No one likes to hear the same kind of music over and over. Of course everyone has their favorite songs that they can listen to 200 times in a row and not grow tired of, but listening to artists and bands that have a sound identical to three or four of their peers can get old quickly.
I was beginning to think that there was no hope for the radio. Many rap artists, although I like quite a few of them, have sampled each other so much they have become boring.
It’s the same on the alternative channels. Bands like The Used, Story of the Year, and Yellowcard are hard to tell apart because their sounds are so similar.
I like a lot of diversity in my music. Elvis, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin weren’t popular because they copied other artists of their time. They each created their own unique style that lent a hand to their huge success.
Thanks to an influx of new sound, radio is saved once again. A few bands are breaking away from the pop music cookie-cutter and experimenting with their own sound and style.
One of the strangest sounds I’ve heard in a while is by a band called The Streets. Well, it’s a band the same way that Nine Inch Nails is a band. One man, Mike Skinner does it all. He is a Birmingham, England, native and he is obviously not scared to get his unique sound out there.
You may be familiar with that catchy little tune “Fit But You Know It.” His style is like spoken-word poetry set to a funky beat. He has a very different way of phrasing thoughts that makes his music quite interesting.
And as far as the lyrics go, what college student doesn’t identify with him when he debates “what the shrapnel in my back pocket could afford” while standing in line to order food.
There is a lot of British slang in his lyrics that can be hard to understand, but figuring out what in the world he is talking about is half the fun. Plus, a little culture never hurt anybody.
So maybe you’ve heard The Streets and you think they suck. Well, that’s fine. Actually, I haven’t decided if I like his music or not. The point is that it has a unique sound – something the radio could use a lot more of.
Another interesting artist these days is DJ Liquid Todd. I have long been a fan of techno music, but some of that stuff is downright boring because of its repetitive nature.
Liquid Todd fixes all that. I listen to his radio show on Sirius every Friday while I am at work and he always surprises me. Last week he mixed top 40 songs like J-Kwon’s “Tipsy” with alternative artists like The White Stripes, Blur and 311.
Ingenious! What DJ would ever think to mix those groups? He even remixed Franz Ferdinand’s hit song “Take Me Out.” The strange thing is that this stuff actually sounds good.
Print does him no justice. If you are not a subscriber of Sirius satellite radio, may I suggest picking up one of his CD’s or maybe downloading a few songs from him? I can almost guarantee you will think, “Wow, how did he do that and make it sound good?”
You can also check him out at www.liquidtodd.com.
If you are into more mainstream music, but still enjoy a unique sound, you may like Los Lonely Boys. The three bilingual brothers from West Texas make up the band. Their harmony is great, and the sound they produce is at the same time unique and familiar.
There is a lot of influence from popular bands in their style. Their web site names the Everly Brothers, the Beach Boys, the Black Crowes and Hanson as their musical influences.
With a mix like that, they have got to be interesting.
Maybe you were lucky enough to catch them at Bonnaroo this summer. If not, too bad for you. They have only released one CD so far, so they, hopefully, have a lot more talent to offer.
In this age of American Idol with its copycat singers that call themselves artists, these musicians thankfully offer a break from the monotony.
Maybe they aren’t really that good, only different. You be the judge.
Whichever the case, I’m glad they are getting airtime.

Author