The Obscure Music Thread

[Dragonfly]

No, I'm not talking about the hipster "I was into them before they became popular;" "The Wombats would normally be too 'pop' for me, but it's fine because they're English*" mindset that most of us here hate. I'm talking about bands and albums that, for whatever the reason, get ignored by the mainstream. Stuff that might be a little "off the beaten path," but more than worth looking into. In the past six years, I have seen threads about everyone from Jello Biafra to that one doom band that was managed by Black Sabbath. If there's any group of people who are into the "deep tracks," it's us.

At the moment, my playlists have been dominated by a combination of Livingston Taylor (James Taylor's brother), post-"Lost Weekends" Harry Nilsson (some pretty weird stuff lives on those albums) and Skyhooks. I know the inclusion of Skyhooks might seem out of place to some of you, but bear in mind that I'm American. It took me a week and a half to find a copy of "Ego Is Not a Dirty Word" that 1) had "Every Chase a Steeple" and "Private Eye" on it and 2) didn't take a month to arrive in the mail. It was well worth the frustration though... absolutely an amazing album.

* - The statement above was taken verbatim from an unnamed hipster who was trying to impress a woman he met at, oddly enough, a Wombats concert.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Jan 3, 2012 17:16:02 GMT -5 Dragonfly said:

In the past six years, I have seen threads about everyone from Jello Biafra to that one doom band that was managed by Black Sabbath.

Necromandus, right? I picked that one up when it was reissued with the live footage. Nice.

Looking through my CD wallet, there's a few that others may not have heard of... Dawnbringer (one-man doom-y metal band with a solid 80's sound), Delusion Squared (French prog rock, sounds like Porcupine Tree with a female singer... new album coming out next month some time), Chimp Spanner (another one-man project, now turning into a full band, sort of a Joe Satriani/djent instrumental), Winterhawk (late 70's prog, imagine ZZTop playing early Rush).

All of these I've first heard of either here or through a couple of magazines that come from Britain (mainly Metal Hammer and Classic Rock, there are a few others).

[Alex Shelley]

One of my favorite bands is The Hiss. I didn't even realize how obscure they were; one of their songs was on THUG2 (which was how I found them) so I figured they would be at least SOMEWHAT well-known. They're obscure enough that lyrics for their music doesn't exist anywhere online, except for the THUG2 song. They had a second album that I ended up having to get through less-than-legal means because it was literally impossible to find legally. I legitimately would have paid for that album, and still would, if I could find it anywhere.

[Hammer Smashed Ball]

One word. Sockeye.

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

Hey, check out this new band from Iceland, Of Monsters and Men. They're pretty new, so you can get into them before they're popular. MUAHAHAH YOU'RE HIPSTERS NOW, FAN!!!! (Seriously, they're great)

[gangstacrizzab]

Inugami Circus-Dan. I happen to have a crush on the lead singer.

[knifeman]

Learned about this Japanese band 385 last year back when I was on a big Japanese music kick

there's also Chugakusei Kanoke

[rapidfire187]

Is obscure hip-hop off limits here?

[knifeman]

Some deep house, Linkwood Family


Some Psych folk , Swedish band The Goner


Some black metal, Coldworld


Some Synthpop , Icelandic band Berndsen( I really think Iceland is one of the best places when it comes to music, they have such a fantastic and varied music scene)

[Deleted]

Recent stuff I've found:

Cloud Control - Gold Canary [From the album Bliss Release]


Sabbath Assembly - Judge of Mankind [From the album Restored to One]


The Drones - Luck in Odd Numbers [From the album Havilah]


The Sand Pebbles - Silver Comet [From the album Ceduna]

[Deleted]

Jan 3, 2012 22:43:35 GMT -5 knifeman said:

Some Psych folk , Swedish band The Goner

Good find, really like this.

I'll also throw a bonus query into the thread. What are your sources in terms of finding new music?

For me, I usually keep track of cd releases through AllMusic.com as they come out, and otherwise have found that Youtube is a really good resource, a lot of times I'll search a band that I like, and typically there's a user that's been posting over a hundred songs of other obscure bands to sample.

[knifeman]

Jan 3, 2012 23:06:05 GMT -5 @nichotine said:

Jan 3, 2012 22:43:35 GMT -5 knifeman said:

I'll also throw a bonus query into the thread. What are your sources in terms of finding new music?

I normally use last.fm and various music blogs

[Deleted]

I've been listening to a lot of 60s/70s Hungarian pop music recently, which I guess would qualify as obscure.



I don't know if Citizen Cope is obscure, but I don't know many people who listen to him.



Same as before, I don't know if Sahara Hotnights count as obscure, probably less so in Europe than in America.



One of my favorite groups, the Dismemberment Plan

[Deleted]

Jan 3, 2012 23:06:05 GMT -5 @nichotine said:

I'll also throw a bonus query into the thread. What are your sources in terms of finding new music?

I used to watch MTV U which introduced me to a few good bands. iTunes, either through some random radio stations or their recommendations. Recommendations from message boards, forums, blogs, etc.

[knifeman]

Here is some very cheery stuff

Nana Grizol, I've heard this labeled as Folk-Punk but that doesn't seem right at all, I guess i'd label them as indie-pop


Fang Island, Math Rock band


Future Islands - Synthpop Band

[knifeman]

Some folk, Strand of Oaks