Intellectually stimulating/progressive music.

Ancient1

[cm]tyranny wrote:

recently i've been rediscovering people like jan garbarek, keith jarret and eberhard weber... in fact, the entire output of germa avant garde jazz label ECM [until Garbarek's pretty mawkish "visible world" album imo] is WELL worth a listen.

Amen brother. ECM has some utterly mind-blowing and uplifting stuff. You could chose blind from ECM and you wouldn't go wrong.

Undergod

I can't say I'm very familiar with much Prog, but I do like Dream Theater and It Wasn't Me! has played me Cynic's Focus... brilliant brilliant stuff. Real musicians music, without being completely tech.

It wasn't me!

Aye, I do believe that was one piece of music you had to be introduced to dear.

John

[cm]tyranny wrote:

recently i've been rediscovering people like jan garbarek

I've got his Officium CD with the Hilliard Ensemble, mesmerising stuff. Missed them when they played Christchurch cathedral, my uncle said it was amazing.

Executive Steve

John2 wrote:

I've got his Officium CD with the Hilliard Ensemble, mesmerising stuff. Missed them when they played Christchurch cathedral, my uncle said it was amazing.

check out "ragas and sagas" - in collaboration with usted fateh ali khan and four other pakistani musicians.... indian classical fused with garbarek's soprano saxophone... mind blowing.

also, "i took up the runes" for his take on traditional scandinavian folk musics including a version of sami [lapp] folk singer Mari Boine Perssen's "Gula Gula" - probably my favourite garbarek album.

Ancient1

Garbarek's "Rosensfole" is very good too. It's a synthesized version of old Norwegian folk songs, but Agnes Buen Garnas' vocals send shivers down my spine.

Kilgore-Trout

i always end up scratching my head whenever i listen to John Zorn
The Swans and Neurosis have a similar effect also

John

Kilgore-Trout wrote:

i always end up scratching my head whenever i listen to John Zorn
The Swans and Neurosis have a similar effect also

The Swans don't so much scratch my head as put against it the wall and pummel it with a brick, slowly and repeatedly

I assume that by liking the Swans and Neurosis you've heard the Neurosis and Jarboe album? One of the best albums of recent years and maybe Jarboe's best work since she was on stage with Gira. Also Jarboe is playing Dublin on November 8th, venue to be confirmed.

Never got into John Zorn, should probably check him out.

Scratch Acid

John2 wrote:

Never got into John Zorn, should probably check him out.

A good place to start is the self titled Naked City album.

Kilgore-Trout

John2 wrote:

The Swans don't so much scratch my head as put against it the wall and pummel it with a brick, slowly and repeatedly

I assume that by liking the Swans and Neurosis you've heard the Neurosis and Jarboe album? One of the best albums of recent years and maybe Jarboe's best work since she was on stage with Gira. Also Jarboe is playing Dublin on November 8th, venue to be confirmed.

Never got into John Zorn, should probably check him out.

haha!!!

neurosis and jarboe is one of my favourite albums ever, so intense!!!!

naked city is indeed a very good zorn album (it's basically a mixture of grincore, avant jazz, and classic film themes )

i have to go to that jarboe gig!

Davei141

Nobody makes me think more than matthew good, the lyrics are just genius. The unique voice is something i havent heard before either. So much power without screaming.

PiE

Also I just remembered The Coma Lilies.

Post-rock orgasmic goodness. Check out 'One Day He Will Disappear' if you get the chance.

Prezatch

Just read through the thread there and thought I'd give Katatonia an honourable mention. They're an excellent proggy band similar in many ways to Opeth. I love the album Brave Murder Day.

Also, Into Eternity who i'v just started listening to recently seem very good. Singer's clean vocals sound EXACTLY like the guy from The Mars Volta . I just have the latest album Buried in Oblivion which sounds like The Sound of Perseverance slightly, perhaps not as fast

Firstly on Zorn....im a bit of fanatic, as far as im concerned he is the leading and has been for about 20 years experimental artist around in terms of jazz, avant guarde etc.
Getting to know Zorn is quite hard though because it kind of takes a while to 'tune' your ears into some of his sounds.
But if you are going to go out and buy some stuff I would start with Bar Kockbha, Circle Maker, The big Gundown, Spillane, The Gift, Masada and naked city all good places to start.
stay away from his game pieces ie. Pool, yankees, La Cross etc these are tracks based on sounds from games and unless your hardcore experimental chances are it wont ring your bell!

Im surprised Mike Patton hasnt been given a mention because if anyone writes progressive and intelligent rock music its him - Fantomas being the example with suspended animation and the directos cut good examples.
Mr bungle, The Secret chiefs 3 and Estradosphere will all blow ya away depending on the albums ya get

Marc Ribot is a very forward thinkin guitar player who plays with zorn and patton........

blastman

Consolidated were a band that I really rated, lyrics were always thought-provoking if a little overly right-on at times. Their later albums moved into some very strange musical territory.

Have also been a Marillion fan for many a long year, but can almost talk about it in public at this stage....

John

Kilgore-Trout wrote:

i have to go to that jarboe gig!

Unfortunately Dublin has now been dropped from her tour. Pooh.

Kilgore-Trout

John2 wrote:

Unfortunately Dublin has now been dropped from her tour. Pooh.

Pooh indeed!
that sucks the big one :mad:

AlanOB

blastman wrote:

Have also been a Marillion fan for many a long year, but can almost talk about it in public at this stage....

So there ARE others!!!!

Marillion are nothing to be ashamed of dude, unless it's a crime to recognise great neo-prog when you hear it. The first and third albums are their best (Script For A Jester's Tear and Misplaced Childhood), with the nod for top spot just going to Jester's Tear for me. Both albums have their weak moments and both have their stone-cold classics but I feel Jester's Tear is the more consistent. That and the fact that the title track is the best thing they've ever done.

After those two, their second effort Fugazi is probably the next port of call for anyone looking to get into them.

Karl Hungus

Marillion are another band I've meant to look into, but still didn't get around to it.

Doctor J

Spastic Ink too. Headache inducing music, it's so ****ing overly complex :eek:

Karl Hungus

Doctor J wrote:

Spastic Ink too. Headache inducing music, it's so ****ing overly complex :eek:

Sounds good!

blastman

AlanOB wrote:

So there ARE others!!!!

Marillion are nothing to be ashamed of dude, unless it's a crime to recognise great neo-prog when you hear it. The first and third albums are their best (Script For A Jester's Tear and Misplaced Childhood), with the nod for top spot just going to Jester's Tear for me. Both albums have their weak moments and both have their stone-cold classics but I feel Jester's Tear is the more consistent. That and the fact that the title track is the best thing they've ever done.

After those two, their second effort Fugazi is probably the next port of call for anyone looking to get into them.

Yay, I'm not alone,then!

Actually, you should also try some of their more recent, less proggy stuff. Their most recent album, Marbles, is the best thing they've done in years. Also highly recommended is Brave, though I wouldn't rush out to see the movie that was made of it!

Now if only I could find another Consolidated fan...

nesf

Cheers guys, this thread provided to be very useful reading. I was looking for a few new bands to pick up albums of and this proved very useful.

Waltons

Karl Hungus wrote:

Marillion are another band I've meant to look into, but still didn't get around to it.

In the Bargain forum's Freebie list there's a link for a free "Introduction to Marillion" cd if you wanna go looking for it
*grumbles about search function*

John

nesf wrote:

Cheers guys, this thread provided to be very useful reading. I was looking for a few new bands to pick up albums of and this proved very useful.

So what have you picked up?

nesf

Some Ohm, Watchtower, Athiest, Cynic, Arcturus and Mastodon.

Apart from Mastodon, I haven't heard the others and people seemed to agree on them as being worthwhile to listen to.

John

I wrote this last night but my boards died in the middle of it.

I know Mastodon and Cynic but not the others.

And speaking of Mastodon, they're on a new Melvins tribute album along with Dillinger Escape Plan, Isis and a load of other bands that I forget now. I have to check it out.

Karl Hungus

nesf wrote:

Some Ohm, Watchtower, Athiest, Cynic, Arcturus and Mastodon.

Apart from Mastodon, I haven't heard the others and people seemed to agree on them as being worthwhile to listen to.

Nice one Nesf.

I'm listening to some Gordian Knot, which I think the Doc recommended to me at some stage. Thoughts on that?

smackbunnybaby

Karl Hungus wrote:

Nice one Nesf.

I'm listening to some Gordian Knot, which I think the Doc recommended to me at some stage. Thoughts on that?

just listening to emergent at the moment, very good album indeed

Karl Hungus

Not sure which Gordian Knot album I have, there's no title so I'm assuming it's their first one. Definetly going to try and check out more of their stuff.