Quirky Rock Groups

[Matt Till]

I'm really reaching here:

I started a thread a while back about "Happy music that doesn't suck." It flopped because I didn't know what I wanted, now I do... nah, not really.

The bands I like that are happy have a certain weirdness to them, very odd, yet happy...ish.

Oingo Boingo
Devo
Primus
XTC
Joe Jackson

I guess the term New Wave could be used Also, note all these bands have great bassists

So... happish bands that have a certain edge that sets them apart from the rest... sort of.

My god, I just don't make any damn sense anymore.

 

[DigMe]

Would They Might Be Giants count?

brad cook

 

[Gia]

nothing wrong with new wave matt

devo are a brilliant band. i'd recommend you listen to mclusky. particularly "lightsaber ****sucking blues"

a bit heavier than the bands you have listed, but i think you'll dig them anyway.

 

[Matt Till]

Would They Might Be Giants count?

brad cook

They most certainly would. In fact, I don't know why I didn't include them on my examples list.

 

[baba]

For a more recent example, Cake is pretty quirky....and most excellent.

 

[Freaky Fender]

what about Zwan? When you have rainbows on your CD cover, you're kinda quirky...

 

[HiFi]

Thomas Dolby.

Thread over.

 

[DigMe]

Also OK Go. I think they only have one album out and it's self-titled. I picked up out of curiousity once at Target because it was about 8 bucks and I've really dug...definitely quirky, definitely cool, very catchy.

brad cook

 

[Against Will]

nothing wrong with new wave matt

devo are a brilliant band. i'd recommend you listen to mclusky. particularly "lightsaber ****sucking blues"

a bit heavier than the bands you have listed, but i think you'll dig them anyway.

Awesome awesome band. Hilarious and hard-rocking.

 

[Muzique Fann]

Phish is probably the quirkyest (is that a word?) rock band I've ever heard of...

 

[Folmeister]

Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo RULE! Creative, unique, and talented!

 

[Pajama_Bottoms]

Flaming Lips

 

[Planet Boulder]

I saw the Flaming Lips in the late 80s at a small club in Raleigh, NC. At the time, they were more of a grungy punk band whose claim to fame was (I kid you not) being the loudest band in America. My ears rang VIOLENTLY for a week and it was hard to even discern notes during the show.

For my tastes, it begins and ends with Devo. No matter how my tastes have shifted and no matter how repellent I find the majority of 80s music to be, I will always have a soft spot for the Spuds. They were actually fantastic live.

I also dug Missing Persons back in the day, but that was probably due to the fact that I automatically liked (and still do) anything associated with Zappa.

 

[Against Will]

I would reccommend the Unicorns. They're a fun, indie-pop trio that writes songs about ghosts, being unicorns, arguing about which bandmember writes the song, flying in rocket ships etc.
Great live band, the guitarist/bassist looks like one of the Kids in the Hall.

http://www.the-unicorns.com/

 

[fulcrum]

I'm gonna second Josh on Dolby. Unexpected musical turns of phrase, human-sounding synths, synthetic-sounding humans... and dude can write and play too.

I am also gonna second whoever said Joe Jackson, whose work has only gotten better since he stopped caring what we think about him. XTC are kind of losing me at the moment as they're having problems keeping a record deal, but their mainstream stuff from Drums and Wires on up through Nonesuch (especially Skylarking and Oranges And Lemons) is mighty fine pop confection. And you could learn a thing or two from Colin Moulding's bass lines.

Let's not forget XTC's alter egos, The Dukes Of Stratosphear, either.

 

[sargebaker]

Echo and the Bunnymen anyone? (do ya think they count?)

 

[jenderfazz]

The Dead Milkmen! I think The Advantage could count too. Most NES songs are happy sounding.

 

[driver800]

The Tubes!!!

 

[DigMe]

How about Cibo Matto....well they're quirky but not really like any of the other bands.

brad cook

 

[Matt Till]

All good recommendations.

I'll have to check them out!
Thomas Dolby, from what I've heard, is awesome.