Again I can write pages and pages on anything of REAL music and musicians but I gotta keep it quick and simple to avoid a nonstop avalanche of typing. Especially since all this is extremely subjective conversation.
Most Underrated (to me): The Cult. Yes they've had many lineup changes over the years but they have a power duo of Billy Duffy and Ian Astbury. Between them two they've carved out such a wide variety of unique albums and continue to do so. Billy Duffy is not just another shredding guitar player. He's got a very unique talent of creating amazing riffs and grooves to really set the mood in every song. Plus he just looks so freaking cool when he plays. Add to that Ian Astbury's wide range of vocal prowess. He can sing high, low, something in between and mix it up in every song and album. Power duos like that are very highly underrated in music in general. Duos like Joe Perry and Steven Tyler (or even Joe Perry and Brad Whitford), Slash & Izzy Stradlin, Angus Young and Malcom Young, the list goes on and on. Hell even trios like Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. As great as Jimi was those 3 albums wouldn't be anything like they were without Mitch and Noel hands down.
Here I go again (not a Whitesnake reference but still a great band too) going on a rant. To wrap up The Cult are highly underrated. I've seen them many times live and each time I was in pure music bliss. In 2016 I was ridiculously spoiled to see them open for Guns N'Roses during the first run of the "Not In This Lifetime Tour". I was that guy in the stands just losing my mind during The Cult's set like they were the headlining band
@Bizaster I don't believe Soundgarden are that underrated. Maybe a little but I believe any real music fan would at least acknowledge them in some form. Especially Chris Cornell's vocal ability. I really do like them but I only have 3 of their albums: Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, and Down on the Upside. I love those albums front to back but I'll admit I have a lot of catching up to do with their catalog. I did follow Chris Cornell when he was in Audioslave. Those 3 albums were killer.
This fire is burning and it's out of control. It's not a problem you can stop it's Rock and Roll!!!
@jump LOL very true. About 2 years ago I purchased my first jazz album (George Benson's "Bad Benson"). As I listened to it I remember thinking there was a time when jazz was all the rage and jazz musicians and jazz fans were disgusted when rock & roll steamrolled in
This fire is burning and it's out of control. It's not a problem you can stop it's Rock and Roll!!!
Today’s question is:
What is an UNDERRATED BAND you wish more people listened to?
I have quite a few bands I wish were more popular. Cake, Barenaked Ladies, Counting Crows, the pillows, and more.
Another one that might be a controversial pick is Soundgarden. They’re one of my fave bands of all time, and I know they were REALLY popular in the 90’s, but I feel like no one knows who they are now (which isn’t the case for Nirvana and Pearl Jam).
What about you guys?
Genuine question what's under rated? Cake (who are awesome) play to crowds of thousands and millions of people know The Big Bang Theory song by Barenaked Ladies. If I think of bands I like that play in small clubs then I don't think they work as well in say a stadium or an arena and I can list a bunch of great British bands you yanks don't know so are they under rated?
In the sense I think these bands should be playing bigger venues or be higher up the festival line up I'd say;
Moscow Death Brigade, they are just bonkers and I try explaining them to people but they think I'm joking.
Body Count, how can a band fronted by Ice T a global star not be playing at least 1k+ venues (in the UK at least)?!?!
Streetlight Manifesto, they are just a truly amazing band but they seem pigeon holed as just another ska band sadly.
Never Not Nothing, these guy will be big soon when covid is over.
The Skints, music fusion at its very best and I don't understand how they don't have a bigger following!
Kt Tunstall, now she can legit rock but some of her music is too much for the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack crowd and that kind of indie crowd doesn't have a strong footing as it once did in the UK.
Creeper, another band that felt like they were on the verge of being big until coivd delayed it.
The Wildhearts, they are a weird one as their last album got to like number 10 in the charts but they don't seem to have fans outside of their own fanbase if that makes sense.
Are there any European festival goers in this thread? I’ve always wanted to go to Rock am Ring, it’s probably the only festival I haven’t done which I would want to unlike something like Coachella which is a big one but I’m not fussed by it at all.
With coivd I’ve definitely missed going to gigs and festivals and I’m thinking about hitting Rock am Ring just incase another coivd or whatever happens and may not get the chance to
Underrated would definitely be either The Appleseed Cast or Planes Mistaken For Stars.
Appleseed have been going for 20+ years and range from Sunny Day Real Estate-ish emo through to ambient, shoegaze, indie rock. Every album is different and quite brilliant.
Planes are just a rock & roll juggernaut. If you're into grunge-type music, I'd recommend starting with their 'Mercy' LP. Their self-titled debut EP is melodic hardcore and the rest ranges from ferocious punk to balls-out rock and roll.
Underrated is an odd thing because it kinda depends on who you're asking I guess. But I guess in general you'd say "underrated" is stuff you think is better than other people do? Which is pretty much anything you're into I guess? Anyways.... couple of bands I haven't seen in this thread yet.
Idles
King Gizzard (feel free to dive into the neverending rabbit hole that is their discography)
Does Pond still count as rock? I'm going to say yes so I can rep Perth without pointing to Tame Impala
Also @jump can be happy because these are all from the last few few years
@skywake IDLES and King Gizzard & The Electric Wizzard are quality!
Although IDLES in their home country aren't under rated imo, they are big over here now. They have taken me by surprise as they have gotten so big so quickly, it was only 3/4 years ago I saw them play the back of a pub now they play 10k+ venues, it's mental. It's even got to the point where I picked up a normal newspaper and they did an article about a feud IDLES were having with another band called Fat White Family over "working class appropriation". This is kinda what I want from music where it causes conversations that aren't black or white.
The frontman from IDLES has recently teamed up with another artists I really like Frank Carter to release this song a month ago.
I'm not against old bands, I listen to The Clash, Rage Against The Machine, AC/DC and The Cure almost religiously plus some of my favourite gigs of all time have been Blondie, Pixies, Sex Pistols and The Specials (actually Rage Against The Machine, AC/DC and The Cure were fun live too) however the oldies but goodies are never exciting to me as finding a new band to listen to.
@jump
Yeah, I agree. I'd also argue that King Gizzard are even more "rated" than Idles although hard to tell how much by given I'm more exposed to Australian stuffs. Probably could've gone with something like Ringo Deathstarr for "underrated" but.... would that be more underground? Undiscovered?
They're definitely dismissed by critics as "just another MBV clone". Which they are, but I don't care
@skywake King Gizzard are fairly big here in the UK too, just not as big as IDLES. They aren't gonna be getting high spots on festivals and I won't see someone wearing their band shirt at the pub but they do have a following in the UK.
Ringo Death Star are more underground I'd say, I actually forgot they existed to be honest. They are one of those bands that get attention for their first breakthrough album but then the casual listeners will just drop off leaving a cult like fanbase. I think I listen to about 50+ bands just like that. lol
@Bizaster Just to confuse things further, a grunge playlist popped up on my recommended list on Spotify earlier - probably after I'd listened to a couple of 90s rock playlists or 'liked' some Nirvana or something - and on that list was Blind Melon and Smashing Pumpkins! I've never heard of either of them described as grunge before. If distorted guitars are a defining feature of grunge I'd say that pretty much rules out Blind Melon. Could maybe argue that Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins were close(ish) to grunge, but still not a band I'd associate with the genre.
Wovenhand - Refractory Obdurate - Hiss
Love Battery - Dayglo - Out Of Focus
Godzillionaire - Negative Balance - The Solution is Laughable
Fireside - Uomini D'onore - Ambulance
Reg Fang - Murder The Mountains - Dirt Wizard
As others said, it's a tough one to pin down. But if I was really pushed I'd probably go with Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun. Then go with Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm) as my favourite track, and even more specifically the bit towards the end where the strings fade and you're just consumed by noise while the paino plays the outro
Some playlists: Top All Time Songs, Top Last Year
"Don't stir the pot" is a nice way of saying "they're too dumb to reason with"
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