10 Best Experimental Rock Songs Of All Time
7. Bjork - 5 Years
The Icelandic genius has spent the majority of her career steering away from anything that could be labelled as simple “rock”, but her third album Homogenic truly has something of everything. The dramatic kiss-off track “5 Years” is as close as she comes to a rock track, only far more interesting and exciting than any guitar drenched track you’ll hear on the radio.
Built around a pounding, distorted drum, it’s a brilliant grower of a break up song, with the singer gently chiding a former partner over a few verses as the track slowly builds, with a chip tune-esque riff and short bass notes landing like bricks in the background.
By the time she reaches the chorus, Bjork has built up a major head of steam. She has one of the most versatile voices in the business; here she drops into a roar as she delivers the lyrical challenge “I dare you to take me on”, denouncing the cowardly target of her song.
After that, the song is scraped back to its primal components, with the increasingly distorted drums taking precedence over just about anything else on the mix. It’s a subtly structured, brilliantly performed song from one of the most inventive minds in the business.