The Shins - Oh Inverted World!
They are a band from Seattle who play mellow pop-rock. Very good, but nobody knows them.
I know The Shins. Yeah, they’re pretty good.
I like Pedals by *The Aluminum Group, which is kinda soft 60s-ish lounge-type music. Some of the guys from Tortoise play on it.
Also, Happy Secret by The Lucksmiths, an Australian indie pop band with lots of Paul Westerberg-ish turns of phrase.
Windows For Stars by For Stars is pretty cool soft hipster mood music.
Not quite as obscure, but The Go-Betweens put out some brilliant albums in the 80s; very subtle pop songs that burrow under your skin after more listenings than the casual music fan is likely to give them. Any of their stuff is worthwhile.
One day, I shall actually admit I’m not perfect and preview my responses. Not any time soon, though.
Women’s Songs from India
Rounder 82161-5040-2
Mister Damage:
Bzzzzt. Got it. Love it. Although their next (and final) album, Red skies over paradise is even better.
Ooh yeah, saw him supporting Buddy Guy around 10 years ago. He was awesome, tall and dangerous looking, and played incredible lead guitar, using these old steel acoustic guitars like they were Stratocasters. A true virtuoso. Had a chequered past too (sign of a true bluesman :D), losing an eye in a drag-racing accident, IIRC. I was very sad when I heard he’d died.
I’m quite fond of Avant Hard by Add N to (X), as well as Prince Blimey by Red Snapper. If singles are allowed, I’d also include Eple by Royksopp, a Norwegian dance duo just breaking through in the UK.
I have The Storyteller. It’s not on my top ten list of favorite CDs, but it’s definitely listenable.
Oar by Alexander “Skip” Spence. The only album he completed before his mental problems derailed his life and career. Beautiful and sad to listen to at the same time. He wrote all of the songs while locked up in Bellevue. Truly strange lyrics.
City of Hysteria by Pulnoc. The spin off group of the Czech jazz-rock Plastic People of the Universe.
The Blue Ridge Rangers self-titled album. It’s really John Fogerty doing his one man band thing, but he originally released it without his name attached to it. He covers lots of country staples(like “She Thinks I Still Care” and “Jambalaya”) and even a few old gospel songs. It sounds like a lost CCR album. It’s so good that all the ego he displays on Behind The Music when talking about the control he had over the band is clearly justified. He really was carrying the other members. Any album that can get an atheist like me to start singing a song like “Workin’ On A Building” has something going for it.
Well I was going to mention the V-Roys and The Vulgar Boatmen as well, but I figured, “naah - everybody’s heard of them.”
W/re the V-Roys, have you heard Scott MIller’s new CD - “Thus Always to Tyrants?” If you like the V-roys, you’ll like this.
I love the Horse Flies! I have 2 of their cd’s. You do get strange looks from coworkers when you sing along to Roadkill or Needles On The Beach. I listened to them a lot about the same time I was listening to the Potato Eaters. If you like the Horse Flies you’d probably like the Potato Eaters.
I’m definitely impressed. Neutral Milk Hotel, Vinx, Jane Siberry, For Stars, and This Mortal Coil, all coming up in the same thread. Great, great stuff.
I’ve got so many obscure CDs that people going through my collection stop after the first row, and say “I don’t know any of these people.” Every single time.
But my favorite?
Pat MacDonald Sleeps With His Guitar.
You might remember Timbuk 3, and if you don’t, all I have to say is The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades. See, you do remember. Well, after that big hit, the lead singer/songwriter for that two-person-one-beatbox band, Pat MacDonald, dove back into musical obscurity pretty hard. The studios tried to support him, even made him take on a full band for an album; no hit singles were forthcoming. Meanwhile, he was developing a dark and beautiful sensibility that just didn’t fit the pop mold, and was becoming a really great songwriter.
Then he got picked up by Ark 21 records, and got teamed up with a percussionist for one studio record. Just Pat, his battered acoustic, and a deranged percussionist. And an occasional harmonica. Okay, and some weird backup sounds. But mostly, just brilliant songwriting. One of the best CDs I own.
And while researching this, I just found out that he has two more CDs, which are only available in Germany! AAAAARGH! Must have! Must… have! How do I mail-order from Germany? AAAARGH!
My contribution here is “Can’t Stand The Rezillos” by, of course, The Rezillos.
The first Television release is pretty great and obscure, too, although I suspect a lot of people here know of that band. Oddly, the better guitar work, IMO, is by Sylvain Sylvain and not TV.
Pope Bob
“Somebody’s gonna get their head kicked in tonight!”
Cirque Du Soleil’s “Mystere”; a soundtrack of music from one of their shows. I’ve loved this CD for several years now, and I never get tired of it. It has such beautiful music.
After seeing so many Japanese groups, I’ll have to print this thread out and take it to the punk/anarchist shop down the street.
Anyway, how about Little Georgie and the Shufflin’ Hungarians? Found them in a used CD shop in Boston, so I know at least one other person has heard of them.
“Dizzy Up the Girl” by the Goo Goo Dolls
**Darkrabbit **
**The The **was my first concert. I saw them at the Beacon Theatre in NYC back around 1989(90?).
Great band and a great concert.
I know this is going to be a lame contribution, but nobody has mentioned them yet.
G Love and Special Sauce
This is an awesome thread. IF coughcough*** I was a PTP fan, I probably would have been downloading like crazy while reading this thread.
Originally posted by Me:
I just want to clarify that I don’t think that they are quite as obscure as some of the other bands listed. I do think they are a great band.
So my submision was lame in terms of obscurity only.
…hopefully:)
Galore – Kirsty MacColl
O Paraiso – Madredeus
Rats – Sass Jordan
Live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop – Nancy Wilson
Pearls of Passion – Roxette
Live – Sarah McLachlan
The World According to Gessle – Per Gessle
I Stand Alone – Agnetha Faltskog
Battle of Evermore – Lovemongers
Der standiga resan – Marie Fredriksson
From the Bitter to the Sweet – Luba
Time – Fleetwood Mac
King of Hearts – Rick Vito