Experimental rock

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Experimental rock
Stylistic origins
Free jazz
Various forms of Rock
Cultural origins
Typical instruments
Mainstream popularity Largely underground, but some bands have had mainstream success.
Regional scenes
Largely global, England - Scotland - Wales - Ireland - USA - Canada - Sweden - Japan - Czech Republic
Other topics
Timeline of alternative rock- Timeline of punk rock

Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock and roll which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, and/or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique.

Performers may also attempt to individualize their music with unconventional time signatures, instrumental tunings, compositional styles, lyrical techniques, elements of other musical genres, singing styles, instrumental effects or custom-made experimental musical instruments.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 1960s

The mid- to late 60s was an era of explosive growth and experimentation in rock music. Bands drew influences from free jazz artists such as John Coltrane and Sun Ra and avant-garde composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Notable experimental bands in this period include The Velvet Underground, MC5, The Monks, The Stooges, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, The Mothers of Invention, and some work by The Beatles. These bands were also the inspiration for Plastic People of the Universe.

[edit] 1970s

Influenced by the experiments of these groups came another wave experimental rock bands in the early 1970s. There was, for instance, the so-called Krautrock scene in Germany, which included psychedelic bands like Amon Düül II, sound-collage artists like Faust, and the extremely improvisational and almost unclassifiable Can. Brian Eno was another important figure, especially after his departure from Roxy Music in order to pursue his own ideas (which ultimately led to his invention of the term "ambient music"). Some other artists in this period, such as David Bowie and Scott Walker, also departing from more pop-oriented styles in order to experiment with songwriting and production. At the same time, there was the experimental wing of the already somewhat experimental progressive rock scene, including a number of bands who were influenced by contemporary classical music -- Magma, Henry Cow, Area, Univers Zero, and so on. There are many avant-prog bands still active, including Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Koenjihyakkei.

In the late 70s, punk rock developed a number of experimental offshoots, most notably post-punk. This genre includes everything from arty punk rockers like Pere Ubu, The Electric Eels and Suicide to the dub-influenced Public Image Ltd.. Other punk offshoots included Industrial music (bands such as Cabaret Voltaire, Einstürzende Neubauten and Throbbing Gristle) and No Wave (bands such as James Chance and the Contortions and DNA). These scenes are all still active in the 00s, as evidenced by bands like Life Without Buildings and Chicks on Speed.

[edit] 1980s

Experimentalism was a large part of the College rock and underground music scene in the 1980s. Influenced by their punk and post-punk predecessors, bands like Sonic Youth, Band of Susans, Negativland, Butthole Surfers, Swans, Live Skull, Beme Seed and Dinosaur Jr. further expanded the boundaries of rock by introducing influences from minimalism and conceptualism, as well as pop art, situationist and fluxus influences. The late 80s underground scene saw the rise of a number of bands influenced by the Velvet Underground and 1960s psychedelia, including Agitpop, Opal, The Pixies, Yo La Tengo, and Big Black. Toward the end of the 1980s rap emerged into a mature, experimental phase exploring the possibilities of sampling and dealing with social and racial issues. Rap's impact on experimental rock was huge, as many rock bands were impressed by the power and innovation of rap artists such as Public Enemy, Dream Warriors and Digital Underground and sought to incorporate aspects of rap and hip hop into their music, with Sonic Youth's 1990 Kool Thing featuring an appearance by Chuck D. of Public Enemy.

[edit] 1990s

The commercialization of underground music in the first part of the 1990s led to the rise of a representative "Alternative" style which featured multiple, layered distorted guitars and overwrought male vocals. The experimentalism that had characterized the 1980s declined as grunge took hold as the dominant style in rock music. Originated in the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s by heavy metal, psychedelia and punk influenced bands such as Mudhoney and Mother Love Bone, Nirvana was the genre's breakout artist. Soon follow up bands like Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden were dominating the charts while hewing close to the accepted list of influences on their genre and even adding elements of arena rock such as extended guitar solos and intricate time signatures to what had been a stripped-down, nonvirtuosic style. Bands such as the Butthole Surfers and Sonic Youth discarded many unconventional and abrasive elements and began working within traditional structures. Artists such as Ween and Redd Kross continued their predecessors inventiveness with less impact.

In the later 1990s, many indie rock bands became experimental and diverged into a style called Post-rock; major influences on this style include Animal Collective and Slint, who were influenced by Hardcore punk, and Talk Talk's later works, which were influenced by Miles Davis and ambient music. By now "post-rock" can refer to almost any complex instrumental rock coming out of the indie scene, from the delicate, classical-influenced chamber rock of Rachel's to the massive, forbidding sonic landscapes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

[edit] 2000s

As the 90s passed, non-instrumental forms of indie rock also became increasingly experimental. Some of the innovators in this area were bands associated with the Elephant 6 and Jewelled Antler collectives, such as Thuja (band), Six Organs of Admittance, Comets on Fire, Josephine Foster and the Supposed, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control; later experimental indie bands include Deerhoof, Liars, U.S. Maple, Xiu Xiu, Man Man, The Fiery Furnaces, and TV on the Radio.The New Weird America movement emerged as a distinct presence both harkening back to an imagined 1960s heyday and pointing the way forward for rock music in the era of online distribution.

A collection of second wave post hardcore and new prog bands have dabbled in experimental stylings, notably The Mars Volta, Thrice, Circa Survive, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Chiodos, Mew, Mytrust In Godandman and Dredg, along with an explosion of other experimental artists thanks to the unsigned-band-friendly MySpace environment.

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Rock music
Other topics

[edit] Links

  • [1] Experimental Rock Forum on Discogs