Prog Notes

What do Indigo children, class structures, and science fiction all have to do with one another? Perhaps Destin and Drew can elucidate as they wrangle yet another concept album. But not just any concept album. The hosts introduce their audience to one of the most ambitious outfits in progressive rock today. On an initial playthrough, The Dear Hunter's Antimai draws listeners with memorable melodies...

Destin and Drew return after a long hiatus to share the album responsible for their absence from the mics of the favored prog rock podcast. In a delightful twist of roles, our typical hosts appear as members of Arcane Atlas to illuminate listeners about the significance of their most rent project, which was ten years in the making - Constellation Plus. Rachel Brown returns as a guest interviewer t...

Destin takes us through a tour of underground 1970s gems. Spanning across electronica, jazz, soft rock, blues, folk, Canterbury, RPI, and more, these albums all incorporate pieces of prog rock here and there while still maintaining identities that are fully independent of the traditional "prog rock" sound. Destin briefly explains the unique characteristics of each album to give listeners...

For this very special episode, Destin and Drew are graced with the presence of legendary guitarist Steve Hackett. In addition to being the lead guitarist for Genesis in their prime as one the most influential bands of the progressive rock genre, Steve has also had a very successful solo career, releasing dozens of albums with material encompassing a multitude of genres, including classical, blues,...

Destin presents a cautionary tale for emerging bands: Being mistaken for a band, even a band as great as The Beatles, could have adverse effects on your success. It certainly didn't do any favors for Canadian prog-rock trio Klaatu after releasing their 1977 space rock opera, Hope. While this cult classic is considered unappreciated by many devoted fans drawn to this album's eclectic ensemble of in...

Prog rock with a country twang... Is that a thing? Perhaps The Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd skirt that line, but they don't really bring prog rock to mind. However, What If, the critically acclaimed second album by the Dixie Dregs, peppers in a healthy dash of Southern rock amidst an album full of prog rock elements. The virtuosic skill of each player, a variety of synthesizers, and unconvent...

If there's a word that one would never attribute to Dream Theater, it's tame. Unfortunately, that's the kind of impression that Falling Into Infinity left on fans and critics alike in 1997 as the trailblazers of progressive metal succumbed to pressure from new management at their record label to write more commercial and accessible songs. Eager to get back to their progressive rock roots, they bur...

Fifty episodes! Woohoo! Destin and Drew analyze the significance of the earliest album they have ever covered on the show: Revolver by The Beatles. Released in 1966, this record proved to be a veritable musical playground for the international pop stars as they abandoned their restrictive touring lifestyle and instead embraced a spirit of innovation and uninhibited creativity with the studio and a...

The Prog Notes duo are blessed once more with the insights of Rachel Brown! Together they enter into the ghostly drama riddled throughout Steven Wilson's third solo album, The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories) (2013). While some listeners may contend that Wilson's work on this album is a bit derivative of classic prog rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s, our show hosts align with others...

Destin and Drew jump back in time to 1971 and travel through the seminal album The Yes Album to discuss how this record launched Yes on the trajectory to becoming one of the most formative bands in the progressive rock genre. While employing Steve Howe's superb talents as an eclectic guitarist and crafting lengthier pieces laden with the lyrical voice of Jon Anderson, this progressive rock ba...

Destin and Drew disagree about an album? Wait, wait... Is that possible? Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything. In this episode, Moon Safari's Blomljud serves as a point of contention for our hosts as Drew pours out his unwavering affection for the sweet summer sounds, the symphonic prog elements that harken back to the early days of Genesis and Yes, and the intricate vocal harmonies...

A Canadian prog trio that's not Rush? That's right! This week Destin and Drew cover the "minor classic" Black Noise by FM, and to help them analyze the album and its history, they are joined by Rogan McAndrews, host of Prog Notes Spotlight! While future FM releases may have never held up in terms of popularity, Black Noise demonstrates their musical prowess as they craft a signature sound in this...

That's right. Another Rush album! What a shock. Destin and Drew are joined yet again by the phenomenal Rachel Brown to discuss the "80s Rush sound" that pervades the 1985 release Power Windows. Along with a careful look at how Geddy Lee's voice matured over the years, these three discuss the important contributions of producer Peter Collins, the concepts presented from masterful wor...

Massive underwater sonic disturbances? A 5-string electric cello? Artwork that resembles cosmic horror monsters? It might seem like a bizarre combination, but these elements blend together to produce Preternatural: one of the most unique modern progressive rock albums by Brighton-based band Moulettes. While the exact category for their sound remains as mysterious as the preternatural phenomena pre...

Destin and Drew dive into Ocean Machine: Biomech, a very personal album for musician Devin Townsend, a highly regarded figure in the realm of heavy metal. Destin illuminates listeners with the history of Devin Townsend's arduous journey to craft this 1997 release, which adds a bit more sentiment to the album. While not an icon in the realm of prog rock, Devin Townsend has a dedicated following, a...

A concept album about political corruption. Complex arrangements of riff-oriented rocking. Bizarre time signatures. A wide array of keyboard sounds. Obviously, there's a lot to unpack here. Sounds like classic prog. What's more, it's classic Gentle Giant. Destin and Drew marvel at the incredible musicianship of these niche, yet highly esteemed, progressive rock pioneers as they did when discussing...

Who likes video games? Destin and Drew certainly do. Aside from the interactive experiences of gameplay and the wonderful stories they tell, many video games are rife with absolutely stunning music, and much of it is rather complex. So Destin and Drew started wondering: is there a connection between video game music (VGM) and progressive rock? Well, to address this question, Destin and Drew focus...

What Drew and Destin dub as an incredibly "prophetic" album, Porcupine Tree's Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007) predicts the destructive psychological effects that a digitally saturated world can have on younger generations long before smartphones dominated the hallways of elementary and middle schools. The co-hosts dive deep into this topic while also tying the subject matter back...

The first episode of our first offshoot podcast, Spotlight! The torch is passed, and your two new Canadian cohosts, Chelsea and Rogan, are going to start interviewing your favourite up-and-coming and/or long-established prog artists! This episode holds a brief introduction to them before beginning our first interview with Destin and Drew on their band, Arcane Atlas! We discuss world-building for s...

Is there a connection between jazz fusion and progressive rock? Both genres involve virtuosos performing complex arrangements. They both spawned in the late 1960s. Some musicians in prog rock have ventured into fusion. Here to discuss this topic and promote his newest prog-rock album, The World Is Loud, is Adam Nitti! Adam has had an illustrious career as a master bass player in all kinds of genre...

In just ten short years, Australian prog metal group Caligula’s Horse has crafted five studio albums that have quickly given them notoriety as one of the most innovative bands in the genre. Destin and Drew discuss their highly praised album, Rise Radiant, with the writing duo of this remarkable band, Jim Grey (vocals) and Sam Vallen (guitars). In addition to Drew embarrassing them with reviews, Ji...

Destin and Drew are joined by Marius Halleland and Kristian Hultgren of Wobbler to discuss their critically acclaimed 2017 album From Silence To Somewhere. The music of Wobbler can easily fit into the categories of retro-prog or symphonic prog, as the influences of the early prog pioneers can be heard in the tones of the instruments, the structures of the songs, and the inclusion of side-long epic...

Liquid Tension Experiment (LTE) is one of the most recognizable supergroups in modern progressive rock. After 22 years of silence from the studio, the virtuosos have returned to unveil their long-awaited third album, Liquid Tension Experiment 3. In this episode, Destin and Drew are graced by the presence of none other than Tony Levin himself, the legendary bassist and Chapman stick player for LTE....

Destin and Drew are joined by Asger Mygind and Nicolai Mogensen of VOLA to talk about their second album, Applause Of A Distant Crowd. VOLA brings an interesting approach to the current state of prog metal by incorporating keyboard leads, soothing yet powerful vocal melodies, and complex rhythmic patterns to this album. During this interview, Nicolai and Asger reveal the band’s organic writing pro...

Welcome, as we traverse through the dark, mysterious, and complex layers of Land Animal by Bent Knee. This record reflects the dynamic nature of the band, not only with its bizarre, yet ingenious, compositions but also with its inclusion of two female members, a trait that is not commonly found in a genre typically populated with all-male bands. Destin and Drew discuss the remarkable process of de...