Songwriting variety
August 11, 2011 6:56 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for musical artists with eclectic styles that are still unified enough to be recognizable as being by that artist.
Please recommend musicians whose styles vary, within the same album or not. Does anyone write songs that can be considered completely different genres such as folk, electronica, blues, shoegaze, etc., especially if the songs are consistently good?
Please recommend musicians whose styles vary, within the same album or not. Does anyone write songs that can be considered completely different genres such as folk, electronica, blues, shoegaze, etc., especially if the songs are consistently good?
The Magnetic Fields have released many different albums in many different styles (and under a few different names, if you want to get technical) but you can always tell Stephin Merritt's songwriting. 69 Love Songs is his magnum opus and contains songs in a whole lot of different contemporary (and a few non-contemporary) styles.
posted by griphus at 7:11 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by griphus at 7:11 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Cat Power and Joe Henry are two artists that I like that have changed their styles considerably over their careers.
posted by Quonab at 7:14 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by Quonab at 7:14 PM on August 11, 2011
Ween and Kirsty MacColl come to mind.
posted by holterbarbour at 7:18 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by holterbarbour at 7:18 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Secret Chiefs 3 and Faith No More (particularly Angel Dust and King for a Day...).
posted by cog_nate at 7:19 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by cog_nate at 7:19 PM on August 11, 2011
Ooh, and for that matter, Phoenix, too-- especially their "United" album.
posted by holterbarbour at 7:21 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by holterbarbour at 7:21 PM on August 11, 2011
Oh man, how can you recommend SC3 and FNM without mentioning Mr. Bungle? They switch genres like 3 or 3 times within the same song.
I made a post on them last year if you want to sample a bit.
posted by mannequito at 7:38 PM on August 11, 2011
I made a post on them last year if you want to sample a bit.
posted by mannequito at 7:38 PM on August 11, 2011
Mid-nineties Smashing Pumpkins: Pisces Iscariot/Mellon Collie/Aeroplane Flies High.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:51 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by Sys Rq at 7:51 PM on August 11, 2011
Flight of the Conchords.
posted by backwards guitar at 8:03 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by backwards guitar at 8:03 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Calexico - The Feast of Wire is everywhere from Mariachi, to Ennio Morricone, to flat out modern jazz all done excellently, along with some great lyrics.
Ween - Seconding Ween, they are true musical chameleons with a seriously interesting slant to their music, it's both dark and whimsical at the same time.
The Beatles - Pretty much the inventors of the idea. Starting with Rubber Soul they did virtually all of their songs in deliberately different styles, many of them were homages to older musical forms or had elements of other styles incorporated in the music (vaudville, marching bands, Indian music, classical). The Rolling Stones late 60's early 70's stuff fits this too, each album is very different from song to song.
Sufjan Stevens - Not so much of a chameleon, but he does use and or allude to a lot of older forms in his music.
posted by doctor_negative at 8:07 PM on August 11, 2011
Ween - Seconding Ween, they are true musical chameleons with a seriously interesting slant to their music, it's both dark and whimsical at the same time.
The Beatles - Pretty much the inventors of the idea. Starting with Rubber Soul they did virtually all of their songs in deliberately different styles, many of them were homages to older musical forms or had elements of other styles incorporated in the music (vaudville, marching bands, Indian music, classical). The Rolling Stones late 60's early 70's stuff fits this too, each album is very different from song to song.
Sufjan Stevens - Not so much of a chameleon, but he does use and or allude to a lot of older forms in his music.
posted by doctor_negative at 8:07 PM on August 11, 2011
Brazilian Girls!
posted by clipperton at 8:19 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by clipperton at 8:19 PM on August 11, 2011
Boris plays everything from sludge to '70s fuzzed-out rock to noise to ambient to pop-rock to...
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:33 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:33 PM on August 11, 2011
For me, this is Tom Waits, hands down.
or the Backyardigans.
posted by spbmp at 8:41 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
or the Backyardigans.
posted by spbmp at 8:41 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Miles Davis went through some major changes of style in his career, but the way he plays the trumpet has always been pretty distinctive.
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:44 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:44 PM on August 11, 2011
Yo La Tengo, especially since 1995 or so. I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One varies quite a bit within itself, but is still mainly indie rock, just every kind of indie rock. A couple albums later they're almost doing bossa nova.
posted by LionIndex at 8:48 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by LionIndex at 8:48 PM on August 11, 2011
Bowie.
posted by pompomtom at 9:39 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by pompomtom at 9:39 PM on August 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Elvis Costello
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 10:25 PM on August 11, 2011
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 10:25 PM on August 11, 2011
Todd Rundgren.
posted by treblemaker at 12:49 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by treblemaker at 12:49 AM on August 12, 2011
the cat empire
posted by freddymetz at 1:11 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by freddymetz at 1:11 AM on August 12, 2011
Neil Young.
Wikipedia:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame explained that while Young has "avoided sticking to one style for very long, the unifying factors throughout Young’s peripatetic musical journey have been his unmistakable voice, his raw and expressive guitar playing, and his consummate songwriting skill."
posted by iviken at 1:40 AM on August 12, 2011
Wikipedia:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame explained that while Young has "avoided sticking to one style for very long, the unifying factors throughout Young’s peripatetic musical journey have been his unmistakable voice, his raw and expressive guitar playing, and his consummate songwriting skill."
posted by iviken at 1:40 AM on August 12, 2011
I'm going to add Sonic Youth to the pile - they oscillate between fairly experimental guitar work, noise, and pretty slick pop.
posted by multivalent at 3:09 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by multivalent at 3:09 AM on August 12, 2011
Seconding Ween. It varies tremendously and yet is always recognizable. Flight of the Conchords is another great example.
posted by handbanana at 5:52 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by handbanana at 5:52 AM on August 12, 2011
Jane Siberry. Over her career she's gone from singer/songwriter folk, to 80s synth pop, long cinematic epics, to jazz ensemble... classical-inspired hymns and spirituals... She's done just about everything except hard rock, basically.
posted by dnash at 6:26 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by dnash at 6:26 AM on August 12, 2011
maybe BOREDOMS? compare Boredoms, Vs, Sdi with Tomato Synthesizer with ○ with Boadrum. (I suppose this is more evolution of sound than variance, but by Boadrum they sound nothing like the band that made Osorezan No Stooges Kyo)
and I'll second The Flaming Lips. compare Jesus Shooting Heroin with Christmas At The Zoo with Yeah Yeah Yeah Song with The Wizard Turns On... The Giant Silver Flashlight and Puts on His Werewolf Moccasins (the latter two of which come from the same album, At War With The Mystics)
posted by namewithoutwords at 6:59 AM on August 12, 2011
and I'll second The Flaming Lips. compare Jesus Shooting Heroin with Christmas At The Zoo with Yeah Yeah Yeah Song with The Wizard Turns On... The Giant Silver Flashlight and Puts on His Werewolf Moccasins (the latter two of which come from the same album, At War With The Mystics)
posted by namewithoutwords at 6:59 AM on August 12, 2011
Fountains of Wayne fits the description. More than half of each album if power-pop, but they've got a sort of alt-country thing going on too.
posted by troywestfield at 7:13 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by troywestfield at 7:13 AM on August 12, 2011
Fatboy Slim, if you consider working in lots of different dance music genres as being eclectic.
posted by empath at 8:41 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by empath at 8:41 AM on August 12, 2011
Radiohead. Listen to a song like 'Anyone Can Play Guitar' and listen to a song like 'Life in a Glass House' and then a song like 'Faust Arp.'
posted by Windigo at 6:26 PM on August 12, 2011
posted by Windigo at 6:26 PM on August 12, 2011
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posted by wondermouse at 7:06 PM on August 11, 2011