Experimental music

[Vegard Pompey]

This thread is dedicated to the weirder forms of music. This is where you share your favourite bands that do not conform to convention.

Sigh - Awesome japanese experimental metal band. Imaginary Sonicscape is brilliant psychedelic black jazz metal, or something.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Rock mixed with a dozen other genres. Great vocalists.

Devil Doll - "gothic rock, classical and slavonic folk music"? Doesn't quite scratch the surface. Very unique vocalist.

 

[Seducer of the Homeless]

Mr. Bungle- Anything Mike Patton Does is Lunacy

 

[Vexbeast]

Regurgitator - They have a lot of stuff and a lot of it's weird. The lyrics to 'I Piss Alone' are notable.

Chronic Future - Rapcore band that has a MASSIVE amount of different musical influences. Style varies quite a bit, the song 'Insects' is... um... something.

The Matches - Punk band that tries to take the stranger aspects of punk music to the extreme. 'Salty Eyes' is a neo-classical song with punk vocals, I highly recommend this song to everyone. Oh, they also have 'Shoot Me In The Smile' which is recorded with the sound of plates being smashed in the background, and 'Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock' with MC Lars, which isn't too strange, but how can you resist a song with that name?

Linkin Park, Tool, Incubus, Queen - I doubt anyone needs to be told about them, but they can be pretty out-of-it with their experimenting and such, so obviously deserve mention even though they're obvious.

Panic! At The Disco - ...get annoying fast. But do interesting things with their songs.

NIN, Celldweller, Zeromancer, Blaqk Audio, Saul Williams - Just listen to them... <.<

 

[Cobra]

Animal Collective - They basically play the soundtrack to my dreams and nightmares alongside The Flaming Lips.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation - I haven't heard many Japanese rock artists sing in the "American" way. Most of the time, I've heard a lot of tremellos that sound like post-lounge act crooners. These guys are straight up singing alternative music. And not that crap that's been going around since 2000. This is like the Japanese Weezer. In fact, I think I've read that Weezer's a big influence of theirs.

The Pillows - Another Japanese pop/alternative/rock/punk that doesn't fit the mold I had just mentioned. They're like the Japanese Flaming Lips.

Flaming Lips - I guess I better mention them, since they keep coming up. Wayne Coyne. Now there's a true INTP. Fight Test (from the single of the same title and the release of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots) pretty much sums up my life in one song. Then the song right after it, One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21, sums up what I'd prefer my life to be.

Modest Mouse - Float On made me cry after years of listening to these guys. Tears of relief.

Hot Water Music - This singer is my hero. Can't understand a damn word he's singing, but you don't care because you feel so loved. This is seriously good drinking music.

Small Brown Bike - I like bands with a vocalist who sounds "innocent," if that makes any sense. This band is my first discovery of that trend.

Name Taken - A bit melodramatic, but they have an innocent in front, which I like.

T. Rex, old Dinosaur Jr., Junior Senior, Justice, hmm... I had a nice pattern going there until Justice showed up. Fuck. There's too many. I like this thread.

 

[Anthile]

You. All. Need. White Noise - An Electric Storm.

 

[mikal]

I love MAGMA.
Magma is French avant- prog band.
Magma is weird and great.

You Tube offers this:
YouTube- Magma Discorama, French TV, June 29th 1970

 

[merzbau]

i like a lot of experimental music; electroacoustic, microsound, idm, lowercase, glitch, dark ambient, noise, death industrial, breakcore, et al.

but recently i've been getting into a really interesting, crazy, cutting-edge group, you probably won't have heard of them 'cause they're soo unknown, someone might have stumbled across these guys called "kings of leon." most people think they're a generic rock band, but they're way more interesting than that - they've painstakingly honed their music to sound as piss-poor as possible.
it takes years of skill and experimentation to produce music so boring, dull and pretentious. i just don't know how they do it.. it's absolute genius.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

I have heard of these Kings of Leon. It is true that they take crap to new levels, but their efforts fall short of those of a danish band called Volbeat.

YouTube- Volbeat - Still Counting
Listen. Geniously bad.

 

[merzbau]

cheers, that was truly poxy; i'm going to have to listen to some good charlotte to take the sting off, in the same manner as when you wish for a bad smell to cover a worse one.

but back on topic, i have always liked the UK experimental label touch.
http://www.touchmusic.org.uk
huge range of variance over their 25 year back catalogue: ambient, industrial, spoken word, field recordings, soundscape, minimal techno, electroacoustic, shortwave recordings. check 'em out.

 

[mathy]

Porcupine Tree is constantly pushing the boundary of progressive rock/pop. Amazingly talented group of musicians. Not only are they incredibly unique, they can write a damn catchy song (and manage to be different while doing so).

Also check out Steven Wilson's (front man of PPT) solo album. Brilliant ambient electronic/experimental/rock/pop album--this refuses to be categorized. (Other solo projects Bass Communion and No-Man are interesting as well, although not my favorite of his work).

Devin Townsend. I cannot recommend him too much. Somehow catchy and melodic, but with crushing soundscapes only a madman could create.

I'm getting pretty into Chroma Key lately. They apparently really like the xylophone...

I know The Mars Volta is popular now, but they're so damn weird, I don't see how they got there. But it's cool--I like to see a unique band do well. Great post-punk/experimental/progressive/latin music.

I've mentioned Ulver several times, but they definitely belong in this category.

Oddly enough, I would like to mention The Decemberists. They have an quirky style that doesn't really fit into the "indie" scene, but somehow gets lumped in. They almost have a sort of progressive thing going on (albums: The Tain, The Crane Wife) but can be really folky and mellow (Castaways and Cutouts). Lyrics are of another time and place.

Ozric Tentacles is great spacey experimental electronic music.

Pink Floyd. Period.

EDIT: What the hell is up with Kings of Leon? I just don't get the appeal...

 

[merzbau]

kings of leon are hunky and they have awesome haircuts and sing about awesome things, like having herpes and being in love. and presumably that is what makes women want to go to bed with them.

i like a bit of pink floyd, hope this doesn't make me a hippy. but no thank you to mars volta.

 

[mikal]

I've mentioned Ulver several times, but they definitely belong in this category.

Yes, they do.
But the atmosphere their songs create is too dark for me. I don't know, I somehow avoid opening folder with their music.

 

[mathy]

Yes, they do.
But the atmosphere their songs create is too dark for me. I don't know, I somehow avoid opening folder with their music.

Indeed, very dark. Oddly enough, I don't have to be in a dark place (mentally) to want to listen to them, and their music doesn't put me there. But I can see how it would.

 

[spockguy]

Hip-hop:
themselves.
YouTube- themselves - "poison pit"

Jay Electronica
YouTube- Jay Electronica - Eternal Sunshine

Rock:
Disco Inferno
YouTube- Disco Inferno- Summers Last Sound

Do Make Say Think
YouTube- Do Make Say Think - A Tender History In Rust

Pop:
Of Montreal
YouTube- Of Montreal - Penelope

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
YouTube- meow meow. meow meow.

Electronica:
Fennesz
YouTube- Fennesz "Caecilia"

Boards of Canada
YouTube- Boards of Canada - Dawn Chorus

Avant-Garde/uncatagorized:
Bob Drake
YouTube- Bob Drake - Some Accursed Things

The Residents
YouTube- The Residents - Gingerbread Man


In short, I listen to WAY to much music.

 

[Cogwulf]

This thread is dedicated to the weirder forms Sigh - Awesome japanese experimental metal band. Imaginary Sonicscape is brilliant psychedelic black jazz metal, or something.

Sigh is brilliant, I've only got one of their albums though

My favourite band is mastodon, not the most experimental band there is, but their latest album is brilliantly epic.

I'm also a big fan of Opeth

 

[echoplex]

Weird stuff lately: Acid Bath, Gojira, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Fair To Midland, Primus, and my brain.

 

[Jaico]

Two bands that I listen to that might fit this category are The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Medeski, Martin, and Wood. They're both jazz-fusion groups...I especially like the albums Birds of Fire from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Notes from the Underground and Out Louder by MMW.

 

[Seducer of the Homeless]

Sigh is brilliant, I've only got one of their albums though

My favourite band is mastodon, not the most experimental band there is, but their latest album is brilliantly epic.

I'm also a big fan of Opeth

fucking win! i adore the new Mastodon album, but nobody here shares this love!


experimental stuff i am loving right now: John Zorn (Litanies and S&M/Cartoon), Carl Stalling, as always lots of Mr. Bungle, i also like Egg right now...
Amon Duul II - Phallus Dei (God's Penis)
Cobalt - Gin/Eater of Birds
Isis - Wavering Radiant

 

[merzbau]

i quite liked remission & lifesblood, but new mastodon stuff bores me to tears.. they're too focused on making everything sound earth-shatteringly "epic", and it just comes off ham-fisted and monotonous. a bit like tool.
and the vocalist really sounds like ozzy osbourne now.

have a listen to godflesh, you might like them.

 

[Morel Panic]

I like a lot of the stuff mentioned, but in my opinion, most of it(Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, even the Mars Volta) is only weird enough to be "progressive rock" (Yes, I'm being a snobby nit-picker).

Philip Glass, anyone?

 

[Invoke Ninja's True Power]

Tool, Rush, Lamb of God, Iced Earth, Opeth, Insane Clown Posse, Monster Magnet, Tenacious D, OCRemix(free video game music covers submitted by various people/bands) and classic video game music in general, Pink Floyd(I love that concert they do live in those amphitheater ruins with no audience) Mostly progressive, metal, and classic rock, although the classic rock is a bit more conventional but at the time I'm sure it wasn't. Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath changed rock music for the better forever. The Doors can be ok sometimes, although more in a lyrical sense. I'm sure there are many more I forgot to mention but that covers most of the wierder aspects of my collection. I like a small amount of Frank Zappa, but sometimes it seems he made his music so complex its just fuckin annoying. This makes my playlist set to random with all my music really annoying at times. I'm too lazy to go through it all and delete stuff. best free speech advocate ever. There is a very good clip of him on the show crossfire where he reems the guys interviewing him on censorship of music a new one.

YouTube - Frank Zappa on Crossfire

 

[Morel Panic]

]There is a very good clip of him on the show crossfire where he reems the guys interviewing him on censorship of music a new one.

"Why should I smile when I'm sitting here with you?"

Quite a character (he's got a lot of very amusing quotes). Great music too.

 

[Invoke Ninja's True Power]

excellent quotes

 

[earthdyedred]

Any love for early '90s Warp label? Although I have a decent bit of Aphex Twin, I strongly prefer The Black Dog. B12 was quite awesome as well, though never as far out as Black Dog or AFX. This year's "Growls Garden" by Clark is another great one, though Clark's music rarely is as grounded as I'd like it to be. (Same problem with Autechre past Tri Repetae for me.)

In the weird category, I also must give props to:
Culprit 1
The Durutti Column (though a highly-respected weird, I might add)
Future Sound of London
Jaga Jazzist

None of those four are my ultimate favorites, but they're about where I stake my weird flag on a semi-regular basis.

 

[merzbau]

i always thought plaid (2 ex-members from black dog) were very underrated. "not for threes" is worth checking out.
maybe it's because i jumped into autechre from LP5 onwards, but i really dig their newer output. tri repetae will always be their greatest album though.
other standouts for me: red snapper, most of the squarepusher releases, boards of canada, ko-wreck technique and vlad.

 

[preilemus]

ill admit, i didnt see the appeal of Mastodon until today. i had heard blood and thunder and colony of birchmen a few months ago, and dismissed it as generic thrash, but i DL'd Leviathan a few weeks ago, and it slowly grew on me, until it really clicked this morning as i was listening to it as i was waking up. i knew their later stuff was supposedly better, so i listened to Crack the Skye on youtube, and loved it so much i listened to it again. needless to say i am now in love. im already tryin to get some people to come with me to their upcoming concert (on halloween no less).

sorry to get sidetracked, but I find Opeths first album to be quite experimental.

and if you dont know who Steely Dan is, you are ordered to check them out. jazz-rock fusion. their album Aja is flawless.

and when it comes to avant-garde metal, Unexpect is definitely out there. as well as Meshuggah, but in a different way.

 

[nickgray]

it doesn't get more experimental and ridiculous than that:

YouTube- Karlheinz Stockhausen "Helicopter String Quartet"

 

[Cogwulf]

Recently I've found an album which is a string quartet covering Mastodons Leviathan, I recommend it even if you don't like mastodon, it's truly brilliant.
http://www.last.fm/music/Mastodon+Tribute/+tracks

 

[merzbau]

was overjoyed to have recently stumbled across the kraftwerk era minimal synth-pop of john foxx. having a great love for cold, austere 80s synth, it was like coming home. why don't people make melancholic music like this anymore?

Underpass-John Foxx

 

[Logos]

I've been a fan of The Mars Volta since they were in At The Drive-In, but another experimental band would be Hella who collaborate with TMV a lot (err the drummer does).
The Things People Do When They Think No One's Looking - Hella
YouTube- Hella Music Video
The Ungrateful Dead- Hella
YouTube- HELLA - official video for 'ungrateful dead'

Hope You guys enjoy it!

 

[Cobra]

I absolutely adore Hella.

One of my favorite bands is The Mars Volta, however their singer has said some pretty awful things about At the Drive In since their break up. He's extremely arrogant, and perhaps justifiably so (he is incredibly creative). Sometimes, though, their genius comes off pretty pretentiously (e.g. the entire short story as the backbone to the De-Loused album - what is that shit? Really...).

Though I didn't like At the Drive In, I feel that nothing could have been better for the artists involved as The Mars Volta and Sparta are 2 of the most wonderfully creative bands to ever come out of a rock group in the last 20 years.

 

[Logos]

I recently just discovered this band called The Protomen (a mega man reference)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protomen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTaqc3_5oYg#movie_player

 

[Jah]

Mildly experimental, but still Recommended; Tool
And Pretty much most bands off of Paradigms Recordings
Like:
The Angelic Process
Amber Asylum
The Victims Shudder

And Tom Waits

Also; Jolie Holland,
and Miles Davis, (experimental but classic, yes.)
btw: one of my housmates makes cool experimental music: http://www.myspace.com/blasphemianprogressormv

 

[FrostFern]

If you're looking for shear uniqueness I would suggest...

Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals

and...

TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain

These albums sound like nothing else in existence.

 

[merzbau]

stock, hausen & walkman - giving up

ryoji ikeda - +/-

xenakis - electronic music

 

[Anthile]

This:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhJqHvKLniM

and this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYF-zP51LmA

 

[5k17]

Igorrr (weird mix of Breakcore, Baroque, Death Metal, and a few other genres)

Spoiler

YouTube - Igorrr - Tendon

Gnaw Their Tongues (Ambient Doom Noise with orchestral and Black Metal elements)

Spoiler

YouTube - Gnaw Their Tongues We Breath Hate And Spit Fire From Our Mouth

Slagmaur (Depressive Industrial Black Metal)

Spoiler

YouTube - Slagmaur - Drako Gigante
YouTube - Slagmaur - Vandalens Hevn
YouTube - Angry German Kid Black Metal

 

[Hadoblado]

Iwrestledabearonce - about as avante garde as you can get
maximum the hormone - japanese pop/rock/metal
dog fashion disco - sinister alternative, similar to Mr bungle
strapping young lad - great speed and longevity, i fucking love this band

 

[The Frood]

Andrew Bird is out there

Spoiler

YouTube - Andrew Bird - "Imitosis"

YouTube - Andrew Bird - Anonanimal
dang, i can't find one where he is whistling, but look around

Blue man group


Que Sera Sera- wax taylor

Spoiler

YouTube - Wax Tailor - Que Sera (HQ)

Pogo

Spoiler

YouTube - Alice (Disney Remix)

Zoe Keating

Spoiler

YouTube - Zoe Keating Plays"Escape Artist"

Shibboleth
^ follow link, and listen to "Water, Fire, Carpentry" from the player

Ratatat

Spoiler

YouTube - Ratatat -Nostrand
YouTube - Wildcat
YouTube - Ratatat - Loud Pipes

 

[Sosekopp]

This Heat - progressive experimental post-punk from the 80's.

YouTube - This Heat: Health and Efficiency

YouTube - This Heat - Makeshift Swahili

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Oh...

So this thread isn't about some kind of whale song remix.

 

[Meer]

the concept of 'experimental' and 'non-experimental' music is a little ridiculous.

 

[a detached retina]

Animal Collective - They basically play the soundtrack to my dreams and nightmares alongside The Flaming Lips.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation - I haven't heard many Japanese rock artists sing in the "American" way. Most of the time, I've heard a lot of tremellos that sound like post-lounge act crooners. These guys are straight up singing alternative music. And not that crap that's been going around since 2000. This is like the Japanese Weezer. In fact, I think I've read that Weezer's a big influence of theirs.

The Pillows - Another Japanese pop/alternative/rock/punk that doesn't fit the mold I had just mentioned. They're like the Japanese Flaming Lips.

Flaming Lips - I guess I better mention them, since they keep coming up. Wayne Coyne. Now there's a true INTP. Fight Test (from the single of the same title and the release of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots) pretty much sums up my life in one song. Then the song right after it, One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21, sums up what I'd prefer my life to be.

Modest Mouse - Float On made me cry after years of listening to these guys. Tears of relief.

Hot Water Music - This singer is my hero. Can't understand a damn word he's singing, but you don't care because you feel so loved. This is seriously good drinking music.

Small Brown Bike - I like bands with a vocalist who sounds "innocent," if that makes any sense. This band is my first discovery of that trend.

Name Taken - A bit melodramatic, but they have an innocent in front, which I like.

T. Rex, old Dinosaur Jr., Junior Senior, Justice, hmm... I had a nice pattern going there until Justice showed up. Fuck. There's too many. I like this thread.

YES all of these (The moon and antarctica is my favorite album ever)

Check out Four-Tet

 

[aaaw]

I absolutely love Radiohead's Kid A. Here are a couple of samples:

YouTube - "Everything in its right place" music video

YouTube - RADIOHEAD Kid A Animation

 

[a detached retina]

Yes have you tried the new "King of Limbs?"

 

[thoumyvision]

What is meant by experimental?

Sonically experimental?

YouTube - Haus Arafna - Blot Out Your Soul

Harmonically experimental?

YouTube - Sacred Harp 547 Granville

Rhythmically experimental?

YouTube - ELEND - Sunwar The Dead

Melodically experimental?

YouTube - eighth blackbird rehearsal On a Wire

 

[library]

What is meant by experimental?

agree with this - experimental music is too undefined a category to be much use.. unless it's being used to simply mean 'not popular'

having said that, would like to express some love for the Flaming Lips, esp. Wayne Coyne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHK9C5cy74c

 

[Nachts Tied]

My recommendation

1. Soap & Skin / Lovetune For Vacuum (2009)
-Subtle electronic & classical shadings over a PJ Harvey "white Chalk" vibe.

2. The Pop Group / Y (1979)
-A perfectly bizarre post-punk hailstorm of ideas.

3. Flittering / Gloom (1993)
-Serious Occult stuff from a musique concrète tradition (Étude noire) but thankfully not industrial, metal or goth.

 

[Hadoblado]

Listening to Sigh now. +1
Love it.

 

[RELLIK NISSASSA]

This thread is dedicated to the weirder forms of music. This is where you share your favourite bands that do not conform to convention.

Sigh - Awesome japanese experimental metal band. Imaginary Sonicscape is brilliant psychedelic black jazz metal, or something.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Rock mixed with a dozen other genres. Great vocalists.

Devil Doll - "gothic rock, classical and slavonic folk music"? Doesn't quite scratch the surface. Very unique vocalist.

Weirder forms of music, you say?

You should listen to RNL.
RELLIK NISSASSA Vs. Lampeo at: Experimental-Understanding Synthetic Sound (RNL) - YouTube
The Soundcloud has only clips of sessions, but still a good listen
RNL's sounds on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

RELLIK NISSASSA is pretty good too :wink2:
EXPERIMENTAL: Growing Electronic ... by RELLIK NISSASSA &mdash; Kickstarter
Here's more from Soundcloud. This one is my favorite.
RellikNissassa's sounds on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

I hope that everyone enjoys.