# Looking for rock music that evokes fantasy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423 "2009-01-15T14:21:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/41 "2009-01-16T00:48:17Z")
If you want “otherworldly,” it’s hard to beat “Blows Against The Empire” by Kantner/Slick, et al, or “The Intergalactic Touring Band” by ITB. Or how about Jeff Wayne’s version of “War Of The Worlds?” ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/42 "2009-01-16T02:29:08Z")
If you want something a little (um) different, you could try [First Utterance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Utterance), by Comus. [Song to Comus](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gkj_EzqH_WM) on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/43 "2009-01-16T02:48:52Z")
I’m going to go in a slightly different direction. How about some **Cocteau Twins**? Beth Fraser’s voice defines otherworldly, to me. Music can be described as “pastoral,” too, I’d say. If fairies could make music, this would be it. I would start with _Treasure_. For somethiing a little more rocking, I’d say **My Bloody Valentine** ’s _Loveless_ fits the bill. But that all depends on what you mean exactly by evoking fantasy. The four bands mentioned in the OP are not any I would have thought of given the wording of the OP, so I’m trying to go off on another tack. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/44 "2009-01-16T03:12:30Z")
How about some Be Bob Deluxe? Bill Nelson wrote lots of that kind of stuff. For example: Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape Jet Silver and The Dolls of Venus Life in the Air Age Sister Seagull Jets at Dawn ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/45 "2009-01-16T03:20:12Z")
There’s also this: [Shine On](http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=EDyDz8WeiM4), by some crazy diamond, shining on. Hey, he’s at least _trying_ to evoke a fantasy setting. I think. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/46 "2009-01-16T03:27:01Z")
Wolfmother’s [album](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfmother_(album))has a few songs that might fit the bill actually. Whenever I listen to that album, I immediately start thinking of a fantasy realm of things for a few of the songs. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/47 "2009-01-16T03:27:54Z")
**Helium** and frontwoman **Mary Timony** ’s music (released under her own name) use a lot of fantasy/medieval times imagery. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/48 "2009-01-16T03:58:30Z")
“In The Hall Of The Mountain King” by Savatage. Seconding almost anything by Sabbath. Dio’s got some good imagery and lyrics. And he had a big ass fire breathing dragon on stage. Iron Maiden has lots of good stuff: Powerslave (egyptian kings), Of Sun and Steel (12th-ish warriors), the one from Piece of Mind album about Dune (I forget the name right now)Oh, To Tame A Land, Quest For Fire, Invaders (huns attackinga village), Charlotte the Harlot (hey, you said _fantasy_, right?). The Flight Of Icarus. And I gotta put this one in there: Queensryche: OPERATION MINDCRIME. Not really fantasy, but a good rockopera about Big Brother and conspiracies. OPERATION MINDCRIME II is also good, but I didn’t see the show live, so the former still has a special place in my heart. This was quite possibly the BEST live show I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/49 "2009-01-16T04:14:44Z")
> [@Autumn\_Almanac](#): > > Let’s see if I can explain this adequately… I’m looking for rock albums that evoke fantasy or fantasy settings. Not necessarily just lyrics that are about swords ‘n’ sorcery (though they can be), but more of the overall picture that it paints-- music that is pastoral, but also feels somehow exotic or otherworldly. If you can do streaming audio, please consider taking a listen to [this album](http://rhodesongs.com/music/thekeep/index.html). If you like it, [this one](http://rhodesongs.com/music/rhodesongs/index.html) would be another you’d probably like. If you like both of those, then you can delve (since all of the albums are available via streaming audio now), but at least try the first one. If you like Sarah, and Fumbling is a stellar album, you’ll probably like it. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/50 "2009-01-16T04:14:59Z")
I was going to mention **Dragonforce** and **Rhapsody** [of Fire], but since they’ve already been named, I’ll mention another great one: **Avantasia**. Get The Metal Opera, Disc 1. It’s about a monk in the year 1602 who gets thrown in the dungeon and . . . oh hell, [the whole story can be found here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avantasia_(story)). It’s really, _really_ good. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Disc 2 is almost as good as Disc 1 (and in fact the first song on disc 2 is the best song on either album), but don’t bother with anything else they’ve done. It’s crap. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/51 "2009-01-16T04:18:42Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > How about some Be Bob Deluxe? Who the hell is Be “Bob” Deluxe? It’s Be **BOP** Deluxe. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Strange\_Machine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Strange\_Machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strange_Machine)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/52 "2009-01-23T01:29:49Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > The first band that leapt to mind is Sigur Ros (I particularly like [Hoppipolla](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EyI4p0yjDQ), because it has this wonderful hopeful epic feel to it.. plus the video is warm-fuzzy all over) It’s not quite as “rock” as some of the suggestions so far, but since Sarah McLachlan got a mention in the OP, I’m assuming you’re working with a fairly loose definition of the word. > > If that fits the bill, you may also want to check out Mum, which has a similar sound on some of their tracks, though they’ve got a bit more of an ambient-electronic sort of vibe ([Green Grass of Tunnel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHTFmJk7fH0) is nice) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_post-rock\_bands](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_post-rock_bands) If you do like Sigur Ros, one of my all time favorite albums is Mogwai’s Happy Songs for Happy People. A more rocking edge than Sigur Ros or múm. The whole genre is usually light on lyrics, but chock full of atmosphere. A lot of guitar and strings. Coheed & Cambria’s catalog is a four album space opera (complete with comic books and everything), but the dude’s voice is kind of emo, so it’s a love it or hate it thing. Also, Björk has some good stuff, Homogenic & Verspertine both interesting, and added bonus - she’s a vodka-soaked Icelandic pixie. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/53 "2009-01-23T01:54:29Z")
> [@Strange\_Machine](#): > > Coheed & Cambria’s catalog is a four album space opera (complete with comic books and everything), but the dude’s voice is kind of emo, so it’s a love it or hate it thing. Nitpick: It’s going to be a 5 album space opera. There’s a Prequel coming out as the next album. I do love me some C&C… Actually you can sorta pick and choose songs from the catalog to get that fantasy evocation. “Welcome Home” is a great example, whenever I hear it I ALWAYS end up visualizing a Final Fantasy sort of Boss Battle Sequence or something. ---
**Author:** ![Strange\_Machine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Strange\_Machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strange_Machine)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/54 "2009-01-23T05:29:49Z")
> [@Ro0sh](#): > > Nitpick: It’s going to be a 5 album space opera. There’s a Prequel coming out as the next album. > > I do love me some C&C… Actually you can sorta pick and choose songs from the catalog to get that fantasy evocation. “Welcome Home” is a great example, whenever I hear it I ALWAYS end up visualizing a Final Fantasy sort of Boss Battle Sequence or something. May as well throw in the Prize Fighter Inferno side story for completion’s sake. I think The Fall of House Atlantic is the Boss Fight music. Too bad it’s just a minute or so segway rather than a full song. Though for epic imagery, I put my money on the title track from In Keeping Secrets. Pitched space battle and Jesse and a bunch of freedom fighters duking it out on an apocalyptic battlefield. (Plus the IRObots are kind of like fantasy monsters) ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/55 "2009-01-23T09:26:18Z")
Starcastle? ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/56 "2009-01-23T12:30:16Z")
Back in the early 70s **Bo Hannson** (top Swedish keyboard player of the time) released the instrumental [Music Inspired by LOTR](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lord-Rings-Bo-Hansson/dp/B00005YUBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1232712530&sr=8-1) followed by several other similar sounding albums… _Attic Thoughts_ is probably the best of the other lps. **Van Der Graaf Generator** often used fantasy in their songs; any of their earlier albums might fit the bill. Try _Pawn Hearts_ or [The Least We Can Do…](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Least-Can-Wave-Each-Other/dp/B0009F9O6C/ref=pd_sim_m_h__2) Possibly not very pastoral though. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/57 "2009-01-23T14:02:37Z")
> [@Strange\_Machine](#): > > May as well throw in the Prize Fighter Inferno side story for completion’s sake. > I think The Fall of House Atlantic is the Boss Fight music. Too bad it’s just a minute or so segway rather than a full song. > Though for epic imagery, I put my money on the title track from In Keeping Secrets. Pitched space battle and Jesse and a bunch of freedom fighters duking it out on an apocalyptic battlefield. (Plus the IRObots are kind of like fantasy monsters) I heartily agree with everything here. And if you like Co&Ca, but are specifically looking for fantasy with more of a medieval feel, rather than more sci-fi-ish like the main story of the Amory Wars, the Prize Fighter Inferno (only album so far: My Brother’s Blood Machine) is the way to go because it evokes a more lo-tech world. Although of course it’s less qualified as “rock” than Co&Ca because of its electronica influences (put together, the electronica combined with the folk-y acousticness of the slow tracks always reminded me of “contemporary adult alternative/progressive” such as Peter Gabriel.) ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/58 "2009-01-23T20:02:27Z")
Not sure if this is exactly what you’re looking for, but… the album “Another Green World” by Brian Eno came to mind. He made this record when he was transitioning from standard songs to ambient music, so there’s a mixture of both. The music tends to be based on simple but emotionally evocative melodic lines or chord progressions, and he adds a multitude of studio treatments to warp the sound in various ways; the lyrics, when there are any, tend to be somewhat stream-of-consciousness. The overall effect is generally peaceful and drifting, but with enough variety to keep you interested. This is one of my all-time favorite albums – when I put it on it’s like taking a one-hour trip to the Caribbean or someplace. If you like that, then also check out his “Before and After Science”, and his collaboration with Robert Fripp, “Evening Star”. And then there’s Gong. In the early 70s, they put out a trilogy of albums – “Flying Teapot”, “Angels Egg”, and “You” – collectively known as the “Radio Gnome Trilogy.” These albums tell a rather chaotic and episodic story based on an intricate mythology developed by the group’s leader, Daevid Allen, concerning … well… it’s a little hard to explain. You see, there’s this place called Gong, which is a green planet of perpetual orgasm, populated by Pot Head Pixies, and they make contact through Radio Gnome Invisible with an Earth human named Mista T. Being, and … well, maybe you should just listen to the music, which is a rather odd mix of progressive rock, jazz, mutated pop, and trance music. On a more traditional level, I would suggest “A Gift from a Flower to a Garden” by Donovan. This consists of two records, “Wear Your Love Like Heaven” and “For Little Ones”. The former is sort of quiet, settled pop, and pretty; the latter is very much in the vein of traditional British folk, and beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/59 "2009-01-23T20:11:31Z")
Queens 2nd album called Queen II, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423/60 "2009-01-23T20:58:07Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Check out Uriah Heep’s “Demons and Wizards”. And the next album too, “Magician’s Birthday”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-rock-music-that-evokes-fantasy/481423.md?page=4)