What "unheard-of" bands do you like?

A girl I used to be 'friendly' with knows a local Manchester/Wigan band called Laeka, got some really good songs, influenced by Radiohead and Muse mainly :)
 
Arcade Fire said:
I should probably put a disclaimer in to prevent anyone quoting this and saying that none of them are unknown at all, but I can't be bothered. Oh well!

Indie stuff:

Clann Zú - Irish band who mix electronic beats with rock guitar and traditional Irish melodies. Recommend very highly.
Denali - Portishead-like lead singer, beautiful voice, heavy, crunchy guitars.
The Folk Implosion - Lou Barlow from Sebadoh's side project. As the name suggests, it's more gentle and delicate than his other stuff.
Kepler - Chilled out indie bliss.
The National - Kind of new-wavey stuff, I think this is a one man band from America? Think The Killers, only better.
Stars - If you like Arcade Fire then you should LOVE these guys. Beatifully sweet indie-pop with an electronic edge.
Unicorns - This is just weird! They sing songs about unicorns and jelly and rainbows. It's quite simple, but oddly addictive.
The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower - Pretty raucous indie rock music with screams and shouts and cool basslines.
The Fatales - Great singalong indie pop.
Please Inform The Captain This Is A Hijack - They have a fantastic name. Nuff said.
All Girl Summer Fun Band - Absolutely the BEST happy summertime music ever. Everybody should hear these girls!
Ghosts and Vodka -Luuuuuush pop music! Listen ok?
Bright Calm Blue - Really catchy indie scream/shout stuff in the dancepunk stylee. Does that even make sense?
Arab Strap - Gloriously melancholy Scottish duo with wonderful lilting lyrics.
Broken Social Scene - 37 members made up of all of the best bands in Canada. I think you need to listen to them.
By Symmetry - The only thing I have by them is one four-track recording made in 1990-something but it's really great. Think Pavement but less rambly.
Help She Can't Swim - Boy/girl scream/shout catchy/punky with great song titles.
IMA Robot - Really poppy and upbeat with incredibly infectious melodies.
Jill Brazil Crazy psycho bugs-bunny-on-acid freakout jazz/rock/mathematics/morse code/saxophones. I really don't know how to describe this but I think you need to hear it.
Architecture in Helsinki - Sweet electronic pop with beeps and clicks and whistles and a voice to die for.
Animal Collective - Early stuff is pretty weird but they seem to have learnt how to structure a song on their newer albums, which is nice. Great, if unconventional.
Self - Canadian, slightly off-kilter pop-rock. Good lyrics. 'Paint By Numbers' is a good representative track if you can find it.

Emo/screamo/hardcore/whatever:

Yaphet Kotto
Envy
A Day In Black & White
City Of Caterpillar
La Quiete
Dawn Treader
Swarrrm
The Fall Of Troy
Amanda Woodward
HORSE The Band
Hot Cross
Kaospilot
Pg.99
Portrait
Helen of Troy
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A lot of good bands in there :)
I was going to say Yaphet Kotto as hardly anyone in the UK that I've met has heard of them (apart from Arcade Fire ofc :p)

For me:

[masse] - awesome post-rock
The Evpatoria Report - awesome post-rock
Shora - awesome post-rock
Paik - awesome post-rock
Einsturzende Neubauten - weird German industrial stuff using all kinds of things as "instruments"
90 Day Men - awesome post-rock-esque stuff with great piano parts
Ray Gelato - Dean Martin type stuff
Yellowjackets - amazing jazz
Lydia - simply mindblowing emo-esque stuff, probably the best album I've heard so far this year
Yndi Halda - amazing post-rock
1905 - punk with male and female vocals, works very well
Soledad Brothers - awesome blues stuff
Transistor Transistor - screamo
Ytcracker - nerd rap!
Gay For Johnny Depp - punk with odd sampling
Indian Summer - awesome emo
People Under The Stairs - awesome hip-hop
Eastern Youth - crazy Japanese rock band (did a split with Cursive)
Funeral Diner - awesome hardcore/emo
Amanatra - punk with some post-rock influenced breakdowns
Navajo Code - amazing punk (so good live)
Brigade - The older brother of Charlie from Busted's band (it's good stuff)
Dallas Green - side-project of one of the vocalist from Alexisonfire (acoustic guitar stuff)
Ephel Duath - hardcore/metal with jazz influences ala Gospel
Jaga Jazzist - chilled jazz
Murder By Death - amazing post-hardcore/post-rock type stuff
Secret Lives Of The Freemasons - punk/emo
The Fat Cats - ska/swing/jazz
I Am The Avalanche - punk with a pop feel
Clikatat Ikatowi - screamo

Can't be bothered to write proper descriptions, too tired!

If you went to America those bands would be known a lot more, but in the UK I don't find that many people who know of them.
 
chrisd said:
You listened to much Built To Spill by the way? It seems that i'm the only one who ever mentions them. :confused:
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I haven't listened to them much, no. I was made aware of them at the same time as someone mentioned Modest Mouse to me, about five years ago, and I listened to them a bit. They were unfortunately overshadowed by the sheer power of the Mouse, though.
 
Carzy said:
A lot of good bands in there :)
I was going to say Yaphet Kotto as hardly anyone in the UK that I've met has heard of them (apart from Arcade Fire ofc :p)

...stuff...
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Carzy is so much more underground than I am ;)
 
Rednut05 said:
I saw Yellowcard quite early on supporting Less Than Jake in Brixton.
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I saw them playing out the back of a van, on the Vans Warped Tour in 2003 ;)

Bands i listen to at the moment that might be unknown... at least maybe over here.

The Suicide Machines
Big D & the Kids Table
Stray Bullets
Ten Foot Pole
Captain Everything
Howards Alias
The Living End
Something Corporate
 
Only artist that I can immediately think of and like that may be underground(I'd never heard of him before I bought the albulm) is C-Rayz Walz, good rapper with some excellent beats and a couple of sly digs at other more famous rappers such as Jay-Z which really made me smile when I got them.

Roisin Murphy - ex lead singer from Moloko had a great albulm out last year as well and she may have been forgotten enough about to count as underground or unknown but maybe I'm just clutching at straws around all you cool kids :p :)
 
Arcade Fire said:
Indie stuff:

The National - Kind of new-wavey stuff, I think this is a one man band from America? Think The Killers, only better.
Stars - If you like Arcade Fire then you should LOVE these guys. Beatifully sweet indie-pop with an electronic edge.
Arab Strap - Gloriously melancholy Scottish duo with wonderful lilting lyrics.
Broken Social Scene - 37 members made up of all of the best bands in Canada. I think you need to listen to them.
IMA Robot - Really poppy and upbeat with incredibly infectious melodies.
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Of Arcade Fire's mahoosive list these I have heard of, and wholeheartedly recommend. IMA Robot are awesome.

My additions:
The Eaves - Warm, atmospheric, dreamy indie-pop. If you like The Go-Betweens or The Concretes you should like this.
The Constantines - Gritty, darkish alternative rock. Very listenable.
The Dishes - All-girl poppy garage rock from Chicago (please do not compare with that crap British girl-band that came out not long ago, I forget the name). Great hooks, catchy songs.
The Star Spangles - Ramonesy-Replacementsy punk-pop, which I suppose doesn't sound all that original, but a good listen nonetheless.
Erin McKeown - This lady is simply marvellous. I can't think of a better word. She can handle such a wide range of styles, folk-pop, country, jazz, wonderful, charming melodies, with an impossibly lovely voice (IMO).
The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Inconsistent, but have got some very decent shoegazing, lo-fi, and more upbeat stuff.
Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Scottish indie-pop, jaunty, quirky, well written songs. I really like these guys.

Edit: And for the willy-waving, I'll add that I heard Secret Machines, We Are Scientists, The Kooks, Billy Talent, Kasabian and Delays before anyone else I knew. :p
 
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I heard of the arctic monkeys ages before they became 'hip n trndy n tht'
I hated them then and I do now. But what cemented it was the fact they wouldn't play a gig (At the arena in boro (2 floors)) if my friends band were on upstairs. Pretty sad IMO...
I also like Dartz! and stories and comets. I'm sure nobody will have heard of them.

Edit: Surely most people have heard of dogs die in hot cars?!
 
16
Warrior Soul
Trouble
Paw
16 Horsepower (that's not a typo from above)
Headswim
Jets To Brazil
Karma To Burn

I'm gonna quit now, this is a bit depressing.
 
Camel - British band, 25 years in existence, around 30 albums, sometimes 3 in one year, touring all over the world, yet ask around in UK - completely unheard of.
 
A5H said:
Edit: Surely most people have heard of dogs die in hot cars?!
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Depends on who 'most' people are! :)

I know 2 people who have heard of them (outside of these, and some music forums I'm on), that's it. And anyway, they can be included in the bands that I listened to before they became (relatively) more well known. :p
 
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the butterfly effect - there kinda an austrailian light metal outfit that i really enjoy - there not that unheard of (ie you can buy there album from shops and ive seen a video of theres once) but nobody i know likes them or has even heard of them bar the 1's ive told
 
I've never really listened to any band that was "unheard of" only possible ones are:

Jack off Jill > Scarling and possibly Dragonforce
 
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