Magma

Formed more than four decades ago in France by Coltrane-loving drummer-composer Christian Vander, Magma has never been the most well-known band in progressive rock, but it just might be the most emblematic. Despite many lineup changes, Vander & Co. are still serving up choral passages sung in their own invented Kobaïan language, complex classical-influenced structures, a core mythology to rival that of Scientology and plenty of wholesomely geeky exuberance. The outfit's latest is 2009's Egypt-inspired Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré.