Who's the most underrated artist / band in your opinion?

bayern282

Junior Boys from Hamilton Ontario release their 5th album It's All True next month, they've never made a bad tune IMO, check them out on You Tube.

DEFTLEFTHAND

JJ72 were very underrated imo. They seemed to fade away before they could properly establish themselves.

Jamie Starr

The Beatles.


I better edit this just so people know it's a joke.

Seriously though, I can't really think of an under-rated artist/band I know, because me liking the band is all that really matters. How other people see them doesn't really come in to it- I learned some time ago that trying really hard to show people how great a band is futile and makes me feel dirty.

Nolanger

The Associates - Scottish duo from the '80s. The singer killed himself. They had everything: the songs, the sounds, the image, the vocals, the musicianship. Brilliant band!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pDVXaO9YlQ

JJJJNR

The white stripes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPeuFt749l8

rcaz

JJJJNR wrote: »

The white stripes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPeuFt749l8

Seriously? They've done world tours, had so many hugely popular singles, videos all over MTV, Jack White's practically a household name, all over the place in guitar magazines, all his other bands get known off the back of the Whites Stripes' success. If anything, they're overrated, seeing as they never went anywhere past bluesy rock, basic songwriting, and standard guitar playing.

rcaz

Venetian Snares for me. I know he's got a really strong cult following and he's a bit of a legend in break core and gabber music, but the guy is an incredible composer and producer too. I can't think of anyone so meticulous. Maybe Aphex Twin comes close sometimes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqRV-jESkG8

Anything off that album.

KeanSeenan

I don't think Os Mutantes get enough credit for what they did.
Same with Guided By Voices, but if you like them then you love them..so maybe not underrated.
Contemporarily?So Cow.The Mantles.Mellowhype.

jill_valentine

El Pr0n wrote: »

Seriously? They've done world tours, had so many hugely popular singles, videos all over MTV, Jack White's practically a household name, all over the place in guitar magazines, all his other bands get known off the back of the Whites Stripes' success. If anything, they're overrated, seeing as they never went anywhere past bluesy rock, basic songwriting, and standard guitar playing.

I can't help reading this post in the precise tone of Apu trying to explain to Skinner why his idea for "Billy and the Cloneasaurus" is a non-starter.

lalee17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkJZptg-iac

The Subways. They haven't really made it out past the UK but are a great band. they have a new album coming out soon as well.

donfers

the dears spring to mind instantly

and also the burns unit who have a new album out now

ricero

kasabian there so underrated its disgraceful and a lot of people label them a lad rock football hooligan band which is complete and utter bollocks. 3 completly different sounding albums and there amazing live

sock puppet

lalee17 wrote: »

The Subways. They haven't really made it out past the UK but are a great band. they have a new album coming out soon as well.

Had/have a lot of promise imo. I was a big fan of their first album but don't like the direction they went in with All or Nothing.

thesultan

Ocean Colour Scene, Amazing live band and they actually released some fine album after 'One for the modern'.

Rory Gallagher ask 95% of people under 21 and they will say Rory who?

Small Faces never mentioned in the same breath as the beatles , stones kinks or the who but what a great outlay and what vocals from Marriott

smokedeels

El Pr0n wrote: »

Seriously? They've done world tours, had so many hugely popular singles, videos all over MTV, Jack White's practically a household name, all over the place in guitar magazines, all his other bands get known off the back of the Whites Stripes' success. If anything, they're overrated, seeing as they never went anywhere past bluesy rock, basic songwriting, and standard guitar playing.

They were essentially a Gun Club tribute band, as you say "overrated" if anything.

jill_valentine

ricero wrote: »

kasabian there so underrated its disgraceful and a lot of people label them a lad rock football hooligan band which is complete and utter bollocks. 3 completly different sounding albums and there amazing live

jefreywithonef

I'd say The New Pornographers. I've been binging on their albums for the last six months and have come to the conclusion that they're the most ebulliently poppy band ever. Neko Case plays a big part in their appeal; such an amazing powerhouse voice. Listen to the likes of Crash Years, The Bleeding Heart Show, Letter From An Occupant, Mass Romantic. Stupendous!

Anyway, they seem to be liked by the critics but not that many people seem to have heard of them - they've only 513,236 last.fm listeners. Maybe the name is a bit of a hindrance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpvqU2cmK8I

jungleland86

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Best Rock n Roll Band Bar none, victims of initial nme hype and subsequent hate campaign.

Nolanger

jungleland86 wrote: »

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Best Rock n Roll Band Bar none

JAMC tribute band!

Reganio 2

I would throw Cold War Kids in there as well. Some of their stuff is brilliant, Robbers & Cowards is a great album, and the other couple I haven't aren't shabby at all.

Mando Diao, they haven't made it out of Sweeden really, although they have a good following in Germany as well. If you are going to give them a listen I would highly recommend Dance With Somebody and Gloria. They have loads of albums which tend to move towards Rock more so than Indie really.

jungleland86

Nolanger wrote: »

JAMC tribute band!

Yes, a great example of the sort of thing lazy journalists were throwing around when they decided they weren't cool anymore.

Always thought they sounded more like early Verve/Ride than JAMC.

toxicgasmask

Hawthorne Heights- They used to do a lot of metal stuff, then one of the guys in the band died (Casey Calvert) and their new stuff is a bit different. And they are really normal guys, they know that times are tough and their concert tickets for their tour in america only cost 5 dollars. check out Ohio Is For Lovers and Rescue me, great songs

scoobyjack

thesultan wrote: »

Rory Gallagher ask 95% of people under 21 and they will say Rory who?

I agree, although things have changed drastically over the past few years.
The average ages of people going to the festival in Ballyshannon every year has dropped like a stone!

J_E

Lightning Bolt. They're noisy and unconventional, and won't appeal to 99% of people, but without doubt they have one of the most powerful duos in the world. Virtuoso bass and drum playing, a hypermegasupergroup by all accounts. Just loud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQRt5E-JJfg

It's hard to believe it's just two people sometimes. The bassist is constantly using a pitchshifter to do crazy 'guitar' lines on top of the fuzzed out bass. Wonderful Rainbow is definitely one of the best albums I own. Worth opening your mind to.

Chairman Meow

Cydoniac wrote: »

Lightning Bolt. They're noisy and unconventional, and won't appeal to 99% of people, but without doubt they have one of the most powerful duos in the world. Virtuoso bass and drum playing, a hypermegasupergroup by all accounts. Just loud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQRt5E-JJfg

It's hard to believe it's just two people sometimes. The bassist is constantly using a pitchshifter to do crazy 'guitar' lines on top of the fuzzed out bass. Wonderful Rainbow is definitely one of the best albums I own. Worth opening your mind to.

I actually rate lightning bolt as possibly the worst band ive ever heard...sorry.
I dont get what anyone could enjoy about that. Its just noise. No emotion, no feeling, just 2 people who seem to be in a competition to play faster and/or louder than the other. I like some unconventional ****, but god damn. Thats literally abysmal.

smackbunnybaby

Low are probably the most underrated band ever

DryGinBoy

Miracle Bell are a pretty underrated band, but they're only starting out...give it time

4Sheets

Besnard Lakes..unquestionably..altough they are rated very highly just not very popular ..one of those albums where you have to listen a few times to really get it and then its magic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQLiOYJBQrw

TaosHum

Maximo Park
Tokyo Police Club
Band of Horses
The National

pappyodaniel

TaosHum wrote: »

Maximo Park
Tokyo Police Club
Band of Horses
The National

None of these bands are underrated.

im...LOST

pappyodaniel wrote: »

None of these bands are underrated.

Ditto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtlcHiSHTE

H8GHOTI

TaosHum wrote: »

Maximo Park
Tokyo Police Club
Band of Horses
The National

pappyodaniel wrote: »

None of these bands are underrated.

Underrated is probably the wrong word alright.
But definitely, in the case of The National anyway, they are less well known than they should be. Maybe that's what they meant.
Another one that falls into that category would be Janelle Monae. Highly rated by many but I can't believe how she isn't more popular.
I'll stop there. This isn't the 'Who should be more popular than they are in your opinion" thread.

lordgoat

H8GHOTI wrote: »

Underrated is probably the wrong word alright.
But definitely, in the case of The National anyway, they are less well known than they should be. Maybe that's what they meant.
Another one that falls into that category would be Janelle Monae. Highly rated by many but I can't believe how she isn't more popular.
I'll stop there. This isn't the 'Who should be more popular than they are in your opinion" thread.

How more popular do you mean? I think she's a pretty big act.

She's on all the national radios during primetime shows. She played a UK tour in Feb/Mar this year and the venues she hit were the 02's in Glasgow and bristol at least, the capacity of the glasgow one is over 2000 people, that's hardly a small venue.

Same with the national, i'd expect them in the Grand Canal the next time in Dublin in not the o2. They are also playing oxegen and just played to one of the biggest crowds at primavera.

H8GHOTI

lordgoat wrote: »

How more popular do you mean? I think she's a pretty big act.

She's on all the national radios during primetime shows. She played a UK tour in Feb/Mar this year and the venues she hit were the 02's in Glasgow and bristol at least, the capacity of the glasgow one is over 2000 people, that's hardly a small venue.

Same with the national, i'd expect them in the Grand Canal the next time in Dublin in not the o2. They are also playing oxegen and just played to one of the biggest crowds at primavera.

Janelle Monae is playing 3 shows here next week. Black Box in Galway, Savoy in Cork & Tripod in Dublin and none of the 3 are sold out. She should be selling them out no problem given how good she is. Her album only reached 24 in the Irish charts. If she wasn't at Electric Picnic last year, I probably still wouldn't even know who she is. And that would be a shame.

I seen The National in the Olympia last year and they were great. I'd much prefer to see them there than the O2 but I think they should of been big enough to play there. As you say, next time they might but they've been around a good few years already.

As for radio play, I rarely listen to the radio so can't really comment too much. But anytime I do hear the radio it's usually Beyonce, Katy Perry, The Black Eyed Peas etc........... I flick through the music channels on tv regularly and I can't remember the last time I've seen a video for either of them.

lordgoat

H8GHOTI wrote: »

Janelle Monae is playing 3 shows here next week. Black Box in Galway, Savoy in Cork & Tripod in Dublin and none of the 3 are sold out. She should be selling them out no problem given how good she is. Her album only reached 24 in the Irish charts. If she wasn't at Electric Picnic last year, I probably still wouldn't even know who she is. And that would be a shame.

I seen The National in the Olympia last year and they were great. I'd much prefer to see them there than the O2 but I think they should of been big enough to play there. As you say, next time they might but they've been around a good few years already.

As for radio play, I rarely listen to the radio so can't really comment too much. But anytime I do hear the radio it's usually Beyonce, Katy Perry, The Black Eyed Peas etc........... I flick through the music channels on tv regularly and I can't remember the last time I've seen a video for either of them.

You mean in Ireland then? REM played the olympia a few years back, Ryan Adams was there two weeks ago. Henry Rollin is playing the Black Box in Galway, sometimes i find in Ireland the fact we have really good smaller venues means bigger bands are happy to play them.

The fact the JM isn't sold out does mean she's not huge in Ireland but the National sold out there 3 concerts in the olympia in less than 10 mins. It was carnage trying to get tickets for them.

H8GHOTI

lordgoat wrote: »

You mean in Ireland then?

Well, ya.

lordgoat wrote: »

...the fact we have really good smaller venues means bigger bands are happy to play them.

... the National sold out there 3 concerts in the olympia in less than 10 mins. It was carnage trying to get tickets for them.

Fair point, I remember that. A lot of unhappy people that morning.
But at the same time, would they sell 9 or 10 nights? Which is about the equivalent of the capacity of the O2.

Blackpitts

wild beasts

orourkeda

setantalive

The Frank and Walters
The Go Betweens

Bodhidharma

I think Brian Eno is one of the most underrated people in contemporary music

Anto McC

Deer Tick.
The Felice Brothers

overexcitedaj

The Dear Hunter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_xlCIGZr1g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc6fxV_vX5I

And from the new album which cuts across so many genres (Over 2.5 hours of music)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juMs_Tamj0A

Listening to him alot over the past month and he is fast becoming a favourite artist of mine. Just incredable musicianship

Anto McC

The Hold Steady

One_Armed_Dwarf

I think Arab Strap were seriously underrated when they were around, I know they have abit of a cult following but i've only ever met about 3 people who have even heard of them! The Shy Retirer would probably be one of their best known songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwvqUeosajs

handsomecake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-CukK3eYt0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcc07MyG1aU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpaPBCBjSVc

its perverse to me ,that the script play the aviva and a band like this plays tripod.

these guys are phenomenal musicians and ooze cool.

Nolanger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1g2zQoD4oA

DirtyLeeds

Mansun

H8GHOTI

Re: The National

This probably says more about the Oxegen crowd than anything else but it looks like a fairly bad turnout for them.
And Pendulum headlined that stage over them.

Bodhidharma

H8GHOTI wrote: »

Re: The National

This probably says more about the Oxegen crowd than anything else but it looks like a fairly bad turnout for them.
And Pendulum headlined that stage over them.

That is brutal in fairness. They are a great band and particularly good live. I guess they are just not 'in' with the oxegen crowd

H8GHOTI

Bodhidharma wrote: »

That is brutal in fairness. They are a great band and particularly good live. I guess they are just not 'in' with the oxegen crowd

They clashed with Beyonce and Chase & Status, who I suppose were bigger draws.

lordgoat

Beyonce was the biggest draw of the weekend, if i was there having seen the National about 8 times, i'd probably have gone to check her out and came back for the end of the National.

It's not the crowd at The National i'd be concerned over more the overall numbers being down dramatically. I can see there being big changes made for next year. Jim Carroll posted about this as well today and i agree with him.