Most Unique Band...
 

What band do you think has the most unique sound? This means that they don't have any spinoff bands, and they have a style so strange, it makes you go, "Whaaa?"

My vote goes to Rakoth, from Russia.

I describe them best as Medieval-Symphonic-GrindCore

They have 2 vocal styles, one sounds like a wandering minstrel and the other sounds like Golem from LOTR.

There is the basic guitar, bass, drums...but
They also have a pan flute, piano, and lute.

It sounds literally like medieval music, mixed with death metal

If you would like a sample, check out the elitist records website to download a sample (I suggest the song "Fear wasn't in the design" or "The Dark Heart of Uurukal"

mars volta

no gimics, just fucking brilliant

I'm gonna say Super Furry Animals. The best way I can classify them is Welsh pop-rock-phychidelia-techno.

How about Tangerine Dream?

Pink Floyd - yeah I know there are imitators, but nothing even comes close.

Bering Strait. A Russian Bluegrass band that has electric guitars and drums. Quite unique.

i'd say fantomas. Its (one) Mike Pattons curent bands. The first album had no words, just noises from Patton.

String Cheese Incident. You never know what they are gonna play. Theyll jam bluegrass, funk, jazz, rock, latin music, and covers in the same night. And when your not ready for it the keyboardist will get off his organ and bust techno with a JP8000. Great band amazing shows

Backstreet Boys.

The Apex Theory... it's some of the most experimental rock ever, I mean, their music is DEFINETLY rock (they played on Ozzfest last summer), but it also has influences of all other kinds of stuff... to get a taste of what I'm saying, listen to the following songs:

(Sort Of) general rock:
4RA's
Apossibly
Bravo
Aisle Always
Swing This
Calm-It

Total deviations from that path:
Shhh... (Hope Diggy)
Trust Ease
That's All!
Drown Ink
Mucus Shifters
In Books

Check them out, about 95% of the people I recommend them to like it. A lot.

I like a lot of your replies, but some of the ones I believe definately don't fit into this category. For one, Apex Theory is not unique, I have heard them, and they sound a lot like many other post-grunge/metal bands.

As for Mars Volta, true, they are brilliant (I do believe Sparta is the more talented of the At The Drive In members), but they are really good. They do sound a lot like Fearless' new band Brazil (as well as many others)

As for Fantomas, Thank you for that reply josh. I think they are absolutely amazing, (especially the CD of horror movie theme song covers). The fact that Slayer's drummer plays for them seals it for me.

Pink floyd is another interesting one. Very unique, but the whole rock opera and psychadelica thing has been done over a lot (Pink Floyd is just known for it).

That's all for now. I'll definately check into everyone elses unique bands. Thank you.

bands that may not be most people's favorites , but I love because they are in their own league....

Pink Floyd - actually, i've never listened to them very much but their sound and style is an obvious major breakthrough.

Smashing Pumpkins - from a radio perspective, another alt band. if you look through their hisory you'll notice how truly unique and amazing they are. my favorite band ever.

deftones - again, if you listen to em on the radio..... another rock goes metal meets a little rap. these guys are in their own catagory like PF. Chino uses his voice like its the missing instrument. if you like energetic music, give them a few listens.

TOOL - maynard and co. they threw all music rules out the window long ago. the music is just.... awesome. i mean some of the beginning music in Stinkfist and Euology is just amazing. the lyrics are simply amazing......

anyhow, just some examples.

oh, don't forget Cake :)

i'm certainly not going to claim a band to be the most unique, but System of a Down is pretty damn unusual - plus they get lumped into this infamous "nu-metal" crowd which i think is an injustice.

good stuff

Another Very, very unique band is Mindelss Self Indulgence.

Saviour Machine is the most unique band I have ever heard.

Another vote for Tool. Musicly and lyricly they're very original. Maynard has a unique singing style to match a very unique sound. Some artist refered to them as "Too good".

MSI


EDIT: With a nod to the Golden Palominos and Pixies

Sigur Ros

Ohh yea! Forgot about them. Good one.

System of a Down... they write some wacky crap

and Weird Al! :D think about it... he is every genre at once and no one is copying him. obviously his music is rarely orginial but the concept is very much so.

They Might Be Giants and Ben Folds Five are two bands I can hear and not mistake for anyone else.

Going to have to agree with the 2 that mentioned System of a Down, I can't think of any other band that sounds like them.

I dont think Yes ever had any imitators. Some of the finest rock ever made, imho.

Medeski Martin and Wood. Damn good, very unique. Just a bass, organ and drums making some very good jazz. I can't think of anything that compares. Sure there is funk, and there is acid jazz but MMW puts it together like no other.

Kraftwerk.

Gandharvas!

the residents, ween, dog fashion disco, mindless self indulgence, the lotus eaters

Mod Flanders Conspiracy. some of the weirdest shit I've ever heard. Covers everything from hardcore, to emocore, jazz, and experimental noise.

Mu-Ziq, Cornelious, Atari Teenage Riot, Matronix, Dragon Ash,Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, LazyMuthaFucka, Mr. Children, Tweeker, Saul Williams, BJORK!!!!

and the list goes on and on and on...

Sigur ross. So much dreamy feedback and the lead signer has an amazing voice and sings in Icelandish (sp?) which makes it sound even better. I've never heard anything like these guys, they are truly out there.


Buckethead. Not a band, just an AMAZING guitarist. He plays with a KFC bucket on his head with a Michael Myers mask and somehow manages to fingertap his guitar using 8 fingers like a piano while doing a robot dance at the same time. This guy's style is just amazing, he doesn't sell out to one genre he experiments with classical, funk, jazz, blues, metal, etc in every song. He's never been heard speaking in public and only talks through his pet puppet Herbie. If this guy isn't unique I don't know what is.


Pink Floyd and TOOL for trying to open our minds to other "things". No one really sings like Maynard and Carrey is one of the best drummers out there.

system of a down are not that unique. its basic metal stuff that has real radio friendly melodic breakdowns. its nothing new guys- its just somethign different on the dial.

i think theres a metal thread goin on now, check that out.

also im gonna say sigur ros really is amazing, but they arent THAT different from their other post-modern-rock-ambient contemparies, there are some. ros is just damn good at it.

oh also DREDG

how could i have forgotten them.

oh oh and fucking Soul Coughing!

: )

I tried to just keep it at one, but I have to shout out my two favorites. Staind and Disturbed! Both Aaron Lewis and David Draiman are smoking singers and the bands are very well put together and have a crazy sound that I can bug out to anyday, anytime, any year.

I can't really think of any, mainly because when a unique band comes along, you get 50 bands trying to sound just like them. Even if they don't accomplish it, it's no longer unique.

Mindless Self Indulgence is definitely one. I love their stuff!

Another one that comes to mind is The Avalanches. The Australian group that uses almost entirely (I think it might be 100%) samples. Very cool stuff with a very unique sound and a lot of variety.

Primus

Gotta say The Doors. What other band had their lineup? The fact that the four of them were all great and whatnot helped too.

Oh, and Jethro Tull. Those flute solos are great.

Every other great band, even Radiohead, has too many imitators to be unmistakable.

i also agree with Soul Coughing, Ben Folds Five, and They Might Be Giants.

and i stand by System of a Down... my roomate is big into them, if you listen to the stuff that doesn't make it to radio, it is some of the most unusual sounding riffs, vocals, and beats out there. radio-friendly melodic breakdowns my ass. you have to dig through their stuff to find any song that sounds radio friendly.

TOOl and Opeth....TOOl for obvious reasons and Opeth for going from a Pink floyd sytle to extreme deathmetal.

The first time I heard Rocking The Suburbs on the radio, I thought it was Weird Al.