(You won't) Guess who...

[The Curmudgeon]

Clicking through the NME website recently, and I discovered a song that, if someone sat me in a room and played it to me 100 times, I would never guess the artist responsible. It sounds like some modern hipster guy trying for a "retro" sound, or some guy in his bedroom fucking around with a keyboard. It sounds deliberately dated, a knowing, ironic nod to 80's electronica.

What it does NOT sound like, however, is a record actually recorded 30 years ago, in what was (then) a futuristic, mind-blowing new sound, by this rather well known gentleman.



I wish there was a different way that I could have introduced this song without a link showing who the artist is, because there's just no WAY you would ever have guessed who it was. Oh well. Take a listen anyway, and see what you think.

[trashcanman]

Sounds like something Devo might do or something. Not my cup of tea, but it's safe to say I'd never have guessed Paul McCartney without help.

[The Curmudgeon]

Funnily enough, I played this to someone else without telling them who it was and they said Devo as well.

Probably deserves it's own thread, but can you think of any major musical departures where the artist completely changes their original sound?

[trashcanman]

Every Zeppelin album ever had something completely unexpected, Ministry has some very unique sounding electronica tracks that are far from their thrashy usuals, progressive death metal band Opeth did an entire album that was mostly acoustic,punk band The Vandals played an album of really bad original country tunes called "The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes", The Scorpions did a reggae song once, The Clash are in the same boat as Zeppelin, and Sabbath had "Planet Caravan", which is about the last thing people expect from them.

[The Curmudgeon]

True that on the Clash, and "The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes" is a pure, unbridled genius album title.