Prog with odd instrumentation
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=105468
Printed Date: August 09 2025 at 06:47
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Topic: Prog with odd instrumentation
Posted By: Magnum Vaeltaja
Subject: Prog with odd instrumentation
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 18:33
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I'm in the mood to venture away from the guitar-bass-drum-keyboard-vocal lineup that most prog bands use. Does anyone have any recommendations for prog bands/albums/songs that prominently use obscure or unusual instruments? The less conventional, the better. ------------- when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents |
Replies:
Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 19:08
Univers Zero? ------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: Magnum Vaeltaja
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 19:19
Sounds like an eclectic lineup. I may check them out. Where would you recommend I start with them? ------------- when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents |
infocat wrote:Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 19:27
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^My favorite is Heresie Univers Zero is very much what you want. Also, I'm thinking of Frank Zappa's precious improv with Jean Luc Ponty, which combines baritone violin with bouzouki, but it's the last track in the Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar box set filled with lots of conventional guitar-base-drums. Nevertheless, give it a listen: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fmN9MR0l75k The Jade Warrior song Lost Boys off the album, Now, has John Field playing some sort of exotic flute. I can't really discern whether it is a Native American flute or of the Japanese bamboo variety, but very cool. John Field also plays a lot exotic percussion in general throughout many of the Jade Warrior albums. |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 19:38
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Ceux Du Dehors is their masterpiece. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 19:44
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Knifeworld - it has bassoon Thinking Plague - guitar, bass, drums, oboe Aranis - Accordion, Double Bass, Flute, Guitar, Violin VDGG - Keys, Drums, Double Sax, Guitar Tangerine Dream - lots of synchs Alec K Redfearn & The Eyesores - Accordion, French Horn, Double Bass, Guitar, Drums ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 20:13
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Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 22:27
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In Spe uses a typewriter on their appropriately named 'Typewriter Concerto' album. Tyrannosaurus Rex has a Pixiephone (toy gramophone) on 'Unicorn'. Verdun employs several traditional Vietnamese acoustic instruments on their only album. Adaro features the hurdy-gurdy prominently on all their records. Fractal has quite a bit of Chinese violin (Erhu) on several of their songs. I have one of these, they're fun to play. Gjallarhorn use a bunch of traditional Nordic and aboriginal instruments. And I think Faun even makes some of their own instruments. ------------- "Peace is the only battle worth waging." Albert Camus |
Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: January 09 2016 at 23:50
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Sleepytime Gorilla Museum uses home made instruments. Codona (and other raga rock) used many indigenous instruments from around the world Mr. Bungle used everything they could find Unexpect was fairly adventurous with violins for an extreme metal band Zaar uses a hurdy gurdy on their one album that's just a few off the top my head but really progressive rock is a genre of music and that means music usually has characteristics that put it here for crazy music that has different instruments usually falls into the experimental rock category |
Posted By: sublime220
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 01:41
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For UZ, start with Uzed. It's their most accessible and then dive straight into Ceux and Heresie like Nogbad and HackettFan mentioned for their best. Clivages and Heatwave are awesome too.
------------- There is no dark side in the moon, really... Matter of fact, it's all dark... |
Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 05:47
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Check out the run of four albums put out by Jade Warrior on Island Records between 1974 and 1978: Floating World, Waves, Kites and Way of the Sun. Here you'll find all forms of flutes, every kind of Western, Asian and African percussion you can think of, harps, massed choirs and occasionally sax, brass and violins. Not to mention occasional storming electric guitar interjections from Tony Duhig. The music is other-worldly, kind of New Age / World Music before those categories really existed. But it's absorbing. Personally I would start with Kites or Floating World. |
Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 06:08
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If you're open to some jazz-rock with Canterbury and Zappa influences, the album Schnörgl Attahk by Camembert is great fun: https://altrockproductions.bandcamp.com/album/schn-rgl-attahk" rel="nofollow -
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Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 06:24
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I would also suggest checking out Ut Gret, starting with their recent album Ancestors' Tale: https://altrockproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ancesters-tale" rel="nofollow - https://altrockproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ancesters-tale There's a smorgasbord of reed instruments on show here, including the mighty contra-bassoon, as well as flute, violin, vibes and marimba. Excellent album and easy to get into - they are categorised as RIO/avant here, but this is definitely at the user-friendly end of that spectrum. Previous album Radical Symmetry adds sitar, cello and bouzouki. The triple CD compilation of earlier, more experimental work Recent Fossils has everything but the kitchen sink, including prominent use of home-made gamelan instruments. |
Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 06:33
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For something closer to home, but further 'out', try Blituri from Montreal: https://blituri.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - https://blituri.bandcamp.com/ Instruments employed are clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe, alto and soprano sax, guitar, bass, synthesizer, vibraphone, French horn, drums and percussion. This is avant-garde chamber rock, but excellent if that's within your bag.
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Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 06:47
A resounding  for your mention of the sublime Ut Gret - not just fantastic musicians, but a delightful bunch of people. A couple more personal faves with idiosyncratic instrumentation (which I have grown to prefer to the traditional one): Jack O'The Clock (hammer dulcimer and bassoon!) and Rêve Général (strings with guitar and drums). Bandcamp links below for your listening pleasure: https://jackotheclock.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - https://jackotheclock.bandcamp.com/ http://altrockproductions.bandcamp.com/album/howl" rel="nofollow - https://altrockproductions.bandcamp.com/album/howl //www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" rel="nofollow - |
Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 06:53
Yeah - in that vein, and really outside the ambit of prog and well into the realms of the experimental / unlistenable, here's a bit from ZGA of Riga: As I understand it they build all their own instruments from stuff they find in scrapyards.
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Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 07:10
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Gentle Giant with the shubbury, and other instruments are a good contnder, early Supertramp use balalaika or someting -------------  
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Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 08:09
All great suggestions, highly recommended. If you like World music then Dirk Mont Campbell has releases two albums, Music From a Walled Garden & Music From a Round Tower. Walled Garden features a lot of unusual instrumentation including flutes, reeds, shawms, lutes, primitive trumpets, animal horns, bagpipes and percussion. Cello and piano make the occasional appearance along with Baroque violin and Irish flute, West African harp (kora) and east African lyre (nyatiti)* ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 08:10
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Jaga Jazzist, -------------
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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 12:37
| That ZGA is pretty wild! I would also recommend Roz Vitalis which i am reviewing at the moment. The current album for exampel that i'm writing a review for "Patience Of Hope" has not only the standard instruments but has lots of flutes, harp, metallophone, gusli, cello, clarinets, bassoon, flugelhorn and sax all rolled into a free flowing pleasantry |
Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 13:07
This sounds really interesting and I'd no idea it existed - thanks for posting it. |
Posted By: Prog Snob
Date Posted: January 10 2016 at 13:19
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How about Ozric Tentacles? ------------- 
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Posted By: Bérghem
Date Posted: January 13 2016 at 08:24
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You should listen to Basta! "Oggetto di studio": drums, guitar, bass guitar, clarinet and melodion (you can listen to their record here http://www.bastapuntoesclamativo.it/music/) ------------- E per tutti il dolore degli altri è un dolore a metà |
Posted By: backtothegarden
Date Posted: January 13 2016 at 09:46
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The Canadian band FM uses violins instead of guitars. They've been around since the 70s, but they just put a record out last year called Transformation that's pretty good. Couldn't find the track on youtube, but the song "Reboot Reawaken" was my favorite from that album. Note that there is also a British band named FM that sounds like Def Leppard. That band is not so much what you're seeking.
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Posted By: Replayer
Date Posted: January 13 2016 at 10:38
| Gryphon recorded interesting medieval prog using instruments such as crumhorn, bassoon, recorder and mandolin in addition to the standard electric guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. I highly recommend their instrumental album Red Queen to Gryphon Three. |
Posted By: Magnum Vaeltaja
Date Posted: January 14 2016 at 15:45
Gotta love Gryphon! Red Queen to Gryphon Three is a classic. In fact, their quirky instrumentation combined with my recent adventures into Gentle Giant's earlier works was part of the reason why I made this thread. ------------- when i was a kid a doller was worth ten dollers - now a doller couldnt even buy you fifty cents |
Posted By: Replayer
Date Posted: January 14 2016 at 18:04
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In that case, here are a few more suggestions: Art Zoyd, a RIO/electronic/neo-classical/Zeuhl group with jazz influences. They started out playing chamber music, but have become more electronic-oriented since the 80s. I only listened to Metropolis, their 2002 soundtrack to the 1927 film (they're that kind of group). Their 1997 album Häxan has a 4.61 rating on PA. Three consecutive Tangerine Dream albums: Stratosfear, Cyclone and Force Majeure. Stratosfear features unusual instruments for progressive electronic music: harpsichord, mouth organ, 12 string guitar, and grand piano. The last two are their two most prog rock influenced albums. On Cyclone, newcomer Steve Jolliffe is responsible for bass flute, C-flute, piccolo, cor anglais, bass clarinet, Hohner clavinet, Elka string synth, Grand piano, Fender Rhodes, Roland System-100 synth, Tenor & Soprano horns, lyricon (an early flute-shaped MIDI-like synth controller). And vocals! On a Tangerine Dream album! The vocals are a little unusual and this is often a love it or hate album. Force Majeure features electric guitar, drums, and piano, which are common rock instruments, but not in progressive electronic music. The recording engineer also contributes cello. Since you mentioned you like medieval instrumentation, you might want to check out French acts Alan Stivell, Tri Yann, Seven Reizh and Malicorne. The first three are Breton groups, so expect Celtic flavor, but Alan Stivell and Seven Reizh also have world music influences. http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=1444297" rel="nofollow - Here is my review of Seven Reizh's latest album and make sure to check the album's instrument list. All three of the band's albums are excellent and highly recommended. Alan Stivell plays Celtic harp and is responsible for its revival in France. I only own a couple of his albums, including the The Best of Alan Stivell. Tri Yann make extensive use of the binioù (Breton bagpipe), the flute and the violin. For Tri Yann, I recommend their medieval-influenced album Portraits as a good introduction to the band. Malicorne played prog-folk in the 1970's and I recommend their album Le Bestiare, which has several medieval/traditional compositions and features former Gryphon crumhorn and bassoon player Brian Gulland. Most band members were multi-instrumentalists and they played "crumhorns, recorders, violins, rebecs, dulcimers, harmoniums, autoharp, saxophone, hurdy-gurdy" (from the band's PA entry). There's also this British band that has a bearded guy who plays the flute and mandolin, but the name escapes me...
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