# Best Prog Rock Albums of 2019



## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

_*Peter Hammill *(founding member of the progressive rock band *Van der Graaf Generator*)._

*Because it's never too late to start wasting time ... and who doesn't like useless lists?

Your list for best prog albums of 2019-let's have it.

FYI: For our purposes "Prog Rock" denotes all the ridiculous sub-genres; avant-prog, heavy-prog, prog-folk, RIO, etc, etc.*


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

This is what I have so far:


Isildurs Bane & Peter Hammill - (2019) In Amazonia
Marc Edwards / Mick Barr - (2019) The Bowels of Jupiter
Torn / Berne / Smith - (2019) Sun of Goldfinger
Consider the Source - (2019) You are Literally a Metaphor


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

No matter what, *IQ - Resistance* is going to be the strongest contender. Awaiting the postman...






Sounds a bit like Frequency, which is very good news to me.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Andrew Roussak - Storm warning.


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## Duncan (Feb 8, 2019)

*Magnesis - "Alice au pays des délires"*

Link to complete album -

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mufCiZBuvfGcJvcPLRqWr5mYjRfVEY23s


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Subgenre - Avant-prog

Lost Crowns - Every Night Something Happens


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Subgenre - Zeuhl

Magma - Zess


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I had an insight into why the original prog bands didn't think they were creating "prog rock." They were just doing music. Does that make sense? If you try to create prog rock, you create just weird copies or soulless exercises.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

regenmusic said:


> I had an insight into why the original prog bands didn't think they were creating "prog rock." They were just doing music. Does that make sense? If you try to create prog rock, you create just weird copies or soulless exercises.


Well...

Yes and no.

For sure, the period in music from which prog originated, was much more of an experimental time. Boundary pushing was accepted and encouraged. So, yes, they probably thought they were just pushing the same boundaries already pushed just a few years earlier by Sgt Peppers.

I read a few decades ago, that progressive rock was first used, in a review, to describe Cream. Which, being blues based, are not what later became known as progressive rock.



> If you try to create prog rock, you create just weird copies or soulless exercises.


I do not completely agree with this.

Sure, if a modern band is trying to replicate the specific sound of a band from the first golden age of prog, that could be a 'soulless' exercise. Although, if they are able to write some great melodies, arrangements, and play it well, even if it is very close to the sound of a classic era band, it could still be an enjoyable listen.

But there are plenty of modern bands, that may have influences by the classical bands, but still add enough of their own unique take on it, that they can sound fresh and new.

Plus, there are also plenty of modern bands, that are still prog, yet sound pretty unique.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

I've been rather disappointed by contemporary prog. Much of it either sounds like circus music (avant-prog) or is utterly retrogressive in its ambition to replicate the sounds of the past.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Simon Moon said:


> Subgenre - Avant-prog
> 
> Lost Crowns - Every Night Something Happens


*Every Night Something Happens* by _Lost Crowns_ and *Amazonia* by _Isildurs Bane & Peter Hammill_ are my top two prog albums of the year.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Red Terror said:


> I've been rather disappointed by contemporary prog. Much of it either sounds like circus music (avant-prog) or is utterly retrogressive in its ambition to replicate the sounds of the past.


Since you liked Dave Kerman's Abandonship, have you listened to his Regarding Purgatories album? And how about Thinking Plague? I don't know what you mean by circus music? The only recent album I bought is the Banco CD and I wasn't too impressed. But I don't really look too hard for new stuff. I'm into other music. Right now I'm listening to Ceux Du Dehors by Univers Zero. It's pretty good, but far from new music.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

starthrower said:


> Since you liked Dave Kerman's Abandonship, have you listened to his Regarding Purgatories album? And how about Thinking Plague? I don't know what you mean by circus music? The only recent album I bought is the Banco CD and I wasn't too impressed. But I don't really look too hard for new stuff. I'm into other music. Right now I'm listening to Ceux Du Dehors by Univers Zero. It's pretty good, but far from new music.


I have both Kerman albums and they are among my favorites. I haven't listened to much Thinking Plague though.

By Circus music I mean goofy high-pitched vocals as exemplified by the Japanese band Ruins. I appreciate humor in music (Zappa, Keneally) but not too many bands can pull it off convincingly.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Red Terror said:


> I have both Kerman albums and they are among my favorites. I haven't listened to much Thinking Plague though.


The Early Plague Years CD has a lot of great pieces if you can find it. I also recommend In This Life, and A History Of Madness. I'm sure you can stream these albums or find CDs at Discogs or Wayside Music. Some of the titles are becoming scarce on CD because Cuneiform isn't producing anymore copies. I just got the Zappa Orchestral Favorites 3 disc set yesterday and I'm very much enjoying this one.

Other Kerman related albums you might enjoy are Hunger's Teeth, Crisis In Clay, and U-Totem. I hope Keneally does part 3 of Scambot but since he probably won't sell more than a thousand copies it might not happen. It's a shame these talented artists can't make any money on recordings.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

starthrower said:


> The Early Plague Years CD has a lot of great pieces if you can find it. I also recommend In This Life, and A History Of Madness. I'm sure you can stream these albums or find CDs at Discogs or Wayside Music. Some of the titles are becoming scarce on CD because Cuneiform isn't producing anymore copies. I just got the Zappa Orchestral Favorites 3 disc set yesterday and I'm very much enjoying this one.
> 
> Other Kerman related albums you might enjoy are Hunger's Teeth, Crisis In Clay, and U-Totem. I hope Keneally does part 3 of Scambot but since he probably won't sell more than a thousand copies it might not happen. It's a shame these talented artists can't make any money on recordings.


I'll be listening to *Hoping Against Hope* after Portico Quartet's new release, *Memory Streams*, which I am loving so far.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

What I mean is that the intention of the artists back then was "let's just create some beautiful awe inspiring music." Later, it became, "lets create music that will be filtered into this marketing/historic genre of prog rock." Not saying that these people didn't accomplish something spectacular if others think its so. More power to them. My personal tastes are all over the world map when it comes to music, and I get something from 70s prog and a few later bands like Magma and Yes more or less were consistent. But what my heart feels as great music from the heart could be almost any genre these days. It's about a message, like the way long distance runaround felt to me as a 8 year old, I might get from a totally obscure private press record that they made 200 copies of. I think intellectually I'm stimulated more by classical music and my own music. I think perhaps these people are intellectually stimulated by working in the prog genre.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I have no problem admitting that younger people may like newer prog in a way that I may not be able to, and there isn't necessarily a quality difference between the old and new. (I am all for creating a system that makes people less ornery as they age).


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