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Experimental Popular Music

• is all music experimental?

• pushing boundaries / experimentation

• influence

Laurie Anderson

“O Superman” (1981)

• Minimalist-inspired

• half-sung, half-spoken electronically altered vocals

• #2 on UK singles chart

Björk

Medúlla (2004)

• seventh studio album

• entirely vocal sounds

“Oceania” at 2004 Athens Olympics

Laurie Anderson and Björk both

• 1) Worked for their respective governments

• 2) Experimented with the use of the human voice

• 3) Performed only acoustic music

Sonic Youth

• “noise” rock

• layers of guitar sound, feedback

“Teenage Riot” (1993)

Sonic Youth was influential in the development of

• 1) Grunge Rock (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc.)

• 2) Hip-Hop (Sugar Hill Gang, NWA, etc.)

• 3) Progressive Rock (Jethro Tull, ELP, etc.)

The Velvet Underground

Song: “Venus in Furs” (1967)Video clip from Andy Warhol, Symphony of Sound (1966)

The Velvet Underground were

associated with

• 1) Claude Monet

• 2) Andy Warhol

• 3) Frank Stella

When is your second paper due?

• 1) Nov 21 (Next Monday)

• 2) Dec 5 (Last day or school)

• 3) ??????

Brian Eno

Brian Eno

• Ambient music composer

• Experimental pop artist / collaborator

• Producer / “Sonic landscaper”

“Deep Blue Day” (1983)

• Genesis

• David Bowie

• Talking Heads

• Devo

• Laurie Anderson

• U2

• Depeche Mode

• Ultravox

• James

• Grace Jones

• Coldplay

• etc., etc., etc.

Brian Eno & David Byrne, “Poor Boy” from Everything that Happens Will Happen Today (2008)