Modern Day (1990s and beyond) Influential Boundary Pushing Rock

[Just Eric]

The fantastic Estradasphere featured CD coupled with The Mars Volta coming up on shuffle during my commute this morning, made me think of the wonderful musicians/bands that have pushed the boundaries of Rock the last couple of decades. So, yes, this is another list thread and here are the guidelines .....

My list is going to be bands that aren't primarily derivative of 70's Prog, also body of work is important, including robust discography and/or live performances.

This list is in no particular order -

Mr. Bungle and prodigy. Not only did Trey, Trevor and Mike seriously push boundaries, but they've continued a legacy of experimental exploration that transcends several bands worthy of this list, including - Secret Chiefs 3, Fantomas, Tomahawk, miRthkon, Estradasphere, Orange Tulip Conspiracy, Atomic Ape and more.

Toby Driver - maudlin of the Well, Kayo Dot

The Mars Volta

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

Chrome Hoof

Ephel Duath I debated putting ED on the list as the foundation is clearly Black Metal. Experimentally they clearly fit the bill.



Who makes your list?

[Scrotum Scissor]

N... N-Neal M-Mor...se?

[Just Eric]

N... N-Neal M-Mor...se?

Whup-pah! (That's the sound of me whipping your suggestion out of this thread!)

[zravkapt]

Adding to what's in the OP

Tortoise
Don Caballero
Unexpect
Cynic
Deerhoof
Radiohead (for what they did at the turn of the millenium)
Battles
Alamaailman Vasarat

[Scrotum Scissor]

Whup-pah! (That's the sound of me whipping your suggestion out of this thread!)

I'd still add the following:

Time of Orchids - taking even the distant remnants of 'symphonic rock' to places they had never even thought of going, alas they wouldn't have known of those places before. Progressive "prog" bands are getting all the more rare these days.

Make a Rising - accessible, brilliantly melodic, colourfully inventive and adventurous. And beautiful!

Alec K. Redfearn & the Eyesores - a fresh look at and take on 'song'. Same, same but oh so positively different.

Capillary Action - albeit only the So Embarrassing release. They quickly steered away from this 'progressive' phase.

Zs and Extra Life - endpoint for 'rock' as recognizably organized sonic phenomenon, I believe. Ravishingly powerful at times.

Normal Love - the most intricate 'rock' band ever to assemble. Some of their stuff is compositionally complex out-of-this-world.

Cheer-Accident - they transcend every conceptual boundary even on unimaginary meta-levels. And they're groovy without the artificial cool.

Orthrelm - the zaniest and most extreme sound unit of our day and age.

and classic Don Cab, who even sported a substantial audience - as did Tortoise in their prime.

And these were only some American ones.

[walt]

Gastr del Sol
O.L.D.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^^

Both excellent calls!

[Balrog666]

Neguru Bungent - Tau
Enslaved - In Times
Barren Earth - On Lonely Towers
Finsterforst - Mach Dich Frei

[battema]

Sebkha Chott (I think that is how it is spelled?) springs to mind. Not every day you hear salsa mixed with death metal growls in the same tune.

Not sure how popular these cats are around here, but Final Fantasy/Owen Pallett did some pretty interesting/awesome stuff, converting chamber music into pop songs (at least to these ears, it felt kind of fresh).

[Just Eric]

Sebkha Chott (I think that is how it is spelled?) springs to mind. Not every day you hear salsa mixed with death metal growls in the same tune.

Not sure how popular these cats are around here, but Final Fantasy/Owen Pallett did some pretty interesting/awesome stuff, converting chamber music into pop songs (at least to these ears, it felt kind of fresh).

I thought I was the only one on this board who drools over Owen Pallett, for his music and creativity.

Negura Bunget is an awesome choice in the Metal realm.

[moecurlythanu]

I think "influential" is the fly in the ointment here.

[Haruspex Carnage]

Had tons of respect for Omar and Cedric but not any more with this Antemasque crap...great thread though, keep it going! i don't have too many to recommend though off the top of my head.

[battema]

I thought I was the only one on this board who drools over Owen Pallett, for his music and creativity.

Sweet! Yeah, I dig his stuff quite a bit, ever since 'He Poos Clouds.'

[tormato]

I'd add:

Mogwai
St. Vincent
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

[tormato]

Sweet! Yeah, I dig his stuff quite a bit, ever since 'He Poos Clouds.'

Thanks for the Owen Pallett heads up. I just listened to some of his music and really dig it!

[Scrotum Scissor]

Tyondai Braxton's first solo album was astounding, I think.

[walt]

Talk Talk's 1991 masterpiece "Laughing Stock" deserves mention.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I think "influential" is the fly in the ointment here.

Not necessarily so at all; of course, you'll often have to actually move outside of the "[usual] prog" to notice that influence, but many of these acts have indeed informed numbers of artists whose music is mostly referred to as "hard to classify" or thereabout.

[mozo-pg]

I like Mars Volta.

[Facelift]

There are differences, IMO, between boundary pushing and boundary blurring; the latter of which is more often the case with more recent music, if one really thinks about it.

Anyway stuff not yet mentioned:

Neurosis, Thinking Plague, John Zorn/Electric Masada, Boredoms,

[zravkapt]

^Most of those weren't mentioned yet because they started out in the 1980s.

[mnprogger]

Fjokra.

[battema]

A few more that spring to mind, although most of these would probably not quite fall exactly under "rock":

Ulver
3rd and the Mortal
Bjork

There's been quite a bit of genre-pushing in the realm of electronica as well, although again, probably not quite "rock."

[Scrotum Scissor]

^

3rd. & the Mortal had their definite starting point in rock (i.e. doom metal), so I would indeed count them in. Ulver, too, correspond with that kind of story - although I have to say that I never really found their total output anywhere near as 'groundbreaking' as, say, that of Toby Driver's or Charlie Looker's. Ulver HAVE made some very interesting music still.

Björk quite obviously started out (professionally, that is) with The Sugarcubes - who were also very much a rock (i.e. post/art-punk) group. The influx of electronica probably shouldn't be perceived as any more diminishing to the overall idiomatic adherence than folk- or jazz-infections were to the rock Identity of King Crimson et al. back in the day.

Of course, if you'd mention Autechre or Squarepusher then I'd agree with you - they are rather electronica artists with a serious influence from rock, rather than the other way round.

[JAMOOL]

Squarepusher yeah, with Autechre I don't see any rock influence. I think they're both boundry-pushers (along with Aphex and maybe u-ziq), in particular I think Autechre is some of the most important music that's come out over the last 20+ years (my god, Tri Repeatae is 20 years old!?) I think they definitely push the boundries of music in a big, big way.

In fact, a lot of modern electronic artists do - I've mentioned Max Tundra and Dan Deacon before, relistening to some Deacon I've really come to appreciate the man's ability to make an artform out of total sensory overload and create music that simply wouldn't have been possible a decade or two ago. As far as more proggy stuff I've always thought Underworld do a great job of pushing forward in that context, again they're almost certainly one of the most important groups of the last two decades (in my little closed off world)