Avant-Pop
Avant-pop refers to music that employs conventional pop idioms -- engaging melodies and harmonies, a straightforward verse-bridge-chorus structure, accessible hooks -- and changes things up by putting an exotic, unpredictable spin on things. This can be accomplished through the addition of unexpected and unconventional instrumentation, tape effects and electronics, studio trickery, stylistic curveballs, or any other wacky innovation an artist can dream up. When done right, this approach creates a pleasing and exciting tension between the catchy and the dissonant, between the familiar and the strange. The first real instances of avant-pop can probably be found in the Beatles and Beach Boys' warring experimental opuses of the late '60s. Brian Eno and David Bowie's mid '70s albums also fall into this category. More recent examples include the catchy left-field gems of The Wedding Present, the wry free-associative tunes of Pavement, and the layered experimental melodies of The Flaming Lips and the many bands of the Elephant Six collective.
