Symphonic in the 00's, an advantage or a handicap?

Polymorphia wrote: Ambient Hurricanes wrote: richardh wrote: Polymorphia wrote: richardh wrote: ... You might find it quite amusing that I had a conversation with my 16 year old Nephew recently and he was bemoaning the lack of good current music and how everything is the same now. He likes the Foo Fighters but also has a taste for classic seventies rock. I feel a bit sorry for him really. I couldn't suggest anything much other than Muse's latest album. He likes them but its not a lot to go on really.   I'm surprised that you didn't suggest anything but Muse. Off the top of my head I was struggling to think of anything else He might like some modern Rush.  Counterparts, Test for Echo, Vapor Trails, Snakes and Arrows, and Clockwork Angels all have both classic and alternative rock elements. There are plenty of artists making good and interesting music these days. My personal favorites are Radiohead, Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Midlake, The Dodos, Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, and Fleet Foxes. For him, specifically, you could suggest The Mars Volta.

I would have him start somewhere a little less, um, insane before jumping right to TMV

Deloused by TMV is actually pretty accessible. At least, when I heard it I didn't notice anything weird. In fact, it was the first prog album I ever owned.

Mainstream rock and classic rock were exactly the kind of stuff I was into back then (Switchfoot was my favorite band for a long time). The only band out of the ordinary that I liked was Radiohead.

To be fair though, Octahedron is probably a better suggestion. Too, I had heard lots of jazz and jazz fusion growing up because of my dad and my brother, though I didn't actively listen to it. I also knew a bit about theory.

Ambient Hurricanes wrote: ...Switchfoot is pretty good, too.

I agree. Legend of Chin still surprises me with its progginess. The jazzy riff at the end of "Edge of my Seat," the tritones in "Ode to Chin" ...Nothing is Sound and Oh! Gravity! are pretty nice too. Switchfoot is what got me into music. I don't like them as much as I used to, but I still appreciate them for what they are: a mainstream rock band who actually does something interesting with their music and have thought-provoking lyrics.

HackettFan wrote: @Gallifrey: This is all well and good. I don't begrudge you your tastes, appreciate the band recommendations, and agree with you about Dream Theater. I myself have always listened to other things over the years, such as Zappa or Henry Kaiser, who are definitely not Symphonic Prog.   The problem I'm having is that the direction of the discussion in it's outward appearance is focused on genre as if that's the only kind of innovation that can be made. I don't know if it's intended that way. If someone ushers in a new genre, they deserve kudos (perhaps), but I'm also I interested in new timbres, new approaches to phrasing, new playing techniques, new scales, new arrangements, new approaches to rhythm, new math, new... Whether this is done in one genre or another (Symphonic Prog included) is something to be openminded about, I think.

Edited by King Crimson776 - December 28 2012 at 01:01

Interesting comments Sussex Bowler. I would recommend Glass Hammer to you. I love ELP , Yes and Genesis like most prog fans and GH are admittedly very heavily influenced by those aforementioned bands but they do retain a lot of their own uniqueness as well and there is a warmth in their music that sometimes goes missing in symphonic prog.

Just have a listen to Little Tragedies - Chinese Songs 1 & 2 and then tell, how it could be anything but advantage!

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It's not that simple although I agree with you that there's no reason TFK, GH, IQ, SB etc can not be as big as PT or DT. The thing is this though: DT and PT/SW got in through the back door so to speak. In other words the metal crowd discovered them. For SB, TFK etc the trick is to promote themselves in other circles besides just prog circles. They should look to classic rock magazine and not just the PROG affiliate. Touring is all well and good but it becomes a catch twenty two. They can't tour a lot because they have day jobs so they don't have the time. So I say they have to get the word out in other ways.

I myself did my part. I was on the promotions team for Progday for two years plus I contacted SiriusXM radio and told them to play the FLower Kings. I never heard them on their prog show. Two weeks later they played the latest TFK album. Coincidence? I doubt it.


Edited by Prog_Traveller - January 11 2013 at 21:15