The Greatest Bands You Never Heard Of

Cafe Society
1

So what really good bands do you know of that not many others do? I have a have a feeling many of these bands will be punk bands or alternative, but oh well.

Some really good bands that not many pople know about:
The Beatsteaks - German Punk Rock. Oh Yeah. Recomended to anyone.

Flogging Molly - Good ol’ Irish Rock. Recomended to fans of irish music, punk music, and maybe some ska people will like it.

Catch 22 - Ok, some poeple know about them, but I had to put it in here. Catchy (no pun intended) ska. Recomended to just about everyone.

Nerf Herder - Poppy punk. Funny lyrics. Good music. Needed for any good collection. Recomended to fans of Weezer, Bloodhound Gang, etc.

How about you?

2

Mostly Americans ( I live in the UK and these people may be well-known in the US):

Tim Buckley: sadly too little known, even among people who have heard of Jeff

Slint
Pavement
Guided By Voices
Yo La Tengo

3

Interestingly enough, two bands mentioned so far have a connection to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nerf Herder wrote their theme song and Guided by Voices has a track (Teenage FBI) on the soundtrack.

To make this less of a hijack, I have come to like many of the bands on the Buffy CD that I had never heard of before (K’s Choice, Splendid etc.).

4

Anyone ever hear of moe.?

5

yeah, a couple of my friend Love moe.
i have yet to check them out though … so much to do , so little time!

6

i forgot to add the band that most people haven’t heard of:
The Jayhawks

7

I will continue to spread the gospel acording to my favorite band in the world, Marah. Especially since I just got back from two smoking shows in Red Bank, NJ. As I’ve stated in other threads they are sort of, kind of, almost, but not quite like The Replacements meets Asbury Park-era Springsteen meets The Pogues with a dash of Appalachian Mountain music. Check these guys out, there actually is some real talent coming out of Philly these days.

8

Allow me to nominate Icelandic band Sigur Rós of whom, up until about a month ago, I’d never heard. Nobody I’ve talked to has ever heard of them either so I will continue to sing their praises until everybody has.

In fact, I’m going to do so right now. Ágætis Byrjun is a masterpiece of ethereal gorgeousness. Buy it. Buy it now. Your ears will love you for it.

9

they did that song in the car commercial. sooo catchy.

www.dirtyvegas.com

kinda trite, but what the heck i don’t know any others!! :slight_smile:

10

Hodge, Sigur Ros are very marvellous indeed.

Not that many people have heard of Kruder and Dorfmeister, although they are not unknown. They are probably better known as remixers of other peoples work, although their own stuff is very good. It is stunningly well produced dubby, ambient music, often with a strong bossanova or drum and bass feel – although not in an aggressive upfront way.

There seems to be a massive number of “chill-out” or “post-club” music collections around at the moment. “The K&D Sessions” will blow every one of them out of the water. Pure quality from start to finish.

11

I just got hep to Sigur Rós about 6 months ago. Very good stuff. And also I gots to give it up for Slint. One of the most copied bands of the last 10 years.

12

Opeth and Sentenced are two of my favorites that most Americans have never heard of. I hear that Sentenced are pretty big in their native Finland but thet never got the attention in the states that I feel they deserve. Opeth are extremely talented but play a style of death metal music that is a bit unaccessable to most ears.

NP: Pink Floyd - The Wall Live

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Fennesz – ambient glitch. Sort of. Abstract soundscapes, made with guitars and then overdubbed and sent through filters to make a bizarre and noisy sound. Listen to Aus and Shisheido for good examples.

Fridge – Amazing post-rock band.Tortoise’s smaller but more talented brother. Where they are clinical, Fridge is more sensual. Smoooooch.

Gas – German ambient act. Droning and murky sounds all over the place. The latest album, Pop, is sheer brilliance.

Last Days of April – Swedish indie band. They’re pretty orchestral, with lots of unusual instruments accompanying the normal guitar outfit. This is what Modest Mouse would sound like if they made music with glockenspiels and organs.

Limp – Danish electronica/post-rock. Instrumental songs, fairly simple – simple drums, bass and synths compose 99% of their songs – but it’s really really beautiful.

Múm – Icelandic electronica/post-rock. (:D) Really beautiful music, sounding like… not much, really. It’s a blend between Aphex Twin and Stereolab, with glitch on top. It’s electronic music that doesn’t take itself too seriously… it feels more playful than its influences.

14

There’s that one band in the Detroit area called…

Wait, what about the one with the female vocals and mean bass that’s called…

This isn’t working. Is the topic about bands I’ve never heard of or is it about bands others have never heard of?

15

You really should check them out. You can download their bootlegs (they allow taping) at www.gdlive.com. Tapes don’t do them justice though. You have to see them live.

16

Allrighty, here’s a pretty comprehensive gallery of my obscure musical tastes that shant disappoint…

The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies: Okay. Yes, you’ve all heard of them. But outside of “Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin’ Hits of the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies”, but enter “Ferociously Stoned” (1990), “Rapid City Muscle Car” (1994), and “Kids on the Street” (1996). All released BEFORE 90’s pop culture decided swing was cool again. Listen to “Trapped Inside the Planet of the Roller Skating Bees”, “Answering Machine”, and “Flovilla Thatch vs. the Virile Garbageman”. You’ll fall in love and forget this band was ever a misplaced cultural icon.

Matthew Good Band: Now, if you’re from Canada, you’ll probably think I’m living in oblivion thinking people haven’t heard of this band. Close. I’m living in California. It seems nobody in America has even heard of them, while apparently they’re huge in their native Canada. Matt Good is a wonderfully dark, cynical, brilliant songwriter who looks like a young Mick Jagger. I love Matt because he manages to rock (“Hello Timebomb”, “Middle Class Gangsters”), and write beautiful and sincere songs (“Strange Days”, “Apparitions”) at equal caliber.

Beulah: Beulah plays wonderful, friendly, warm chamber pop. I’ve heard very few bands whose music is genuinely and consistently uplifting every time- check out “If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart” and “I’ll Be Your Lampshade”.

David Byrne: The former lead singer of the Talking Heads. Byrne’s solo career is truly expansive and experimental, spanning several genres. My favorite album of his is Feelings. Everything on that album is fantastic, especially “Miss America” and “Dance on Vaseline”.

Imperial Drag: What do you get when you take the singer from GNR guitarist Slash’s side project- Slash’s Snake Pit-, Beck’s keyboardist, Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., and the essence of 70’s glam rock? You get Imperial Drag, who was sadly only around to produce one album in '96. You’ll dance incessantly in your car seat to “Playboy After Dark”, and you’ll love “Hey Honey Please”, too. For a more interesting taste of the band, try “The Salvation Army Band”.

Jason Falkner: Jason Falkner worked in a band called Jellyfish with a fellow named Andy Sturmer, and incidentally, Roger Joseph Manning Jr. as well. Jason’s sincere and perfectly crafted verse-chorus-verse pop-rock is another great little bad mood cure. Guys like me can identify with “She’s Not the Enemy”, while just about everyone can enjoy “Hectified” and “Miracle Medicine”.

Jellyfish: The collective brilliance of Jason Falkner, Andy Sturmer, and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (and some other people too). Jellyfish is another one of those bands that perfectly crafts feel-good pop rock. My best description of them would be that they’re a cross between Queen, the Beach Boys, and every band you’ve ever been ashamed to love. Try “New Mistake”, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late”, and “Baby’s Coming Back”.

And finally, I don’t know much about this band, but I’ve heard one of their songs and I’m in love- it’s “Let It Happen” by The Waterboys.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my long-winded rant about the music I love. Do with it what you will, and by all means, if I’ve turned you on to something, let me know. I love to know when I make new fans. :smiley:

17

I know I’m going to butcher thier name, but Anthenaium. They came out with an album about three/four years ago, and it was really good, there wasn’t a single song on it I wanted to skip past. It’s very soft, kinda romantic rock, but it’s just REALLY good. I’m more into fast, hard stuff, but I really enjoy this album.

And I’ve mentioned this band on the boards before, but they deserve some more credit, Guitar Wolf. They’re a Japanese rockabilly/garage band, loud as hell and absolutely fantastic. Every song includes “One, Two, Three, Four…” at LEAST once, sometimes as many as four times. Their songs are in Japanes, but of course, every now and again some English is spoken and I can sing along for a good three seconds of a song. But they are absolutely fantastic. And the best part is, they were picked up by an American distributor a long time ago, so you can get about five of their albums here in the State. Wonderful, good ol fashioned "ROCKANDROLL!!!.

The Black 47s is another really good band. I don’t know if they’re from America, but their music is a mix of Irish folk music and rock and roll. Some of it’s serious commentary about the strife in Ireland, but a lot of their songs are just plain old fun. Really good, really amazing music.