To Quote Lanston Hughes,
“Life is for the living,
Death is for the dead.
Let life be like music,
And death a note unsaid.”
Music is a panacea for all ills, for almost everyone around the globe. Music and it’s actual effects on patients has been widely researched, and is now known as music therapy.
Every kind of music is in some way or the other, composed from the seven notes. This obviously, subjects it to a lot of creativity, with which people may tend to go overboard.
New genres of music are coming up by the hour, and among these are quite a few which are off-the-block. That too not in a good way, but in a way which make you wonder how anyone could have even thought of composing such music. Here, we have shortlisted a few of the most unusual and eccentric ones.
Here’s a list of the top 10 most unusual music genres.
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10. Burger highlife
This one, though having an unusual name, does not refer to people getting hangovers from eating burgers! This music genre was created by Ghanian immigrants in Germany. It is a form of highlife music, that is the local music of Ghana which spread to other parts of Africa as well. Essentially a mix of jazz horns, up-tempo guitars and it is mostly considered a unique version of Afro-Pop. Some of the major artists contributing to this genre are George Darko and Lee Dodou.
9. Pornogrind
Pornogrind, however, stays true to the layman’s interpretation of the term. It mainly a subgenre of death metal and grindcore, with sexual themes hidden in it’s lyrics. Generally considered an offensive genre due to it’s association with pornographic content, most bands featuring this genre wouldn’t be able to get their albums in the neighbourhood music stores. Hence, pornogrind is a highly unexplored and tainted music genre. However, there are some bands which feature this genre such as Meat Shits, Cock and Ball torture, and Waco Jesus. The band names themselves, give you a tinge of the sexual innuendos and perversions you might be exposed to in their songs.
8. Bubblegum dance
The first thing that comes to our minds when we hear this genre’s name is that of the American TV series-Glee! Bubblegum dance is precisely that- cute lyrics and happy songs with sugary lyrics. They make you feel like you’ve either got diabetes or you have consumed high amount of drugs. Silly lyrics and even more idiotic dance steps, this is a genre which would make you like even Miley Cyrus or Nicki Minaj!
7. William Shatner covers
One of the items on the list named after a person, technically it is not a music genre. William Shatner has however gained the required attention and publicity, as well as a unique place in the history of music. The thing William Shatner does to songs is pretty much like reading a story, or probably even worse. Rap music still is better, because of the rhythmic and lyrical feel to it, but William Shatner covers pretty much cross the boundaries. His covers have been subject to many internet jokes and parodies.
6. Shoegazing
Stargazing, birdgazing, even “chickgazing” sound familiar. What in the world is shoegazing? This form of alternative rock which involves the members of the band apparently gazing at their shoes! They don’t interact with their audiences, but merely stand still in a detached state as if contemplating some deep mysteries of the world. This gave this genre it’s name, the effect of which was magnified by the heavy use of effect pedals which involved further “shoegazing”. Lush, slowdive and ride are some of the famous bands of this genre.
5. Wizard Rock
Who would’ve known that the Harry Potter fever would go this far? Wizard rock, sometimes shortened as “Wrock” originated in the United States in the year 2002. Some famous bands include the Harry and the Potters, and the Malfoys. They are essentially composing songs from and about the wizards in Harry Potter.
4. Nintendocore
This is actually an amalgamation of various genres, hardcore punk, heavy metal, modern rock along with video game music, which is where it derives it’s name from. The term Nintendocore was actually coined as a joke, referring to the various music tracks in the Nintendo games. It later turned out to have a huge market and a staying impact on it’s audience. It features the use of electric drum kits, electric guitars and various other electrically produced beats.
3. Visual Kei
The most famous kind of Japanese music, this actually combines various genres together and is related to glam rock, punk rock and heavy metal.It’s basically just a subculture or a fashion, more than a separate music genre. Some of the pioneering bands include X-Japan, Derlanger, Buck Tick and Color.
2. Pirate Metal
You thought pirates awesomeness was limited to Johnny Depp? Well, there’s more than just that. There’s an entire genre of metal music dedicated to our black-patch friends sailing at sea. The bands of this genre sing about pirates, dressed as pirates, complete with the entire paraphernalia. It is very similar to old metal, with elements of pirate-like themes or sounds. A famous band includes Running Wild, who originally coined the term.
1. Mongolian Throat Singing (Hoomii)
The name itself gives a hint to why this genre is the clear winner in this list.
We’ve all heard of beatboxing, as well as of ventriloquism. But ever heard of throat singing? This genre actually is very popular and has international fan following. Singing itself is a challenge, and throat singing is not someone everyone can be an expert at. A professional throat singer (yep, they exist), can create 2-4 different notes from his throat giving various low and high pitched noises. Mongolian throat singers who are popular include Gereltsogt and Sundui, while the Tuvan group has international following.
Music, is the heart and soul of every individual’s existence. Be it unusual, eccentric or cranky these genres have very much found their place in the history of music and who knows, they may actually even be admired by our future generations!