A New Direction

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Most of the ones I thought about suggesting have already been mentioned by others. 

I'm not all that familiar with The Fall, but John Peel's quote "they are always different, they are always the same” sums up a quality I find just as honorable as bands or artists completely reinventing themselves. There's nothing wrong in having a core, and I think most of the bands I admire the most finds inspiration for artistic growth in their own "motherlode". Plenty of bands' change of direction have reeked of desperation and losing the plot. Jethro Tull and Tangerine Dream sometime during the 1980's (yes, I think so), Gentle Giant at the end of the 1970's, Metallica in the 1990's... even Magma and Can at some point in their careers... the list is endless.

But I have a few: The Residents core in the era they were musically interesting, ca. 1974-1984 was basically not having a core, but nevertheless they were always their own unrecognizable, recognizable themselves. 

I'd say Radiohead's artistic growth from entering the scene as an unexceptional (and frankly kind of boring) alt. rock band in the early 1990's up to the beginning of a new millenium is unmatched in modern mainstream music. And they never stopped experimenting.

Tom Waits transition from this drunken crooner pianoman to some kind of experimental dark cabaret-rock happened for all the right reasons. But his old self was still intact and never really left.

Joni Mitchell journey from canyon lady folkster to jazz fusion queen is spectacular. But soon after she sort of lost herself and fell behind instead of being at the forefront of things during the 1980's.

I also love how Secret Chiefs 3 is at least five seperate projects within a band. A new album by them can come from Forms, Ishraqiyun, UR, Traditionalists or Holy Vehm - or as on Book of Horizon - all of them in the same album. 