Prog fans can still be found in my generation

I forgot to bring up Camel in my post. Summer Lightning always catches me so well, and I can't help but mimicking fingering the guitar and stuff at the end of it: when you listen to Andrew Latimer's music, you really can relate with him and his transfigurated face when playing it.

Ah, and Porcupine Tree too.

It's my usual usertag in various websites; here I've slightly altered it to make it fit Pendragon.

Indeed, I'm a Pendragon fan. They're the band that introduced me to neo prog and prog, and I will forever have a bias towards them. Particularly Men who climb Mountains, the first album I listened to (the first song was Faces of Light; someone told me that I reminded them of that song, and that's how my journey to prog began), and The Masquerade Overture, because it's their best and because it was published on the year I was born.

Yes. Sorry, if I make you feel old, but I'm from 1996. I have the t-shirt made for their 40th anniversary, which in a way is pretty ironic. The artwork on the t-shirt is mostly reminiscent of their core trilogy, which includes The Masquerade Overture.

All that being said, I have since ventured through the prog world, with some bands really convincing me, some less, some - it depends. Marillion stands out, because although they're really acclaimed, most of their tracks are forgettable to me (sorry sorry). But it's also how much their music varies so much in quality, in grandeur... I'd put their songs in 4 categories. The first is the weird kinda love musics with lyrics totally getting beyond my head (like Kayleigh, which starts so well and promising, with music reminiscent of Pendragon to me - I know it's the other way around naturally - and even keeps really good guitar to be fair, but, like, isn't the singer just asking Kayleigh to get back together, saying oh no you broke my heart?? wth is that? First time I listened to it, I stopped in the middle, which is a shame because lyrics aside it's really excellent) (in fact, if you simply remove the chorus, 1:05-1:40 and the end of the song, although I kinda like the last 2 lines) (some other songs are also like that but with more forgettable music), the 2nd is the songs that try to be kinda political and philosophical, but mostly just say that we live in a society and this world is stupid... Then there is their music that really succeeds at that and expresses a lot of great things, and even takes risk (think of the Gaza stuff). When I meet God is a true masterpiece. Lastly, there are the songs that succeed at what the 1st fails at, I'm thinking of The Sky Above the Rain for intance (of which the lyrics again are fairly simple, but this time in a good sense, expressing essential stuff with the right words).

It's so weird to me that a band can produce both songs that totally go beyond my head, and absolute gems, and so many of them. The ones I cited, plus Ocean Cloud (probably in my top 10 from all bands), plus Memory of Water, etc.

Anyway, leaving them aside, I like Mystery even though their work is not as rich as others' and their latest albums don't convince me; BelIeve, whose music is simple but pleasing (The Warmest Sun in Winter is really "romantic", you want to hug you dear one by the fire, seeing in that fire and in yours' heart the warmest sun in winter. Is it still prog? idk, but I like it); Moonrise which is really different to others, very airy; Airbag, quite pure; Air, also quite airy and dreamy; Silhouette (their Across the Rubicon is really excellent); Alcest (being from France, I'm proud to have such a great representant, with very original music - they even sing in French); Rick Miller (often repetitive, but the guy has his own style that he polishes through the years; the latest albums are really great; Rick Miller is great at consructing a fantastic atmosphere, Pendragon and he are the best at that to me); Lake of Tears (once again, another band with fairly simple, but accessible music, with a nice atmosphere), IQ - IQ is probably the best band I know that I have no personal bias towards. IQ's Resistance and Pendragon's The Masquerade Overture are probably to me the best non-concept albums. The best concept-albums would be Miller's Old Souls and Cosmograf's The Man Left in Space.

Resistance's writing is so excellent, served well by the voice (it comes down to personal preference, but in my case I really ... "believe" in Peter Nicholls' voice), and by the atmospheric, rich, complex musical background.

I like Big Big Train' writing but it really looks not matching the singing at all to me, I just don't understand their music... Nor do I understand Steven Wilson, though maybe I will some day.