mer , ▁and ▁P ink ▁F loyd ▁as ▁examples . ▁Common ▁characteristics ▁include ▁album - orient ed ▁music ▁divided ▁into ▁compos itions ▁rather ▁than ▁songs , ▁with ▁usually ▁complicated ▁and ▁long ▁instrument al ▁sections , ▁sym ph onic ▁orch estr ation . ▁Its ▁music ▁was ▁tradition ally ▁used ▁within ▁the ▁context ▁of ▁concept ▁records , ▁and ▁its ▁lyr ical ▁them es ▁t ended ▁to ▁be ▁" im agin ative " ▁and ▁polit ically ▁orient ed . ▁ ▁D iffer ences ▁have ▁been ▁identified ▁between ▁art ▁rock ▁and ▁progress ive ▁rock , ▁with ▁art ▁rock ▁emphas izing ▁avant - gar de ▁or ▁experimental ▁influ ences ▁and ▁" nov el ▁son ic ▁structure ", ▁while ▁progress ive ▁rock ▁has ▁been ▁character ized ▁as ▁putting ▁a ▁greater ▁emphas is ▁on ▁class ically ▁trained ▁instrument al ▁technique , ▁literary ▁content , ▁and ▁sym ph onic ▁features . ▁Comp ared ▁to ▁progress ive ▁rock , ▁art ▁rock ▁is ▁" more ▁challeng ing , ▁no isy ▁and ▁un con vent ional " ▁and ▁" less ▁class ically ▁influenced ", ▁with ▁more ▁of ▁an ▁emphas is ▁on ▁avant - gar de ▁music . ▁Similar ities ▁are ▁that ▁they ▁both ▁describe ▁a ▁mostly ▁British ▁attempt ▁to ▁elev ate ▁rock ▁music ▁to ▁new ▁levels ▁of ▁art istic ▁cred ibility , ▁and ▁became ▁the ▁instrument al ▁analog ▁to ▁concept ▁albums ▁and ▁rock ▁oper as , ▁which ▁were ▁typically ▁more ▁vocal ▁orient ed . ▁ ▁Art ▁rock ▁can ▁also ▁refer ▁to ▁either ▁class ically ▁driven ▁rock , ▁or ▁to ▁a ▁progress ive ▁rock -