Obscure music you think everyone should know

Every so often... maybe once or twice a year... I stumble across a band I'd never heard of before that really blows me away and then I'm equally shocked to discover that almost no one knows of them. When I'm wandering through the record store I sometimes get depressed knowing I'm probably passing by the greatest music ever made without knowing it. What are your favorite obscrue bands that you think shouldn't be obscure? Let everyone know about them here.

I'll start off with a couple of mine...

Elbow "Asleep in the Back" - I just discovered these guys and this album last week. OMFG! If you like Radiohead, or Coldplay, or Jeff Buckley then you should run, not walk, to buy this album. Dense, moody, melancholy genius from beginning to end. Check out the tracks "Newborn" and "Can't Stop." Simply brilliant stuff. Their site is www.elbow.co.uk

Porcupine Tree - This has become probably my favorite band, ever. They're a progressive rock band but don't let that scare you off... no pretentious noodling solos here. They've put out about a dozen albums and every single one of them is great. They put out their first major label cd last year (In Absentia). It, along with their previous two releases "Lightbulb Sun" and "Stupid Dream" are all amazing. They are GREAT to see live. You can watch an entire show of theirs recorded at a bar in baltimore last year here. The sound quality isn't great, but it's free and it's the whole show Their site is www.porcupinetree.com

Now tell me some of yours

Great thread, Chip.

45 Grave - Debasement Tapes (anthology, 1994)
Early goth rock pioneers who could never remotely be accused of selling out. Sometimes rising to greatness, usually wallowing in the dirt, always amusing.

Amorphis - Am Universum (2001)
Not exactly unknown but this Finnish band don't get enough attention. They started out death metal and got more and more progressive. This might be their best so far, especially "Drifting Memories". Check it out.

Amon Tobin - Supermodified (2000)
Techno for people who hate techno. The opening track is bad to every possible bone.

Cibo Matto - any album
Like Shonen Knife meets the Beastie Boys and all their songs are about food.

Cornelius - any album
Another Japanese act. This guy is bizarre, noisy, but beautifully melodic, sometimes simultaneously.

Daler Mehndi
Is this guy even obscure anymore?

Fairport Convention - Liege & Lief (1969)
If there's the slightest chance you could like traditional English folk music, this is the album that will make it happen.

Joy of Cooking - Joy of Cooking / Closer to the Ground (1970 / 1971)
Hippie country-rock doesn't begin to do them justice. May be out of print but these are available in a double-album bootleg and of course, your favorite filesharing program.

Scientist - Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires (1981)
Classic reggae / dub. This man was a pioneer and listening now you can hear his influence so clearly it's hard to believe it's almost 25 years old.

Syndromeda - In Touch With the Stars (2001)
Retro-sounding Belgian ambient electronic. Cool, cool, and also cool.

Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile.
Cheap Wine - Cold Chisel
The Moon Song - Spong Monkeys
Oxyacetaline - Cubinate
SoulScraper - Insurge


anything by the Leningrad Cowboys, coz they make me laugh.

Ween:
i've been listening to these guys for over a decade, they have an extremely strong following.. yet, almost every time i mention them, i get the, "who?" response.
i can't explain their sound. you can't even say, "here, listen to this album" and know what they sound like.
Something i would like to point to, they have an instrumental called "Tear for Eddie" on the album "Chocolate and Cheese". it's basically one long guitar solo and it's incredibly awesome!!!

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Sparklehorse:
very cool band with videos that really match the feel of their songs. i saw a documentary on them somewhere along the line and got to see a bunch of stuff by/about them.
soft, moody, melancholy. just a great sound!
check out their tune "It's a Wonderful Life". trust me.

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Sigur Ros:
it's like music for people who like RadioHead, but want something that isn't so well known.. and a bit softer.
if you don't know this band, go to the site and then go to the "media" section. there are plenty of songs you can download there.

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oh yeah.. and, of course..

Natu Visu:
yeah, i know it says "The Glyph" on that page, but that's because "The Glyph" had to change his name due to the pre-existance of many things with the same name. So, he became "Natu Visu".
and yes, i admit i'm cheating.. this is my music.

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next?

Reel Big Fish
The Mighty Mighty Bosttones
The Forces of Evil

Dido - White Flag
Dido - Thank You
Dido - Hunter
^^^ For when you're feeling blue (espicially if its because of love-life issues)
smap - Shingo Mama no Oha Rock (This one's just funny )
Poe - All songs on her Haunted CD, surreal, creapy, but frickin' awesome!
Evanescence - The lead singer ROCKS.
Alanis Morissette - She also rocks, her music is so poetic IMHO

==Chris, who likes music with rhythim, melody and a story.

Yay! Thanks for the responses so far. I'm not even halfway through all your links

Julian,
Amorphis sounds like something that would grow on me a lot. I wish the samples were longer! There are some great progressive bands with death metal roots that I love musically but have a hard time with the vocal style (like mellower stuff from Opeth). These guys sound like they have some cool music between the lyrics.

Amon Tobin also sounds really cool. I usually run screaming for the hills away from electronica (with a few exceptions like selected Orb and Future Sound of London) but the sample I heard of that opening track definitely sounds like it kicks all kinds of ass.

Fairport Convention! Right on. Always cool to see people who like heavier music who also like english folk (or American for that matter). My favorite from that genre is Pentangle . If you can get your hands on the track "Pentangling" I bet you'll love it.

Cybin,
Your music is very cool! Very avante garde and fun to listen to. Do you get into avante garde music? I have to be in the mood for it, but there are times when stuff like Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum really hits the spot (oh, and I laughed my ass off at the salvia comment for one of your tracks). Naughty naughty.

And Sigur Rios, that's the second time I've come across them browsing music sites today. I downloaded some of their sample mp3's. Love the guitar sound. Wish I could understand the lyrics. Beautiful stuff.

There's some great stuff at the site I linked to for the porcupine tree show. I just spent two hours watching the Marillion show. Really a great show. I loved these guys during the neo-prog revival in the 80's and the fact they've been playing together for 20 years really shows. The lead singer is annoying to look at but what a voice! And a really great two hours of entertainment for free. The sound and picture quality are excellent. I highly recommend it. You can find it here listed as the "marillion- 1st marillion convention" show.

I'll definitely surf more of these links tomorrow when I'm sober again mmmmm corona.

Poe's entire Haunted CD. From start to finish in one sitting. The only ONLY ONLY way to listen to it. Preferably turned up really loud.

Rasputina
3 Female cellists with a very ethereal style. I'm surprised they haven't gotten more attention. If you like Portishead, give them a listen.

Over The Rhine
Cleverly proseful lyrics, and a voice to make angels swoon. Oddly enough, they're from Ohio.

Prefab Sprout
A charming Scottish band with lyrics that can make you giggle or sniffle, depending on the song. By no means a new band, but worth a new listen if you've ignored them in the past.

Drill
Can't even find a decent web page for them, they're so undersung. This woman does female angst at it's very best. If Allanis Morrisette had perpetual PMS, a good lyricist and a pair of lungs that would shame a lion.. naw, she still wouldn't measure up. This woman can make grown men cry.

Combustible Edison
Lounge music! They're song Millionaire's Holiday is so groovy it's impossible not to enjoy it. Go ahead, I dare you.

Ednaswap
Now Annetenna
The band that originally did Torn (made famous by Natalie Umbruglia) back when it had some balls. Great band to see live if you get the chance.

Goldfinger
This band does some great punk covers of classic songs. If you're in the mood for something fast and lighthearded, I recommend them.

Judybats
Another great lyric band. Extremely bittersweet. Poppy music with lyrics to make you slit your wrists or someone else's throat.

This is just a small sampling of bands I wish would get more attention. I'll probably add more later in another post.

Check out Poi Dog Pondering.

Cibo Matto, as mentioned above is excellent. They're video for Sugar Water is simply one of the most astounding things I've seen put to film. It's sort of a video palindrome. The screen is split with the video running forward on the left and backwards on the right. You see all the points in the film where the front half coincides with the back half. The best thing? The video is all one long shot. Just, wow.

Oh great... yet another fine group of selections from the Dollar Ninety Nine Bin at Sam Goody.

*actual transcript of conversation held while listening to RadioHead from the buck bin*

daughter:
BUT DAD! I DONT WANT MY MUSICAL HORIZONS BROADENED!

me:
Shut your pie hole! Listen to the new crop of idiots you will one day wonder what the fuck the record company was smoking when they gave them a recording contract!

daughter:
But ... they ... suck!

me:
I know... but the artst fartsy fuckheads in Second Life say this is the greatest thing since sliced bread and I am trying to be fair and give it a chance. You should too.

daughter:
ummmmm... but they suck!

me:
yeah.. too bad a good band name like RadioHead was wasted on these fucks.

duaghter:
can I slit my wrists now or are you gonna turn that crap off?

me:
Hmmmm... continue supporting you or leave the cd in for another 2 minutes and collect insurance money...

daughter:
they dont pay for suicide

me:
this wouldnt be suicide, no judge in the world would deem it suicide after hearing this shit... HEY PUT DOWN THE KNIFE!

daughter:
oh.. so killing YOU is out too? Im calling Family Child Services and reportingyou for abuse if you dont turn it off!

me:
sigh... yeah it was making me want to kill people too... not regular people... RadioHead fans.

*Theme Music Up and Out*
I really have the greatest kid in the world!
Congrats on graduation last night honey! Now get the fuck out of my house already!
Love
Dad

"The Forest", by David Byrne.

Three good ones which usually get a "who?":

Pink Martini
With only one album (Sympathique) released, this (on average) 10-piece band is relaxed on CD and absolutely amazing live. Formed under lead pianist Thomas Lauderdale, they've been touring the world since 1994, but have released just the one album because...they've been touring the world since 1994.

Related anecdote: I heard of them from my sister, who was taken to a concert in Paris. She commented to a friend that the city had such a great music scene. He gave her an odd look and said, "They're from Oregon."

Lamb
If you don't know what people mean by "Trip-Hop" or "Acid Jazz," pick up or borrow the Lamb self-titled debut album or follow-up Fear of Fours. I'm not nearly as impressed with the latest release What Sound (too relaxed) but this electronica duo is worth a recommendation.

Related anecdote: on at least three occasions I've asked a friend about some song they're playing, and how it sounds a whole lot like Lamb...and it's a vocalist cameo.

Aphex Twin
Richard D. James has been called a lot of things, but I'll mention "talented composer" and "musical genius." This is the one-man band that you are least likely to like. An astounding variety of music, from bleeps and bloops to compositions remixed and performed in full orchestra by Philip Glass. Influential in a secret, back-room way. The link goes to Rephlex Records, his label.

Related anecdote: some time back, I was driving my mom to a family brunch. I started the car, and she commented on the very nice classical I had playing on the stereo. She was somewhat less appreciative of the next track, which sounded like a cat trapped in the wheelwell of a Ford Bronco driving over a series of rumble strips. What can I say? It had a good beat to it.

I'll chime in on this with some of the obscure still I've been listening to recently:

Camel The earlier Prg stuff is good, but prefer their later concept albums, especially "Nude", "Harbor of Tears" and "Dust and Dreams."

Shadowfax: Chicago Jazz Jam band adds an Indian Tabla Rosa flavor and an electric violin for some seriously great dreamy music.

The early days of Windham Hill records had to be the best, as they also included:

Michael Manring: Possibly the most versitile bassist on the planet.

Michael Hedges: A life cut way too short (car crash.) His album, "Breakfast in the Field" is still one of my favorites after almost 20 years.

Both of these gentleman are/were excellent in concert either seperate or together.

Kitaro: Great for concentration/mellowing out, especially his earlier works. In concert his Blues background and love for Kodo drum jam sessions comes out making for an amazing experience.

Carlos Santana/John McLaughliin: "Love, Devotion, Surrender." A Santana jam sessions album most people have never heard of. Best played on speakers while playing frisbee on a lawn in the summer.

I have to disagree with the Fairport Convention albums, I've always preferred "Glady's Leap" and "Red and Gold" to "Liege and Lief" (though I own all 3 and a few more.)

Chris Williamson: "Wolf Moon." Though "Changer and the Changed" is what made her famous, I still prefer this album.

Grand Prix: "Samurai." The song "Shout" got all the airplay but is just about the worst song on the album. Canadian Prog Metal at it's best.

Hawkwind: More prog metal. Most people don't remember but Lemmy who went onto fame with Motorhead was with the band for a while. Their "Chronicles of the Black Sword" based on Michael Moorcock's Elric saga is still outstanding.

Great choices Colin!

I was lucky enough to grow up listening to a rock radio station that had two prog fans as music directors and who didn't go by a playlist. If they thought it was cool, they played it. They used to play Camel a lot and I picked up quite a few of their albums. "Sasquatch" is one of my favorite prog instrumentals of all time.

And I absolutely LOVE Shadowfax! Their first three albums are classics.

Michael Manring's "Thonk" is one of the best fusion albums ever. He has an amazing sound. One of the few bass players that could stand toe to toe with Jaco Pastorius.

Michael Hedges is amazing too. His early Windham Hill stuff is brilliant (as is almost all the early Windham Hill stuff!).

I've never really gotten into prog metal much but I seriously need to check out Hawkwind. They seem to have been around since the dawn of time and Moorcock's Elric books were what got me into fantasy novels originally. I have a signed and numbered print of the cover art for "Stormbringer" on the wall next to me right now

Oh, man, Shadowfax. When I was growing up I heard a lot of Shadowfax/Chip Davis ("Fresh Aire"/Kitaro. It paved my liking for experimental music in general and electronica in particular, but also led me somewhat astray.

For that I should describe a long-suppressed memory. When first using dial-up bulletin board systems (remember one user at a time?), one of my aliases was "Shadowfax". Eventually someone made a horse joke, I responded with confusion, and when it came out that I'd pulled the name from the band I was laughed at for a couple of weeks.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

The Legendary Pink Dots (just went to see them last night--awesome show!!)

Thank God Christopher doesn't get a reaction anymore.

Ah.. obscure music, something near and dear to my heart - and it tends to be what I focus on. Lots of great suggestions so far.

I heartily second the Legendary Pink Dots, Sigur Ros, Aphex Twin, and Hawkwind recommendations. Chip - you MUST check out Hawkwind! I'm not sure I'd label them as prog-metal as they are kind of off in their own world (heavy psychedelic space-rock with prog tendencies?) But they definitely have the heaviness and darkness of metal at times. I suppose they got more prog-like as time went on. It can be daunting to explore their discography.. they have a ton of stuff and evolved quite a bit over the years. But well worth the effort...

As for my own suggestions... where to begin? I'll try to pick out some absolute faves from various genres:

In Gowan Ring - melancholy dreamy underground folk music with a somewhat medieval troubadour bent.

Current 93 - masters of the so-called apocalyptic folk and dark folk genres, though their early stuff consisted more of industrial noise-scapes. At times extremely dark but often utterly beautiful music.

Coil - always fascinating purveyors of industrial / electronic / dark ambient explorations. Among industrial's pioneers sprung from the roots of the legendary Throbbing Gristle (also recommended).

Can - experimental german psychedelic band from the 70's - phenomenal

Zoviet France - pioneering ambient industrial group in a class all their own (seek out their 80's - early 90's stuff first). Mohnomishe, Assault and Mirage, Shouting at the Ground.

Tenhi - Finnish progressive folk group with a dark spiritual atmosphere... their name means "shaman" in Finnish and it is fitting.

Summoning (link goes to unofficial homepage) - A fascinating band with roots in the black metal scene but they've developed into something unique that transcends the genre. Directly Tolkien-inspired, very epic, atmospheric, and stirring. Beware they do sometimes have the usual black-metal screaming troll vocals, but they are somewhat dulled in harshness by the rich atmospherics.

Hmm.. ok that's enough for now I suppose... I could go on for pages..

I've got a few that just came to mind.

The Smoking Popes- The Party's Over Great rocky poppy covers of old standards. Really fun and sometimes really beautiful ("Farther Along". I'm not familiar with their other, non-cover music but I love this one.

Basehead - Play With Toys Hmmm, mellow funky hip-hop with a sense of humor? You don't have to be a hip-hop fan to like this.

I wouldn't consider them obscure, but lots of people seem to not know about
Richard and Linda Thompson. Shoot Out the Lights and I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight are great. Amazing songwriting with a nice dark edge. I guess rock/folk rock is the style but that's inadequate. Richard Thompson has done wonderful solo work too. I'm a big fan.

(And I second or third the endorsements of Poe and Amon Tobin.)

Yet another endorsement of Poe.

and Rasputina. They are great.

and yet... you did
heve I neglected to tell you to fuck off lately, Darwin?
if so.. Fuck Off.
There.
Happy Now?

I was listening to Amon Tobin earlier today - quadruply endorsed.

Afro Celt Sound System - rythmic, ethnic, yet modern, running from groovy beats to chill and back again.

Um... can't think of any more just yet.

Dread Zeppelin - if you haven't heard these guys, you're missing out. entertaing? yes. comedic? sorta. talented? hell ya! ..check out the snippit of Stairway to Heaven. trust me.

Scratch Acid - dark, noisy, talented. this is the stuff that put gas in a lot of todays experiments. check out a few tracks. i used to have it on tape.. remember those? hehe.. now i want to buy the CD i found, while looking for a link for this post. too cool.

Fad Gadget - i bet Marilyn Manson has a lot to thank these guys for. dark, synth-driven bio-electronic noise.. another one that i have on tape, but would like to get CDs of. again.. check out a few tracks.

Maybe this explains my music a bit? lol...

Anything by Tonino Horta. If you can get a hold of any of his live stuff especially.

Dread Zeppelin...wow it's been years since I heard that one. An Elvis impersonator singling to a Zep cover band. We used to listen to that in college.

Uh-wan-uh-whole-uh-lot-uh-love!