A leading light in contemporary progressive music, Kscope began life in the late ‘90s. Part of Snapper Music – and sister-label to the more metal-geared Peaceville – Kscope was initially the preserve of Steven Wilson, and his accidental success story Porcupine Tree.
Back then, in 1999, the idea was to have a faction of the Snapper group that focused on the kind of 21st-century prog and alt-rock advocated by Wilson. It quickly became apparent that there were others like him. Fellow innovative rock Brits The Pineapple Thief and Anathema quickly joined the fold, followed by others from an increasingly broad range of countries and schools of progressive thought.
To that end, Kscope’s catalogue now includes rock, ambient, electronic music, alternative jazz, metal and folk, plus reissues and/or solo albums from veterans like Porcupine Tree, Ian Anderson, Tangerine Dream and Steve Hogarth (we’ve deliberately left them out of this round-up, for the most part, as they really merit separate guides of their own).
It’s effectively created a whole genre. So many bands have emerged under the ‘post-progressive’ banner since its inception, and with Prog magazine playing a part in its ongoing lifespan, it’s become a revered haven for quality progressive music. Proof (for those who still need it) that ‘prog’ is much more than something weird and gobliny that happened in Canterbury in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
All that said, it’s still a niche gang. Kscope knows what it is and doesn’t try to please everyone. If riffy A-chord boogies are your thing, you won’t find that here. But if you find yourself bored by a lot of contemporary rock – longing for something new, interesting and even digestible – chances are you’ll appreciate the boundary-pushers here. The sort of music that, for the progressively inclined, subverts cliches in the most inviting way possible.
Narrowing this selection down wasn’t easy (though we have squeezed in a few more via the playlist at the bottom), but we reckon these picks form a good-tasting menu for this most intriguing of musical kitchens.
...and one to avoid
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