Friday, September 11, 2009

Francophone Music Column: Quebec Loves Its Prog

Progressive rock band Miriodor: (from left) Bernard Falaise, Rémi Leclerc, Nicolas Masino, Pascal Globensky. Photograph by: Patrick La Roque, SIX media marketing inc.

From The Montreal Gazette:

Progressive rock – with its serpentine attack, long solos, complex time signatures, dense textures and mystical lyrics – has had an ambiguous relationship with the rock 'n' roll field at large, particularly in America. Since its beginnings in Britain in the late '60s, groups such as Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yes, and Soft Machine have elicited groans from certain hipsters. Genesis was often derided while Peter Gabriel, dressed in hideous ballet-like costumes, fronted the band. And Pink Floyd, which issued several timeless avant-garde albums early in its career, had to wait until it softened its approach with Dark Side of the Moon for mega-success.

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