What is Modern Prog Missing?

The sheer range of other musical genres to sample and hybridise with various forms of rock, that were available in the late 60's - now a lot of melding together has been done already (and often done to death) but there are some still to go. The Mars Volta found it, Krimson continue to find it, while on the jazz rock fusion side, the examples of  Bugge Wesseltoft and Acoustic Ladyland  have discovered pastures new.

Then there are the motherlodes which bands tapped in the 60's and 70's, then essentially abandoned them, and now new bands have rediscovered those motherlodes and tapping something fresh from them - rather than simply recycling music that had already been refined.  But here there is more personal opinion as to whether a band is recycling or digging deeper into the original motherlode;  from my perspective Anekdoten found something new in the Red period Krimson (esp with Nucleus), while David Cross has reopened the Larks Tongue seam with Closer Than Skin (out today!!!), while the Minnesota-based Whoopgnash are finding riches from the seam  worked by the 80's Allan Holdsworth's IOU band.

BaldFriede wrote: What I have heard of modern prog so far makes the answer simple: The daring is gone.  No-one really tries weird experiments anymore. I'd gladly be convinced of the opposite; name something that you think is original and daring. All I heard so far of modern prog is simply hollow.

You're listening to the wrong groups, Friede! 5uu's, Absolute Zero, After Crying, Alamaailman Vasarat... I'm not even out of the A's yet! There's a LOT of daring modern music out there if you know where to look.

BaldFriede wrote: What I have heard of modern prog so far makes the answer simple: The daring is gone.  No-one really tries weird experiments anymore. I'd gladly be convinced of the opposite; name something that you think is original and daring. All I heard so far of modern prog is simply hollow.

You haven't heard The Mars Volta yet, obviously.

Fragile wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: Fragile wrote: I like a lot of modern day prog bands but the glaring missing ingredient for me is in the vocal department.There are no great singers anymore.No one with the outstanding vocal talents that the great 70's bands had.No Andersons,Hammills or Gabriels etc ....   No offense, but they SUCK sometimes. Yesterday I listened to the Keneally/Gilbert version of Siberian Khatru and was blown away by the vocal arrangements ... I hadn't noticed how great they were because the sloppy intonation of Anderson distracted me. It annoys me very much, others might not even notice it. Russell Allen, Daniel Gildenlow, Mike Baker, Neal Morse, Mikael Ackerfeldt, Roine Stolt, Hasse Froberg, Steven Wilson, Damien Wilson ... just a small selection of modern prog vocalists that sing with great passion and emotion.  These guys you mention may indeed sing with passion and emotion that was not my point. None of them are great singers.

Can you seriously say that Daniel Gildenlow isn't a great singer? I hope Man Overboard doesn't see this thread!

And Mikael Åkerfeldt is one of the greatest singers of all time. What a ridiculous comment by Fragile.

BaldFriede wrote: What I have heard of modern prog so far makes the answer simple: The daring is gone.  No-one really tries weird experiments anymore. I'd gladly be convinced of the opposite; name something that you think is original and daring. All I heard so far of modern prog is simply hollow.

The problem is that "prog" is a genre that's more than thirty years old. I could give you tons of examples of daring, experimental albums ... but people would start complaining that it's not "traditional" prog. The bands of the 70s had two advantages: a) most musicians used drugs ... I don't approve of that, but it helps you to sound more daring, and b) there were no real references. Jon Anderson can sing "I get up, I get down" or "Daaaaaa Dup", and it was truly original.

What do you think about Fantomas debut album? It IS truly inventive, progressive and daring.

Trouserpress wrote: BaldFriede wrote: What I have heard of modern prog so far makes the answer simple: The daring is gone.  No-one really tries weird experiments anymore. I'd gladly be convinced of the opposite; name something that you think is original and daring. All I heard so far of modern prog is simply hollow. You're listening to the wrong groups, Friede! 5uu's, Absolute Zero, After Crying, Alamaailman Vasarat... I'm not even out of the A's yet! There's a LOT of daring modern music out there if you know where to look.

Well, I'm not sure I can trust you. You usually have a good taste when it comes to old prog, but you have also made some blatant wrong judgements (or should I say you have some blind spots?) But at least we agree about Camel.

Teaflax wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: Russell Allen, Daniel Gildenlow, Mike Baker, Neal Morse, Mikael Ackerfeldt, Roine Stolt, Hasse Froberg, Steven Wilson, Damien Wilson ... just a small selection of modern prog vocalists that sing with great passion and emotion.    Oh, sweet Lord. I think Stolt is an awful singer, with a forced vibrato, sloppy phrasing and atrocious prounciation. Fröberg is a bit better, but still manages to sounds strained 75% of the time. I've only head Gildenlöw on FK's Adam and Eve, but he did not impress. Also, what I've heard of Neal Morse is very Rawking-hoarse.   Anybody who plays music for the love of playing it (and there are precious few other reasons to play Prog music these days) will show passion and emotion. THis has absolutely nothing to do with skill, range, phrasing or usage of the voice.

Come on ... as if all the 70s prog singers have superior skill, range, phrasing etc.´

Personally, I don't like Stolt either. The pronunciation is bad, the same applies to the whole Krautrock genre.

If you've only heard Gildenlow on the FK album, you've only heard 5% of his singing.

MikeEnRegalia wrote: Come on ... as if all the 70s prog singers have superior skill, range, phrasing etc.

If you want a straight answer to the question of this topic "What is modern prog missing?" - I can reply immediately: "NOTHING!"

I am huge fan of 70's prog, and sometimes I have this feeling that in 70's something wonderful was happening high above, probably all stars were in such unique position creating immensly fertile ground for development of music on Earth. And thereafter in 80's something terrible happened and everything in music (with rare exclusion) has gone all wrong. But this is my metaphysical approach.

As to modern prog - I can assure you that there are many modern prog bands composing and performing music of highest degree, and their number is increasing by the day. I could give you many examples, but it's not what I want to express here.

All this moaning and groaning: "Oh, No, They can't / don't make it anymore these days..." can suit only quite overaged stubborn misanthrope, which I'm sure you are not.

I am also sure that balance (or rather percentage) between Genius/Mediocrity/Rubbish remains the same today as it was 30 years ago.

Also you should take into consideration small psychological factor that it is much easier (for intelligent person of course) to brand "GENIUS" someone who is already dead and gone than a contemporary.