Thread: Experimental/Left Field Music

Never heard of it?? It's one of my favorite genres of music and easily the most exciting. It's music where the artist pulls creativity to the limit and tries to make good music, but it's something that you probably would never expect or have even heard. A lot of it includes sound manipulation, which to me is fascinating, especially because technology is still growing and you can hear things that your ears have never heard. The genre encompasses multiple genres, but you can tell whenever you hear something experimental. If you know of some experimental music go ahead and share.

I look forward to sharing more music like this, please give a listen to at least one track if you're here.

First up is something accessible to all but you can see what I mean when I say Experimental.
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
---The Avalanches are a unique band, completely original but without any original content. Yes, every sound you hear on this song is manipulated to create a great song. The track is from the album also called "Since I Left You" in 2000, where in the whole album about 1,000 different samples were used to create a real work of art (The album as a whole is much more impressive than a single track).

*More: The Avalanches - Electricity ( YouTube - The Avalanches - Electricity )

Next is something more chilled out.
DJ Shadow - Midnight In A Perfect World [1996 album Endtroducing...]
---DJ Shadow is under a genre called "trip-hop" which is essentially instrumental hip-hop beats, the songs are usually downtempo and some of the most acclaimed artists of all time fall under this genre (Boards of Canada, DJ Shadow, Massive Attack). Even if you can't accept hip-hop as an art form, anyone in the world should be able to appreciate this. There's a string section, there's hard-handed drums, and a piano loop. The thing that really seals this track off as one of my all time favorite songs is the female vocal sample.


*More from the album: DJ Shadow - Building Steam With A Grain of Salt ( YouTube - DJ Shadow - Building Steam with a Grain of Salt )

Hope you enjoy, I plan on posting more later. Explore new musical styles people!

Flying Lotus - Do The Astral Plane
The album by Flying Lotus Cosmogramma was my favorite of 2010. He's an experimental electronic artist that's influenced by jazz (he's directly related to Alice Coltrane and a distant relative of the famous John Coltrane) and it could also be labeled hip-hop (mostly because of his earlier downtempo works) but it's always instrumental anyhow. The album is truly a journey and this is a perfect example of that.

*More: Flying Lotus - Auntie's Lock/Infinitum ( YouTube - Flying Lotus - Auntie's Lock/Infinitum )...beautiful [from Los Angeles year 2008]

Here's a progressive/experimental metal band called Animals as Leaders. They have three extremely talented guys playing, and for those who aren't into metal, don't be afraid because they aren't your typical metal-core band. There are no vocals and just pure excellence. I saw them live a couple of weeks ago and can tell you that they are the real deal. Tosin Abasi, their guitarist, is as sick live as he is on the album if not even more! Give em a listen to!



More AAL: (Animals as Leaders - Song of Solomon) (Animals as Leaders - CAFO)

Thx for contributing Trooper, I do kinda like this, the beginning seemed pretty atmospheric. There's a band named Agalloch which makes atmospheric metal more similar to this and they came out with my favorite metal album of 2010 called Marrow of the Spirit (*the shortest real track is 9 minutes long, I highly recommend a listen/download) link: ( YouTube - Agalloch - The Watcher's Monolith )

One thing I want to share here though is a Wilco song. One of the all-time greatest albums here, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot [2002], and I'm going to show you my favorite song from it. The official genre they've been given is alt-country, but they're quite experimental you can see it throughout the album. (Note the electronic bits)


Youtube quality doesn't do it justice at all, get the album at decent to high quality and experience it for yourself.
*More from the album: ( YouTube - Wilco - Jesus, Etc. )

This next band is called TV on the Radio and has been my weekend obsession. I know there's a lot of links below but feel free to listen while browsing!!! Their discography is really consistently great and you can listen for yourself. They're an experimental indie rock band who have received wide acclaim for their past two albums, Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) and Dear Science (2008). Each album I can personally vouch for you is great and you won't regret listening to if you give it a decent listen.
TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me (2006) :: It's a great song that's instantly catchy and there's a lot of experimentation you can pick out with a deep listen.


More from the 2008 album, actually my favorite of the two. ( YouTube - TV on the Radio - DLZ )
*A darker, sexier song with a solid beat that constructs the rhythm of the main vocals. Check out the vocal harmonies in the background (hard to hear).
And a favorite from their 2004 album ( YouTube - TV On The Radio - Staring At The Sun [HQ] )
*Really a good track that's from a great album. Feel like the 2004 album was overlooked.
And the opener to the 2006 album. Just had to put this one on here!! I always turn the volume up for this beat. ( YouTube - "I Was a Lover" - TV on the Radio )
*Crank it up and enjoy the bass beat and horns. Some droning chords filled with distortion will creep up once you get into the song and it really adds to the song.

Edit: They've got a brand new track that's called "Will Do" which is great! Really excited for it to drop this spring (Early April is official release)

HOLY SHIT
Gang Gang Dance

if you've got a chance to have a background song throw this on. This defines experimental. It's a brand new song by a band called Gang Gang Dance. A quick review of the song found here: Pitchfork: The Playlist: Gang Gang Dance - "Glass Jar"

This is epic The track really opens up later in the track so press play and listen if you really want to hear something different.

Animal Collective (aka best band ever)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxvGH...eature=related

Dan Deacon?

YouTube - Dan Deacon - Woof Woof (Official Video)

Flaming Lips?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_9sz...feature=relmfu

So many bands out there...

To the guy who posted War on War, I wouldn't really consider Wilco to be "experimental" just because they have "electronic bits". I wouldn't really consider them to be "experimental" at all.

Then again, experimental is a pretty broad title.

Yeah that's true about Wilco, I just felt I had to post that song cause I <3 it so much lol. Glad we got someone in here who likes Animal Collective, I definitely would have chosen Brothersport tho I do like Dan Deacon (his first album) and Flaming Lips as well. I'd really recommend that you listen to that pitchfork link to Gang Gang Dance, long ass song but definitely a standout track. I've been catching up on their past 2 albums for their new release and it's solid stuff.

Now that I'm here I might as well contribute
Memory Tapes is another band that's borderline non-experimental, because really he makes electronic music. But of course, there's a twist: he uses low-fi(ish) effects that soak the guitar and vocals throughout his work. It's really only considered low fidelity because he didn't record in a studio, but if you take the time to listen to one of my all time favorite songs, then you'll see the sound is wonderful. The album Seek Magic (2009) was part of a whole genre renaissance movement dubbed "chillwave" that uses 80s inspired synths (here some New Order influenced guitar solo) and effects to create some nostalgic sensations. Best Outro Ever 10/10

*More from the album [definitely one of my favorite albums ever]: ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPseaC-Hu-0 ) ambient noises, guitar, muffled voices, booming finale.

Another artist that I'd love to share is Burial, he's a UK 2-step/ dubstep musician who takes an entirely different approach to the genres. One of the major differences I notice when listening to Burial is the sound. Most of the sounds he uses are actually samples, the vocals are distorted samples of R&B singers and the ambiance in the background usually picks up abstract sounds that you wouldn't expect, for example rock falling on rock, footsteps, or what sounds like white noise/water/wind. His music isn't about the beat, rather it surrounds the beat and plays off of it (all the while submerged under several layers of ambient atmosphere). Please take a listen to this wonderful musician!

In his album Untrue, there's several tracks that are centered around a strong beat that rarely pauses for a break, and in between the track listing there are quite a few ambient tracks that are pure atmosphere. This really gives off a feeling that I can only describe as walking around late at night in an empty train terminal.
More :: A beat riddled track from Untrue ( YouTube - Burial - Ghost Hardware )
An ambient track that comes after Ghost Hardware ( YouTube - Burial - Endorphin )
An ambient track that comes after Shell of Light ( YouTube - Burial - Dog Shelter )
*Note: This music works best when listened to after the sun is down

Just want to post something. I was crying/laughing when I heard this song, it really struck so many chords with me that I can't even explain. Jesus.. here's some nice minimal electronic music. It was on a mix called Erlend Oye - DJ-Kicks. so the version I heard was only 3:44.


PS: for those who care, TV on The Radio's new album Nine Types of Light hit the internet today. (Also a band called Fleet Foxes' album recently dropped, which has a highly anticipated release.