Underrated Artists

Everybody has an artist they listen to that they feel not enough other people know about. It gives you a great deal of satisfaction that you’re listening to this great music that no one else you know is. With so many artists vying for attention, it’s quite easy for a band to slip by unnoticed or not get the recognition that they deserve. That’s what this particular blog is concentrating on; those artists who, in my opinion, people tend to overlook.

A couple of obvious ones sprang to mind when I started it; both of them are two of my favourite artists. Given that I wrote about Amy MacDonald and Gaslight Anthem in my gig reviews, didn’t think it was necessary to talk about them all over again. They are both criminally underrated though.

There was also a song that I wanted to include, but since it is the only song by the artist I know, thought it should just get a mention briefly here. The song in question is College & Electric Youth- A Real Hero, an 80s infused song used in the film ‘Drive’. It’s a great song and is a throwback to the old synth-y 80s sound.

Anyway... below then you’ll find 10 artists whom I feel are seriously underrated. Enjoy :)

British Sea Power: Considering that Indie music had somewhat of a revival in the 00s, there were plenty of radio friendly guitar bands to choose from and listen to. Given the likes of the Artic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs were around and becoming big stars, it was inevitable that some bands were going to slip through the net and remain just below the radar of the mainstream. So is the case of Brighton based band British Sea Power. With six albums and number of EPs to their name, they have been around for the best part of decade, but are not yet a household name. That’s not to say they haven’t had success. Their albums ‘Open Season’ and ‘Do You Like Rock Music?’ charted at numbers 13 and 10 in the UK charts respectively (the latter even hit number 5 in the US) and they are very popular on the festival circuit. Even so, the name is still not as recognisable as say, Razorlight, which is a shame because British Sea Power have made some really good music. I am a big fan of the two albums mentioned above and there are some top quality songs on them such as ‘It Ended On An Oily Stage’, ‘Waving Flags’ and ‘Lights Out For Darker Skies’. They have a big, ambitious sound which offset by calming and melancholy sounding vocals. It’s a distinctive sound, and once you click with it, you can’t help but love it.

 

 

Clare Maguire: Singer songwriter Clare Maguire I don’t think gets the recognition she deserves. She may have only released the one album so far, ‘Light After Dark’ in 2011, but it didn’t quite have massive impact it warranted. Comparisons to Annie Lennox are justified; she has a fantastic, powerful voice that really does grab your attention. There are no gimmicks, no elaborate costumes in the videos, just a pure, raw voice. In 2010, Maguire was placed at number 5 on BBC’s Sound of 2011 and won the ‘Next Big Thing’ award at the Q Awards. Even so, she still hasn’t received the same recognition as artists such as Emeli Sande, Florence and the Machine or Adele. It’s a shame, because her material is just as strong as songs from their back catalogues. Songs such as ‘The Last Dance’ and ‘Bullet’ are modern, but have a nostalgic, almost retro feel to them. They are catchy but at the same time quite mature and of high quality.  That aside, her voice really is brilliant and for that reason, I think she deserves so much more recognition. I am very much looking forward to future material, with a demo released on SoundCloud and new EP on the way.

 

 

Feeder: Feeder have been around for the best part of 20 years, had 8 studio albums, a top selling singles compilation and sold out many tours, but I think they are still criminally underrated. Their catalogue of songs is far better than they are given credit for. Yes they are well known for their classics ‘Buck Rogers’, ‘Feeling a Moment’ and my all-time favourite ‘Just a Day’, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find a wealth of brilliant songs that rivals any headline act of the last 10/15 years or so. Their ‘The Singles’ album is one of the best albums of the last ten years, even though it only goes up to their 2005 album ‘Pushing the Senses’. Even then it misses out gems such as ‘Pilgrim Soul’, ‘Satellite News’ and ‘Find the Colour’. Included on the album you have the wonderful ballad ‘Yesterday Went Too Soon’, the hard rocking ‘Seven Days In The Sun’ and the fantastic single ‘Save Us’. I could go on, but it’s easier if you just buy or download the album. That’s before you even get to their last three studio albums where you have modern Feeder classics such as ‘Tracing Lines’, ‘Renegades’, and ‘We Are The People’. The many highlights of their latest album ‘Generation Freakshow’ include ‘Borders’, ‘Idaho’ and ‘In All Honesty’. They are honestly one of the best British bands of the last 20 years. That statement may raise a few eyebrows as that list contains bands such as Oasis, Radiohead and Muse, but very few bands have got a résumé as strong or as consistent.

 

 

 

Flogging Molly:  I’m going to let you into a little secret. One of my guilty musical pleasures is Irish/Celtic folk music. What Flogging Molly provide is something called ‘Celtic Punk’; an infusion of Irish folk and traditional punk. The Pogues were the original ‘Celtic Punks’ with Dropkick Murphys the closest modern equivalent. Personally though, I prefer LA band Flogging Molly. I saw them live when I was university and they were absolutely fantastic. They are one of the best live acts I’ve seen. It is impossible to stand still; you can’t help but jump, clap or just dance about. It was one of those gigs where you come out afterwards on a high with a huge smile on your face. They have been around a fair few years now, but because their genre of music is never “in fashion” as it were, they stay under the radar of the mainsteam. That’s the case in the UK anyway. What they do have however is a very strong and loyal fan base. With songs such as ‘What’s Left of the Flag’, ‘If I Ever Leave This World Alive’ and ‘Rebel of the Sacred Heart’ as well the title track from their 2002 album ‘Drunken Lullabies’ you get a perfect introduction as to what Flogging Molly are all about. It’s just real feel good, Irish drinking music. It may not be everyone’s taste, but should not detract from the fact that it is top quality music that you don’t hear enough of.

 

Kassidy: Kassidy are an alternative folk rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Comparisons could be made with Mumford and Sons, but this would be unfair as they have a different sound and different harmony. Their sound really is one that deserves to be wider known, they seem to have flown under the radar with their debut album. Their songs have a fun and bouncy mix of catchy choruses and folky guitar overtones. They are songs perfect to be sung along with on a bright, sunny day at a festival. They are that sort of band that just plays feel good music. You can’t help but feel better for listening to it. They have the same catchy, upbeat sound as Noah and the Whale, but they have a stronger harmony that gives them an added dimension.

 

 

Nerina Pallot: Singer/Songwriter Nerina Pallot has been around for a few years now, and with four albums to her name it is a real surprise that she hasn’t had more commercial success. There is no reason why any of her singles haven’t been big radio successes. Listening through her albums, she is obviously very talented and has a fantastic voice, but she somehow manages to stay just out of the mainstream media spotlight. It’s a shame because people are missing out on some brilliant music. From reading and watching various interviews with her, she seems quite quirky and comes across in her music. There’s a real personality and identity in her songs that give them character. There’s also a versatility to her music that I really like. From big Alanis Morisette-esque anthems such as ‘Learning to Breathe’ and ‘Everybody’s Going To War’ to beautiful ballads like ‘Dear Frustrated Superstar’, to straight forward, light hearted pop songs such as ‘Real Late Starter’. She has a real talent for penning a catchy song, and with her wonderful, distinctive voice she has a sound that is both modern and classy. There are a lot of singer songwriters around at the moment, but Nerina Pallot is still one of my favourites. Give her a listen and she’ll be yours too.

 

 

 

 

One Night Only: One Night Only are a funny band. They were quite well known for a few years around the time of their albums releases. They even had Harry Potter star Emma Watson appear in one of their videos. Since then however, they seem to have fallen off the radar, surfacing again last year when I saw them live.  Maybe they just got lost amongst all the other indie bands at the time. It’s surprising because both their albums are very good.  The singles in particular are catchy and fun to listen to. ‘Just for Tonight’ and ‘You and Me’ are both brilliant little songs, with the former reaching number 9 in the UK charts. With their next, self-titled album they were more ambitious, with a bigger sound with a clearer 80s influence. This is clearly evident on their huge indie anthem ‘Say You Don’t Want It’. The band are obviously much more confident in their music and becoming more ambitious with their sound. However, even with Hermione Granger in the video, it only reached 23 in the UK charts. They’re not one of those bands that seem not to stick in people’s consciousness. It’s a shame because they’re a quality band. There was/is a lot of indie music about, but they are up with any of their contemporaries.

 

 

 

Stereoside: Stereoside may not be a household name, but they have written one of the best songs of the last decade, hence why they are on this list. Their song ‘On Our Way’ is, in my opinion, one of the finest songs ever written, and should be a modern rock classic. They have a few other good modern rocks songs, including ‘So Long’ and ‘Trailer Park Scum’, but it is the ‘On Our Way’ that is my favourite. The fact that is it so unknown, when it is such as good song is why it is going to get most of the attention here. It pays homage to the good old days of rock, “Where the jams were tight/the kids could play/ the music didn’t suck/ and the bands weren’t gay.” The song is structured perfectly.  Even the ice cubes in the glass and the pouring of a drink at the beginning works. It sounds like someone is sitting you down and getting ready to tell you a story about how good the old days were. If you like rock music, you will love it.

 

 

Switches: For all the big indie bands around in the 00s, and all the classic indie albums, there was one album that trumps all of them. It is one of my favourite all time albums, and by a band that not many will remember. ‘Heart Turned to D.E.A.D’ by Switches is an absolute gem. It’s a shame they broke up after the album because there is not a single bad song on it. Not one song you could consider a ‘filler’ track. Very few albums have so many hooks and catchy songs to draw you in. Funnily enough, the album opens with the one song that you may have heard of. ‘Drama Queen’ was played quite a bit around the time of the album’s release, and also appeared on Fifa 2008. It’s a huge indie anthem with a big sing along chorus. It sets the album perfectly and prepares the listener for what is to come. Alongside the punchy guitars, there are examples of great harmony and more big, sing along choruses. ‘Lay Down the Law’ has an insanely catchy riff, beat and chorus. ‘Coming Down’ has an 80s influenced intro to die for. ‘Give Up the Ghost’ in a Queen influenced anthem with another big chorus that can’t help but sing along to. ‘The Need to be Needed’ is an epic that you can’t help but fall in love with. The lyrical narrative at the beginning and end of the song will stay and buzz round your head, until you listen to the song again. ‘Every Second Counts’ also has that hook that ensures that you keep returning to it. ‘Step Kids In Love’ has more than a little hint of Scissors Sisters about it, but is catchy none the less.  ‘Killer Karma’, my personal favourite off the album, is the penultimate track and is an absolute cracker. The chorus is so simple and easy to sing along to you can’t help turning it up and joining in. You may have grasped I am a big fan of this album. Having listened to it for the first time ages for this blog, it still sounds as good as when I first heard it. It is an album full of songs that will brighten your day.

*Can't link them all on here, but you can find them easily enough on YouTube... It's worth it

 

 

The Dandy Warhols: Having been around for about 20 years or so, had eight albums, including one of my favourite albums ever, plus a ‘Best Of’ you would have thought The Dandy Warhols would have been headlining festivals right round the globe. Sadly this is not quite the case. Now they might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but if you ‘get’ them as it were, then you’ll seriously like their brand of alternative rock. Don’t really think I’ve listened to another band like them. If you are new to the band, a best starting point is their ‘The Capitol Years 1995-2007’ album, which is essentially a chronological look through their greatest hits. It’s a great introduction, but serve it up alongside their 2000 album ‘Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia’ and if you like it you will be a fan forever. Personally I think the ’13 Tales…’ is one of the best albums of all time, it’s perfect from start to finish (as explained in a previous blog). It was the album that launched the band into the mainstream, and even though they stayed there for the next album, they appear to receded back into the underground a bit in more recent times. Because of this, I don’t think they get enough credit. Everyone knows ‘Bohemian Like You’, but songs like ‘We Used To Be Friends’ and ‘Get Off’ and ‘Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth’ show a talented band just doing what they want to do. They might not be “cool” but they write some quality songs, and that’s what matters.

 

ADDITIONAL:

I discovered these guys just the other and want to share their immense talent with you.  They are a duo called 2Cellos and consist of Luca Sulic and Stjepan Hauser from Croatia. What they do is, take a well-known song and play it on the Cello. Might not sound much when put like that, but how they do it and what it sounds like is phenomenal. My favourites are U2’s ‘With or Without You’ and AC/DC’S ‘Highway To Hell’. However there also more AC/DC covers as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Muse and Guns n Roses covers amongst others. I’ll just a small number of videos up below but honestly check them out, and explore further on YouTube.

 

 

So there you have it, just a handful of artists who some of the most underrated around at the moment.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment and share.

 

Until next time :)

 

Albums You Should Own #1

This is the first instalment of albums that you really should own, or failing that, just listen to. They’re not all necessarily albums or artists you may have heard of, but they are all personal favourites of mine. The kind of album when you’re listening to it, you don’t skip a track and you go “oh that’s a good song’ when the next one starts.

You will also hear the term ‘underrated’ quite a bit. Partly because they are.  And partly because I’m trying to give exposure to music that deserves it. Trust me you will not regret parting money for any of these albums.

 

Amy MacDonald- This Is the Life: The debut album from Scottish singer/songwriter Amy MacDonald, one of Britain’s most underrated music talents. That’s not to say she isn’t appreciated though. On the continent especially she regularly headlines festivals ahead of more ‘established’ artists that are popular in the UK. This, her debut album, released when she was just 19, is superb. It is flawless from start to finish. It starts with two singles ‘Mr Rock & Roll’ and ‘This Is the Life’, songs that will get your foot tapping, stick in your head and eventually singing along. To be fair the next track ‘Poison Prince’ will do exactly the same. ‘Youth of Today’ is a slower song, but still wonderfully written. ‘Run’, ‘Barrowland Ballroom’ and ‘L.A.’ are just perfect. They are Amy at her absolute best.  They showcase her strength as both a singer and a songwriter. ‘Let’s Start a Band’ is a slow burner, but have patience to stay the course and you’ll be rewarded. The tracks ‘A Wish for Something More’, ‘Footballer’s Wife’ and ‘The Road to Home’  the album brilliantly. It’s just a classy album. The mixture of her distinctive vocals and quality song writing make for a very strong album. I have a really downer on the X-Factor blocking the way of genuinely talented people making their way into the charts and getting the recognition they deserve, because this girl deserves to be a million times bigger than she currently is. She has released three albums so far, all of them fantastic. And she has got there through pure hard work. She really is one of the country’s hidden musical gems. You’ll realise this once you’ve given this a listen, and afterwards I guarantee you won’t be able to keep it to yourself.

Feeder- The Singles: Wasn’t sure whether to include this or not as it’s essentially a ‘Best Of So Far…’ album, but seeing as it’s one of my favourite albums, and Feeder are criminally underrated, I warrants its place. You will get no better introduction to Feeder than with this album. If you are only familiar with ‘Buck Rogers’, ‘Feeling A Moment’ and ‘Just A Day’ then you are in for a treat. This album really shows what a diversely talented band they are. Feeder have evolved from a harder, post-grunge sound in their early albums to a more radio friendly sound, and it is that sound that appears on this album. There are harder sounding songs, the likes of ‘Insomnia’, ‘Pushing the Senses’ and the brilliant ‘Seven Days in the Sun’, but there are also gentler ballads that add a wonderful balance and contrast to Feeder’s back catalogue. The likes of ‘Tender’, ‘Just the Way I’m Feeling’ and ‘Turn’ are just three such examples. Other songs that stand out are ‘Burn the Bridges’, ‘Just the Way I’m Feeling’, ‘Save Us’ and ‘Yesterday Went Too Soon’. To call just those stand out tracks though is grossly unfair, there really isn’t a bad track on the album, as you may have guessed as I’ve mentioned nearly all of them, and the argument is that there are too many songs to make just the one album. They could easily have made a double album. Once you listen to this album you will realise what an underrated and consistently brilliant band Feeder are.


Stone Gods- Silver Spoons and Broken Bones: Essentially The Darkness minus Justin Hawkins, Stone Gods so far have just the single album to their name, but it’s an absolute gem. Without Justin’s falsetto it allowed for a much sound than that from The Darkness, almost moving into metal in places, but on the whole staying in hard rock territory. ‘Burn the Witch’ is a thunderous opener with crunching riff, fist pumping chorus and finishes with a two minute instrumental. ‘Don’t Drink the Water’ and ‘You Brought a Knife to a Gun Fight’ are fantastic hard rock tracks and really keep up the impetus of a hard and fast start. ‘Magdalen Street’ then slows the pace down and is brilliantly catchy. It also shows the albums versatility, as does ‘Lazy Bones’another quieter, slower song. ‘Where You Comin’ From’, ‘I’m With the Band’, ‘Start of Something’ and ‘Making It Hard’ are all more ‘classic rock’ sounding songs. ‘Knight of the Living Dead’ just edges ‘Burn the Witch’ as the heaviest song on the album, and ‘Where ‘O My Beero?’ is a light-hearted end to the album showing that some the sense of humour from The Darkness has carried on. What makes this album so good though is its accessibility, it is very radio friendly. The vocals are very strong without being aggressive and the riffs work really well. Personally I prefer this to The Darkness, but that’s just me. If you’re a rock fan, you need to own this album. It’s one you won’t regret.

The Dandy Warhols- Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia:  An album that has it all. From the enchanting and almost psychedelic opening tracks ‘Godless’, ‘Mohammed’ and ‘Nietzsche’, to then contrast that with a ‘Country Lever’, a country sounding song. Followed by the indie sounding ‘Solid’ and the almost grunge like ‘Horse Pills’.  The next track is then another complete contrast with ‘Get Off’ being an upbeat acoustic number. The mood of the album is then changed again with ‘Sleep’ a brilliant peaceful and laid back track. ‘Cool Scene’ picks up the pace next, another more indie sounding song. The next song, ‘Bohemian like You’ is the one most people are likely to have heard, and the song that brought the band most commercial success. ‘Shakin’ is next, with this song being more difficult to define. Perhaps Indie is the right way to describe it. The album finishes with ‘The Big Indian’ and ‘The Gospel’ which rounds the album off perfectly. They are both slower, more laid back acoustic driven songs. I read somewhere once that one of the strengths of this album is the order of the tracks, and this observation is absolutely spot on. I think something would be lost from this album if the tracks were ordered differently. It’s almost as if you’re taken on a journey through the album. This album gets under your skin, it’s such a barrage of different sounds but somehow it clicks and works perfectly. You’ll have to listen to it yourself to find of out, but it is a truly brilliant album.

The Killers- Sam’s Town: Voted by Rolling Stone magazine as the most underrated album of the 00s and I wholeheartedly agree. This album is epic from start to finish.  Some people may say that it doesn’t match up to their debut ‘Hot Fuss’, and they’re right it doesn’t. It’s a far better album. Now before I go any further, I must admit it took me a while to love this album, but as with all their music, this album grew on me. And it grew on me big time. There is a more ‘rockier’ sound on Sam’s Town compared to the 80s sounding synths on ‘Hot Fuss’ and this is perhaps why people jumped to conclusions about it. Their sound changed, as it has on subsequent albums, and it is not a bad thing. There is not a single bad song or filler track on this album. The singles ‘When You Were Young’, ‘Bones’, ‘Read My Mind’ and ‘For Reasons Unknown’ give you a good taster of what’s on the album, but there is so much more. ‘Enterlude’ and ‘Exitlude’ are brilliantly simple and effective ways of opening and closing the album, while the title track is a massive state of intention and prepares the listener for what is to come. ‘Bling (Confession of a King)’, ‘Uncle Johnny’ and the phenomenal ‘This River Is Wild’ are all sing along anthems. ‘My List’ and ‘Why Do I Keep Counting’ are gentler, but they build to explosive finishes if you perceiver with them. What this album really does though is show case what a genius and brilliantly talented song writer Brandon Flowers. There are few better around at the moment.  To write down how good ‘Read My Mind’ is will not do it justice, you need to turn up the volume, close your eyes and just let the awesomeness run through your body. The same can be said of ‘This River Is Wild’. They will send shivers down your spine. “The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun…” is a beautifully poetic lyric. They are songs written from the heart, and sung with passion. I’ve seen The Killers live twice, soon to be thrice, and it sounds even better in concert. This album may be the reason that their last two albums have faced a bit of trepidation. They’re not bad albums, far from it, they are fantastic. They just haven’t topped this.

So there you go, give these a listen and there is a very good chance you will become fans of each of these artists.