Anti-Mood Music: The Rejection Of Environment

excellent OP, really well thought-out and often true, and could be a good sidenote in any Prog definition

Pop music that cannot be appropriately played at a party for the demographic it's aimed at, whether they were born in the 70s or the 90s or anything else, is I think you'll agree, not a successful example of pop music.

Originally posted by Atavachron excellent OP, really well thought-out and often true, and could be a good sidenote in any Prog definition

Well, obviously you can't put Kayo Dot and things alike to boost a party, at least with the parties I usually go, which is just sad, but that does not means that prog, or, as a matter of fact, almost any kind of music fits that rather anti-social description!

It is a great experience to be with friends of mine that like prog rock/metal/jazz/whatever and enjoy the day.

Perhaps some here do differently but in my experience even progheads don't play prog at parties because prog requires too much of their attention.

Originally posted by Textbook Perhaps some here do differently but in my experience even progheads don't play prog at parties because prog requires too much of their attention.

This is true. I wouldn't put on, for example Pawn Hearts, at a party. Sure, I know the album thoroughly and enjoy it even as background music, but I'm pretty sure that the people hearing it for the first time won't enjoy it very much when they can't even concentrate to it.
On the other hand, I often play some not so demanding prog with friends. Spock's Beard, for example, has had a pretty good reception

Originally posted by Textbook Perhaps some here do differently but in my experience even progheads don't play prog at parties because prog requires too much of their attention.

Yeah, but proghead's parties are lame. We sit around on a couch and listen to The Flower Kings

This is a very interesting topic, I'll share my point of view.

First of all, music and so is prog is art. Art comes from artifical, thus FAKE. A better way to discribe it is representative: with A (music) we'll disribe B (mood, atmosphere). Creating art that doesn't discribe a known B, but an obscure or new mood/atmosphere is in my point of view a highly developed sense of art. Still this isn't easy to accept of most of the people, that's just the way it is. I myself find this to very interesting to the extend that music doesn't have to be very nice or beautifull if it is representing something abstract that I find interesting itself (I like a fictional B).

Futhermore I'l like to add that the moods or places that fit with not-prog music aren't human, but a product of human culture. If prog would be a part of every children television show and the like, prog may become known human culture and progressive parties would come to existence for shure. It might even led to the acceptence of the discribe anti-moods as moods, for even some of our moods are cultural. Moods can come to existince just by creating a word for it.

I'd like to finish with saying that prog can be very suitable of parties, only not every form of it. I'd never turn on symphoprog, for it is not rythmical enough. Instread try Can, Mike Oldfield or some proto-prog like Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, early Eloy, early Grobschnitt, Beatles, Traffic. Also most of my fusion collection is suitable for parties: Gong's fusion period, Herbie Hancock (very stylish!), Billy Cobham and Solution.

Originally posted by fortyninedays I'd say that forms of popular music transport people to a certain environment/atmosphere not because such ideas are inherent in the sounds and textures but because they have been arbitrarily associated with the cultures/identities that prefer those environments - often by way of both subliminal and overt influences, be they commercial, cultural, etc. Thus I feel prog is much more authentic in communicating even moods common to everyone - but also moods experienced by those of a greater mental scope. The musicians also try to communicate new or previously unexpressed moods, or just create music for the sake of progress itself. In other words, most popular music is the product of biased cultural tools who listen to forms of music because they consciously or not associate it with their identities. They are lacking the introspective ability to see where and how they are manipulated, and so in short these cookie cutter people listen to cookie cutter music. Popular music is much like different languages, arbitrary sounds meant to convey meaning, and in my opinion this makes it often bland, clumsy, and/or meaningless. Prog often (at least attempts to) transcend the limits that language has, or enhances the use of language(lyrics), by using sound that intuitively has an inherent meaning. At least thats what I figure from some quick, improvised reasoning.

Excellent post certainly, and I agree with the idea that the listener can often identify with a musical style as befitting their own self image rather than connecting with any music on a purely aesthetic level. However, some of those who profess a love for prog are just as guilty of this phenomenon as those who choose to identify with popular music styles. Just because you are aware of being manipulated does not make you invulnerable to it's remit. It's a bit like denouncing all journalism as base and false: so what periodicals are you gonna buy to obtain credible news sourced by those of a greater mental scope ? (unless you start yer own that is...)