Bands whose visual aesthetic you really like

ExittheLemming wrote: Toaster Mantis wrote: That entire combination of urban decay, sadomasochist fetishism, esoteric occult spirituality and cryptofascist chic seems to just gel perfectly in a way that speaks to something within my soul. Laibach ought to be right up your dubious alley methinks?

Edited by Svetonio - March 17 2014 at 10:46

Edited by Svetonio - March 17 2014 at 06:20

The Residents. From mummies & eyeballs to never telling their names and sticking with it for over forty years.  (even Kiss dropped the makeup for a while, but not these guys)

Also, good call on whomever mentioned Swans. In fact, that goes for the entire early industrial/noise/dark ambient scene with Coil, Current 93, Lustmord and Throbbing Gristle standing out as other examples that happen to be included on ProgArchives.

That entire combination of urban decay, sadomasochist fetishism, esoteric occult spirituality and cryptofascist chic seems to just gel perfectly in a way that speaks to something within my soul. Not to mention that I find that music milieu's take on dark and disturbing increasingly more convincing than the vast majority of black/death metal.

Edited by Svetonio - March 17 2014 at 04:00

The Dark Elf wrote: The time period that included Aqualung, TAAB, APP and War Child featured a visual aesthetic and concept that ran through the music, the album covers and the live presentation. I could point to the Mad Dog Fagin look of Ian Anderson coinciding with the lecherous Aqualung character, and the sublime Thick as a Brick album cover that spoofed not only the prog rock milieu, but small town newspapers and the lyrics of the song itself (featuring "Little Milton" Gerald Bostock as the poet). A film was designed specifically for A Passion Play and was shown behind the band at the concert (as well as Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond reading "The Hare that Lost its Spectacles" in an oversized chair). The War Child concept was actually being planned as a feature film (with none other than John Cleese of Monty Python as an advisor).

I know it's probably some people's pet peeve about progressive music, but I really like how integral the information contained in Thick as a Brick's cover art is to understanding the music found within. See also Hawkwind's In Search of Space whose booklet contains a lengthy pamphlet outlining the central concept of that LP.

notesworth wrote: Kraftwerk's visual aesthetic always appealed to me. I don't know why.

Can't believe I forgot those Teutonic gentlemen. They're like the example of a very strong central ideological concept running through everything a music group does and records. In their case it goes even beyond that and also represents a case of national cultural identity being essential to the band concept: One of Kraftwerk's stated purposes was to rehabilitate and revive all the German avant-garde cultural traditions that the NSDAP squashed in the 1930s. (hence the very retro-art deco cover art on Autobahn and Trans-Europe Express)

Which reminds me, I'm not a fan of Magma but I'm surprised nobody have mentioned them yet.

KingCrimson776 wrote: Tool... shame about the music.

You've just described how I feel about Baroness.

Eloy always did sci-fi concepts and the album covers were quite striking and in line with that. Not sure they had the money to make the live shows that totally immersive experience though.

twosteves wrote: notesworth wrote: Kraftwerk's visual aesthetic always appealed to me. I don't know why. didn't think of them but it appeals to me too---of course Yes and Dean--but I love Genesis covers particularly SEBTP, Lamb, Trick, W&W

Although I am not a Genesis fan, I have to agree about the Lamb cover.