The Year Sensationally Experimental Rock Struck Back

This year, a host of albums emerged high on flowers and trees and birds and stuff. Fleet Foxes, Kurt Vile, Woods, Real Estate, Bon Iver, Atlas Sound, The War On Drugs, Beach Fossils… bedroom-with-a-view caners who made knock-out records of sky-kissing beauty. But when I was a little lamb, hoofing through the long grass of sun-dappled meadows, my soundtrack was a far cry from the jangly, reverb-drenched wistfulness expanded on by most of the aforementioned bands. My flock of monged-out chums instead mis-spent summers goofing to the sound of experimental noise: Mars Volta, Mr. Bungle, Tool, Schleigho, Smashing Pumpkins, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Weather Report and the rest…music, to my mind, of exploratory genius.

Which is why it is my pleasure this year to witness a bubbling to the surface of freewheeling, complex but, more importantly, playful rock again. With tingles of intoxified nostalgia, I declare 2011 was also the year sensationally experimental rock music struck back. Here’s a hazy Fly-eye view of some of the nuttiest cuts released since January.

Three Trapped Tigers ‘Route One or Die’ – TTT are malevolent machines sent from the future to destroy post-rock. Their frantic, glowering electro-prog drives nails at everything from Aphex Twin to Battles. Belting.

Zun Zun Egui ‘Katang’ – Tropical thrash? Afro punk? Post-world-rock? Whatever the fuck you wanna label it, at its best, it’s mind-warpingly addictve.

Fandango Fresh by zunzunegui

White Denim ‘D’ – White Denim gaze down the barrel of a smokin’ bong, rumanatin’ about the classic stoner behemoths of the seventies. You’ll freak out on D if you dig the telepathic rapport enjoyed by greats like Led Zep and Hendrix.

Drug by WhiteDenim

Connan Mockasin ‘Forever Dolphin Love’ – Through a bizarre ESP experiment, this Kiwi sui generis hooked up the minds of The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Can. Far out.

Lite ‘For All The Innocence’ – Japanese pioneers Lite marry post-rock with disco tropicana. The result: saucy math-heft, with a knack of inspiring not only your head and heart – but your feet, too.

Battles ‘Gloss Drop’ – With a coterie of guests taking the place of original front man Tyondal Braxton, Battles, in a dizzying, light-hearted manner, re-wrote the rules. Again.

Mastodon ‘The Hunter’ – Although they’ve sheared back their progressive tendencies, swear down Mastodon are at their beastly best on The Hunter, featuring perhaps the most fabulous lyric of 2011: ‘I killed a man ’cause he killed my goat/I put my hands around his throat.’

Jamie Skey