# Quirky music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 2, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272 "2010-07-02T04:19:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/21 "2010-07-04T17:52:05Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Besides Mr Bungle? And The Worst Song Ever? > > Well, a couple months ago my dial stopped on a Christian station (since I always keep it in the left hand side of the dial searching for NPR and classical.) They were playing praise music in Spanish, but the backing music was a mix between trad Mexican (i.e. guitars and accordions) and “modern” latin american music (i.e. vaguely 80’s sounding hip-hop influenced pop). Which isn’t a TOTALLY odd combo. But. The singer’s voice was altered to sound exactly like the Hampster Dance (sweet rodent Jesus!) Strange enough for one song, but they played like 3 or four of them in a row! > > In retrospect it was probably a block of music by the same artist, despite the theortetical quirkiness of a station that only played Spanish Christian Norteño Chipmunk Rap. Possibly some affiliation with this religious rodent reprobate: > **[WFMU - 365 Days Project (2003)](https://www.wfmu.org/365/2003/271.shtml)** ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/22 "2010-07-04T19:30:17Z")
> [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](#): > > Also: > [The Portsmouth Sinfonia](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpJ6anurfuw) - interesting project [see Wiki page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_Sinfonia). In similar (anemic) vein: > **[The Langley Schools Music Project: "INNOCENCE AND DESPAIR"](http://www.keyofz.com/langley/)** > > Outsider musicians have an utter lack of conventional tunefulness, yet they often outmatch contenders for originality. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/23 "2010-07-06T20:15:19Z")
Mild but interesting [Ukulele Orchestra of GB doing the theme from Shaft](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfK-UzQ48JE) ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/24 "2010-07-07T08:05:56Z")
Tony Scott, Hare Krishna [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zA4DJB15N70/hqdefault.jpg "Underwater world Red Sea june 2010") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA4DJB15N70) ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/25 "2010-07-07T13:46:21Z")
Some really good ones here. My contribution: [365 days of outsider music](http://www.ubu.com/outsiders/365/index.shtml). You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/26 "2010-07-08T19:01:10Z")
^ Thanks, an oddity goldmine! Now another take on the Krishna theme, by the Pizzicato Five, who make it sound like an aerobics class. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM__4XOMYRE) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/27 "2010-07-09T03:40:11Z")
You know, on consideration, I’m not sure how many of my picks would be “quirky” or just “_weird_.” But I think I’ve got one old favorite that still qualifies, even if it’s a little obvious: [Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dyUzUxE_2w). ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/28 "2013-04-03T06:44:27Z")
Not quirky at all, just a sweet, beautiful sound. Might as well be here. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ESq_8e06hzY/hqdefault.jpg "Brother Love - Ruketekete Te Mamae (The Roimata Song)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESq_8e06hzY) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/29 "2013-04-03T07:02:38Z")
[I Love Onions](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM-lEhhsLQw) [Up, Up and Away](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej_ydiRNyM8) by Raj and the Sepoy Mutiny [Terrible Operation Blues](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYRoU35_bpQ) by Georgia Tom and Jane Lucas ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/30 "2013-04-03T07:06:02Z")
Up up and away, I love it! They do a great version of “the Letter”. Best bogus sitar I’ve ever heard! ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/31 "2013-04-03T07:21:14Z")
Nothing else sounds remotely like this. It’s four people wandering off in four different directions - or some of the tightest synchrony ever devised. Yusef Lateef, Psychicemotus: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7D8TBtyez7U/hqdefault.jpg "Psychicemotus video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D8TBtyez7U) ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/32 "2013-04-03T07:48:09Z")
I give you… [The Bran Flakes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arEcNmheKas&list=UU7lI4sL0beeX42LTwCXMd-w&index=4) ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/33 "2013-04-03T14:25:37Z")
[The Residents - Satisfaction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpQU68U92wU) [The Residents - The Third Reich ‘n’ Roll](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbTIhC79UJ4) [The Residents - Constantinople](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFWRXMr5fKU) [RATL - Haul On The Bowline](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMXUrQ_GICo) [RATL - A Medical Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS5FwhecoLY) More to come. This is just from Ralph Records. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/34 "2013-04-03T14:38:21Z")
[They Might Be Giants-The Guitar(The Lion Sleeps Tonight)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OKac0K91p4) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/35 "2013-04-03T14:46:24Z")
Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer are a good source of random musical nonsense. Particularly [Oh Mr. Hairdresser](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnfMOTveH-U) “prepare a lovely crisp salad and have sex with a kestrel above a caravan” And of course their compendium of [“Mulligan and O’Hare”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qv1DhdPAS8) compositions “She wasn’t immunised That’s a legal requirement She’s increasingly slapdash since we bought that new hearth-rug” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/36 "2013-04-03T15:20:08Z")
Try [Messer fuer Frau Mueller](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYgy3eYoBDU) for some wacky mix of surf, carnival, electronica, cartoon, disco, lounge, 50s rock & roll, pretty much anything under the sun. I don’t know much about them other than they’re out of St. Petersburg and have been around since the early 90s. There is also a related band, Messer Chups, that is kind of horror surf music, for lack of better description. [An example of Messer Chups](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q8Zvc0t2M4). Continuing on the weird Russian music theme, there is the experimental rock band N.O.M. that I enjoy. Here’s a semi-cover of [Queen’s “Bicycle”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2J4cRJX-Mg). It’s a song called “Apiary” and, from what I understand of Russian, the lines that correspond to “I want to ride my bicycle” translate to “I have an apiary.” Apparently, it’s the title track to a movie called “Apiary.” ["Nina](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4Q-XCprjZk) and [Nina 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfnG3aV_Tzg) are two essential tracks to give you a sense of their work. [The Moog Cookbook](http://www.myspace.com/moogcookbook) is a collaboration between two Moog synth enthusiasts who record analog synth covers of pop hits. There is wonderful musicianship on their albums, great use of sounds for texture, and a clear, not-taking-itself-seriously quality to what they do. I love how they recontextualize the songs and play with the genres, taking something like Green Day’s “Basket Case” and turning it into something that sounds like [an early/mid-80s sitcom theme.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KAv8uNwAtI&list=PL943CEFCA63027245) Or Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” into [some 70s Latin lounge synth cheesefest.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEFR85cCi8w&list=PL943CEFCA63027245) ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/37 "2013-04-03T15:57:46Z")
This is Cuban group performing “Hotel California”. There are no instruments. All the sound is done by voice. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QglPGAPT2Vc) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/38 "2013-04-03T16:54:53Z")
[The Most Unwanted Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gPuH1yeZ08) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/39 "2013-04-03T17:28:42Z")
[The Ghost Frolic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjSGDraUWGo), used in two “Our Gang” shorts. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272/40 "2013-04-03T17:42:40Z")
Well, there’s neo-cabaret in general, and Vagabond Opera in particular, fronted by a trained opera singer (not, IMO, a particularly good one, as comes out on some of their songs; he’s best sticking to “normal” singing). Here’s [The Transformation Into Marlene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-48LITv-Yc), which is extra-quirky since it’s about a guy wanting to become Marlene Dietrich. 😃 And then there’s [Alamaailman Vasarat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcJxNu1mCmw), a Finnish… um… band. There is no describing them; just go listen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quirky-music/545272.md?page=3)