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Art Pop

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Art Pop

17,926 releases

Artistic, inventive and singular presentation and performance, often featuring poetic or oblique lyricism, and frequently subverting and experimenting with various other genres and art forms while remaining fairly Pop-oriented and accessible.
Read more Art pop is a loose subcategory of Pop that is characterized for its manipulation of signs and its synthesis of cultural art forms; where artists reflect an affinity with art school practices or other musical/non-musical art sources such as pop art, literature, cinema, traditional music, theater performances, Experimental, Electronic, and so on. This can be musically expressed through the subversion or deconstruction of various styles, for example, by reimagining historical genres in a disparately contemporary setting, or by adopting traditions from 'serious music' (like those from Western Classical Music). In any case, the music remains in a fairly pop context.

While many art pop examples may also be considered 'experimental pop' or 'avant-garde pop', the music does not have to be challenging or inaccessible. In addition to this, relatively complex or atypical structures (for pop) should not be considered an inherent feature of the genre. Art pop's main distinction from Art Rock (a related genre which contains overlapping characteristics) is that it does not confine itself to Rock idioms through the extensive use of guitars, electric bass, drum kits, etc.

Early artists who helped to develop the genre, without necessarily always fully embracing it, include Brian Wilson, John Cale, David Bowie and Brian Eno, most of whom integrated inspirations from their art school studies to their music. They were followed in the 1970s by musicians such as Sparks, Todd Rundgren, Slapp Happy, Godley & Creme and Japan, who continued to integrate art school sensibilities prominently in their work. In the 1980s, Kate Bush was influential to a new wave of melodramatic art pop, while in the 1990s, Björk characterized the genre with a heightened emphasis on digital electronics. Recently, art pop artists come increasingly more often from an Indie Pop/Indie Rock background, examples including St. Vincent, alt-J, and Julia Holter. There are also art pop artists with Contemporary R&B sensibilities, examples being Janelle Monáe and FKA twigs.

Top-ranked albums

See full chart

#1

Vespertine
Björk
#2

Blonde
Frank Ocean
#3

Hounds of Love
Kate Bush
#4

A Moon Shaped Pool
Radiohead
#5

Another Green World
Eno
#6

Titanic Rising
Weyes Blood
#7

Dots and Loops
Stereolab
#8

加爾基精液栗ノ花 (Kalk samen kuri no hana)
Sheena Ringo 椎名林檎
#9

Bocanada
Gustavo Cerati
#10

Demon Days
Gorillaz

Years active

Art Pop

Discography

17,926 Releases

1 2 ... 250 Next

Release Date

Avg Ratings Reviews

Caroline, No / Summer Means New Love
Brian Wilson

1966 Single

810 Ratings 10 Reviews 4.11 Average

4.11 810 810 10 10
Synthetic Man / Lost Man Alive
The Chosen Few

1966 Single

4 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.00 Average

3.00 4 4 2 2
Sunday Morning / Femme Fatale
The Velvet Underground & Nico

1966 Single

3k Ratings 29 Reviews 4.41 Average

4.41 3k 2,977 29 29
Computer Girl / The Windmill / A Quick Thought / As You Like It
The Urban Renewal Project

1967 Additional releases

21 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.76 Average

3.76 21 21 1 1
I Am the Walrus
The Beatles

1967 Additional releases

34 Ratings 3.92 Average

3.92 34 34
Zabadak! / The Sun Goes Down
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

1967 Single

96 Ratings 8 Reviews 3.12 Average

3.12 96 96 8 8
Song Cycle
Van Dyke Parks

1967 Album

4k Ratings 98 Reviews 3.51 Average

3.51 4k 3,961 98 98
Susan / Foreign Policy
The Buckinghams

1967 Single

48 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.49 Average

3.49 48 48 5 5
Joanna / The Plague
Scott Walker

1968 Single

16 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.65 Average

3.65 16 16 1 1
Mac Arthur Park / Didn't We
Richard Harris

1968 Single

295 Ratings 20 Reviews 3.34 Average

3.34 295 295 20 20
Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914) / This Will Be Our Year
The Zombies

1968 Single

458 Ratings 8 Reviews 3.94 Average

3.94 458 458 8 8
Well Wired / Story of Sad
Daughters of Albion

1968 Single

14 Ratings 3.47 Average

3.47 14 14
Machines / Milkweed Love
Lothar and the Hand People

1968 Single

65 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.78 Average

3.78 65 65 3 3
Capot pointu
Michel Colombier

1969 Album

64 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.49 Average

3.49 64 64 2 2
Because
The Beatles

1969 Additional releases

22 Ratings 4.13 Average

4.13 22 22

1 2 ... 250 Next

Lists

RYM Ultimate Box Set > Art Pop 2023-04-15T14:38:24Z

TheScientist 2 lists 53 items
Laurie Anderson Ranked 2023-06-17T20:12:58Z

ijustknow87 5 lists 10 items
Björk - Worst to Best 2024-04-14T01:51:09Z

PinkEmperor 8 items
Arpeggios & Synthesizers 2024-04-06T23:56:16Z

thecatspyjamas 2 lists 151 items
Alternative RYM Chart: 21st Century 2024-02-21T09:22:56Z

Andreeee 15 lists 100 items
NEW WAVE and POST PUNK - ⟮'70s - '80s⟯ 2024-04-06T14:37:58Z

dunkirk 2 lists 312 items
THE LIST - art pop edition 2024-04-03T14:17:12Z

mulletguy16 50 items
Art Pop 2024-03-31T03:15:40Z

merahbir 33 items
Art Pop 2024-03-27T09:52:09Z

MooN_2001 34 items
Art Pop 2024-03-26T15:30:17Z

vipero16 25 items
Kate Bush - albums rating 2024-03-26T14:44:29Z

alexanderkein 16 items
Björk: Best to Worst 2024-03-25T20:22:41Z

Herbieguy 14 items
Kate Bush Albums Ranked 2024-03-11T18:36:28Z

ByUnpopularDemand 9 items
Everything Everything Studio Albums Ranked 2024-03-10T00:47:45Z

djcmusic1945 7 items
IAMAMIWHOAMI/IONNA LEE 2024-03-07T07:22:01Z

Tacianoreisborges 6 items

Features

Sonemic Selects: Art Pop

A curated playlist from top-rated Art Pop releases on Rate Your Music / Sonemic including Bjork, David Bowie, FKA twigs, Animal Collective, The Beach Boys, and more.

Hierarchy

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Pop
Umbrella of popular styles closely tied to mass production and mass marketing, focusing on catchiness and accessibility through melody, rhythm, lyrics, and hooks.
- Art Pop

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Contributions

Contributors to this page: BlindNoldor soleils OkraDoom twigshtml MarilynRoxie JSA

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