Two examples that come to me immediately are Enya and Smashing Pumpkins. If music starts feeling stale, I can put on Enya and music feels new again. It’s such a pleasant departure from the standard pop/rock/RnB etc sounds that dominate (even if I like those artists).
Anybody have their own equivalents?
Mamaleek have a rather recognizable atmosphere despite switching genres between albums and still being unlike anybody else. Check out e.g. ‘Out of Time’, ‘Come and See’, and ‘Diner Coffee’.
Bassist/producer Bill Laswell has both a trademark deep bass sound and a particular production approach, such that I can hear it in other bands’ records that he touched. Plus he has collaborated with lots of people over his long career, some of whom never shaken off his influence even in their solo works. Try e.g. Tabla Beat Science’s ‘Axiom Sound System’ concert, wherein he was a member.
The one man able to compete with Laswell in deep bass is Jah Wobble, and of course their collaboration is a sea of thick basslines.
Mutaforia Lili is quite peculiar pianocore.
Universal Totem Orchestra actually play the zeuhl genre pioneered by Magma, but imo do it even better.
Dead Can Dance are really unique, and even artists covering them on tribute albums never actually had their sound.
Yello still sound like only they do, forty years later.
Messer für Frau Müller entirely functioned on retro that never properly existed, crammed with samples.
Ramones had their own approach, despite having influenced the entire genre of punk rock. Only artists deliberately emulating Ramones sound like Ramones.
Talk Talk, although I’m mostly thinking of their last 2 albums (Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock)
Radiohead
Clipping. Totally out of my usual genres.
Tool
2 that come to my mind
Of Montreal
They might be giants
Louis Cole / Knower
Morphine
Grateful Dead, especially live albums.
I think Queen is in this category, cause it’s rock opera.
Gotta slide in with my boys King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, no matter what genre they’re recording in
Also shout out to Sleater - Kinney, I know they made a pretty major tonal shift in recent years, but that early era has a feeling all its own
Van Canto is very unique as all instruments (except percussions and drums) are made in Acapella.
Master of Puppets as an Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKAzE8nVft8
Fear of the Dark as another Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tlpRMmTHS4
Mogwai, gybe, beach house
Makes me think of the (soundscape) leveling role of mixing engineers in rock music (my area)
That sounds interesting! I’ve played a few instruments over the years but am an amateur (being generous here) when it comes to mixing. If rock is your area, that makes me think of Queens of the Stone Age. When a new song of theirs would come out, I’d sometimes know it was them immediately even before the vocals started. An evolution more than a revolution, but still uniquely identifiable I think.
