Teach Me About Chamber Rock

What are folks preferred DAAU albums? I've listened to a little and enjoying.

Negoba wrote: What are folks preferred DAAU albums? I've listened to a little and enjoying. I also like NSRO quite a bit. Pretty chill. I think I listened to Aranis way back in the day but I really like them. Can get a little frenetic - need to be in the right frame of mind. I was listening in the car with my wife who was initially on board but at one point asked "Doesn't this music make you anxious?" I guess that's true of a lot of prog.

That's Ian's job!  

I don't know much of this music, but wouldn't Iamthemorning qualify?

I am not particularly fond of terms or sometimes sub genres because of the nature of music and the musicians who write it...crossing into other styles which have already been termed for decades and the whole thing developing into a nonsensical mess of debates and confusion. For example: "Oh..this band is a combination of Canterbury and RIO" "Okay Bob..but they're classified Canterbury " "Nah..they're too RIO to be like Gilgamesh or National Health "

This type of recurring situation seems lost and not really workable when trying to place bands in categories. Music has no barriers and you just never know what a good writer will create.

My guess is someone thought it would be a good idea to call Univers Zero Chamber Rock because it is tied into Modern Chamber Music.

For example Kronos Quartet ( for the most part), John Adams Chamber Symphony, Peteris Vasks Chamber Music, Dmitri Tymoczko Crackpot Hymnal...is modern chamber music. Certain Avant-garde composers crossed into the style of writing found in modern chamber music such as John Cage with his string quartets, Stephan Wolfe, and George Crumb Black Angels.

Modern Chamber Music doesn't contain the sound of drums playing Rock beats ...or odd time signatures played on drums in a Progressive Rock style...On Univers Zero's first album they are influenced by Bartok and generally a distinctive style of writing found in Modern Chamber Music of the 20th century. The difference being that they are a band and they put a Progressive Rock edge into it. The term Chamber Rock is triggered by that logic, but I don't know how accurate or appropriate it would be to actually label it that.

One band or ensemble categorized as RIO is Julverne. They are less dark and more hauntingly melodic. Less dissonance. Pieces like "Joyeux Noel, Captain Nemo!" are masterfully beautiful and inspirational. Le Pavillon Des Passions Humaines is outstanding from start to finish. I am intrigued by their music.

Rational Diet ...On Phenomena And Existences is essential for a fan of this so called Chamber Rock.

The first three Art Zoyd albums are considered by many to be their best more authentic era. I like Musique Pour l'odyssee. Les Espaces Inquiets, Phase IV, Le Mariage Du Ciel Et De L'enfer, Nosferatu, and Faust are all precious to me. In their later years they incorporated the usage of drum machine , electronics, and at times real Percussion...and a percentage of fans find it distasteful because it sterred away from the acoustic instrumentation usage of the first three albums.

Jacob Schoolcraft wrote: I enjoy Avant-garde in its many forms of instrumentation. George Crumb Black Angels without a label , but as a piece of music contains all or most of the elements and choice of notes have long been repeated by King Crimson, Univers Zero, Art Zoyd, Miriodor..and rather re-created in their own style. Much of the music is considered to be hellish and sinister. It is often said to be Satanic. This is speculation designed by listeners who are frightened or disturbed by the music. Is it true? I'm not J. Edgar Hoover....but I do know for a fact that a bizarre arrangement of the tri tone interval will creep people out. It's gotta be the reality difference between consonance and dissonance. They're used to hearing consonance all their life. Their hear dissonance and they immediately associate it with the underworld. I can understand the fascination, but it's vital to realize that musicians sometimes compose dark pieces because their inspiration is part of a nightmare or a real disturbing life experience where evil and sadistic people imposed on them.

Catcher10 wrote: It's Rock played in a Chamber.....

😃 😀 😄 😁

Years ago I went to Laurel Mansion to hear a string quartet play modern chamber music. The pieces that were chosen to be played created an atmosphere of dark romanticism. Most modern chamber music includes the usage of string quartet..or harpsichord..or piano.

Bands being labeled as Chamber Rock are stylistically based off modern Chamber Music except they use synthesizer sounds, Mellotron, and usually a drummer that plays odd time signatures..therefore people associate it with Rock. Progressive Rock. That being the difference between the two and Classical snobbery does make that distinction.

The Enid have always had band members on board that are capable of playing Classical music. Sometimes The Enid emulate the sound and dynamics of an orchestra however they are clearly a Prog band playing a kind of Classical Rock and using layered keyboards, Classical Percussion, guitars and voices to produce a big sound.

I'm assuming people generally tag the term Rock to coincide with Chamber. I can't count the amount of times I've heard a load of Kronos Quartet albums where they are performing arrangements of pieces written by 20th century composers and having similarities to the composition of Univers Zero and ..of course minus drums, distorted Fripp guitar and layered keyboard work.

John Adams Chamber Symphony is a work that I can definitely hear Univers Zero playing in a Progressive Rock style. ...If it were true Univers Zero would be playing Adams' Chamber Symphony on instruments typically thought to be used in Prog...where John Adams uses a more orchestral sound of authenticity and traditionally based off standards and practices circulating in the Classical community.

Edited by Jacob Schoolcraft - May 16 2023 at 23:02

One band in particular that combined a style of modern chamber music with Folk was Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Often described in the area of minimalist due to the repeativeness or redundancy of their notation..their first album blends a few styles not commonly found in modern chamber or chamber rock....yet creates moments of re-visting that style with odd musical characteristics.

In the 80s they were pegged as New Age. It's really not New Age. The paintings of Penguins on their album covers resembling human beings had nothing to do with that...Pieces that began as instrumental Folk with violin and transformed into a section of music that was dark and quirky had nothing to do with that.

Their music was used in 80s movies because of its hooky signature lines but their albums were not a product of that work. They were actually unusual in a very genuine way and they were pegged wrong. Some of their music is ethereal, ambient, bizzare and melodic and has a modern chamber vibe.

Big , Beautiful, Dark And Scary by Bang On A Can All Stars is worth the price of admission. Ingram Marshall Three Penitential Visions Hidden Voices I highly recommend . David Smooke Nutshell Studies Of Unexplained Death , Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic The Iridium Controversy is great Chamber Rock and of course composer Arnold Schonberg. Karda Estra Voivode Dracula is always amazing, but one of my favorite modern Chamber Music releases is Crackpot Hymnal Dmitri Tymoczko performed by the Amernet Quartet and the Congliano Quartet which is completely amazing. Julverne are also one of my favorites.