What's new in retro-prog?

[Svetonio]

Would you consider Glass Hammer as retro-prog?


Personally, from what I remember of them, they're the archetype of modern prog (see that neo/modern thread)

Yes, I considered Glass Hammer new album as "retro".
Well, symphonic rock bands were always consciously "retro", in fact since the beginning of this sub-genre i.e. when Days of Future Passed was released in 1967, due the Classical music sounds, and unlike the progressive rock by e.g. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention who were - in 1967 in NYC's club scene - mixing the rock music with avant-garde sounds of the twentieth century.
That "retro" was nothing bad actually, because "retro" ingredient of sympho-rock was a lovely subversive thing of a part of then-middle class English youth in milieu of all that 1960s high-modernism, unlistenable avant-garde music, tons of the protest songs of that time, Acid Rock, angriness of The Who, The Rolling Stones, Hendrix' riffs, Blues Rock terror and so on. And today, the sympho-rock is also subversive as it was back in the day, even more; mostly due its "retro" ingredient, the manner of the genre is still going on, and as such "retro", this sub-genre endures continuously 49 years in despite of all passed decades, many now forgotten "big new things" and all of those dramatic changes in the music industry & technology.

[Trane]

if you take a look at most (if not all) the bands mentioned in this thread, their prime sonics characteristic is to sound very 70's, like Anglagard or Landberk or Sinkadus or even The Winstons (recent featured CD thread)...

To me Glass Hammer use more modern sound and is definitely 90's & 00's contemporaneous sounding.

IMHO, anyways

[spacefreak]

To me Glass Hammer use more modern sound and is definitely 90's & 00's contemporaneous sounding.

IMHO, anyways

Agree. They are a modern take on the old sympho rock idiom, not trying to sound retro at all.

[Svetonio]

(...)

IMHO, anyways

What a scandal in the pantheon of prog gods of ProgArchives!! Trane, you put *IMHO* stamp without any secret consultation with other prog gods on ProgArchives!!!

"(...) Musically, they lean towards 70's driven symphonic rock, with strong keyboard orientation; specifically Hammond organs in the tradition of ELP. They have a superb melodic flow to the music they make, encapsulating real power and dynamics without ever becoming overpowering. Their most apparent influences are Yes, ELP, Genesis, and, to a less noticeable extent, Camel. (...) "

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=129

[Svetonio]

Agree. They are a modern take on the old sympho rock idiom, not trying to sound retro at all.

I disagree. Well of course that different sympho-rock bands have different level of "retro" ingredient, but recent album of Glass Hammer is (magnificent) "retro" without a question.

As for example & to these ears, these three songs are that "modern take on the old sympho rock idiom":

[Trane]

What a scandal in the pantheon of prog gods of ProgArchives!! Trane, you put *IMHO* stamp without any secret consultation with other prog gods on ProgArchives!!!

"(...) Musically, they lean towards 70's driven symphonic rock, with strong keyboard orientation; specifically Hammond organs in the tradition of ELP. They have a superb melodic flow to the music they make, encapsulating real power and dynamics without ever becoming overpowering. Their most apparent influences are Yes, ELP, Genesis, and, to a less noticeable extent, Camel. (...) "

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=129

You can be mean and disrespectful about the site that ejected you after nearly trolling around for five years with your twisted views, but GH is "modern prog", rather than retro despite a (maybe) Emersonian organ being part of their sonics.

90% of these 90's modern prog bands have 70's influences written all over them (TFK and Spock's Beard are two of them, for ex), but no-one classes them as retro prog, simply because they sound 90's.




You're just plain wrong (as you often are)

[Trane]

I disagree. Well of course that different sympho-rock bands have different level of "retro" ingredient, but recent album of Glass Hammer is (magnificent) "retro" without a question.

As for example & to these ears, these three songs are that "modern take on the old sympho rock idiom":

From the three examples you gave, only the third one (the one I kept in the quote) would qualify as retro-prog, because you could mistake their song as "written and recorded in the early or mid 70's"; whereas the other two, these is no way you/me could imagine these being born in the 70's (even December 79)

[Calabasas_Trafalgar]

You can be mean and disrespectful about the site that ejected you after nearly trolling around for five years with your twisted views, but GH is "modern prog", rather than retro despite a (maybe) Emersonian organ being part of their sonics.

90% of these 90's modern prog bands have 70's influences written all over them (TFK and Spock's Beard are two of them, for ex), but no-one classes them as retro prog, simply because they sound 90's.




You're just plain wrong (as you often are)

Couldn't agree more!

[Nijinsky Hind]

I smell DOOM!

[Scrotum Scissor]

Glass Hammer as retro-prog? [...] they're the archetype of modern prog

Actually they're contempomodern futuretroprog, and they always were. Here's the evidence:

- Hey sir, could you wait up for a second and take a few moments of listening to this music in my headphones right now - and tell me which genre of prog it is?

[old prominent dude wearing spectacles and smoking a grand pipe underneath his Lincoln Batallion beret listens tentatively for about three secs, then promptly addresses me:]

- No doubt whatsoever; this is pure muthafukkin' contempomodern futuretroprog, bro'!


Can't argue with that, then. It's been proven true.

[Svetonio]

From the three examples you gave, only the third one (the one I kept in the quote) would qualify as retro-prog, because you could mistake their song as "written and recorded in the early or mid 70's"; whereas the other two, these is no way you/me could imagine these being born in the 70's (even December 79)

Actually, I've post Blank Manuscript's Beast In Cave as an example of "a modern take on sympho rock idiom", and with the same intention I've also posted other two
Ok, some more examples of what I think that is "modern take of symphonic rock" would be only helpful:








Finally, at the end of this sweet discussion with you, I'd like to repeat that I do not think that "retro" style a la Glass Hammer is bad nor anything inferior in comparison with "a modern take on sympho-rock idiom".

[Trane]

Actually, I've post Blank Manuscript's Beast In Cave as an example of "a modern take on sympho rock idiom", and with the same intention I've also posted other two

I know you did, but in tne scope of this thread, only that one Manuscript fit.

Ok, some more examples of what I think that is "modern take of symphonic rock" would be only helpful:

Of the three new examples you just gave, this one is the closest fit to retro-prog , but still doesn't qualify to my ears (and most likely to others here)

Maybe they use some vontage instruments, but not the majority.

Finally, at the end of this sweet discussion with you, I'd like to repeat that I do not think that "retro" style a la Glass Hammer is bad nor anything inferior in comparison with "a modern take on sympho-rock idiom".

We're not discussing the merits of Glass Hammer and whether it's better than XYZ Retro Prog band we all

What you don't realize here is that your idea (however good it may be)of a "modern take on sympho-rock idiom" =/= (does not equal) retro prog

==================

While retro rock/prog bands included in this thread maybe not be 100% prog (in nthe symphonic sense of the word), the whole thing started historicall with Lenny Kravitz's Let Love Rule debut albuml in '90, where you would've sworn that it was written, played and recorded some 18 years earlier. Kravitz had used viintage sound boards and instruments, totally avoiding the current technology.
The next time I heard that kind of sound was Anglagard's debut, Landberk's debut, Per Lindh's Gothic Impression, Anekdoten's debut, etc...



BTW, sometimes, I've found that some of the band suggestions here actually fit better the stoner rock tgenre (see that particular thread)

[mogilevs]

Just stumbled upon such post:

I do prog that's heavily informed by the classic 70s prog because I just flippin' like it I think that, with some application, I could come up with something brand spanking new that would make earholes twitch with the novelty of it all, but frankly, I'm just not motivated. I think I have things to say within the framework that tickles me.

[Svetonio]

Alpha​-​Omega Man by Napier's Bones

Bandcamp Link

a2790144812_16.jpg

Personnel:
Gordon Midgley : Music, Lyrics, Vocals and Production
Nathan Jon Tillett : Vocals and Artwork
Selena Jay : Vocal samples on tracks 1, 4 & 8

released January 20, 2017

a great new album from the boys of Napier's Bones !! It sounds awesome so take a listen and buy the album !!
Eric Peters

[Guess Who]

What about this?

https://patchworkcacophony.bandcamp.com/

[Svetonio]

What about this?

https://patchworkcacophony.bandcamp.com/

A nice album indeed. I already recommended that one, but on another thread.

Patchwork Cacophony Five of Cups (retro-prog, one-man band, full-length, physical CD available, released November 7, 2016, England, UK)

https://patchworkcacophony.bandcamp....m/five-of-cups

a1796297796_16.jpg

Favourite track: Fairytale (Parts 1 - 4)

http://www.progressiveears.org/forum...dations/page28

[Svetonio]

A new video by Napier's Bones.

[TheH]

With Purson gone, I will go with these guys instead: Goldray

[Zalmoxe]

I found this Icelandic band (well, they have released their debut album last year, but I only found out about them now). Cool throwback to Pink Floyd's heyday, but there's more than that:





Full album streamed on the band's Bandcamp page.

[Tom]

^ That second one is a perfectly true picture of Iceland.

[Zalmoxe]

^ That second one is a perfectly true picture of Iceland.

The landscape or the soundscape ?

[mogilevs]

Hollow Earth "Out Of Atlantis", Kommun2 /Sound Effect
Psych prog with distinctice early Deep Purple influence
http://hollowearth.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-atlantis

Melange "Viento Bravo"
https://melangemadrid.bandcamp.com/album/viento-bravo

Lucifer Was "Morning Star", Transubstans Records

The complete 1972-1974 Lucifer Was line-up that recorded Underground And Beyond and the year 2000 second album In Anadi’s Bower, is all featured throughout the album. Look out for the two-drummer kick on several numbers.
Morning Star contains seven tracks. Two of these, Tube Music and Sunday Morning Griever, are based on songs from Thore Engen’s 70’s tape-find in a box in his basement in 2015, which sort of got this album initially started. Another track, Sea Of Sleep, the only ever song co-written by Thore Engen and flautist/singer Dag Stenseng, were, in a simpler form, featured regularly in the band’s live-set during the early 70’s. And then there is the 15:25 long Heavy Prog/Space blues mammoth composition Pure, a year in the writing and arranging by Jon Ruder and Thore Engen.

A Forest Of Zaqqum Trees

Wucan "Reap The Storm", Hänsel & Gretel, MIG

... and the style is similar to bands like Jethro Tull with flutes and that sort of thing. “Hippie rock” is probably a decent way to describe what you get to hear when you listen to this album for over seventy minutes, and Francis the lady who sings manages to sing in both German and English making the album feel a bit exotic even – as they always do when you get to hear the lyrics sung in odd languages.

hallowed.se

https://wucan.bandcamp.com/album/reap-the-storm

[mogilevs]

Malady's second album "Toinen Toista" out on February 2 on Svart Records
https://soundcloud.com/svart-records...-toinen-toista

[progmeister]

Thanks for the tip on Melange mogilevs! Loving it.

[Guess Who]

https://myrevolution.bandcamp.com/album/tube-alloys