The term Experimental Rock throws a wide net over those pioneering artists who seek to explode rock's generic conventions instead of working within them. Granted, the distinction between traditionalists and iconoclasts breaks down at times, as it does in the case of Beach Boy Brian Wilson whose production methods were, at the time, revolutionary. But a quick listen to bands as diverse as Tortoise, Butthole Surfers, Suicide, Gastr Del Sol, and Merzbow should make the distinction between conventional acts and experimental ones somewhat clearer. Just as there have always been roots-oriented bands that wish primarily to establish their authenticity, others have pursued ingenuity with equal fervor, guided by the maxim that novelty is beauty. Sometimes approaching song composition with the detachment of scientists, they have drawn on esoteric and eclectic influences from Psychedelic mentors (e.g. Red Krayola's Mayo Thompson) to synthesizer pioneers (Brian Eno and Neu!) to Avant-Garde classical composers (John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen). Discarding traditional notions of song structure, tonality, and instrumentation, Experimental Rock innovators Suicide, Sonic Youth and Stereolab create unique sounds at music's margins that often leave the masses utterly befuddled, but sometimes leave them scrambling to catch up.
