I've always enjoyed stumbling across great albums long after they have been released, especially albums from unknown artists. I put together a list of albums that I feel are fantastic, but unfortunately have remained well below the radar of the mainstream music listener. A few of the records are from this year, but most of them are from the late '90s and early 2000s. My hope is that a few people will discover some of these artists for the first time and become instant fans.
1. Cush - SP3
Cush is what you would call a supergroup. Various members come from The Prayer Chain, LSU, Honey, Fold Zandura, Duraluxe, Bloomsday, The Lassie Foundation, Adam Again, Starflyer 59, The Violet Burning, and The Choir. If that is not the ultimate collection of musicians, then I do not know what is. This is their first album in nearly ten years. It just might be their best one yet. Continue
2. Pilgrim - S/T
There is something liberating about hearing a song that moves you. It is a sort of drug for someone like myself. I am constantly searching for music that hits me deep down inside. It is always a victory when I find an album like Pilgrim. Pilgrim is Josh White, formerly of Telecast and The Followers. He moved into the genre of electropop with a product that should have been a great success. Continue
3. Bernard - A View Beyond the Cave
I do not even know where to start. This is one of those CDs that you just cannot get enough of. Bernard has a great emo-type sound, but they seem to take off where most emo bands leave off. Their piano-heavy guitar rock hits a nerve. With this deep of a sound, it is hard to believe these guys are a three-piece. Continue
4. Wayne Everett - KingsQueens
A while back I reported in a review that The Lassie Foundation, one of the best pop bands you have never heard, had finally decided to call it quits after releasing their best record, The El Dorado LP. Given the distinguished careers of the band's musicians, it is unsurprising that all of them went on to other projects. Drummer Frank Lenz released an album of blue-eyed soul with The Hot Stuff, while guitarist Eric Campuzano pursued a Flying Saucer Attack direction with his drone project Charity Empressa. Continue
5. Ecovillage - With Fragile Wings We Reach the Sun
Ecovillage is the electronica-shoegaze outfit of Emil Holmstrom and Peter Wikstrom, who hail from Sweden. With Fragile Wings We Reach the Sun is their second full-length release. From the start, the album is simply fantastic. There is nothing that comes close to being considered filler. The entire album is essentially a sound collage, with every song as good as the previous song or better. I have not been this excited about discovering a new band in a very long time. Continue
6. Ester Drang - Infinite Keys
"Wispy." By definition, it means someone or something thin, frail, or slight; a thin or faint streak or fragment, as of smoke or clouds; a fleeting trace or indication, a hint, or a suggestion. I do not think I could possibly come up with a better word to describe Infinite Keys, the second album by Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's Ester Drang. Continue
7. Honey - Three
Honey's Three is one of those all-too-rare love-life soundtrack albums. While Dashboard Confessional's albums are soundtracks to a tortured love life, and Further Seems Forever's album is a soundtrack to a long-distance love life, Three is a soundtrack to a wistful, longing, romantic love life.
8. The Autumns - Angel Pool
The Autumns' debut album, Angel Pool, is an entrancing set of dream pop that draws heavily from the swelling feedback of My Bloody Valentine and the ethereal harmonies of the Cocteau Twins. Often, the group's sound takes precedence over its songwriting, but it is hard not to get swept up in the cascading sound. This is a great album. That is all that has to be said. Continue
9. Other Desert Cities - On the Verge of Collapsing
It is not too often that I stumble across a grouping of songs that absolutely leaves me breathless. Well, guess what? It has happened once again. When I listen to On the Verge of Collapsing, I imagine myself sitting on the front porch of my family's cabin up in the mountains, sipping hot chocolate with a nice fire burning in the front yard. Continue
10. The Listening - Transmission 1
The Listening's Transmission 1 may contain only four songs, but it feels far more substantial than its short running time suggests. The EP blends atmospheric alternative rock, electronic textures, and Gabriel Wilson's expressive vocals into music that sounds both intimate and expansive. "When" and "Prayer in the Dark" wrestle honestly with faith, doubt, and unanswered prayers, while "The End" and "Fight With You" bring a stronger sense of urgency. Mysterious, spiritual, and emotionally charged, Transmission 1 is a brief but powerful reminder of what made The Listening such a distinctive band. Continue
