOR ME, is a 30 second introduction that is NEVER EVER used again in the rest of the piece ... a "show-off" piece that has no relation whatsoever to the rest of the piece. For me, this kinda breaks the mood of the band, and has a tendency to turn me off them almost completely, and there are too many "prog" bands that rely on that kind of thing.

I much more appreciate an "epic", that does not need to have a lead in ... to TELL US ... that we're going to have an epic piece ... I find that rather boring, actually ... like we're not smart enough to know and understand that and as a "fan/topofthepops" audience, we have to be TOLD, that we are going to have an epic now!

I'm not paying for that. 


Edited by moshkito - January 23 2017 at 06:56
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com
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Progaholic2 View Drop Down
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Points: 32 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 25 2017 at 13:40
Magnum Vaeltaja - thanks for the suggestions. I have checked out all three. Unfortunately, Karfagen and Gustavo Santhiago appear to produce solely instrumental music. I tend to shy away from instumental bands simply because the melody has to be really really good if there are are no vocals - vintage Enid springs to mind. Sanhedrin confused me because there's a dreadful death-metal band by the same name. I've given 'Ever After' a brief listen and it sounds really good.... but again it's instrumental aaargh. Anyway, thankyou again. 

Moshkito - thanks for your comment, fraid I didn't understand it, and you made no effort to suggest bands that fit my required description.

Andreol263 - Mike Oldfield is unquestionably a genius, but I gave up on him after the original Ommadawn. Initially he became self-indulgent with Incantations, then he got lazy with rubbish like Crises. I understand his most recent album is pretty good, but I really want to discover something brilliant and new. Thanks for your comment.

All good wishes to you all
Rog
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randomguy_90 View Drop Down
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Points: 11 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 26 2017 at 12:47
If you're looking for unique, melodic modern prog, might I highly recommend the following records:

The Tea Club - especially their Rabbit,Quickly Quickly Quickly, and Grappling albums.
Farmhouse Odyssey - Rise of the Waterfoul
Ampledeed - BYOB
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Progaholic2 View Drop Down
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Points: 32 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 28 2017 at 13:52
randomguy_90. Thankyou for your suggestions. The tea club sound interesting and I found a cheap copy of quickly quickly quickly on ebay which I've ordered. Farmhouse odyssey sound truly awful. Ampledeed's lyrics are vulgar so i wouldn't touch them with a bargepole. Thanks very much for your suggestions, I'll let you know what I think of the Tea Club album when it arrives.
All good wishes
Roger
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Dellinger View Drop Down
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Points: 12581 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: January 28 2017 at 20:27
One that I really loved and is one of my favourites from the last years is "The Final Breath Before November" from Edison's Children.
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