r/progrockmusic • u/Fantastic-Leg-1808 • 3d ago

Progressive Sunshine Pop?

does this combination exists?

One of my favorite (if not my favorite) genre in music is progressive rock. Today I was listening to abbey road and I felt like it was pretty prog ish

Maybe this album is so catchy and musical that you don’t notice it but there are kinda complex song structures, key changes etc

Any recommendations?

14 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

57 comments sorted by

23

u/dneo2 3d ago

Try Moon Safari. Proggy Beach Boys…

5

u/boncros 3d ago

Outstanding musicianship

2

u/speak27 3d ago

Absolutely these guys. I saw them at ROSfest one year and was totally blown away. Great band.

16

u/193yellow 3d ago

beach boys

6

u/Fit_Struggle_4017 3d ago

Beach Boys don't really get much credit for it but I don't think prog would have developed without Brian Wilson in the world. At least not quite as quickly.

2

u/sylvanmigdal 3d ago

Smile is pretty much the epitome of "Progressive Sunshine Pop".

12

u/knoerfw 3d ago

The Moody Blues, especially In Search of the Lost Chord

10

u/Sea-Cucumber2139 3d ago

Caravan maybe? I've listened to them only a little but it sounds about right. Syd Barrett Pink Floyd isn't exactly this but it might be up your alley.

7

u/malignatius 3d ago

The Millennium

3

u/FreeHBO 1d ago

Came here to say this 🏝️

7

u/VegetableEase5203 3d ago

ELO obviously stepped into the Beatles‘ shoes. But also did the early Yes albums. And many more

8

u/Lapidarious-schnitz 3d ago

XTC (especially from Skylarking through their last album), Jellyfish, Jackdaw5 and The Dowling Poole. Happy listening!

7

u/DewskyFresh 3d ago

The Dear Hunter. The most recent North American EP is very much in this style. Also the Yellow EP from their Color Spectrum collection of EPs. "Shake Me Awake" off All Is As All Should Be and "Smiling Swine" off Act II are good examples as well. Pretty sure the leader Casey is a big Brian Wilson fan, and has I think even done some covers.

5

u/KissTheBand 3d ago

Jellyfish!!!!!!!!!!

3

u/maniac271 3d ago

Spilt Milk is soooooooo good. Sad they only had 2 albums.

5

u/djpdjf 3d ago

Try SMiLE by the beach boys

3

u/Suburban-Dad237 3d ago

Better yet: try Brian Wilson’s early 2000s SMiLE.

5

u/BroodingSonata 3d ago

Moon Safari. Musically they are kind of what you describe (though their subject matter isn't always), and they are fantastic.

4

u/sbisson 3d ago

Irish band Pugwash (pretty much a Thomas Walsh solo project these days) are very much ELO influenced.

You could also try anything by Neil Hannon’s Divine Comedy. And then for amusement if you are from anywhere that plays cricket, the two bands’ collaborative concept albums as w Duckworth Lewis Method.

Scottish band Belle And Sebastian might also fit the bill, along with the spin off project God Help The Girl, a soundtrack to an imaginary movie.

1

u/mrev 3d ago

I love Divine Comedy (plus the others you mentioned) but I'd say it's hit and miss as to whether it's upbeat or not. Regeneration is a fantastic album but it's not one I can listen to when I'm already feeling low, unlike Casanova which is so much lighter in mood.

5

u/Perpyderpy 3d ago

The Polyphonic Spree maybe? Especially a few songs like Light and Day and It's the Sun

Personal favorite is When the Fool Becomes a King

3

u/Malaghose 3d ago

I think you'd like Masayoshi Takanaka. His Rainbow Goblins album is amazing.

https://youtu.be/MzYD56hKF-8?si=9xFrI67zPhZyPiIc

5

u/olewoodenbroom 3d ago

Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk

2

u/beagledad53 3d ago

You beat me to it

2

u/Otherwise_Cow_6622 3d ago edited 3d ago

baroque pop , canterbury ... yess these guys nails it https://onceandfutureband.bandcamp.com/album/once-future-band

and more bands in that area -https://bandcamp.com/discover/sunshine-pop

2

u/JiveTurkey2727 3d ago

Maybe Camel? The album Breathless comes to mind

2

u/eclecticsheep75 3d ago

I really love the very poppy but lush records that The Left Banke made (“Walk Away Renee” was their hit, but all of it is really nice)!

2

u/Eguy24 3d ago

Harmonium

2

u/GlobbityGlook 3d ago

Klaatu, Ambrosia first couple albums, Paul McCartney Ram

2

u/boostman 3d ago

The Beach Boys themselves got super prog at points in the 70s. For example, this gorgeous suite. Or John Wetton’s favourite, Surf’s Up.

2

u/Bloverfish 2d ago

Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake album

ELO - Out of the Blue

2

u/Annual_Ant_4289 2d ago

Surprised no one’s mentioned Panda Bear and Animal Collective as a whole. His new album is especially excellent

2

u/Theloftydog 1d ago

The Zombies and particularly Odyssey and Oracle.

2

u/therude00 3d ago

Butterfly 3000 - king gizzard 

It's the album Portugal the Man would have released after "evil friends" if they were world class musicians (no shade intended).

1

u/envgames 3d ago

You could do worse than Out in the Sun by Patrick Moraz

1

u/Merryner 3d ago

There are a bunch of 3CD compilation albums on Grapefruit Records called ‘The British Progressive Pop Sounds Of…’ for the years 1970 / 1971 / 1972 / 1973 / 1974 / 1975.

Some of the tracks can be found on streaming. There are lots to enjoy, I particularly like the 71, 72 and 73 sets.

1

u/FamousLastWords666 3d ago

Shine on Forever by Suit of Lights (featuring Trevor Dunn from Mr Bungle)

1

u/Progrockrob79 3d ago

Check out Bob Drake. Start with his album “Arx Pilosa”.

1

u/Ok_CumDumpster 3d ago

Canterbury Prog pretty much fits that bill.

1

u/pnumaticgiraffe 3d ago

Flying colours seems to fit that bill

1

u/NeverSawOz 3d ago

Rosalie Cunningham!

1

u/justtohaveone 3d ago

San Fermin

1

u/sitboaf 3d ago

“Hold On” by Yes

1

u/emmersp 3d ago

The group Sloan has some complex, multi part song suites in their highly recommended catalog.

Forty Eight Portraits is a side long epic.

Your Daddy Will Do is a Beach Boys like song.

Seems So Heavy

1

u/tele-picker 3d ago

Cornelius - Fantasma

1

u/Judotimo 3d ago

Hello Scientist is what you are looking for.

1

u/Lapidarious-schnitz 3d ago

Also, if you want vintage stuff, the first four Kayak albums and Klaatu’s first album. 

1

u/Smothjizz 3d ago edited 3d ago

The bird and the bee! They could be considered a modern take on this, specially their first 2 albums.

https://youtu.be/TMy6X5cQul8

1

u/ToastedPhone 3d ago

Check out 10cc. Their best albums are Sheet Music, The Original Soundtrack and How Dare You! Shoutouts to their self-titled debut and Deceptive Bends (5th album).

Two of the members were very prog/experimental minded while the other two were very pop orientated.

1

u/DeliriumDoktor 3d ago

Jellyfish

1

u/where-my-old-name 3d ago

Motorpsycho!

1

u/StoatyPercival 2d ago

You might like the band Schnauser, Proggy pop with harmonies and weird off-kilter lyrics

schnauser.bandcamp.com

1

u/invisigal 2d ago

The Dear Hunter

1

u/Prog-shrink 2d ago

Abbey road is genius , in the cage melody live is pure sunshine

1

u/pbredd22 11h ago

The s/t album by the Association (aka "Stonehenge")