10 Fascinating Niche Music Genres Which Need To Be Heard

A niche genre among niche genres, if you will. Christian Psychedelic Folk, unsurprisingly, comprises a very small and select group of musicians who, in the late 60s and early 70s, combined religiously-inspired lyrics with psychedelia and an experimental approach to create a striking, almost naïve type of folk music which was, at the same time, astonishingly strange. Never again in music history would these particular strands align, and the body of work in this genre is arguably limited to just three main artists.

Sister Irene O'Connor, an Australian Roman Catholic nun, with her 1976 album, Fire Of God's Love, is a must-listen. Childishly innocent vocals collide against proto-electronic soundscape and fuzzy warbling edges. Imagine early Pink Floyd playing The Sound Of Music and you won't be far off.

Second on this list is ordained pastor of the American Lutheran Church, Brother John Rydgren, at the tail end of the 60s, released three extraordinary albums, incorporating jazz, the avant-garde, choirs, rock drums and a hefty splash of trippy colour with his own distinctive vocal delivery to bizarre and striking effect.

Last, but not least, we have Emily Bindiger, whose sole album, 1972s Emily, provides the third pillar of this astonishing triumvirate. Once again, overtly Christian lyrics merge with bouncing, decidedly odd folk to create an unique masterpiece which deserves to be heard.