| Author | Message | ||
     Peter Senning Member Username: Peter_senning Post Number: 5 Registered: 05-2005 |
Inspired by John Flood's post I would like to start up another thread about bands and artists, that may not be well known, but ought to appeal to fans of The Go-Betweens. In the other thread I've learnt about many interesteing bands I had never heard about before and I'm looking forward to an enjoyable research. But this thread is not restricted to Australia. So let me start out by mentioning Cowboy Junkies from Canada (http://www.cowboyjunkies.com/) and The Clientele from the UK (http://www.theclientele.co.uk/). I can also highly recommend http://www.allmusic.com/ as a starting point for information about bands. This site is generally a better introduction than the band's own site. It has an excellent intra-site search engine and very useful cross references to other artists sorted in three categories: "Similar Artists", "Influenced by", and "Followers". BTW, http://www.allmusic.com/ doesn't have a reference between Cowboy Junkies and The Go-Betweens, but in my humble opinion these bands have a similar appeal. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 84 Registered: 10-2004 |
well, speaking of bands with 'cowboy' in the name, how about cowboys international? certainly fit into the "ignored" category, seeing as how long it took me to discover them. i'd never heard of this band 'til this year, when on a whim i picked up their 1979 album, 'original sin' from the dollar bin. and it quickly climbed the ranks in my collection to become one of the coolest albums i've ever heard. might be a bit too new wave-y or post-punk for some people on this board, but geez, the fusion of slighty art-damaged bowie-circa-'low' synths and guitars with hook after hook of pure, catchy pop is quite impressive. as for other ignored bands - anyone here like shack's first album 'zilch'? i wasn't a huge shack fan 'til i heard this album (another dollar bin find) and it continues to blow me away. i think 'zilch' would appeal to a lot of go-betweens fans, as it offers shimmery, well-crafted melodic guitar pop that sits comfortably between echo and the bunnymen and 16LL. it's impossible to find, but a japanese label just reissued it with a lot of great extra tracks. and the michael head album 'wonderful world of the strands,' is something i've been listening to quite a bit this past year, and another record that no one seems to know or care about. while taking a break from shack (on a heroin binge, sadly) he came up with this beautiful, tasteful baroque record that's not unlike nick drake's work in a lot of ways. anyone like the room? i found out about them through the les tempes modernes site, which reissued their albums on cd last year. their album "in evil hour" is positively beautiful, again, with it's ringing, catchy melodic guitars, something that a few people here might like. this particular album has a few songs that are reminiscent of felt, with its lush organ and nicely textured guitars. kind of a weird band when you look at their entire output, but 'in evil hour' is a cool record, which happened to be partially produced by tom verlaine (along with john porter). and whenever these "ignored band" threads pop up, i inevitably bring up the sound and microdisney (not to mention cathal coughlan). | ||
| Graham Twyford Member Username: Graham_twyford Post Number: 14 Registered: 05-2005 |
How about Pernice Brothers - nothing but sheer brilliance and new album out this week. Highly recommended and a surefire hit with GB fans. Another ferociously brilliant band were 'Whipping Boy' from Dublin - if you can get your hands on 'Heartworm' you won't be disappointed. Other honourable mentions: Popsicle, Marion, Matthew Sweet, Mojave 3 - check out the album 'Spoon & Rafter'. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 45 Registered: 03-2005 |
Moving back a bit to "cowboy" bands, I'll put in a tip for Cowboy Nation, the latest (I think) project of the Kinman brothers, Chip and Tony, who started their musical careers in the Los Angeles punk scene back in the late 70s as the Dils. They then introduced cow-punk with Rank and File--the first album is particularly worthwhile--and now the two of them play together on acoustic instruments with one understated drummer. They have a handful of very listenable records. I must thank the GoBees' management or record label in Europe or whoever it was who matched Tim Keegan with them in Paris in 2003. He's a fine songwriter and his band, Departure Lounge, have produced a small handful of highly moving records perhaps weakened a bit by their irresistable urges to cut instrumental pieces. One album--"Jetlag Dreams"--is all instrumental. I recommend "Too Late to Die Young" or the eponymous album with Keegan's cover of Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know." I'm very much enjoying my still-unfolding introduction to Felt, many thanks to Jeff Whitaker for that. | ||
| James Member Username: James Post Number: 19 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'd like to recommend two Leeds acts that are brilliant but very lowly in terms of commercial success. Being 747 http://www.being747.co.uk - Aviation influenced pop - with a hint of the sea-side Benjamin Weatherill - Celebrating pastoral traditions alongside those of pre-1950's pop, Benjamin performs a range of original and borrowed material from Formby to the bitter-sweet and for the past year has secured his position as 'one of the most unique performers Leeds has to offer'. Adept at entertaining a variety of audiences across England and Ireland, via radio or onstage performance, from folk clubs to rock venues and armed with only a guitar and a little ukulele, Benjamin enchants the listener into a warm submission. http://www.benjaminwetherill.co.uk/ | ||
| James Member Username: James Post Number: 21 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kevin Tihista's Red Terror, a friend gave me a copy of his debut album 'Don't Breathe a Word'. It's really good | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 29 Registered: 04-2005 |
This is coming from a U.S. West Coast perspective: I'd nominate Barbara Manning as one of the most criminally overlooked performers. Solo and with the bands 28 Day, World of Pooh, SF Seals, and Go-Luckys, she's made many albums of personal folk-rock colored by her love of music well outside the mainstream (the Fall, Young Marble Giants, NZ bands like the Bats, the Chills, the Clean, etc.). Also, one could argue that Liz Phair practically stole her early ('Exile in Guyville') style from early '90s Manning. Recommended albums: 'One Perfect Green Blanket/Lately I Keep Scissors,' 'In New Zealand,' and '1212.' She also made an obscure album of mostly cover versions of songs of Stuart Moxham and Jon Langford (both of whom play on the album) called 'Sings with the Original Artists.' Worth checking out... |