The Golden River

Grew on me as it went on. Pretty fun weirdo music, though I think I'd have been more interested in it if the singer didn't hard-commit to doing a bad Bowie impression the entire time

On the artsier side of millennial indie - heavy roles for off-kilter pianos, big warbly operatic vocals, sharp left turns in the compositions, and a vaudeville circus tent aesthetic. Despite the ironic pastiche and kitsch hyperstylized form, the vocals are intensely earnest, delivering a full throated and full bodied wrenching performance.

The band Sprain if it formed over twenty years ago. Excellent and really fantastic when it starts pulling from Tom Waits' bag of tricks.

I'm sorry to whoever submitted this if it was a serious pick, because I can't tell if this is a troll pick or not. Musically it's actually pretty interesting, it's not entirely inaccessible rock but manages to explore sounds that would fit it firmly in the experimental rock genre. It's also very short, clocking in at a little over 30 mins. This is unfortunately where the positives end...

My biggest hangup with The Golden River is the singer, he is TREMENDOUSLY annoying. One of his features that appears in every song at least once (I think) is a howling noise that sounds horrid. His regular singing voice isn't much better. There's one song (which is in the top 3 below) that sounds like he's doing a Tom Waits impression over Runescape music.

I might appreciate it more with more listens, since it is relatively experimental, but this was an unpleasant first attempt

Should it be in the main list: No

Top 3 Songs: One in Six Children Will Flee In Boats, Time Destroys It's Plan at the Reactionary Table, Soldiers Crash Gathering At Sparrow Halls

Pish

Occasional flashes of brilliance, but mostly irritating as hell.