Suggested move - Coheed & Cambria OUT of PR

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   Yes, I went there.

Coheed & Cambria [C&C] were, in their day, one of the most
controversial additions to ProgArchives that side of "Metallica". There
were some who supported their addition and some that thought of it as
treason - but you have to admit that these guys do play a modern form
of prog, and a lot of people may simply be offended in the fact that
they have a heck of a lot more airplay and record sales than the prog
greats of old, or the newcomers to the scene like "Phideaux", "Shadow
Circus" or even the more established acts like "Spock's Beard". Some,
like myself, grew up with cliques of kids who were mainly 'punks' who
walked around the highschools wearing C&C hoodies, t-shirts, and
constantly talking about their music.

But let's put the hype and the popularity and the ill-placed 'emo' tags aside, shall we?

What if we were to evaluate this band as though they were fresh out of
the gates with no followers and no high budget MTV music videos - where
would we place this band? They have a ton of prog in them - as someone
who owns all of their albums (skeptical at first) I can say that they
have many different facets and while some people see them mainly as a
pop group thanks to 'hits' like Favor House Atlantic or The Suffering what
great prog group didn't do that kind of thing in their day? Hell, even
the coveted ELP debut had "Lucky Man" as its final track. This is
beside the fact, because for every Ten Speed that the band has produced they've also doe a decidedly progressive track such as the excellent Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth or 21:13.

The band's influences are highly obvious. They play a Rushly type style
and in their behind the scenes videos can even be seen wearing King
Crimson attire - this does not make the move any more warranted, but it
does go to show that they do have respect for the genre and they're not
just a bunch of flunkies who would rather wear a "I hate Pink Floyd"
T-shirt as some people may believe that they do.

In the state of our modern archives I believe that there is a perfect
fit for the band. The subgenre that so beautifully mixes genres with a
tinge of contemporary music - Crossover Prog, which did not yet
exist when the band was first added. While Crossover is not simply a
dumping ground for those bands 'not prog enough' to be put in Symphonic
but 'too prog' to be put in Related, it is a perfect fit in this case.
They have similarities to other bands in the genre - such as the
excellent Pavlov's Dog, they have a popish flavor to them mixed in with
a highly progressive touch, and they even have gone so far as to create
multi-part suites which I have seen praised in reviews for being
"seperate, yet cohesive". The band's lastest effort can be seen as a
perfect fit for the genre, as can their earlier work such as "In
Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: III". Like a certain frontman of one
of our crossover artists noted - (RJP of 3RDegree) "We take perfectly
good prog songs and ruin them with our pop influences" - and that's what's great about it!

 Crossover Prog contains progressive rock music that, though 100%
progressive, may have a musical connection to popular music-- whether
it be the lack of emphasis on extended compositions, or an influence
from mainstream music in addition to classical, jazz and folk.
Compositions, however, still exhibit a high degree of sophistication,
sometimes outright complexity, and the musicianship and virtuosity is
often on a par with established Prog acts. Much like their kin in the
established prog sub-genres, these groups will incorporate many major
parts of what defines prog rock: the fusing of rock with the structures
and discipline of more traditional musics, the use of syntheisizers and
new technologies, intelligent thematics, and the expansion of the form.

The
defining characteristics of Crossover Prog are a pop music influence
that is largely vacant in typical prog rock. Songs tend toward shorter,
more concise presentations though still reach beyond the typical verse,
bridge, chorus pattern. The harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic structures
may be more easily digested in Crossover while not losing the musical
integrity that a prog listener expects. Whereas Prog Related bands are
generally commercial groups with certain prog elements or players that
were involved in prog acts, Crossover Prog artists are predominantly
progressive with elements of popular music.

So empty your mind of preconcieved ideas about the band and listen to
one of their albums. I think you'll find that they are capable of
surprising you. So, I'm going to ask the Xover team to (re?)evaluate
this band. I hope that I have not shocked them to death with this post .

Comments are welcome. 

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