Baroque pop

Baroque pop is a style originated in the mid 1960s as the flipside of sunshine pop. It used similar orchestrations but was infused with a melodramatic edge which differed.

Archetypal and seminal Baroque pop performers

Much of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds would fall into this category, as would a lot of the later work of Phil Spector. Scott Walker is another important figure in the genre.

Others include:

• Burt Bacharach
• Emitt Rhodes
• Harpers Bizarre
• Harry Nilsson
• Judee Sill
• Love
• Nirvana - the original UK-based band
• Sagittarius
• Serge Gainsbourg
• The Association, particularly owing to Curt Boettcher
• The Free Design
• The Left Banke
• The Millennium
• The Zombies
• Van Dyke Parks

Modern baroque pop

Modern baroque pop, characterized by an infusion of orchestral arrangements or classical type composition within an indie or indie pop setting, is also referred to as chamber pop or chamber rock. This style, with clear indie-rock inclinations, uses additional members in the band to create a fuller-bodied, more orchestral sound.

Popular baroque pop artists today include:

• Tori Amos
• Fiona Apple
• Antony and the Johnsons
• Arcade Fire
• Augie March
• Badly Drawn Boy
• Björk
• Richard Barone
• Belle & Sebastian
• Andrew Bird
• Jon Brion
• Broken Social Scene
• Kate Bush
• Camera Obscura
• Cantinero
• Cat Power
• The Country Death
• The Dears
• The Decemberists
• Destroyer
• The Divine Comedy
• Jeremy Enigk
• Feist
• Field Music
• Final Fantasy
• Filthybird
• The Hidden Cameras
• Kings of Convenience
• Kaitlyn ni Donovan
• Jens Lekman
• Sondre Lerche
• Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
• Mean Red Spiders
• Mercury Rev
• Millbrook
• The Most Serene Republic
• Naked Raven
• Neutral Milk Hotel (now on indefinite hiatus)
• Nil Karaibrahimgil
• Joanna Newsom
• Paolo Nutini
• Okkervil River
• Paris Motel
• Joel Pelletier
• Peter Bjorn and John
• Pink Martini
• Matt Pond PA
• Radiohead
• Secrets Between Sailors
• The Sharp Things
• The Shins
• Duncan Sheik
• The Sleepy Jackson
• Elliott Smith (died in 2003)
• Regina Spektor
• Sea Wolf
• Stars
• Sparks (band)
• Sufjan Stevens
• I am spy (band)
• Teenage Fanclub
• Kevin Tihista
• The Velvet Teen
• The Veils
• Very Secretary
• The Visible Men
• Chris Garneau
• Rufus Wainwright
• Patrick Wolf
• The Polyphonic Spree
• We All Have Hooks For Hands
• Patrick Wolf