Just for context, I've been a prog rock nerd for going on forty years, and that's involved an inquisitive streak that has led me to artists as obscure as Towering Inferno, Abbfinoosty and Northwind (well, none of those really stuck though). So it's not impossible that I'd come across a prog band that I haven't at least heard of, but it's a rare and surprising occurrence at this point.

So the other day over on FB I see Greg Spawton (of Big Big Train) talking up a new book he's publishing through his Kingmaker Publishing side hustle, about the prog revival of the early 1980s, called A Mirror of Dreams. On the back cover of the book, the author Andrew Wild refers to a neo-prog "big six":

1. Marillion - know 'em well, love 'em
2. Twelfth Night - I've listened to Fact and Fiction a few times, need to give it more attention
3. Pendragon - love their debut The Jewel, not such a big fan of their stuff since Clive Nolan came on board
4. Pallas - their debut The Sentinel is a favorite of mine, haven't heard any of their other stuff
5. IQ - no lie, one of my top five or ten favorite bands of all time
6. Solstice - WAIT, WHO???

How at this late date is there a band known widely enough to be included in that context, in a book like that one, that I've never heard of, much less heard? I'm shocked, stunned, floored, outraged etc. etc.

So I did what I always do:

1. I looked them up - they were formed in 1980, released one album in 1984, and broke up in 1985 only to re-form in 1991 and have been recording and performing ever since.
2. I went to YouTube to hear what they sound like - well, I just had to hear that 1984 album, Silent Dance, and...

HOLY CRAP everyone, I was not prepared for how utterly fantastic that album is!

First of all, it flat-out rocks - the top of the mix has definite folk and acoustic roots, but there's a ton of muscle and punch in the rhythm section and electric instrumentation. And what a rich sonic template that is, with synths, bass guitar and pedals, electric piano, and Andy Glass's acoustic and electric guitars layered thickly but clearly. I'm listening to the 2007 "Definitive Edition" re-release, and I don't know if that's a remix/remaster thing or if the original was also that good, but the production and mixing are absolutely top-notch. It's not perfect - Sandy Leigh's Annie Haslam-meets-Jon Anderson vocal style doesn't always really work IMO, and I'm wondering whose idea it was to end the album with the two slowest songs of the set, "Cheyenne" and "Find Yourself", that really sapped the momentum at the finish. Also, the way some of the songs have codas that go somewhere new and then quickly fade out makes me think there were much longer versions of most of this music that were edited down for the album. Still, I wasn't bored for a single second of this entirely wonderful album.

But anyway, this post is all just to say that if early-'80s neo-prog is your thing and like me you haven't heard Solstice or Silent Dance yet, rectify that immediately. If you are already familiar with them, let me know, are the albums following their 1991 re-formation as good as Silent Dance? Better? Not worth my time?

And no matter how well-versed in a style of music you might think you are, it seems there are always new corners to discover, some of them not even all that hidden!

The vocal lines on this album really please me, even though there's nothing special about them.

I'm looking for something with similar voice lines, preferably with a similar voice tone.

Can you guys help me?

Curious what modern bands/albums people think most capture the classic prog sound of the 70's.

I'll start with Astra - The Weirding (2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uYHgJgcNBg&t=14s

Everything about it just screams 70's prog from the guitar/synths to the production and songwriting and the Roger Dean inspired artwork. Could easily see people assuming it's a 70's album if they listened without looking up the year. Also despite the very classic sound it doesn't feel derivative like some modern bands that just sort of copy their favorite bands sounds, probably due to the wide range of influences it has.

I simply cannot stop myself from evangelizing for this band. King Buffalo are a power trio of guitar, bass and drums, with the guitarist utilizing synth and doing a lot of guitar looping, which gives them an even bigger sound. I would personally consider them to be a stoner rock band with significant psych and space rock influences. The Pink Floyd influence is certainly evident, due to King Buffalo's tendency towards thematic albums and lengthy instrumental passages focusing on atmosphere and groove, as well as the way they allow their songs to breathe and give everything the space it needs. Certainly a band closer to rock than prog, but they have the ability to take the listener on a journey. These guys definitely don't do the symphonic thing and don't have a lot of the tricky arrangements and time signature changes associated with 70's progressive rock, but I think a lot of people in this sub might dig them.

Loam

Cerberus

Firmament

I'm sure this is a rather unpopular opinion (about a not so popular band) but I love this album!. After a Yes oversaturation (don't get me wrong I love Yes but after several weeks of obsessive listening I got a little bit tired) I've been going through a bit of a rut with prog rock music lately (and any music, really). But today I put on The Seed & the Sower by the Enid and I'm really enjoying it. Quiet, ambient music, not too "busy" or innovative, but still proggy and even whimsical at times. I still have to listen to their classic & more prog rock albums, but so far I'm enjoying this album quite a lot. It's the perfect kind of music to put on while reading a fantasy book, much like some romantic classical music.

Do you know any other prog bands that were like this at some point, or more music like this? You can recommend the most popular albums, not only the lesser known ones, because I don't really know any of these more ambient-new age artists like Vangelis etc.. But also the more obscure ones are welcome.

Recently released this single. Let know what you think!

SPOTIFY

Listening to new-ish Leprous, Iamthemorning and Norwegian 'Oak' (for some reason there are 3 bands called Oak - I mean the still active non-Metal one) and digging it maybe a bit too much :[]

What can you recommend me that features little to no Metal or Hard Rock themes and maybe even focusses on acoustic instrumentation instead of electric ones?

Is there a song, album or artists that you are currently hooked on and cant get enough of? let others know, some might discover something new, others might like to discuss about it.

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And if you want to listen to r/ProgRockMusic Top 25 weekly posts, this spotify list auto-updates every week with our top voted threads. The plasylist is automatically updated by r/Listige bot.

Back in the days you invested some money in a piece of physical medium and let that sit in your record player til you baught the next album(s). Even then it was difficult to chose what to play but now these days.... man it's so difficult, so much to chose from and I don't play per album but a subscription to the streaming service. And I don't even have to walk to the record player to exchange disc either. Even if you buy physical units, the computer is there if you want to hear a specific tune.

How do you guyd do it? Do y'all have a system to compensate for the overflow of choise or do you go with pure feeling, and how do you avoid missing out on growers in that case?

(preferably lesser known)

Links are encouraged, my friends 😁

I'd like to go to CTTE 2025 but would like to share a room with a Bay Area progger if possible. I'm just a basic 62 year old and don't want to spend $3500 for a room by myself. Please respond here if you'd like to chat. I'm in San Francisco

I thought it might be interesting to see commonalities and divergences with our personal habits.

Like the title says, when you're not listening to prog music or producing it, what projects keep you going? Collecting stamps, tending to the garden, writing poetry.. what's your number one fix?

Work doesn't count!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-E7gNsy-OoI&pp=ygUIVGhlIGpva2U%3D

I have to vent on here because none of my friends really understand how Camel has taken over my life. I had listened to them a little bit in 2021 and liked some of their songs but then they got taken off of spotify so I forgot about them until November last year. When I returned to listen to them after they were put back on Spotify I was blown away. Mirage was instantly my favorite prog album, with Moonmadness and the Snow Goose not far behind. It feels like Andy Latimer has a direct connection with my soul; every album has at least one song that is so beautiful I can hardly believe it’s real. In the 6 months since I started listening to them they’ve surpassed Rush as the second most listened to artist of all time for me, just behind Led Zeppelin.

The thing that blows me away about them is how consistent they are. The top 3 albums are pretty much nothing but excellent songs, but below those the next 4 albums are all still albums that I’ll regularly listen to all the way through, which is really really rare. Stationary Traveller, Camel, Rain Dances, and Breathless are all incredible albums with almost no songs I don’t like and each one with at least two songs that I absolutely love. And even the albums that I listen to the least have at least a couple songs that I really like.

The only downside is that I haven’t been able to discover almost any new music since I got hooked on them. I can’t regularly hold myself to listening to new stuff instead of just going back to listening to a Camel album.

Lets hear them, the most unique/experimental/abstract albums you've come across.

I'll start with an obscure one: Supersister - Spiral Staircase 1974, the full album isn't on youtube anymore and some of the weirdest songs aren't up individually but one of the best songs is: Supersister: Dangling Dingdongs

One of the weirdest songs is a Caribbean style tune about schizophrenia that almost reminds me of some of the musical numbers in Futurama: Supersister - Gi, Ga, Go Gollumble Jafers

Something about Spiral Staircase truly feels insane, many of the songs are about schizophrenia but the music also sort of feels schizo the way it blends well layered classic sounds with very weird vocals and sound FX/noises. The songs also blend together in strange ways and jump around in terms of tone/style. Parts would fit right in on early Gong albums especially the weirder pitch shifted vocals + soundFX but it's also very unique & distinct even from other Supersister albums.

It's one of those albums that grows on you over time with how absurdly weird it is, but it also has some really brilliant music and a good balance between classic prog and more avant-garde/experimental stuff.

Prog fans, which non-prog genres / artists do you also listen to?