Prog categories not into? Get recommendations

I tried doing such a topic years ago for bands you are not into but it got very negative and side-tracked. Please try to stay on topic. Participate in the exercise or not. For this being detailed as to what you like and what didn't work helps. I thought of this, again, due to the Prog genres you dislike category. I tried to make a Zeuhl recommendation there based on what I think I know of one person's tastes.

Mention a category that you have not enjoyed, try to say something about what did not appeal and what you have tried, and then mention a variety of music that is to your taste.

I'll start. I commonly like atmospheric music and I can enjoy quirky music. I like lots of folk and electronic music, lots of soundtrack music, and music with psychedelic qualities. I like chamber rock and chamber music, a lot of art rock and art pop. I like jazzy music, a lot of classical. I also like lounge-y music. I like building crescendos often, I like ambience and nuance often. RIO/Avant, Krautrock, Canterbury Scene, Post-Rock, Prog Folk such as Spirogyra and Comus, Zeuhl, JRF such as Mwandishi Hancock, and Progressive Electronic are some of my favourite categories. Lots I like in Crossove and Eclectic... I like one sin post-metal such as Boris, maudlin of the Well and Neorosis. I love havy psych prog ones like Message and psych like Ghost...

These are but some of my favourite acts both in and out of PA:
Boards of Canada, Portishead, Fishmans, Swans, Weyes Blood, Beach House, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Art Zoyd, Magma, The Necks, Can, Stereolab, Radiohead, Dead Can Dance, Pram, Broadcast, Julia Holter, Natural Snow Buildings, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Talk Talk, William D. Drake, Richard Dawson, Peter Hammill, Vanishing Twin, Eskaton, Dun, Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, Robert Wyatt, David Bowie, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Joy Division, Cos, Air, Tangerine Dream, Ennio Morricone, Kosmisher Laufer, Igor Wakhevitch, Area, Chelsea Wolfe, Anna von Hausswolff, Egisto Macchi, Serge Gainsbourg, The Residents, Cardiacs, Dom, Van der Graaf Generator, Tortoise, Coil, Franco Battiato, King Crimson, Brave New World, Bubu, Kayo Dot, Univers Zero, Henry Cow, National Health, Soft Machine, Clivage...

I tend not to enjoy AORish music or kinds of arena rock.

I will go with Neo-Prog. My favourite band included in Prog Arhives Neo-Prog category is Duster (although I would not have thought of what I know from that band as Neo-Prog, more space rock revival and Neo-Psych, and slacker with post-rock qualities).

Here's a song I love by Duster:




Is there any Neo-Prog that one might suggest that I try? If it's post-rockish (don't go very rawkish), that might be a big plus.

Note: I don't want posts on finding music for yourself somehow without recommendations or other rabbitholes. That is not constructive for my aims, so don't post such things.

Links or embeds to specific music would be helpful (being as specific as possible is encouraged).

Hope someone else will have a go at this.

Edited by Logan - May 26 2025 at 10:05

I'm not a big fan of Neo-prog in general. One artist, in particular, who is classified as neo in PA, but is really symphonic in my opinion, is The Psychedelic Ensemble. Yes, his early works were neo, but after a point, he became very symphonic. Try "The Tale of the Golden King" or "The Sunstone" to start.






Edited by wiz_d_kidd - May 27 2025 at 06:12

^^The Psychedelic Ensemble is excellent. I do remember a post a few years ago that said he is not in good health. His last release was in 2019.

Has anyone heard anything?

I consider Symphonic Prog and Neo Prog to be sister genres and thus it can be quite difficult to draw the line where one starts and the other one ends.

From what I understand, historically, the Neo-Prog umbrella would apply to mid-late 80s till early 90s bands that retroactively took inspiration from early 70s prog music, Genesis in particular, and superimposed those stylistics onto the then-contemporary 80's production trends. But as time went on, more and more "revival" prog formations appeared all over the world. The musical tropes with which the bands harkened back to the 70s were becoming more diverse in approach.

There is a difference in presentation between say Änglagård and Pendragon. Right?

To me, the typical Neo-Prog sound is strongly rooted in mid-late 70s Genesis. Another very important imho common element is the implementation of state of the art analog polysynths and crunchy new wave guitars in favor of Hammond noodling and clean jazzy guitars.

Besides, and that might be a highly subjective observation so take it with a huge grain of salt, wind instruments such as the saxophone take the spotlight much less often in Neo-Prog, than Symphonic.

^Some neo-prog I enjoy is Frost* and Sanguine Hum.

^^^ Excellent post, Mark. I knew some of that and checked out Brain Connect and enjoyed what I heard. I don't very often hear the words jazz and Neo-Prog mixed together. Jazz is a component of so much music I love.

Another category at PA that I have not been that keen on is the main Progressive Metal one (although I'm sure I have heard various things I like there and might have had some great suggestions and I just can't remember the names of.) Of the metal categories, I most like Experimental/Post Metal. I like Boris, maudlin of the Well, Uboa and Neurosis best in those that I recall (I had not thought of Uboa as very post-metal, but it is an element like on Impossible Light). I do like classic heavy metal and related (I mean certain late 60s to early 70s stuff especially that sometimes is just called hard rock, and may mix psych).

Of those I remember right now, my favourite band included in Prog Archive's Prog Metal category is Diablo Swing Orchestra from Sweden (not typical for the category, and fun).



of course PA's categorisation is very limited (all releases by an act under one label, not multi-genre tagging, and too limited in labels for my tastes).

^ Thanks, I listened to and appreciated both. :)

There are quite a few bands that mix metal and jazz that I appreciate. By the way, here's one by Panzerballet (listed at PA in JRF) on the more avant garde side that these weird ears dig (the band released an album this year that I briefly checked out featuring Marco Minnemann and others)

FrantiK Nervesaw Massacre

Sorry but I think that the things embedded in the traditional neo prog style are not going to appeal to those that like adventurous or experimental music. This is the basic 'problem'. We are not all the same and don't all look for the same qualities in music. I've got a high tolerance for relatively unadventurous music. I don't care that much if it sounds like other stuff. In fact I enjoy the links to the past and am actually less keen on music that is too unique and 'interesting'. The whole 'I don't like neo prog' thing has frankly become tiresome. I've said it before but I wish the whole genre was consigned to the bin or at least merged with 'Crossover' which seems to have a lot of music that is similar. For instance anyone like to explain why Big Big Train are not a 'neo prog' band. They fit the definition and their most popular album English Electric Part One could be a modern day version of Genesis quite easily.