What are some artists/bands who incorporate unusual or experimental elements into their music? I'll share some of my favorites with you. Meshuggah A metal band from Sweden that plays multiple time signatures and rhythms simultaneously that usually resolve to each other. Almost all of their songs have a steady 4/4 rhythm along with a completely twisted and complicated groove on top of it. (Also check out their guitatist's solo project, Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects.) [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J4Ye7nRT0s"]Meshuggah - Dancers To A Discordant System - YouTube[/ame] Jaga Jazzist An instrumental jazz band from Norway that brings experimental rock and electronica into many of their tracks. Their album What We Must absolutely blew me away with its strange beauty. The track "Swedenborgske Rom" literally brings me to tears every time I hear it. For me, it's like listening to a sunrise. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs7SouXYsV4"]Jaga Jazzist - Swedenborgske Rom - YouTube[/ame] Colin Stetson Another jazz artist. I've only heard one album by him (Judges), but it was amazing. Each track features him on his bass saxophone playing some of the most unique passages, and they are all single takes with no overdubs, but you wouldn't think that from listening. A few tracks also contain some very eerie spoken word, and two tracks feature singing female vocalists. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKcilfL2aFc"]Colin Stetson - Judges - YouTube[/ame] Battles Most of you are probably familiar with this experimental rock group, but they're still worth mentioning. Their music has changed over the years, with a notable difference between their last two albums due to the departure of their former frontman, Tyondai Braxton. But both albums are very unique from mainstream rock. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiWpP_dO_Ho"]Battles - Wall Streeet - YouTube[/ame] Gordian Knot An instrumental jazz/metal fusion supergroup. The metal elements of Gordian Knot's music aren't the abrasive type typical of many modern metal bands, so don't let that turn you off if metal isn't your thing. Really cool stuff here. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5oAEL6TEjE"]Gordian Knot - Muttersprache [Emergent] - YouTube[/ame] 1980 A fairly obscure French instrumental jazz metal band. These guys seem to take some influence from Meshuggah, but they stay much more on the jazz side of things. One or two of their songs are heavy, and the rest are pretty jazzy. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K61YOvG-84"]1980 O Me Oh - YouTube[/ame] Tyondai Braxton As mentioned above, he was the frontman for Battles for a while, but he has also released a couple of solo albums. Some of his stuff is noisy and experimental, but the latest one is an interesting blend of orchestral music and Tyondai's signature effect-driven sound. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvtiwgiyisI"]Tyondai Braxton - J. City - YouTube[/ame] Stina Nordenstam Not particularly experimental musically, but she has a very unique voice that I love. Most of her music is folksy pop/rock. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jwaPoMNkx4"]Stina Nordenstam - Everyone Else In The World - YouTube[/ame] Zu Depending on what album you listen to, Zu is an instrumental jazzy noise-rock band. Most of their music is pretty heavy and abrasive. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7y9xOJVpqw"]Zu - Chthonian - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZtzDCAD7s0]The King Khan and BBQ Show "Why Don't You Lie" Music Video - YouTube[/ame] aetherlung-- what did I say about eye contact?
moonrat: That's why the eyes are looking away! Just for you. =) Here are some more bands. Tera Melos Instrumental rock. They're basically a math rock band, meaning they play weird rhythms and time signatures. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaYVYNj8dYc]Tera Melos - Melody 4 - YouTube[/ame] Wolf Eyes Straight-up noise. This is basically the opposite of music. Some of their tracks feature nasty vocals, some are just noise. Not for everyone. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClcIp1UbZdk]Wolf Eyes - Human Animal - YouTube[/ame] Lightning Bolt Noise rock. Bass guitar, drums, and occasional vocals. More accessible than most noise, since it still retains some similarity to music. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8rhefDoQMg]Lightning Bolt - 30,000 Monkeys - YouTube[/ame] Secret Chiefs 3 This band is impossible to describe. Their tracks vary so much. I'll post two of them to give you an idea. Yes, these are the same band. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv5s8UeSDns]Secret Chiefs 3 (FORMS) - The End Times - YouTube[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPjEqsEVXEw]Secret Chiefs 3 - Hypostasis Of The Archons - YouTube[/ame]
Gordian Knot is sick! love that band. this band/project is real good as well Ayreon [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyNlhTJlRAQ&feature=related]14 - Ayreon - The Human Equation - Pride - YouTube[/ame]
This bands is much heavier with exceptional musicians as well Animals as leaders. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmfzWpp0hMc]Animals As Leaders - "CAFO" Prosthetic Records - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHg57osURsg&feature=related]Devin Townsend Project - Universe in a Ball - YouTube[/ame]
Thanks for your posts, vaperman! I hadn't heard Ayreon before. Surely there are more fans of experimental music here??? I'm really hoping to discover some new stuff from you guys. In the meantime, I guess I'll keep the thread going with some more of my bands. The Mars Volta Progressive/psychadelic rock. These guys are right at the fringe of obscure mainstream, so chances are pretty good that you've already heard them. They tend to play some of the wildest music you've ever heard. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qN1EGJ_TbU]Aberinkula - The Mars Volta - YouTube[/ame] Unexpect An eight-member avant-garde metal band from French Canada. Need I say more? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2--4ucg1Ic]UneXpect - Orange Vigilantes - YouTube[/ame] Cynic Another progressive metal band. Their sound has changed pretty drastically between their two albums, which were released 15 years apart. One of the most distinct features of Cynic's music is the heavily processed vocals. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNGCJzPzAp0]Cynic - Integral Birth - YouTube[/ame] Mahavishnu Orchestra An excellent jazz fusion band from the 70s. Guitars, synths, violins... What else do you need? [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv_bkS5VVaA]Birds of Fire - Mahavishnu Orchestra - YouTube[/ame] 3 A very under-appreciated experimental/progressive rock bank from New York. Their newer stuff is more prog rock, and their older stuff is a bit funkier. I've posted two of their songs to give you an idea. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pPDZwYI15A]wake pig - YouTube[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru8mWvO3uO8]wrong allright ( gangstaship) - YouTube[/ame] King Crimson Probably the most prolific progressive rock band in existence. They've been around since the late 60s. This is another band with a widely varying sound, so I'm posting two tracks. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mPlAr0Y62o]KING CRIMSON - FRAME BY FRAME - YouTube[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swTPVxlphRg]King Crimson-Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With - YouTube[/ame] Jazz Mandolin Project Pretty much how it sounds. Somebody cut off the beginning of this song, but most of the good stuff is still there. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2C4ZP6aHfM]The Jazz Mandolin Project - Jungle Tango - YouTube[/ame]
Voodoo - D'angelo Best R&B album to come out in the last like 20 years....Think if Al Green, Marvin Gay, and Prince's vocals had sex with the smoothest, velvetiest, silk grooves... yea.. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcU9rt6z_6Y]D'Angelo - One Mo Gin - YouTube[/ame]
No prob bro, I listen to just about everything you posted. We definitely have similar taste in music.
Check these's guys out Prog / experimental rock/metal lol Frost!! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol592sakmZU&feature=related]Frost* - Hyperventilate (HD - High Quality) - YouTube[/ame]
Im sure you heard of theses guys... still deserves a spot [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STMsuz24-ds]Paradigm Shift - Liquid Tension Experiment [ Live in LA 2008 ] - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8XJ7wAX6GI&feature=related]I Got Worried...I Was So Freaking Scared of That Window, You Know - Suffocate For Fuck Sake - YouTube[/ame] Some sick shit postrock/sludge/screamo hybrid
Some cool stuff here, guys! Thanks for the posts! Here is my last big contribution. Hope you enjoy it. Dem Hunger Experimental and abstract hip-hop. Very close to noise in a lot of ways. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPUsbf_oi4g[/ame] Estradasphere A folksy instrumental jazzy prog rock band. A variety of modern and traditional instruments. (Check out Alamaailman Vasarat below if you like these guys.) [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=romVeYGa5CI[/ame] Icy Demons Experimental indie rock introduced to me by a close friend. I haven't listened to these guys as much as I've listened to the other stuff here, but they are pretty good. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUD5mCkcv1Q[/ame] Ephel Duath A different kind of jazz metal. Really cool, but I don't always love the vocals. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HtRO8vNi3s[/ame] Electro Quarterstaff Instrumental technical progressive death metal. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDtZnQAjSRA[/ame] Black Engine Dark noise rock, akin to Zu (see earlier post). [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-VS9we-bfU[/ame] Alamaailman Vasarat This Finnish band describes their own work as "kebab-kosher-jazz-film-traffic-punk" music. This is another band that's hard to pin down with a genre. I would call them instrumental jazz/folk metal, but their music varies. Really cool band. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-PlKlsOdZA[/ame]
I love experimental music, most of what I have to recommend is fairly metal oriented though. Actual industrial metal, not just chugging guitars and a drum machine with some half-assed synths. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9mEWfVDAOI&feature=related[/ame] Totally dissonant death metal that still managaes to be elegant and melodic. Truly some of the strangest and most unique music I have ever heard. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EKgtDmdXH8[/ame] Atmospheric dissonant death metal. The counterpoint work between the guitar tracks (a typical song will have at least 4) is just mindblowing. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmknU9HLFoI[/ame] Noise music. Far more complex then most think. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJnyeP-m3n4[/ame] I can't even begin to classify this. Some of the most evil music I have ever heard. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGu8uGPenu4[/ame] DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEE [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf648bEndkQ&feature=related[/ame] The combination of drone metal and occultist poetry sounds strange but works well. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-EXt3FG8NM[/ame] Great ambient jazz, has an epic dark feeling. They are super underground but some people in the metal scene really love them. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_1-zwBsvjw[/ame] Mix of jazz fusion, prog metal, and Indian classical music. Nothing crazy groundbreaking, but damn it is a good song. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXNptUUbleg[/ame] Schoenberg is your atonal god [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrjg3jzP2uI[/ame] Haunting. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBVYhyXU8o[/ame]
I've listened to about half of the artists you've posted before, and I'll check out the other half soon. I'm sure it's all good stuff! I used to listen to Bohren's album Sunset Mission every night during my first year in college. I just love noire jazz for some reason. These guys are really good too: The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nrm4H7FJGw[/ame]