200. If We Ever, by David Guetta
(One Love, 2009)
This blog entry seems to begin with the exact opposite of progressive rock. David Guetta is a famous French DJ and pop musician that has nothing to do with our favorite genre. But when it comes to modern pop, this song of his is among the very best. Ahem, there seems to be little more to say except maybe encourage you to check this song out.
199. Sanctum Sanctorum, by The Damned
(Phantasmagoria, 1985)
So, let's move onward to a considerably safer area although this is still not genuine prog. The British goth masters The Damned released this masterwork in mid-eighties and it has recently been discussed as a part of our year by year blog series. One of the best songs of the era, Sanctum Sanctorum lifts British new wave, or should we say post punk, to artistic heights unimaginable in the late seventies.
198. Vicarious, by Tool
(10,000 Days, 2006)
The new Tool album has been under construction for several years already but for now, 2006's 10,000 Days is still their most recent release. Its opening track Vicarious remains ProgActive's number one favorite. Vicarious exemplifies perfectly everything that has always been great about Tool: very heavy and very precise, this song is the sonic equivalent of a mathematical formula.
197. Chop Suey! by System of a Down
(Toxicity, 2001)
Probably the best known song from the Armenian American metal group System of a Down, Chop Suey! exemplifies perfectly everything that was great about the group exactly like Vicarious did for Tool. ProgActive cannot help but be impressed by the way extreme aggression alternates with the song's more subtle, even tender moments, combining these into a sad message.
196. Sing Swan Song, by Can
(Ege Bamyasi, 1972)
Finally, we are back to familiar territory. Sing Swan Song is one of our favorite songs from the German experimental rock group Can, whose heyday extended from the late sixties to mid-seventies. Ege Bamyasi is their fourth album, made between the better known Tago Mago (1971) and Future Days (1973) and this one is its key track.
195. Codex, by Radiohead
(The King of Limbs, 2011)
Taken from Radiohead's eighth and still the most recent album, Codex is a sensitive, melody driven song that serves as a good reminder of how good this alternative rock outfit can still be at their best. Otherwise, it is starting to look like the group's best days are already behind them. The rest of The King of Limbs we could take or leave.
194. Open Mind, by Blackfield
(Blackfield, 2004)
The opening track of Blackfield's 2004 masterpiece debut is already the second song taken from it that has made it to Top 250. It is slightly more aggressive in tone than the rest of the duo's output. The quiet opening of the song grows to a massive wall of sound towards the end - an effect that we at ProgActive are often impressed with. We can be easy to please.
193. Let the Happiness in, by David Sylvian
(Secrets of the Beehive, 1987)
A considerable portion of English singer David Sylvian's output sounds so alienatingly artistic that large audiences probably find it inaccessible. Not so in this case: Let the Happiness in is simply brilliant in its lovely simplicity. Just a well written song with a beautiful melody and a positive message. Actually we are surprised it didn't get any higher on the list than this. Haven't we played it any more often?
192. All in One Day, by Ultravox
(U-vox, 1986)
Here is another song that we discussed not so long ago when listing the best works of 1986. We actually selected All in One Day as the #1 best short track of that year. It is definitely Ultravox's greatest masterpiece, even if it isn't their most familiar one. One of the pioneering groups of the futuristic pop scene of the early eighties, they really nailed it here, a few years later.
191. The Roots of Coincidence, by Pat Metheny Group
(Imaginary Day, 1997)
We have a Grammy winner on our list! The American Pat Metheny Group's outstanding instrumental track won that award in 1999 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, while the whole album Imaginary Day won for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. We think there is a distinct possibility that we'll find also another track taken from it in the Top 250. We didn't check, but it's likely.
190. You Know I'm Right, by David Gilmour
(About Face, 1984)
The Pink Floyd guitarist wrote and recorded this amusing song about his longtime bandmate Roger Waters at around the same time they were parting ways for good. The last Pink Floyd album with both still on board had been released a year earlier. Gilmour succeeded in composing a very fine rock song that would work great even if its lyrics were about something else.
189. The Dead Man's Dream, by Procol Harum
(Home, 1970)
One good way to completely capture our attention is to tell an actual thought provoking story in the lyrics of a rock song. Procol Harum did exactly that in this excellent track taken from their fourth studio album. The Dead Man's Dream is a horror story to boot - our favorite genre. The story gives additional meaning to the music and accentuates the song's eerie finale. Brrrr.
188. Sisters of Remindum, by Anthony Phillips
(Sides, 1979)
This track from original Genesis guitarist's early solo album is somehow reminiscent of The Tale of Taliesin by Soft Machine that we discussed earlier. In both cases, a well designed track is intentionally broken down, so to speak, with a zany experimental / jazzy sequence that borders on plain cacophony. Like Soft Machine, Phillips also masters his craft. Awesome.
187. Butterfly Song, by Jocelyn Pook
(Untold Things, 2001)
Jocelyn Pook's soulful music came to our attention when her compositions played on the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Butterfly Song is quite different from the film compositions. Taken from Untold Things that was released a couple of years after her international breakthrough, the song is more lyrical and employs some interesting voice processing effects.
186. Hyperpower! by Nine Inch Nails
(Year Zero, 2007)
This instrumental track runs well under two minutes and serves as a powerful opener to one of Nine Inch Nails' less successful albums. Year Zero (2007) sounds like something that Trent Reznor was not really interested in doing but was contractually obliged to. At that point, it was NIN's last album for a major label, after which some experimental low profile releases followed.
185. Close Your Eyes, by No-Man
(Returning Jesus, 2001)
Returning Jesus is the fourth album of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson's art rock project and at that point easily their best. They would go on to improve even on this with their next album. Close Your Eyes is a lengthy piece with a soothing instrumentation, relaxed tempo and a somehow tropical atmosphere. We suppose we could call it one of ProgActive's recommendations for relaxing music.
184. Sara, by Fleetwood Mac
(Tusk, 1979)
Fleetwood Mac was a pop group back when that word meant something quite different from what it means today. They actually had style and were all about music instead of image. Following the incredible success of Rumours (1977), Tusk must have been a difficult follow-up. The double vinyl is indeed uneven, but does reach greatness from time to time, Sara being a good example of that.
183. Broad Sunlit Uplands, by Mike Oldfield
(The Millennium Bell, 1999)
Mike Oldfield has repeatedly tried to recreate his original megasuccess Tubular Bells (1973). The Millennium Bell, released shortly before we entered the year 2000, is as mediocre as the other attempts, but does include a couple of really good tracks. The beautiful instrumental Broad Sunlit Uplands is one, and we wouldn't be surprised to find the other one somewhere on this list as well.
182. Pluvius Aestivus of Summer Rain (Homines Fabula Initium), by Pain of Salvation
(Be, 2004)
The Swedish progressive metal group Pain of Salvation has made several interesting albums during their career that spans two decades. One of their most satisfactory releases has been Be, out a full ten years ago. For a large part, it feels like an ambitious failure but it does have its moments, one of them being this song with a complicated title partially in Latin.
181. Lady, by Haikara
(Haikara IV: Domino, 1998)
Next, we move from Sweden to Finland. Haikara is also a progressive rock group but they began their career already in the seventies. Domino from 1998 is not quite as proggy as the group's older releases. In fact, the absolutely beautiful instrumental Lady is only a great art rock track with nothing complicated about it - you might label it under new age.
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