List 3 Non-derivative Artists....

[Dusty Chalk]

How can you say Enemam is not derivative? It's rap, plain and simple. Sure, he's white, but he's still derivative.

And as much as I love Sigur Ros...can you say, 'shoegazer'?

[audiobill]

How can you say Enemam is not derivative? It's rap, plain and simple. Sure, he's white, but he's still derivative.

And as much as I love Sigur Ros...can you say, 'shoegazer'?

Ahhhhhhhh, but this is where we differ my friend.
Eminem is very original in his "raps" and of the non-word vocalizing that he creates; similarly, Sigur Ros is also very original -- creating even their own language -- that no other 'shoegazers' use.

[Stone]

And as much as I love Sigur Ros...can you say, 'shoegazer'?

I know I haven't listened to as much shoegazer stuff as you, but I really don't see Sigur Ros as shoegazer. When I think of who is the most original/least derivative over the past few years, Sigur Ros is the first artist to come to mind. Fiery Furnaces also come to mind due to the way many of their songs are structured.

[Dusty Chalk]

Well, no, they're not just shoegazer, but they are derivative of shoegazer. Just as enemayhem is derivative of rap. Very derivative. Let's put it this way, I saw Snoop Dogg on Las Vegas last night, and I could have closed my eyes, and it could just as easily have been M&M from SNL two weeks back. Yes, he's clever, but so are some other rap artists (he==both/either one).

Yeah, you covered yourself a bit in the text of the original post, "...least derivative...", but I wouldn't go so far as to say these qualify as "non-derivative". That was my only point.

Regarding least-derivative-ness, the first example that comes to mind is Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden -- nothing out at the time (that I heard, anyway) was even remotely like what they put together, yet I could still hear elements of the things from which they derived their unique-sounding opus. A little Miles Davis here, a bit of psychedelia there...but it was assembled in a way that I had never heard before. So it's not like I don't know what you're talking about.

And yes, I guess Cigar Rose are pretty unique...and yet, one of the things I think they derived from (besides shoegazer and minimalism, and perhaps prog) was late period Talk Talk.

But I still disagree with Emanem.

I would also agree with Fiery Furnaces -- they sound pretty unique to my jaded ears.