The genre of progressive rock has a proud history, and many would agree that Pink Floyd is the band that helped break it into the mainstream.
Many of the band’s top songs have been played on mainstream rock radio while others from their lesser-known albums have stayed relatively anonymous to all but the most hardcore fans.
But the joy of discovering new music is especially important to Pink Floyd fans who embraced the band and found a whole new world of intrigue after originally just hearing their more radio-friendly singles.
Fans can re-discover that feeling by checking out some of the following acts, the top five similar band recommendations for Pink Floyd fans:
5. The Pineapple Thief-
Some may be turned off by this band’s odd name but they’re actually one of the more complete modern progressive rock bands out there and they seem to only get better with age. Based out of Somerset, England, they have a lot of the hallmarks that made Pink Floyd so engaging to listen to. Check out their 2008 critically-acclaimed release “Tightly Unwound” to get a good grasp of their sound.
4. Radiohead-
This group is much more well-known than The Pineapple Thief and for good reason as they are one of the most talented bands to come out in the past 20 years, easily. Radiohead has legions of die-hard fans looking for more substance and more experimentation within the modern rock protocols and they seem to deliver with every album. The only difference is that they are a little more melancholy than even Pink Floyd fans may be used to hearing. Much like Floyd, Radiohead has a ton of hit songs in heavy rotation on rock stations along with numerous more ambitious pieces on their albums to discover.
3. Riverside-
Speaking of melancholy, this Polish progressive group is one of the leaders in that category but they also have a ton of sprawling masterpiece songs that include many elements similar to what Floyd fans are used to hearing. They take a little while longer than the other bands on the list of top five similar band recommendations for Pink Floyd fans to get into but the time investment is well worth it with these guys.
2. Opeth-
Opeth, often identified as Swedish progressive metal, turns off many potential listeners with their dark, gothic imagery and occasional “growling” vocals. But on albums such as “Damnation” and “Blackwater Park,” lead singer Mikael Akerfeldt shows off some of the best vocals in the genre paired with some of the most beautiful and sprawling progressive rock compositions ever heard.
This is a band that will grow on Pink Floyd fans as they discover similarities and also find out just how versatile their talents are and how unique their catalog is within the genre.
1. Porcupine Tree-
Speaking of versatility and diversity of their catalog, Porcupine Tree, another British progressive rock band, is hard to top for many fans of Pink Floyd. Many concert-goers at the band’s shows often relay stories of how similar the band can be to Floyd and how strong the influences of Roger Waters, David Gilmour and company can be heard in their music.
PT lead singer Steven Wilson doesn’t like the comparisons, however, although he has always expressed great admiration for Pink Floyd’s work.
The band’s newer albums including “The Incident” and “Deadwing” have more of a heavy edge to them and strong hooks, but the vast catalog of older material features a multitude of spacier songs that are about as close to old-school Pink Floyd as fans will find.
The hit song (mostly in Europe, although “The Incident” made it to #25 on the U.S. charts) “Time Flies” even features what seems to be an ode to the Pink Floyd hit “Dogs” in its main riff. Check out the band’s top ten best songs here for suggestions on where to get started with Porcupine Tree.
Whether he likes it or not, Wilson can’t seem to escape the comparisons to Pink Floyd. But the band has evolved into something completely new and unique over the years while still maintaining much of the same magic that turned Pink Floyd into a phenomenon, and that’s what makes them number one on the list of top five similar band recommendations for Pink Floyd fans.
Sources: PorcupineTree.com
http://riversideband.pl/en/index.php
Other band official sites
