The ABC’s of…Avant-Garde Rock In The Studio: Talking Heads to Sonic Youth & Animal Collective
The fifth in a series, presenting a primer on the history of musical genres and the studio basics behind them. Previous installments have focused on Blues Rock, Reggae, Punk Rock, and Electronic Rock.
Rock music, like many other styles, has been a form of artistic expression since its emergence in the 1950s. That being said, it didn’t take long before the creative and envelope-pushing juices started to flow and artists began to test the boundaries of a rapidly growing genre.
The studio’s evolving techniques and technology have been the keys to helping artists hone in on their unique sounds and creative output – and so, avant-garde rock (or experimental rock) began to emerge.
The Underground Comes Out
Straight outta 1966, Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention helped unleash avant garde rock with “Freak Out!”
In the 1960’s bands like Pink Floyd and The Beatles started to realize the benefit of thinking outside of the box and doing things a little differently than everyone was so used to. The Beatles, among others, had been credited with transforming the simple studio that once existed into a center for sound manipulation. In addition, The Velvet Underground was one of the pioneers of experimental rock, applying techniques like minimalism and shock value, while working alongside famed painter Andy Warhol who provided some album artwork and creative insight.
David Bowie and Frank Zappa were a couple of the genre’s leaders during the 1970’s, altering their former songwriting methods and using psychedelic sounds to complement their elaborate pieces. Brian Eno was also an artist who was immensely influential in making this genre a success. David Byrne and The Talking Heads likewise took the newly developing genre and made it their own, producing classics that are still played on the radio today.
It seemed simple – the times called for a change and these artists viewed this as a great opportunity to move in a different direction. However, the creative process was and continues to be much more complex than that. With that being said, a genre changes largely due to its current scene and venue. David Byrne best put it in the first chapter of his book How Music Works by saying that, “In a sense, we work backward, either consciously or unconsciously, creating work that fits the venue available to us.”
Spreading Out
Avant-garde rock, which was becoming popular worldwide in the 1980’s, allowed underground punk bands like Sonic Youth to draw attention from the masses with an experimental fusion of their respective genres as the result of a primarily experimental approach.
This was a period of time where indie rock began to emerge as an extremely broad term that categorized any artist that held an underground or independent vibe. The term has lost its focus and many confuse it and/or think it is interchangeable with avant-garde rock, which is incorrect.
Dinosaur Jr. was a band that was right in the middle of it all at this point. They stretched the boundaries of standard rock by showing some avant-garde technique in their delivery. By the time the 1990’s arrived, avant-garde was being used to such an extent that the term ‘alternative’ developed as a way to encompass all of these artists.
At this juncture, Sonic Youth grew back into some of their old techniques as their primary focus. On one side of the coin, standard recording practices were popular again as with bands like Nirvana and on the other side, bands like Radiohead continued to experiment. Solely experimental instrumental bands like Glasgow’s Mogwai emerged and became popular later in the decade.
Bands like this often use techniques like off-tuning and tone manipulation to convey their message and speak through their instruments. A lot of these methods were brought back and/or modified from 20th century classical music that inspired a majority of experimental rock artists.
Elements of the Unexpected
The Octopus Project mixes you up by mixing it up instrumentally.
Unconventional instrumentation is often the start of a very far out, yet pleasantly unique avant-garde rock piece.
The Octopus Project is a band that is a prime example of this, with use of a theremin as well as drum machines and synthesizers. Animal Collective’s Geologist is a master of the sequencer and synthesizer, utilizing both to provide electronic sound manipulations for the band both live and in the studio. The synthesizer is used by nearly all avant-garde rock bands and is a great way to add, stretch and bend sounds to become something else that is different and refreshing. Computers are also widely used in this genre, often providing a beat to serve as the foundation for the many other components to complement. They’re also used during live performances.
Quirky vocals are usually the first thing that most people notice about an avant-garde rock band. A perfect example is Thom Yorke’s unique voice that is strange and unlike any other, and complements the music of his bands Radiohead and Atoms For Peace so well. Yeasayer are also great examples of this strange vocal uniqueness, paired with a cryptic kind of vibe that the band gives off as a whole.
See and hear avant garde loud and clear with The Octopus Project’s “Sharpteeth.”
On Guard in the Studio
The producer, engineer and artist relationship in the studio is always essential for a quality experimental rock record to be put out. In many instances, electronic sounds and beats need to be brought forward, sometimes overpowering the guitar. Sometimes electronic sounds serve as the sole instrumentation for an avant-garde track. These varying volumes are at both the artist and producer’s discretion. Dissonance is a popular technique and a good method used to isolate that sound during the recording process.
The multi-layered sound that is handed over for mastering requires great depth, analysis and skill to make it come across the way that the bands intend the finished product to sound. Luckily, with the equipment that is out there today, in the right hands this is a doable task. 5-time nominated, 3-time GRAMMY-award winning engineer Marc Urselli weighed in on the producer/engineer/artist relationship in general and his experience within the avant-garde genre.
En garde! It’s Marc Urselli.
“In my opinion and experience the relationship between producer/engineer/artist changes more based on the artist than the genre,” Urselli says. “Of course different genres command different approaches, however I primarily adapt my methods and style to that of the artists I work with. For example John Zorn, who is one of the greatest avant garde musicians of our time, has an extremely different modus operandi than most other artists, and it is my duty and job as an engineer to adapt to him in order to suit his needs and his pace.
“Every artist has different needs but I’d say that when working in the avant garde genre it is often possible to take a few more liberties in mic placements and recording techniques, because artists in these genres are generally more open-minded and receptive to experimentation, whereas artists of more traditional genres of music might be more used to a certain way of doing things and have specific expectations of sound, working method and style.
“There are exceptions to everything of course, and that is exactly the beauty of this world: There is no right or wrong way to do any of this. There are just styles and preferences, but an engineer/producer has to adapt to the artist to make sure the vision of the artist is achieved and embodied to his/her fullest satisfaction.”
Treat yourself to a full platter of John Zorn with this 53:00 live concert.
Harness the Power
Avant-garde rock is a genre that broadened the spectrum of music forever. It brings musicians of great talent, uniqueness and technical skill together to create beautiful music unlike anything that the music industry has heard before. It has unlimited potential.
When approached with no restriction and combined with the proper recording equipment and knowledgeable producer and engineer, rock of this nature will always stimulate the mind and interest millions. With so much material already out there and so much more to go, we can only wonder; will avant-garde spark newer approaches to rock that we could never even imagine? Will the battle for most unique continue to rage on?
– Michael Haskoor is a freelance music writer with a passion for music. He currently enjoys writing for The Deli Magazine and will focus this series (done exclusively for SonicScoop) around the effect that studio production has had on different genres of music.