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tomcat_ha
Minister of Boiling Water

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
Posts: 5570
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:04 pm 
 

I suddenly feel like creating a thread on this subject. So I am doing it.
Personally i am very much into kraut/space/drone/noise rock but not that much into "normal" progressive rock.

Personal favorites include
Can, one of the absolute legends in terms of kraut rock. I have not heard everything yet but i am steadily working my way up their extensive discography. I would say that of what i have heard so far the first 4 albums are my favourite. The drummer is absolutely phenomenal.




Right now I am listening to a Japanese band heavily influenced by Kraut rock. Nisennenmondai which stands for "computer bug problem of 2000 year" Heavily influenced by Neu! but a bit more noise rock influenced I guess. Very repetitive and droney. Seen them live once last year and that was awesome. The track i am posting is off the album I am listening to right now.




One absolute legends in avant-rock is Magma. Very progressive and experimental but it ends up all with a strong atmosphere which more often find lacking with more traditional prog rock.
Also another band with an amazing drummer. Very happy to have seen them live last year.



A completely different kind of weird rock is Wormskull. They basically combine metal with electronic music in a seamless way. I believe that more bands will pursue this in the future.


lastly i want to post one of my favourite bands from the late 80's. By this time period shoegaze was coming up and one of the best bands to pioneer elements was Loop. They combined space, kraut and shoegaze in a very atmospheric and droning mix. Quite happy to have seen them live last year. (Also hi tony)


Anyway i hope its kinda clear what kind of direction i'd like the thread to take. Feel free to discuss new albums like the new Magma EP etc aswell.

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Metantoine
Slave to Santa

Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 5:00 pm
Posts: 12030
Location: Montréal
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:38 pm 
 

Loop are indeed fantastic, I've seen them last year as well and they were incredible, so fucking heavy. That's a song from Fade Out, my fav album of theirs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUy72oLxyTo

I posted about Circle the other day and they're certainly a worthy band to post here. They mix a shitload of genres together including drone, kraut, hard rock, metal, noise, prog rock... I'm in love with their leader Jussi Lehtisalo who created a bunch of other bands like Krypt Axeripper and Arkhamin Kirjasto, I actually did a small interview with him last year and I did a bunch of reviews about the so called New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal scene (that he created himself by forming like 10 bands haha!)

Circle has a very large discography so I posted 8 songs here: viewtopic.php?p=2506008#p2506008
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tomcat_ha
Minister of Boiling Water

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
Posts: 5570
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 1:17 pm 
 

Seeing Circle live is very weird but consistent somehow. Like they might start with a krautrock song go into something resembling speedy hard rock/metal and then prog rock and then something else. Somehow it all feels consistent without being jarring.

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undyingzon
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2015 3:27 am
Posts: 2
Location: Antigua and Barbuda
PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 3:42 am 
 

The knowledge that I gained from your very wonderful.

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MARSDUDE
Shitposter

Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:17 pm
Posts: 2297
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 4:56 am 
 

Captain Beefheart, of course. I love his blend of weird blues and proto-punk (on those later albums), and other stuff. His lyrics were always fantastically vivid and had great word-play. I don't think there will ever be someone who writes music quite like he did, even if he relied on his Magic Band(s) to truly make it come alive.







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volutetheswarth
Our Lady of Perpetual Butthurt

Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:37 pm
Posts: 3489
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 5:11 am 
 

Obligatory mention of Morphine. I first became aware of this band through the 2011 documentary; 'Cure for Pain: The Mark Sandman Story', certainly an under-appreciated gem of the 90's. Their instruments consisted of a 2-string slide bass, saxophone and drums, yet somehow made it all work and rather powerfully on later albums. The singer Mark Sandman died on stage just before the release of their 5th album The Night.
The Night:

Like Swimming:

Good:

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tomcat_ha
Minister of Boiling Water

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
Posts: 5570
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 4:41 pm 
 

i keep forgetting to check out captain beefheart.

Morphine are great but kinda haven't listened to them much the last couple of years.

A cool new band combining blues rock with kraut rock is endless boogie

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Expedience
Metal freak

Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:22 am
Posts: 4509
PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:19 pm 
 

I don't know if Morphine are really all that experimental, what I've heard certainly isn't. I enjoy their stuff quite a bit, great music for driving.

I always thought Can were just a weird prog band, which I suppose shows my ignorance. I'll have to take another look at them. I like a lot of dissonant stuff like Red Krayola and Popol Vuh as well as some Beefheart, although I can't stomach all of his stuff.

My favorite experimental rock band has to be Pere Ubu, David Thomas is a wonderfully emotive singer and they change enough from album to album to keep you interested. Every album has a distinct character and theme to it, and I still haven't heard another band like them.


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mjollnir
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:14 pm
Posts: 2056
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:34 pm 
 

So we have Captain Beefheart mentioned here but you can't mention him without mentioning the man who started him on his musical way....Frank Zappa. There's way to many songs to post when it comes to Zappa but he was the godfather of experimental rock. Choose an era of Frank Zappa and you will find that he continued to experiment throughout his whole career.
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tomcat_ha
Minister of Boiling Water

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
Posts: 5570
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 6:04 am 
 

I never really did check out frank zappa either. The whole internet fandom stoner association made me kinda wary. Although i guess i should correct that.

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Expedience
Metal freak

Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:22 am
Posts: 4509
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 6:21 am 
 

There's a stoner fandom associated with him? I had no idea. The funny thing is, although he never touched drugs most of his lyrics are pretty juvenile compared with most actual stoner bands. I have a love-hate relationship with his music, I can't stand his silly political lyrics but like a lot of his instrumental stuff. I guess I don't find him experimental in ways I find musically interesting, although I know he paved the way for unconventional song structures, album formats, mixing of genres and controversial lyrics. Instrumentally he veers too far toward prog rock for my liking, though it is very well executed prog rock.

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CardsOfWar
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:33 am
Posts: 856
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 7:24 am 
 

MARSDUDE wrote:
Captain Beefheart, of course. I love his blend of weird blues and proto-punk (on those later albums), and other stuff. His lyrics were always fantastically vivid and had great word-play. I don't think there will ever be someone who writes music quite like he did, even if he relied on his Magic Band(s) to truly make it come alive.




f




Captain Beefheart made such great music. I mean, all the crazy shit he did to arrive at that great music is kind of unfortunate, but the end result is almost worth it... :P

I really like a lot of experimental rock. (particularly the whole noise rock/post-punk thing) Recently I've really been getting into this instrumental lo-fi, noise-influenced guitarist named Noveller. Her recent album Fantastic Planet is really great... really nice 'chilled out' music.

https://noveller.bandcamp.com/

Also, coming from the absolute opposite end of the 'experimental guitar music' spectrum, I've also really been enjoying Swans lately. Their music is just so savage and visceral...





Re Zappa: His stuff is sometimes pretty nice, but I think it's kind of obnoxious to say that he singlehandedly created experimentalism in music, given that there were heaps of more-or-less experimental classical composers, and that pretty much any musical template can be used as a basis for experimentation.
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Gastjale
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2011 8:31 am
Posts: 111
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 8:51 am 
 

CardsOfWar wrote:

Re Zappa: His stuff is sometimes pretty nice, but I think it's kind of obnoxious to say that he singlehandedly created experimentalism in music, given that there were heaps of more-or-less experimental classical composers, and that pretty much any musical template can be used as a basis for experimentation.


Tell me the name of the person who claims such things, and we shall have a crucifixion barbeque. No one in this thread didn't even insinuate such a thing, I hope. It is true that he was not the only one even in rock music to start twisting the comfortable formats (Beatles, Captain, Soft Machine, Arthur Brown, Cromagnon...) But lots of krautrock bands, for instance, sound like they have taken influence from him. Just give this one a chance and you'll hopefully come to the same conclusion:



When it comes to his experimentation, there is a lot to discover. One can find simply technically intricate musical pieces from his oeuvre, but he also ventured to toy with genre boundaries, recording tapes (not necessarily that much later on, for the recording process was advancing all the time), instruments and sound. I shall include a couple of links here to back me up, for all those who are interested. The examples I've chosen may not be instantly accessible, but as this is the experimental rock thread, I'd presume most people here do not shun everything that defies conventions or the concept of catchiness.







Personally I'm more fond of his earlier works, which have the murky 60s / 70s sound to them and, despite of the delicious experimentation and prominent jazziness, which still include a good load of satire songs that by themselves rival the music of Zappa's peers. Yes, I'm looking at you, Lennon and Argent! The full-blown fusion jazz albums are always a treat as well, especially for those who are tired of his somewhat immature humour.


Now that I've rabbitted on enough about ol' Frank, I'd like to introduce you to (or remind you of the existence of) Glenn Branca, namely of his album "The Ascension". Regarding his style, it's more akin to that of the krautrockers, for the music doesn't necessarily concentrate on melodies, but on the momentum and the alien synergy of the band. Many will notice the similarities between this and Swans, and believe me, there's something to it. But Branca doesn't rely on repetition in the same way as Swans, and I feel that the album is more progressive in nature than Swans in general.
The music here is mostly mechanical and dystopic that sounds like it's played by robots. Yet it can also sound very humane, almost compassionate, having an exploring atmosphere from which you can sense the keen urge for enlightment and knowledge. I think the cover art depicts this aptly: the man is willing to support his fellow chap, but not without wincing in disgust and contempt. The two figures are also deprived of colour, pointing to the dystopic elements that the listener is about to behold.

While I'm off to purchase some Mandies for me and ol' Bob, why not give the album a listen. You can even ignore all the pretentious babble I just made you endure! Quite an essential listen for an appreciator of experimental music, all in all!


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Grave_Wyrm
Metal Sloth

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:55 pm
Posts: 3928
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 1:30 pm 
 

Been listening to Loop on youtube autoplay for the last 45 mins or so. No complaints so far. :)
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tomcat_ha
Minister of Boiling Water

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
Posts: 5570
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 1:33 pm 
 

I love Swans, but i am not quite sure if i will go see them again in May. I have seen them as recently as last september and with the whole madness that is april i don't know if i will have enough money left.

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Grave_Wyrm
Metal Sloth

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:55 pm
Posts: 3928
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 1:49 pm 
 

Gastjale wrote:
ol' Frank

tomcat_ha wrote:
I never really did check out frank zappa either. The whole internet fandom stoner association made me kinda wary.

I can relate. I'm a fan of the man's influence and (cautiously) his perspective, but not his music.

This is his only song that I have genuinely enjoyed listening to, and it's quite good. Over all I find his work interesting, but inevitably aggravating.



And "Po-jama People" is kinda funny. Other than this, it's mostly a miss. Either I haven't heard enough different albums, or it just isn't for me.

"Na-na-na-noo, etc." - metrolyrics.com
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Gastjale
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2011 8:31 am
Posts: 111
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 3:34 pm 
 

Grave_Wyrm wrote:
...Mysterious piffle about Frank Zappa not being the God of Musick...


I presume you have listened to the whole One Size Fitz All album, where the songs you mentioned are from. However, I'd suggest you to check out Roxy & Elsewhere, which has quite similar take on music as OSFA, or about as similar as two Zappa albums are to each other.
Ignore the intro:


Also, anyone here familiar with Art Zoyd? They are one of those Univers Zero-esque bands, that didn't want to brood about inevitable death and the Lovecraftian horrors too excessively, but there's definitely the same kind of esoteric madness behind their music. Drums aren't really used, and sometimes it's more closer to chamber music than prog. There's some quirky, perverse humour in their music, but only in subtle doses, so don't you revellers get too excited! Overall it's hard to describe their effect on me in a way that would make justice to the music. Here's a song for you hungry, OPEN-MINDED people:


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mjollnir
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:14 pm
Posts: 2056
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 4:43 pm 
 

CardsOfWar wrote:
Re Zappa: His stuff is sometimes pretty nice, but I think it's kind of obnoxious to say that he singlehandedly created experimentalism in music, given that there were heaps of more-or-less experimental classical composers, and that pretty much any musical template can be used as a basis for experimentation.


Show me the quote where I said that? What I said was that he was the godfather of experimental rock. That said, who else in 1966 had released anything like this....

Or especially this...
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CardsOfWar
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:33 am
Posts: 856
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 2:31 am 
 

mjollnir wrote:
CardsOfWar wrote:
Re Zappa: His stuff is sometimes pretty nice, but I think it's kind of obnoxious to say that he singlehandedly created experimentalism in music, given that there were heaps of more-or-less experimental classical composers, and that pretty much any musical template can be used as a basis for experimentation.


Show me the quote where I said that? What I said was that he was the godfather of experimental rock. That said, who else in 1966 had released anything like this....

Or especially this...


Okay, yeah, fair enough. Sorry for the confusion. I certainly agree that he made some really great, really creative music. I don't know why I instantly assumed you thought that he singlehandedly created experimentalism in music.

Completely unrelated, your new sig is hilarious. :lol:
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mjollnir
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:14 pm
Posts: 2056
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 9:59 pm 
 

CardsOfWar wrote:
Okay, yeah, fair enough. Sorry for the confusion. I certainly agree that he made some really great, really creative music. I don't know why I instantly assumed you thought that he singlehandedly created experimentalism in music.

Completely unrelated, your new sig is hilarious. :lol:


No problem man. It's all good. He was influenced by those who did bring experimentalism into contemporary classical and orchestral music like Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse. He also wrote orchestral music for film scores, etc. His final recording was a concert of his orchestral works.

As for my sig...it's also quite accurate. :D
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Grave_Wyrm
Metal Sloth

Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 5:55 pm
Posts: 3928
PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:57 am 
 

Gastjale wrote:
Grave_Wyrm wrote:
...Mysterious piffle about Frank Zappa not being the God of Musick...


I presume you have listened to the whole One Size Fitz All album, where the songs you mentioned are from. However, I'd suggest you to check out Roxy & Elsewhere, which has quite similar take on music as OSFA, or about as similar as two Zappa albums are to each other.
Ignore the intro:

Pip pip, Gasty.

It isn't the only album I've heard, just happens to be the one I liked a track or two from. We talked about this briefly a while ago in the context of Mr. Bungle. Ol' Frank works it out on a regular basis at work, three or four albums in fairly regular rotation. Never made a point of making a note of which they were, though, since .. inevitably aggravating. It isn't something I can control or change. Considering the similarities to Bungle, I have tried to force myself to enjoy it, since I might just be missing something that experience could teach me. Nothing's really clicked so far, so thanks for the rec. I do like it better than what I'm familiar with. I can stand to be somewhat more adventerous with his catalogue.

Technicality, skill, and imagination is not an issue. He's clearly amazing as a musician and composer. If anything, I wish I liked it more. I don't see that I gain anything in particular by having un-Zappa leanings.
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PvtNinjer
Metal freak

Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:45 am
Posts: 4008
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2015 12:44 am 
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFhe8xpYNfo

Lightning Bolt is a band I recently heard that could probably be interesting to some of you. This new album is vaguely metallic, but there are a ton of other influences, it's noisy and at times pretty psychedelic and trippy.

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CardsOfWar
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:33 am
Posts: 856
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2015 2:58 am 
 

Holy shit that Lightning Bolt album slays so hard. It's it's insanely noisy, but all the riffs have this mad, driving force behind them. I love the shouted, out of focus vocals, and the way the drummer seems to weave his drumming around the guitar work. So good... :bow:
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PvtNinjer
Metal freak

Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:45 am
Posts: 4008
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2015 2:03 pm 
 

CardsOfWar wrote:
Holy shit that Lightning Bolt album slays so hard. It's it's insanely noisy, but all the riffs have this mad, driving force behind them. I love the shouted, out of focus vocals, and the way the drummer seems to weave his drumming around the guitar work. So good... :bow:


Hey, glad you like it! I wasn't super sold on it at first, but by the end of the album I was a fan, haha. The drumming is insane! And despite the insanity, the band still manages to be memorable.

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tomcat_ha
Minister of Boiling Water

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
Posts: 5570
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:27 pm 
 

So at roadburn i saw this noise rockish shoegaze band called Marriages.
I like their first album quite a bit but damn what a pleasant surprise. Real intense performance. The singer at parts got really all into the music and during some songs really started looking grey and bleak. I wonder if their 2nd is as good as the performance.
http://marriagesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/salome
check it out.

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Mr_TagoMago
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 6:52 pm
Posts: 121
PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:07 pm 
 

Obviously I am a big fan of Can lol. Best band ever!

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