Top 10 Least Accessible Music Artists
Some music artists may have an experimental or unique sound that can often take time getting used to. This is a list of musical acts that are not very accessible to the average listener.
Ween is an American experimental rock band formed in 1984, in New Hope, PA. It's members are Dean and Gene Ween. Truly a bizarre band that spans genres, space, and time. They are the most and least accessible band out there. A lot of bands can't reach this level of inaccessibility like what Ween did.
Fantastic group, however, even as a long term fan, I have to admit that not all their work is easy to listen to.
Pyrrhon is a technical death metal quartet based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2008, the group comprises vocalist Doug Moore, guitarist Dylan DiLella, bassist Erik Malave, and drummer Steve Schwegler.
Why is Sunn O))) here? Problem - People judge music without even trying it. It's drone and doom, no tremolo picks or speed, beautiful simple riffs and slow tempos. You gotta think about the details of the songs while listening to them. It's not for headbanging or mosh pits. If you wanna be swept away by some beautiful heavy tones, Sunn O))) is your band.
Captain Beefheart's career is defined by atonal melodies, polyrhythms, absurd lyrics, and a raspy voice. Upon his first listen, Matt Groening and many others said of Trout Mask Replica: "Is this even music?! Are they even trying?"
Mr. Bungle was an American experimental rock band from Northern California. Known for a highly eclectic style, the band often cycled through several musical genres within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde jazz, ska, disco as well as funk. Mr. Bungle and Disco Volante can be very tough to get into. California's more accessible.
Primus is an American funk metal band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander. Les Claypool is regarded as one of the best bassists of all time for his slap-bass ability in notable songs like "My Name Is Mud",... read more
Sonic Youth was an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo remained together for the entire history of the band, while Steve Shelley followed a series of short-term drummers in 1985, and rounded out the core line-up. Their later work is a bit easier to get into, although their early work is more acclaimed.
What IS the attraction, exactly?
Beck Hansen, known by stage name Beck, is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is mostly known for his musical composition, as well as a palette of sonic genres. Golden Feelings. Only one of his albums I have fully listened to (yet). Indeed very inaccessible. Only anti-folk record I've ever listened to, is the rest of anti-folk like that? It feels like a less playful, 90s, one-man Trout Mask Replica. Not to say it's not funny.
Edit: His stuff after One Foot in the Grave ranges from weird yet palatable to completely palatable. Not top 5.
Note that this is only in regards to his earlier material. All of his post-Odelay albums (with the exception of some Midnite Vultures tracks) are very easy to get into.
Her self-titled is just screaming. It's good screaming though (also, there's actually some non-screaming noise on the first track).
Björk Guðmundsdóttir, (born 21 November 1965) is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer and actress. Over her four-decade career, she has developed an eclectic musical style that draws on influences and genres including electronic, pop, jazz, experimental, trip hop, alternative,... read more
Death Grips is an American experimental hip hop band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2010. The group consists of vocalist MC Ride, drummer and producer Zach Hill, and recording engineer Andy Morin. All I hear is just a bunch of electronic noises with weird rapping that I can't follow. I don't really like them.
Real #1. Much more inaccessible than any artist higher up. Sonic Youth, Bjork, Beck, they all have melodies, something you can latch onto. Merzbow is noisy, painful to listen to. No easy to find harmonies, no melodies. Just NOISE and textures. Even more inaccessible than Residents.
Yeah, Merzbow is definitely one of the most inaccessible artists.
Butthole Surfers is an American rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. Guard your toaster, watch your ceiling fan, and put grandma on a leash when the Buttholes come to town. Organized chaos at its finest.
Yep. Even less accessible than Ween, I would say.
The Residents are an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, Meet the Residents, the group has released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs.
Anal C*** was an American grindcore band founded by vocalist Seth Putnam in 1988 in Newton, Massachusetts. The band is known for their highly offensive lyrics which included themes of misogyny, homophobia, racism, Nazism, antisemitism, and schadenfreude (ridicule of the unfortunate). Their music has... read more What? They are very accessible for everyone. Even kids listen to them.
Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin; 1956-1993) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer, who performed and recorded with many groups during his career. He was best known for his graphic live performances which included self-mutilation, parading around the stage naked, fighting... read more
Nile is an American technical death metal band from Greenville, South Carolina, United States, formed in 1993. Their music and lyrics are inspired by Ancient Egyptian/Near Eastern mysticism, history, religion, and ancient art, as well as the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
