There’s an “Independent” radio station in my area that occasionally plays things you won’t hear elsewhere. Through them I first heard of Cowboy Junkies. All I can say is WOW! I’ve been a fan for 10 years now and just don’t get why they aren’t more well known. Their album ‘Black Eyed Man’ is a treasure-trove of wonderful writing that always conjures feelings of autumn for me.
Another artist is PJ Harvey, whom I also first heard from that station. Some of her songs I really, really love, others I don’t. But the ones I do force me to keep current with her. I hope to someday see her live in concert.
That station also got me interested in Sinéad Lohan. I bought her second album and loved it. There’s not a track on it that isn’t enjoyable. I wish she’d put out something new. Also, her cover of “To Ramona” is excellent.
Thanks to Pandora, I’ve gotten into Kosheen and Metric.
It’s interesting, Kosheen has a really great sound (and 3 albums, 4th soon) with very well put together songs, yet I don’t ever recall hearing them on the radio.
Metric seems to have a couple of unbelievably good songs mixed with 'eh songs (not bad, but not quite as good). Like Kosheen, I have never heard them on the radio. Right now I am suffering an enjoyable earworm by them: “Too Little Too Late”.
I figured I’d share this after trying to listen to the radio on a long drive and missing my iPod. I can’t believe radio stations make money given the dreck they air. That “independent” station I first mentioned now seems to very rarely play such varied songs. Occasionally it’ll air something I never heard before, but mostly just a constant rotation of old songs. sigh
I love the Cowboy Junkies and Sinead Lohan! How wonderful to see Sinead mentioned.
I’m on my Touch sitting in a Starbucks waiting for my next movie (at the Chicago Int’l Film Festival, seeing 4 movies today) so I can’t link directly, but if you like CJ and Sinead, try these artists:
Happy Rhodes http://www.myspace.com/happyrhodes
(a worldwide underground cult artist, she’s been making music for 25+ years and has 11 brilliant, IMNSHO, an absolutely phenomenal voice, original music and interesting lyrics.
I adore Within Temptation, and they get little attention in North America. I think they have quite the following in Europe, but I always list them as my favorite band and get blank stares.
The Cowboy Junkies are Canadian, and for whatever reason their popularity only leaked across the border. There’s lots of other examples of that, such as Blue Rodeo, or most dramatically The Tragically Hip, who in the 1990s were the biggest musical act in Canada, foreign OR domestic, but for whatever reason just didn’t catch on anywhere else.
You could probably work a doctoral thesis out of why it is that some bands have appeal in one country but just don’t in another. It was only recently that I learned that Oasis and Blur were, for a few years, absolutely monumentally gigantic in Britain in the late 90s, vying for utter domination of the charts. On this side of the pond they’re known, but as C-level acts; Oasis is known, really, for two songs, and Blur for one. Why were they so huge in Britain, but here were just popular for a few years? I’m really not sure.
**Sarah Fimm **is hands down my most favorite musician. She started out with a downtempo trip hop sound but has become more atmospheric with a more distinct “world” sound the more songs and albums she’s released. She currently has six studios, with a single albums of remixes and B Sides, but she is also sending out a free thumb drive with a lot of unreleased media to a hundred or so fans this coming Tuesday and I cannot wait to get my hands on mine. She is my muse.
Vienna Teng – singer-songwriter pianist. Good mood music. Gravityis probably her most known piece.
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Grand Ole Party** – Three piece indie rock with an art punk aesthetic. Think Yeah Yeah Yeahs meets The White Stripes. Gypsy Marchis my favorite.
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Dessa – amazing hip hop. Mineshaft IIis my current favorite song, period.
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Thea Gilmore – British singer-songwriter. You might like her if you like PJ. I love them both and they share an aesthetic, though Thea’s much softer. Razor Valentine shows their similarities, I think
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The Romanovs** – Gothic dark cabaret band out of LA. Think Evanescence but less rock-y and a lot more talented. The King is my favorite song of theirs.
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April March** – Modern ye-ye pop-rock sang in both English and French. Laisee Tamber Les Filles is what got me into her.
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Wye Oak **-- Shoegaze indie pop. Take It In makes me feel like I’m coursing with current. It’s a religious experience.
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Calexico **-- Tex-Mex indie rock and alt-country. Man Made Lake is my favorite song of theirs right now.
Yeah, The Cowboy Junkies, Blue Rodeo and The Hip (80s & 90s era only) are sadly little known outside of Canada.
Most of my favourite bands are criminally under-recognized but since the OP mentioned Canadian country rock, I’ll throw out a few examples in this genre.
The Sadies. Awesome band out of Toronto. Country rock with occasional surf and psychedelic flourishes. They’ve been a backing band for a lot of big names, including Neko Case, but their music is excellent in their own right.
-See Flash and First Inquisition Part IV
Great Lake Swimmers. More folk than country and they rarely rock out, but they have some really haunting tunes and ethereal melodies.
-See Your Rocky Spine and Pulling on a Line.
Huh. That’s good to know. It’s strange: I worry about bands I like and if they’re making money. I buy their stuff and like it a lot and just hope they’re able to continue making more.
I saw the Cowboy Junkies in concert and they were awesome.
Thank goodness for Pandora. I bought Mat Kearney’s City of Black and White and I play it endlessly. What a great voice—he sounds like a blend of Jack Johnson, Chris Martin, and Dave Matthews. Nice melodies.
Sparks - I heard about them from a poster here on the sdmb, actually. They’ve been around forever and changed up their sound a bunch, but I’ve only delved into their early stuff so far. I’ve never heard anything like them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYGmz1nVgUE
I’m pretty sure I first heard of them on this board about a decade ago, but I always like to promote dredg when these threads come up. They’ve got 4 albums plus a live CD out at this point and have somewhat consistently put out great music. If I had to Pin the Label on the Band, I’d say they’re in the harder side of the “art rock” category. Guitar-driven, very melodic music with crystalline vocals. 3 of their 4 albums are conceptual in theme for those who enjoy digging a bit deeper into their music. I’ve always thought their singer, Gavin Hayes, sounds a bit like Roland Orzabal from Tears for Fears.
I think fans of bands as diverse as U2, tool, DefTones, A Perfect Circle, Muse, and Radiohead will all find something worth their time in dredg.
For starters, El Cielo is considered their best album. As far as individual tracks go, check out “The Canyon Behind Her” from El Cielo, “Ode to the Sun” from Catch without Arms, “Lechium” from Leitmotif, and “Lightswitch” from The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion.
It might have been me. I’ve been a fan for a few years now, from back before they quit their day jobs to tour and record full-time. My husband and I went to see them open for another band at a club and there were 6 people in the audience. 4 of those people were there to see the headliner or were members of the headlining band. Great to see them mentioned! They’re so nice, and hardworking. If they don’t keel over from their exhausting tour schedule, they’re legends in the making.
Edit to add, I see they’re touring Europe now. People should see them while they can. They’re just fun as hell!
WT is one of my favorite bands, but I only know 2 other people that like them, and I introduced their music to both of those people. You’re right, that style of music is not very popular over here. BTW you can get videos for Ice Queen, Memories (one of my favorite WT songs), Stand My Ground, and one or two others, on itunes. My 4 year old niece loves the video for Ice Queen and demands my ipod to watch it every time I see her.
I’ll throw up Ayreon. It’s the name for a “musical project” (not a band) by dutch musician Arjen Lucassen. He’s the only constant, he gets different musicians and singers for each album. Singers are mostly from European metal bands. The music varies a good bit, often incorporating folk, electronica, etc, but the majority of it is hard rock/melodic metal. Most of his albums are concept albums revolving around aliens/sci-fi themes, and are said to be inspired by sci-fi movies. The crown jewel, IMO, is the fantastic album Into the Electric Castle. It’s nearly 2 hours long, has a 70’s/early 80’s hard rock sound and a storyline involving 8 people plucked from different eras and places in history and placed in a deadly maze. There’s the Egyptian woman, convinced that she’s in some kind of test to judge her worthiness to enter the great hall of Isis and Osiris, the Knight who believes that he’s on the path to the Holy Grail, The Highlander, wracked with sorrow and guilt over the lives he’s spilled, The Barbarian, determined to fight beside Thor and Odin and willing to cut down any who stand in his way, the Hippie who thinks that this is the acid trip to end all acid trips, and more. The singers are awesome, and the music is perfect. One of the greatest modern rock albums ever made, in my humble opinion.
Free Energy has put out some irresistible rock/pop songs with a sort of 70s/80s sound to them, though they are a modern band.
Try “Hope Child,” “Bang Pop,” and “Free Energy” for a taste.
A big part of my blog is monthly indie & obsure music recs (see here for all the posts for the past 16 months). I’ve rec’d a bunch of the bands other people have already suggested, actually
Some of my new favorites:
Birds Of Tokyo
Florence & The Machine
Warpaint
The Submarines
The Hundred In The Hands
Van She
Loney, Dear
The Subways
Older favorites I’ve rec’d this year:
Minus The Bear
People In Planes
Manchester Orchestra
Rachael Yamagata
New Young Pony Club
Old 97’s
The Pierces
Menomena
Music For Animals
The Ropes
Moving Units
Laura Veirs
If I were to rec music like Metric, I’d mostly suggest other Post-Punk Revival bands like:
The Long Blondes, The Bravery, Bloc Party, Elefant, Kaiser Chiefs, and the Rakes. But those are mostly male singers, so I’d also suggest: Sons & Daughters, Controler.Controler, Shiny Toy Guns, Ladytron, Laika, Call the Doctor, The Kills, and the above mentioned The Pierces and The Ropes.
