I’ve recently started listening a lot to some pretty… unusual music.
Things like Einsturzende Neubauten (best band ever), Throbbing Gristle, D.A.F, The Residents, Nitzer Ebb, etc.
Industrial / experimental, I suppose you could label it.
I find I love this innovative music that sounds very different from all the other generic Lady Gaga stuff that’s out there.
It’s all from the seventies / eighties, though, and I have a bit of a hard time finding new music of the more experimental kind.
So if you have any ideas, make a post, why don’t ya! Thanks.
Try this. It’s music from a Ukrainian computer game. Most of it is by a Russian ambient electronic composer called MoozE. I like it a lot, when I’m in the mood for spooky electronic drones. (Note to mods: this is a legal free download, made available by the company that owns the rights to the music.)
I don’t know much about contemporary musicians in the genre, but there’s plenty more post-punk/noise/industrial bands to discover from the 70s/80s.
Stephan C. turned me on to the Black Belles. Wish I had discovered them through my own means, or a year earlier.
Not exactly the same genre, but you might appreciate the sound. Coming from my Cult, Danzig, Doctor and the Medics, Zodiac Mindwarp sensibilities they are a breth of fresh air.
Evil cowboy chicks. As my favorite ladies always said, Evil cowboys!
First, if you don’t have the new Nitzer Ebb album, get it immediately. It came out in 2010. The regular version is called ICP, the version with bonuses is called Industrial Complex. I recommend the one with bonuses, because “On the Road” is a really fun song. I think Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the standout song on the album, it’s very energetic.
If you haven’t tried Front 242, try Front 242. For something recent, try the Still and Raw ep. This came out just before Pulse, which is good, but I think it wanders a bit too much into Trance territory.
Next try EBM - “Electric Body Music.” I recommend VNV Nation and Assemblage 23.
Venturing into something a little different, you could listen to samples of Diorama. Start with A Different Life, especially the songs Screenface, Synthesize Me, and Protected World. I adore Diorama, but advise caution. They’re one of those bands where every album seems different than the others. They’re first album is much more melodic, and I think it has a very 80s quality.
Now I’ll tell you where you can get some free, legal downloads to try some of these bands out. www.guvera.com is an advertising driven website. It’s one of those good idea / shaky execution sort of things. I don’t know if they’ll hit it big or disappear tomorrow. When you sign up, fill out a full profile. When I signed up that got me 10 song downloads. Once a month the give everyone some more downloads, usually between 6 and 10. From memory, they have Still and Raw by Front 242, ICP by Nitzer Ebb, and some stuff by VNV Nation and Assemblage 23.
Oops, missed the edit window. I just realized, you can probably hear a lot of these songs on YouTube. So that gives you a good way to find out if any of these bands interest you.
Devilsknew - Anyone with Cult sensibilities has great taste in my book.
As for experimental (I hate categorizing music by genre - it seems very subjective to me) you may want to check out Fantomas. I still rather enjoy their album “Director’s Cut,” featuring themes of, and songs inspired by, movies. I’m too lazy to look them up, but a couple of members of the band are Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc.) and Buzz Osborne (The Melvins).
You must listen to Nurse With Wound! Steve Stapleton’s NWW has been one of the standout projects for many many years. Blow your mind and scare the neighbors at the same time.
I am also very high on several Russian projects right now. This stuff is hard to find, but I guarantee worth the effort:
Bardoseneticcube: Sometimes harsh, always bizarre post-industrial surrealism.
Lucisferrato: You will wonder what unholy rite you are listening to. Nothing else like this around.
Reutoff: More eerie Russian industrialism.
Vetrophonia: Wow. Just wow. Overpowering and intelligent.
Lunar Abyss Deus Organum: Used to be the Lunar Abyss Quartet. Spooky Strange.
And if you can stand a few more suggestions: Andrew Liles, Current 93, Linija Mass, Stahlnoy Pakt, Inade, First Law, Cyclotimia, Coil, Zoviet France, Rapoon, Cyclobe, and Betond Sensory Experience.
Shakester kinda cool ambient, will listen through that later.
Amanset, yeah there is some good post rock out there, I like Sigur Ros particularly. Also Mono are pretty good.
Snowboarder Bo Pretty cool, will have to look in to that some more. Certainly sounds different!
Heathen Earthling Not sure. kinda cool sound, though I think I might have liked it better if I hadn’t watched the video.
Penderel I like Phantomas, will defenitely listen more to them!
Biotop Nurse with wound sounds great, will try and find the rest of the stuff you suggested later, I am at work right now, so don’t have time atm.
As for Wumpscut, Front 242, EMB music: not really my thing. Thank you for mentioning them though.
Thanks for all suggestions!
While her music doesn’t sound particularly “weird,” Zoë Keating is considered pretty avant-garde due to her live sampling/looping techniques to layer the sound of her cello on top of itself. While she’s not the only one to do this (nor the first), she’s probably one of the more successful artists.
Try http://http://wfmu.org/, a listener supported Free Form radio station from New Jersey. Weird Experimental Misc makes up a good part of their programming. They have a smartphone app that you can listen live or access the archives. Their summer schedule is here:http://www.wfmu.org/table
I found some nearly unknown raunchiness on Facebook the other day and was pleasantly surprised. The band is called The Angus Scrimm, the music is a sort of psychotic jazz-funk-punk-metal in a similar vein to Miles Davis’ electric era and Mr. Bungle. They’ve got a bunch of tunes up on their facebook here->http://www.facebook.com/theangusscrimm and their reverbnation page here-> http://www.reverbnation.com/theangusscrimm
