Experimental, Progressive, and Post-Rock Music Catch-All

We have the metal thread and the electronic music thread, so now here's the thread for all sorts of experimental rock music, including but not limited to avant-garde, fusion, improv, "prog", Krautrock/Komische, RIO, zeuhl, post-rock, math rock, industrial, and anything else ostensibly rock-based that strays from the beaten path and isn't better classified as metal.

So, full disclosure. During late high school and early college, I went through a serious "prog" phase. It was nearly terminal. Only through significant musical therapy did I recover. Many years removed from the affliction now, I have begun going back through my collection and finding what still holds up and what was the disease talking.

Let's start with the Japanese fusion band Kenso.

They've been around for a long time, though a lot of their stuff is Japanese import only. "In the West" is generally easy to find (it's on Spotify and GPM) and really good, though I prefer the rather difficult to find "Ken-Son-Gu-Su". Their live recordings are preferable to their studio albums, including one of my favorite album names ever: "Music for Unknown Five Musicians".

I continue to put my hat in the Between-the-Buried-and-Me-aren't-that-great-but-their-most-recent-album-is-better-than-what-they've-done-in-a-while category.

In the classic 1970s "prog" era, there were a number of fabulous Italian bands, doing a distinct enough spin on the classic prog themes that "Italian Prog" is considered a self-contained subgenre all to its own.

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso is one of the pillars of that genre. Their first three albums (self-titled, Darwin!, and Io Sono Nato Libero) are basically requirements of any "prog" fan's collection.

Area is another fantastic Italian prog band (more fusion than strictly symphonic). And if that album cover looks familiar, well, now you know where it comes from.

Probably one of the finest albums of the genre is Museo Rosenbach's lone '70s release, Zarathustra:

garion333 wrote:

I continue to put my hat in the Between-the-Buried-and-Me-aren't-that-great-but-their-most-recent-album-is-better-than-what-they've-done-in-a-while category.

As much as I love BTBAM and as much as I wanted to like the new album, I unfortunately can't agree. I'm not sure what it is, but it's missing something, to me. I don't find myself wanting to come back to the new album as much as I had hoped.

And obviously that's fine, different strokes, etc - I was just a bit disappointed. I'm also not typically a "lol theyr not heavy anymore, they suk now" kind of guy, either.

That's kind of how I feel about TesseracT's latest album. I dearly love Altered State, but Polaris isn't really doing it for me.

*Legion* wrote:

In the classic 1970s "prog" era, there were a number of fabulous Italian bands, doing a distinct enough spin on the classic prog themes that "Italian Prog" is considered a self-contained subgenre all to its own.

I've always leaned more towards Le Orme, but possibly because of the ELP styling on keyboard.

(The second song more than the rest.)

*Legion* wrote:

Area is another fantastic Italian prog band (more fusion than strictly symphonic). And if that album cover looks familiar, well, now you know where it comes from.

I had NO idea. Seriously.

I approve of this thread. That is all.

garion333 wrote:

I've always leaned more towards Le Orme, but possibly because of the ELP styling on keyboard.

Le Orme is great. I restrained myself from just vomiting out an endless list of bands, as it was tempting to do so. Them, PFM, Metamorfosi, Il Balletto di Bronzo, Osanna, Semiramis... so much good stuff, that's just scratching the surface.

I got to see Banco at a prog festival in LA some 15 years ago. (And Kenso at the same fest, for that matter). Super fantastic. Sadly, Francesco di Giacomo died last year in a car accident.

chixor7 wrote:

That's kind of how I feel about TesseracT's latest album. I dearly love Altered State, but Polaris isn't really doing it for me.

Polaris has its share of really good songs, but I think Altered State had a more consistent 'really good song' ratio. I've listened to Polaris more than Coma Ecliptic though.

*Legion* wrote:

During late high school and early college, I went through a serious "prog" phase. It was nearly terminal.

That phase began with Pink Floyd, too!

It was them, then Rush, then just straight off a cliff and into all sorts of nonsense.

A friend turned me on to these two groups I've been listening to lately.

Good stuff there. StS just put out a new album as well.

Dream Theater just announced the dates for their US tour. Pre-Sale tickets and VIP packages go on sale at 10am EST tomorrow (12/18).

Azigza was a really cool short-lived band in the early 2000s. They were rock-slash-"world music" fusion band, but without the requisite awfulness that you would expect from that combination. Probably because it's one of the few times I've heard such a combination actually fuse into something natural sounding, and not just a rock band that picked up some tablas to pound on.

They only released two albums before fading away, which is sad. But especially the first album has some really powerful sounds, and goes off on some very cool trance-y tangents. Plus, they did one of the best Zeppelin covers ever with their rendition of "Friends".

Maserati was kind of a post/math-rock group in the mid-2000s (I really liked Inventions for a New Season, critics were less kind to it) who recently took kind of a turn into left field and went more like space rock/krautrock meets '80s action/sci-fi soundtrack. Like it wouldn't be out of place in Far Cry: Blood Dragon.

Their new album, Rehumanizer, is pretty damn good.

That asshole Podunk posted this to Facebook and now I can't unsee it, so you all have to suffer with us:

I was really going to avoid ripping Dream Theater in this thread because others like them and I don't want that vibe for this thread. But as this is about this trailer and not their music in general, let's all at least agree that the video is so bad that the universe took David Bowie away from us as punishment.

That is exactly what I think a Dream Theater trailer would look like. More of what Alz posted, really.

Dream Theater is just a band I can't get into.

*Legion* wrote:

Azigza was a really cool short-lived band in the early 2000s. They were rock-slash-"world music" fusion band, but without the requisite awfulness that you would expect from that combination. Probably because it's one of the few times I've heard such a combination actually fuse into something natural sounding, and not just a rock band that picked up some tablas to pound on.

They only released two albums before fading away, which is sad. But especially the first album has some really powerful sounds, and goes off on some very cool trance-y tangents. Plus, they did one of the best Zeppelin covers ever with their rendition of "Friends".

I'm really enjoying this.

*Legion* wrote:

Dream Theater Trailer

I've liked Dream Theater in the past, but since the drummer swap out it just hasn't really felt the same. That trailer takes it to a whole new level. What a stupid thing. I knew they were wanting to do another concept album this time out but that trailer and the surrounding "story"... I don't even know. Somehow I'm still glad it exists though.

side note: if you want to hear some good non prog rock you can look up with the former drummer (mike portnoy) has been up to with the winery dogs.

Oh, Dream Theater. Gotta give them points for commitment, at least.

Haha, YES!

There's a band out of Germany called RPWL and fall into the neo prog realm, but more akin to Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree than Yes and Marillion. Their latest album is not ground breaking in sound, but it's a damn fine example of progressive pop music that Pink Floyd was making on A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell. I guess that means they harken back to David Gilmour more than Roger Waters and I'm perfectly fine with that. (Fwiw, Meddle is my favorite Floyd album.)

Anyway, RPWL definitely do enough to differentiate themselves on most songs. Both of these tracks come from their latest album, "Beyond Man and Time".

(Gilmour-esque pop song here. Radio edit, which does make it better imho.)

garion333 wrote:

(Fwiw, Meddle is my favorite Floyd album.)

One of these days, I'm going to cut you into little pieces.

*Legion* wrote:

That asshole Podunk posted this to Facebook and now I can't unsee it, so you all have to suffer with us:

Today is the day we get to find the meaning in this trailer... Currently working my way through the album.

lancejt wrote:

Today is the day we get to find the meaning in this trailer... Currently working my way through the album.

After reading all the reviews, I was worried it was going to be narrative-heavy and distract from the music. Maybe it's just because I'm listening to it on Spotify right now (will buy the CD later) but I'm finding it's more thematic than I expected and less story-driven than Scenes from a Memory.

A story told through Leitmotifs! I'm really digging it!

Also, John Petrucci is doing an AMA on Reddit today.

*Legion* wrote:
garion333 wrote:

(Fwiw, Meddle is my favorite Floyd album.)

One of these days, I'm going to cut you into little pieces.

Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?

Checking this out. Had put it on a playlist to check out like 9 months ago, but they just popped up on my Spotify Discover thing and a lightbulb went off.

Classic prog, but relevant. The show that never ends has ended...

Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer has died

tanstaafl wrote:

Classic prog, but relevant. The show that never ends has ended...

Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer has died

Dammit, 2016, you're taking everyone.

New Haken out today. Got a very 80's inspired thing going on, so expect some synths. (Seriously, the song "1985" sounds like Yes's "Owner of a Lonely Heart" to an absurd degree.) It's also got some heavy moments, so don't let the synths scare you off.

I'm not a huge Haken fan but they write quality stuff and I know a lot of people respect the hell out of them.