Two examples that come to me immediately are Enya and Smashing Pumpkins. If music starts feeling stale, I can put on Enya and music feels new again. It’s such a pleasant departure from the standard pop/rock/RnB etc sounds that dominate (even if I like those artists).
Anybody have their own equivalents?
Mamaleek have a rather recognizable atmosphere despite switching genres between albums and still being unlike anybody else. Check out e.g. ‘Out of Time’, ‘Come and See’, and ‘Diner Coffee’.
Bassist/producer Bill Laswell has both a trademark deep bass sound and a particular production approach, such that I can hear it in other bands’ records that he touched. Plus he has collaborated with lots of people over his long career, some of whom never shaken off his influence even in their solo works. Try e.g. Tabla Beat Science’s ‘Axiom Sound System’ concert, wherein he was a member.
The one man able to compete with Laswell in deep bass is Jah Wobble, and of course their collaboration is a sea of thick basslines.
Mutaforia Lili is quite peculiar pianocore.
Universal Totem Orchestra actually play the zeuhl genre pioneered by Magma, but imo do it even better.
Dead Can Dance are really unique, and even artists covering them on tribute albums never actually had their sound.
Yello still sound like only they do, forty years later.
Messer für Frau Müller entirely functioned on retro that never properly existed, crammed with samples.
Ramones had their own approach, despite having influenced the entire genre of punk rock. Only artists deliberately emulating Ramones sound like Ramones.