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Thread: Pagan prog

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    Member hippypants's Avatar
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    Pagan prog

    I saw the movie last night called, Midsommar. I enjoyed the bizarre weirdness of it and wondered if you had any suggestions for pagan-like prog. The movie had a soundtrack of Swedish-like folk music, but it doesn't have to be that or Swedish either for that matter.

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    Only the first one is Swedish, tho'.

    Midsommar is very good, but also pretty misunderstood - IMHO. We kept discussing it (a bit) in another thread just recently. Ari Aster is a filmmaker to follow, as is Robert Eggers. The whole 'folk-horror' concept is quite exciting in my view. Try Hagazussa - A Heathen's Curse from 2017; debut film by Young Austrian director Lukas Feigelfeld. Not as grimly shocking as Midsommar or as nihilistic as Egger's The Witch, but extremely dark and sad. Pagan as hell as well.

    And old pagan progressive would start with either Jan Dukes de Grey or Comus, obviously. Or Langsyne, the German group. Or a few others.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

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    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    The first that comes to mind, and is Prog-Rock, without the Folk Rock, is late 80s / 90s UK band Legend. They even named their "label" Pagan Media. Iirc.

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    Proud Member since 2/2002 UnderAGlassMoon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hippypants View Post
    I saw the movie last night called, Midsommar. I enjoyed the bizarre weirdness of it and wondered if you had any suggestions for pagan-like prog. The movie had a soundtrack of Swedish-like folk music, but it doesn't have to be that or Swedish either for that matter.
    Well Bobby Krlic, aka The Haxan Cloak, did the soundtrack. I have listened to a little bit of The Haxan Cloak's releases and it is very dark, ambient and moody. Not sure if qualifies as pagan, but a lot of it is similar to what is in Midsommar.
    Eric: "What the hell Hutch, it's all Rush, what if we wanted a little variety?"

    Hutch: "Rush is variety, Bitch! Rule number one: in my van, its Rush! All Rush, all the time...no exceptions."

    From "Fanboys" 2009.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    Midsommar is very good, but also pretty misunderstood - IMHO. We kept discussing it (a bit) in another thread just recently. Ari Aster is a filmmaker to follow, as is Robert Eggers.
    After also watching Midsommar, I have decided that Aster is not for me - to say the least. He's a master at creating disturbing images and suffocating atmosphere, but just for the sake of it in my opinion. The complete lack of any in depth portraying of the characters interior turmoil makes his cinema more of a spectacle than a functional narrative that engages the viewer in any mental way.

    Yes, he has talent, but towards what exactly? I watched the director's cut, and apart from a sick stomach, I didn't feel I gained anything. Just my two cents.

  8. #8
    ^ I'm not so sure. But I would never come to expect for Aster's approach to necessarily have an appeal beyond the immediacy of emotional "effect". Both of his films so far are indeed affairs of 'non prisoners taken' - they aren't merely pessimistic or negative, they are conclusive and the opposite of ambiguous. In his vision evil and destruction prevails as a token of determinist traction. Man will lose and the force of 'otherness' or nature triumph, not because we deserve it due to bad morals but because there's no moral to speak of as we know it.

    Blatty's The Exorcist is a supremely positive film, seeing as it confirms the existence of an evil being but asserts that consequently there's also a good one - and that the latter wins on the sheer strength of conviction alone. Ari Aster's films appear to signal an exact antithesis; it doesn't matter how "good" you are by heart or thought or action - it is all a case of definition. As for the lack in character portrayal, I'd agree as regards Midsommar but not about Hereditary. That film wasn't just unsettling or disturbing, it was -frightening-.

    If you haven't seen any of Robert Eggers' two feature films, The Witch or his very recent The Lighthouse, try them out. The former is excellent, but the latter... Wow.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hippypants View Post
    I saw the movie last night called, Midsommar. I enjoyed the bizarre weirdness of it and wondered if you had any suggestions for pagan-like prog. The movie had a soundtrack of Swedish-like folk music, but it doesn't have to be that or Swedish either for that matter.
    Saw that film last year (around June if memory serves)
    FWIW, the movie was shot in Hungary, BTW.

    The film in itself reminds me a lot of Wicker Man (the original 70's film, not the 00's remake turd) with that amazingly bizarre OST courtesy of Paul Giovanni

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

    My persional recommendation for 00's pagan/wyrd psych folk would be:





    Last edited by Trane; 01-14-2020 at 06:11 AM.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  10. #10
    ^ The Wicker Man was the very first 'folk-horror' film, and while I never found it very scary or anything it's still an absolute classic period piece and a highly rewarding watch even today, the music being a mer part of it. None of these newer works could ever touch it, AFAIC.

    Nicolas Cage's attemptive remake of Wicker is possibly the most hilarious example I know of things being "better in the past".
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

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    Member interbellum's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by moecurlythanu View Post
    The first that comes to mind, and is Prog-Rock, without the Folk Rock, is late 80s / 90s UK band Legend. They even named their "label" Pagan Media. Iirc.
    The same label also released music from Incubus Succubus (They changed their name in Inkubus Sukkubus):



    I don't think The Waterboys' A Pagan Place fits in here though

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    Member interbellum's Avatar
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    Qntal also comes to mind:


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    Member hippypants's Avatar
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    Thanks for the suggestions.

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    Member hippypants's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    ^ The Wicker Man was the very first 'folk-horror' film, and while I never found it very scary or anything it's still an absolute classic period piece and a highly rewarding watch even today, the music being a mer part of it. None of these newer works could ever touch it, AFAIC.

    Nicolas Cage's attemptive remake of Wicker is possibly the most hilarious example I know of things being "better in the past".
    I agree and think most originals are the better films, and for the most part don't like remakes.

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    Member hippypants's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zappathustra View Post
    The complete lack of any in depth portraying of the characters interior turmoil makes his cinema more of a spectacle than a functional narrative that engages the viewer in any mental way.
    Well, I can't speak to your own indifference of the director or film, but I think he did portray the main lead female's inner turmoil quite well, as well as the indifference in the relationship with her boyfriend and her.

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    facetious maximus Yves's Avatar
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    How about GOAT:

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    You might try "The Moors" (official site), who describe their music as "goth-pagan-trance rock"...


    The founder of the band, Sharynne MacLeod NicMhacha, is an expert scholar in Celtic/Pagan studies, and quite a good musician/vocalist to boot. Here's her self-description from her Facebook page:

    Sharynne MacLeod NicMhacha is a Celtic scholar, writer, teacher and shaman-priestess of Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestry, a direct descendant of 'Fairy Clan' MacLeod. She has studied Celtic languages, myth and religion through Harvard University, and is the author of 'Celtic Myth and Religion' (McFarland) and 'Queen of the Night' (Weiser). Sharynne is the lead singer and founder of The Moors, whose award-winning CD continues to gain a following around the world (Celtic / Medieval / Trance music). After three pressings, The Moors CD has become a collector's item - but can be downloaded on Itunes! Ms. NicMhacha is offering a correspondence course based on her new book, offering instruction in authentic indigenous Celtic religion, myth, shamanism and folklore. Read more about her work on LinkedIn and academia.edu (under her academic name, Sharon Paice MacLeod) and about her music and other projects on Facebook (Sharon Paice MacLeod, Sharynne MacLeod NicMhacha, The Moors) and her website Dun na Sidhe.

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    Member hippypants's Avatar
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    Hexvessel, a Finnish band, was unknown to me until I heard something about them the other day. They mostly have an acoustic sound, but also progressive too.


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    Member hippypants's Avatar
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    Tunes For A Twilight Tears, I don't know if this is consider folk or otherwise but fairly intersting


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    Member hippypants's Avatar
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    Murgrind--dungeon synth and other influences


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    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheH View Post
    Saw them tonight in New York with 1500 other fans on their sold out tour, man they're a fun band.
    Ian

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    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    ^ Great band. Wouldn't at all consider them to be Prog-Rock, despite the write up in Prog Magazine.

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    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
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    Oh I agree.
    Ian

    Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
    https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/

    Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
    I blame Wynton, what was the question?
    There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NogbadTheBad View Post
    Saw them tonight in New York with 1500 other fans on their sold out tour, man they're a fun band.
    In some far-fetched ways this Heilung thing reminded me of Alamaailman Vasarat at Carmaux. more in the folky subject of the preformance than the performance itself.

    Another fun band on stage was Tunng

    Saw them twice some 10 years ago: they were not visually arresting like these guys, but they made you dance or at least tap tour foot.

    full Heilung show:

    Last edited by Trane; 01-25-2020 at 05:48 AM.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

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