# Is there any modern progressive rock? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797 "2011-12-20T02:18:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/1 "2011-12-20T02:18:45Z")
YouTube has most of Bill Bailey’s Top Ten Prog Rock, excluding Part One because, I assume, the poster is embarrassed that Bailey put King Crimson at #9. An even greater abomination is how he used Phil Collins era record sales pump up Genesis’ score so they are in second place. Harumph! As is probably obvious, I listen to too much 40-yr-old prog/art rock. Is there anything current that would satisfy my desire for overwrought instrumentation and pretentious lyrics? My daughter suggested the latest Franz Ferdinand album because there’s a seven-minute synth solo, but only seven minutes? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/2 "2011-12-20T02:24:13Z")
I assume you’re saying that King Crimson should be #1? Please say it’s so. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/3 "2011-12-20T02:52:28Z")
There’s a TON of prog rock. How heavy do you like your music? For medium to very heavy, check out Mastodon, Dream Theater, Deep Black Sees, Porcupine Tree, Stephen Wilson (of Porcupine Tree), Ihsahn, Animals As Leaders, Opeth, Lacuna Coil, etc. For regular old prog rock there’s Spock’s Beard, The Mars Volta, Coheed & Cambria, The Mystery Jets, Mew, etc. If you just go to youtube and start looking at those bands, you’ll find that other artists are gonna be in the column of videos on the right hand side of the page; give a few a listen. My recommendation as a starting point: Dream Theater. Not my favorite band, but they are prog as fuck and are all excellent musicians. They also serve as a good bridge between the really heavy stuff and the regular old arena rock kinda prog. ---
**Author:** ![ptr2void](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ptr2void/32/3406_2.png) [@ptr2void](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ptr2void)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/4 "2011-12-20T02:55:56Z")
[IQ - Harvest of Souls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ocO-rOF_4&feature=related) [The Flower Kings - The Truth Will Set You Free](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFanl90r7Mw&feature=related) [The Flower Kings - Garden of Dreams](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx-0BmYg5Z8&feature=related) [Spock’s Beard - The Great Nothing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFOgsuINpdI&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL7A0F3C46FE0BDA80) [Spock’s Beard - The Light](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW_Bkv1TDsU) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/5 "2011-12-20T02:57:10Z")
I should have mentioned one thing: I listed Mastodon in there, but their album _Crack The Skye_ is the only one I would call prog rock. The rest of their albums have songs with huge changes in mood and tempo in them, but they are rarely longer than 5-7 minutes, and are also usually more in line with being a quirky kind of metal rather than prog. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/6 "2011-12-20T03:10:41Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I assume you’re saying that King Crimson should be #1? > > Please say it’s so. Well, DUH! ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/7 "2011-12-20T07:36:23Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > There’s a TON of prog rock. > > How heavy do you like your music? > > For medium to very heavy, check out Mastodon, Dream Theater, Deep Black Sees, Porcupine Tree, Stephen Wilson (of Porcupine Tree), Ihsahn, Animals As Leaders, Opeth, Lacuna Coil, etc. > > For regular old prog rock there’s Spock’s Beard, The Mars Volta, Coheed & Cambria, The Mystery Jets, Mew, etc. > > If you just go to youtube and start looking at those bands, you’ll find that other artists are gonna be in the column of videos on the right hand side of the page; give a few a listen. > > My recommendation as a starting point: Dream Theater. Not my favorite band, but they are prog as fuck and are all excellent musicians. They also serve as a good bridge between the really heavy stuff and the regular old arena rock kinda prog. An excellent list, add some neo-prog bands (IQ, Pendragon, Pallas, Marillion), and two more heavy prog bands (Riverside, Pain of Salvation). I would start with Porcupine Tree’s In absentia. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/8 "2011-12-20T08:21:26Z")
Go on iTunes and grab the album “Kill All Humans” by the band Schnauser (yes, it’s spelled with an S, not a Z.) This is on the lighter and wackier side, think early Zappa, but is definitely prog, and every song has killer instrumentals. Hilarious lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/9 "2011-12-20T09:06:19Z")
I’m not alone!!! Excellent suggestions, all. I would also add– [Transatlantic - The Whirlwind](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kTentrFO7Q) (77minutes) [The Reasoning - Shadows of the Mind](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImYQgyqOnjI) [Martin Orford - Out In The Darkness](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYndYuUj6QY) [The Tangent - The Music That Died Alone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0fUaCpo9cA) [Frost\* - Hyperventilate](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol592sakmZU) [Glass Hammer - Behold, The Ziddle](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN9T4Jjrk8o) [Pendragon - Indigo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccr-VkEpE18) [Enchant - Acquaintance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOqR7uR_Ds) ---
**Author:** ![AndyPolley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AndyPolley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyPolley)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/10 "2011-12-20T14:49:14Z")
> [@Art\_Rock](#): > > I would start with Porcupine Tree’s In absentia. Seconded. I love this one. I’m also a jam band fan and recently discovered **Umphrey’s Mcgee**. Their new release was pretty cool so I picked up their previous CD as well. That one is called “Mantis.” Imagine my surprise to find a handful of _incredible_ modern prog rock tunes. As a guy raised on early Genesis, Yes & Rush, I was thrilled. Anyways…if you have 20 minutes to spare, here are 2 of my favorites. [Mantis](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyIheBwbd68) [Cemetery Walk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBEVbKKJYqw) Their new one “Death by Stereo” is also quite good, but it’s all over the map. I’d call maybe 3 songs on it ‘prog.’ ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/11 "2011-12-20T14:53:51Z")
The last seventeen Radiohead albums have been prog rock IMO. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/12 "2011-12-20T15:23:17Z")
Would Tool be considered prog rock? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/13 "2011-12-20T15:38:33Z")
The band itself doesn’t really count as a prog rock band, but the new album from **The Atomic Bitchwax** , _The Local Fuzz_ is one 42 minute song, and it fucking rocks. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/14 "2011-12-20T15:58:07Z")
give Interpol a listen… ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/15 "2011-12-20T16:12:09Z")
I’ve never really considered Porcupine Tree to be prog-for some strange reason they’ve been stuck with that label for years (tho ironically their last 2 studio albums have indeed trended in that direction a bit). To me they are tuneful nuanced hard rock (with some softer often folksy cuts here and there); they’re indeed one of my favorite bands, but I’d never be caught dead listening to the likes of Spock’s Beard or The Flower Kings-almost completely different musical universes really. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/16 "2011-12-20T16:25:52Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > give Interpol a listen… They are about as clear post-punk as you can be without being from about 1978. The earlier mentioned Franz Ferdinand are probably more art-rock than anything else. I’d argue that post-rock is pretty much progressive without the pomp or weird jazz chord one-up-manship. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/17 "2011-12-20T17:14:24Z")
**Bo** is right, there’s tons out there. I recommend anything on the [Moonjune](http://moonjune.com/) (warning: sound plays on homepage) and [Cuneiform](http://cuneiformrecords.com/) labels. For classic Yes-type prog rock, it’s hard to beat the new [Wobbler](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szuzkXOShUY) album, _Rites at Dawn_. Also try: [Mars Hollow](http://www.marshollow.com/) (not to be confused with Mars Volta) [Phideaux](http://www.bloodfish.com/home.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/18 "2011-12-21T02:44:01Z")
> [@ALLMUSIC.COM](#): > > With his wide-ranging talents and ability to be creative in almost any musical situation, [Mike] Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era. [link](http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-keneally-p93263/biography) Robert Fripp has praised Keneally’s talents, as did Frank Zappa (Keneally was stunt guitarist in FZ’s final touring band, taking over the spot formerly held by Adrian Belew and Steve Vai). I would start with _ **Dancing** _ and work forwards and backwards in his catalog from there, with special appreciation for the mostly-acoustic _ **Wooden Smoke** _ and his debut, _ **Hat** _. ---
**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/19 "2011-12-21T02:49:04Z")
If you are near Detroit, stop in the next time Tin Scribble is playing out. Prog, current, and kind of cranky. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797/20 "2011-12-21T11:51:06Z")
But wait! There’s more! [Karmakanic - Who’s The Boss In The Factory?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1XpBLsNgHs) [Deluge Grander - The Solitude of Miranda](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq6BKyEjsto) [Fermata - For Huascaran](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQk232LoTjc) [Pure Reason Revolution - Aeropause](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFciPZJ_ycE) [Kino - Loser’s Day Parade](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0MMb_yjy_Q) [Blackfield - Blackfield (from “Blackfield”)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7kyoUTEYzw) [Jadis - Sleepwalk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ba-uOeA7U) [Gordian Knot - Redemption’s Way](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABQ-WAryrJM) [IZZ - Late Night Salvation](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PsZyrMm7s0) [Moth Vellum - Whalehead](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xsWobgAIv8) [Beardfish - Coup De Grace](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhxBy5ZbETE) [Symphony X - Paradise Lost](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyvOJlX4ZkE) [Oblivion Sun - Golden Feast](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmBq8ov-_qA) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-modern-progressive-rock/606797.md?page=2)