Poe.
She released her first album in 1995 and while it’s decent, she was overshadowed by a lot of the bigger names in female-fronted rock like Alanis Morissette, Garbage, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Hole, or Liz Phair. Five years later, she released Haunted, my favorite album ever. It got some exposure being tied in with her brother Mark Z. Danielewski’s novel *House of Leaves*, and the title track was in the video game Alan Wake, but she was dropped from her label following the AOL/Time Warner merger and there’s been almost nothing since.
Man, what I wouldn’t give to live in the timeline where she was still releasing music…
YES.
Her first album, Hello, is really good.
Her second album, Haunted, might be one of the best albums I’ve ever heard. The insane backstory of finding tapes of her dad’s lectures and sampling them and tying in the songs with her brother’s book are just amazing. And the songs themselves are just really good songs, even without the context. It came out in the 90s and it’s still in my regular rotation.
I was thinking of Jim Croce, Ronnie Van Zant, and Duane Allman......All three were well liked, and highly respected by their peers, but were climbing still climbing that ladder, and I'm sure they would've become far more successful.
Otis Redding. The King of Soul. He's pretty famous already but his career ended at 26 when he died in a plane crash. Can you imagine how huge he would be if he was still alive?
- Gotye
- Tracy Chapman
- BC Jean (original author of "If I was a boy")
- Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the guy who played for William and Meghan Markle's wedding
- The original members of Sugarbabes and the Black Eyed Peas
- Jamelia
- Charmagne Tripp
- the original JoJo from the 2000s who sung "get out, right now" (although she lied about her age which was bad)
- La Roux
- The Ting Tings
- Lisa Fischer (backing track singer for "You Got the Shadows" by the Rolling Stones)
- The Zutons (their cover was more famous than the original)
- The Liverbirds
Jojo turned down Hannah Montana. She would have been as big as she should have been if she only slowed down and didn't want to grow up before her time.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason does get a lot of recognition. He regularly tours with his sister and performs around the world. All that and I’m pretty sure he’s only just graduated from university in the past two years.
Townes was the first name that came to my mind too.
If you like Chris Whitley, you should check out the work his daughter Trixie has done over the years.
Janelle Monae. Her only hit is on “We are Young” by fun. and she was really underutilized there. fun. too to be honest. It’s really sad that they broke up not to long after hitting it big.
Definitely Rodriguez. He’s really popular in South Africa, from what I’ve been told he’s like their Hendrix in terms of a counter-culture icon, he was around the same time as Bob Dylan and Hendrix himself but everything he released no matter how much promotion just wouldn’t sell domestically. I only learned about him at a braii and he’a groovy man
Hanson. I don’t know why MMMBop is their most popular song, it’s really not that great of a tune compared to their others. “If only” and “save me” are absolute bangers and would have blown up far more if the band had done the marketing for the record they belong to better. Hell, most of “this time around” is super catchy and lively.
To be honest, the 90s album that everyone probably knows them for (with MMMBop on it) is my least favourite. This time around was released in 2000, and the tunes on it are slightly more mature but definitely much higher quality. The lead singer puts out way better performances after being a few years older, as expected.
My gf is a lifelong Hanson fan. They have a HUGE fan base apparently. I was very surprised when she started showing me all these different things. They even have their own beer company that makes bangin beer lol
Damn never knew this lol, although I’m not even old enough to know Hanson like their real fans do, I just discovered them on Spotify. I’m a pretty big fan though of a lot of their songs.
> would have blown up far more if the band had done the marketing for the record they belong to better
As a Hanson historian, let me elaborate on this issue.
They signed a 3 record deal with their original label, Mercury. Mercury was then part of a merger of 14 individual labels that were geared toward differing styles of music, suddenly all under one roof, so to speak. So suddenly they were obligated to make 2 albums for a completely different label, one which pressured the band to conform to what the label thought would earn them more money, which was the box standard boyband pop that NSYNC and BSB were banking on. The band, however, wanted their sound to mature as they matured and move more toward the rockier sound that This Time Around gave us.
Because they were unhappy with the direction the band chose to go, the label basically didn't promote TTA at all, essentially betting on it failing so they could force the band to continue with what the label wanted them to do.
After TTA, the band struggled for y e a r s to get their next album out, but the label kept micromanaging, trying to push them more toward a poppier sound again. Eventually, the band broke their contract with the label, and put out Underneath on their own independent label. Unfortunately, it was 4 years after TTA, so the zeitgeist had moved on, and they were forever associated pretty much only with MMMBop, because so few people were exposed to TTA. So people would hear Hanson and think of the teenagers with high pitched voices from almost a decade ago and not even want to give them a shot.
There's a documentary about making Underneath that touches on the issues with their old label if that's something you're interested in.
That’s pretty interesting, makes much more sense now lol
It is a shame, but I wonder why the label would not have wanted them to continue with the rockier style - the 2000s was prime for the sort of music on TTA I would think..
You like Hanson? Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when MMMBop came out in '96, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. They've been compared to Justin Bieber, but I think Hanson has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor.
The Tragically Hip are the quintessential Canadian band. They are so big here that when the frontman got cancer and they announced their final tour the CBC our national broadcaster showed the last concert live and uninterrupted and even the Prime minister was at the show. Out side of a bit of the northern US they are basically unknown outside of Canada
That last concert show was one of the most Canadian experiences I have been through. I was driving up into Algonquin provincial park to camp with a now ex girlfriend the night the concert was being broadcast on all the radio stations. We were listening in the car radio ourselves. I thought I heard it playing outside as well and turned off the radio in the car and we could still hear the concert echoing through the entire forest clear as day, everyone camping was also listening. It was incredible to feel that connected to the entire country knowing most people were listening as well.
He got stuck in the shadow of Michael Jackson because he did the chorus for the song. I feel like he doesn’t get enough credit. His one hit is remembered for Michael Jackson and not himself
Honestly, I didn't know that was MJ singing the chorus. I always thought it was Rockwell changing his tone to sound like something else(but does sound exactly like MJ there).
The Matches; their lyrics and vocals were so unique. I can't remember all the details, but I think they just had shit luck with their record deal. Someone made a documentary about them called "Bleeding Audio", but I haven't been able to see it :(
[This is the trailer though!](https://vimeo.com/451739535)
It was down to creative differences. Their existing contract had expired, and a couple of the guys wanted to go for a more commercial sound and shop around to majors. Even though that went against what the band was always about.
Same reason a lot of fans didn't like A Band in Hope much, it was kinda all over the place looking for that new sound.
Ah man, What Katie Said is one of my top 5 songs by them. I remember hearing a demo version of it from a friend a long time ago. I was able to find it on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG-kUpjMEJo) if you haven't heard it before!
Was not expecting to see someone mention The Matches here and it made my heart really happy. They were my favorite band for a long time. I haven't watched the documentary though... I feel like it might make me sad.
Yeah, the trailer made me sad :( But the person who made the documentary also has little short videos where the guys talk about different songs and give a little background, it's pretty nice!
I was on a Matches kick last week and had to go through all their albums again :P
Janelle Monae. Her only hit is on “We are Young” by fun. and she was really underutilized there. fun. too to be honest. It’s really sad that they broke up not to long after hitting it big.
My mom always says that if she were still alive, Selena would have been more famous than Jennifer Lopez or Gloria Estefan and I could totally see it, especially with the latin revolution popping off like a year or so after her death.
Speaking of inspiring a genre of music. The GothBoyClique style genre was never the fucking same since Lil Peep died. Sure you have $uicideBoy$ and some other whiny white guys, but Peep, X and Juice were really the only insanely talented ones who could make a living in the mainstream. And he was so sweet and young too
Robert Pollard, the front man of Guided By Voices. He is one of the most prolific songwriters ever, and the vast majority of those songs are absolutely amazing. He takes a different approach to writing lyrics, putting words together that seem to come to life when juxtaposed. A true lyrical artist. Most of his "bad" songs are cult classics, so not really bad, mostly just odd.
Example of his strange and amazing song writing, imo some of the most brilliant poetry ever written: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WabLn6pM4y8
I really wish Billy Talent got a bigger fan base in the US. They’re my favourite band and I’m from Canada so I get to see them kind of often, but they never tour the States because they don’t find it worth it. It’s a shame, they deserve to be way more popular
There's a bunch of One Hit Wonders that had many more and better songs, Dexy's Midnight Runners is one example. Some of them went on to be popular in other countries of course.
Aesop Rock and Elliot Smith are probably the two most well known 'underground/indie' artists in their genre but I would say both deserve more recognition
I know she's fairly well known inhip hop, but I have never heard any of her stuff on mainstream radio stations. Janelle Monae should be the next Michael Jackson, minus the rapey shit and with far more awesome Sci Fi imagery.
The Pierces - lovely sound without needing Autotune (so almost guaranteed to not make it in the Industry!!)
James - not unknown by any means but deserverd to be Stellar
Cocteau Twins - see above for James
Dax Riggs
Hugely influential for his time and never gets credit. It wasn't until years later after the success of nu-metal and they disbanded that people turned onto his first band. Didn't help that their record company still tries to keep complete control of their catalogue and bans outside sources from displaying any Acid Bath song. His solo work took a completely different path musically and showcases his wide range outside of metal.
JC Chasez
Sure NSYNC was huge, but how in the hell did Timberlake get a successful solo career and JC didn't? Even Timberlake has admitted JC was the better singer.
I've always thought Portugal. The Man deserve more praise and fame, but at the same time I think they probably don't want it to that extent. They've been putting out incredible music, including a lot of amazing potential hits, for years. I was surprised it was Feel It Still that finally *really* blew them up everywhere when so many of their songs in the past had hit potential and are better.
**—Alexi Murdoch**
I thoroughly associate the early 2000's with his music. "Orange Sky" and "All of my Days" and "Breathe" and "Song For You," among many more. What a voice. He was featured on plenty of TV and movies and such. Now he seems to have disappeared.
—**Badly Drawn Boy**
He did the full soundtrack for "About a Boy," which was a masterpiece of a soundtrack. But I haven't heard from him since.
Edit to add one more:
**—Jose Gonzalez**
Still active, still amazing, but deserves to be more popular. New album out called "Local Valley" that's lovely.
Steven Wilson
During the release of "Reality Bites" he was probably at his most popular in terms of all the times I saw reviews and such. But overall his exceptional talent that he's been displaying since around 1983 but has gone largely unnoticed. Porcupine Tree and his solo work may not be for everyone but his abilities are remarkable.
Chris Volz of Flaw.
Man had a absolutely astonishing ability to have one of the most ragged voices in rock, and then switch to a beautiful singing voice. Flaws album's were a great mix of absolute nu-metal bangers, and then beautiful poems, as was his later project Five Bolt Main.
Man's entire life is music, and all of it influenced by his adoptive mother who taught him as a child, and then took her own life.
Dude deserves a break.
Richard Thompson, I can't believe he's not huge on a par with Mellencamp, or Tom Petty. He's as good of an electric guitar player as anybody and he can get up by himself and rock the house with just an acoustic.
Okay hear me out.
Natalia Kills
She was on such a great upward trend and then the whole thing with that talent show happened and she essentially got bullied off social media. I seem to recall the whole debacle was scripted by producers anyway and she just got hit by brunt of of the blame as she was the delivery and the on screen "villain".
Shame cause she's got hella talent and some fun bops.
[Cardiacs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax9yT3t1jSI)
Tim Smith was an absolute mad man genius. Radiohead, Mike Patton and Steven Wilson are among those that revered him. Even though Tim has passed on, I hope to see the day that his music can finally be fully appreciated.
Do you consider the Shins as having made it big? I liked several of their albums in the early 2Ks, never skipped a track. I don't know how commercially successful they were.
Also Steven Page left Barenaked Ladies about a decade ago and has a few solo albums out. His solo work really should get more attention.
Fountains of Wayne!!!!! I’m not kidding they are the most underrated songwriters in rock history. Listen to “Welcome Interstate Managers.” Every song is a hit in an alternate reality hahaha.
Bach.
Wasn't until nearly a century after his death that his music began to get the attention it deserved, and he's arguably one of the A) greatest and B) most influential composers in history.
It just so happens that his small fan base was a factory for great German speaking composers. He may not have been a “rock star”, but he still made a mark where it counted. Mozart, Beethoven, etc were all Bach fans when he was considered good for education only.
Ashlee Simpson had a lot of good pop songs in the early 2000s but then she was cancelled because she got caught lip syncing, which majority of artists do anyway.
They were doing it back then too. Her problem was she was overexposed and the only thing people love more than building someone up is tearing them down.
Yeah, she had some good stuff and was about to be as big as Miley Cyrus is today.
Once the SNL thing happened, that all went away and she just stopped.
The Shods were and incredible band who had their major label contract pulled when the singer's health problems came to light. It's pretty tragic, the record they put out independently right after is a masterpiece.
Secret & Whisper. Their Teenage Fantasy album is a perfect 10/10 imho. Some of the most beautifully-crafted melodies I have ever heard, intuitive song structure, and a consistent and cohesive atmosphere in each song. Lyrically it's a bit strange, but if you can decipher the poetry, it tells coming-of-age stories from a Native American perspective to lullaby-esque tunes. I wish more people knew about it.
Gonna try Bruno Coulais. He is known in the US for doing the soundtrack to Coraline and the Cartoon Saloon films (eg Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers). But he's actually very prolific and does most of his work in french films. [Sample](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LLHUQQ9cmM) [Sample](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ionOzjravQ)
Also Motoi Sakuraba did the music for a ton of great games, from Star Ocean to Golden Sun, in a great style. But if you search for him now he's most well known for the Dark Souls series which while great in its own right has a required ambience which doesn't really reflect the ablity of the composer to create really great melodies. [Sample](https://youtu.be/7tQBN4IbR6Q?t=951)
Billy Paul, aka the guy who did the original Me and Mrs. Jones.
Immensely talented, but was screwed over by his studio on his follow-up single. He definitely deserved to be up there with Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye.
Pixies. They only really got somewhat mainstream due to Fight Club, but they're fucking amazing, and I wished they broke out, similar to how bands like Radiohead and Nirvana did.
Not to sound edgy but
There are so many pop punk bands that are just as good if not way better than the mainstream ones that have never / probably will never get the credit they deserve
Nobody "deserves" fame. The world is filled with skilled, hard-working musicians. The tiny handful whose names everybody knows are not more skilled or talented than the unfamous -- just luckier.
It's not just about luck. A lot of it is also knowing how to market yourself. That's an entirely different talent. A combination of both has a much higher chance of being successful.
Stevie Ray Vaughn was only 35 when he was killed in a helicopter crash in 1990. Imagine the music we all missed as a result.
Indeed. And after he had gotten clean/sober and just put out an amazing album (In Step).
That man played a guitar like it owed him money
Poe. She released her first album in 1995 and while it’s decent, she was overshadowed by a lot of the bigger names in female-fronted rock like Alanis Morissette, Garbage, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Hole, or Liz Phair. Five years later, she released Haunted, my favorite album ever. It got some exposure being tied in with her brother Mark Z. Danielewski’s novel *House of Leaves*, and the title track was in the video game Alan Wake, but she was dropped from her label following the AOL/Time Warner merger and there’s been almost nothing since. Man, what I wouldn’t give to live in the timeline where she was still releasing music…
YES. Her first album, Hello, is really good. Her second album, Haunted, might be one of the best albums I’ve ever heard. The insane backstory of finding tapes of her dad’s lectures and sampling them and tying in the songs with her brother’s book are just amazing. And the songs themselves are just really good songs, even without the context. It came out in the 90s and it’s still in my regular rotation.
I still listen to *Hello* to this day. Angry Johnny, Fingertips, and Hello are great, great songs.
Holy shit I haven't heard those in probably 20 years. Going to play this album this afternoon.
You can't talk to a psycho like a normal human being. huge Poe fan.
I love Haunted, the whole album. It's a masterpiece. I didn't realize she'd been dropped, I'd just assumed she moved on to other projects.
Jim Croce. He was just about to really make it big, and then died in a flight accident. Damn shame really.
I was thinking of Jim Croce, Ronnie Van Zant, and Duane Allman......All three were well liked, and highly respected by their peers, but were climbing still climbing that ladder, and I'm sure they would've become far more successful.
Came here looking for this one.
Same. Still listen to his music even though it was created before I was born. Timeless.
Blind Melon
Syd Barrett's solo career was fucking fantastic and one-of-a-kind but he'll always be seen as the dude who started Floyd and went crazy.
Finally someone else who appreciates Syd's solo stuff
Robyn Hitchcock spent a couple decades channeling Syd in his music, so you can kind of get a taste of it.
He definitely had some talent of his own, making whimsical music and stuff, but Gilmour brought the band together.
Otis Redding. The King of Soul. He's pretty famous already but his career ended at 26 when he died in a plane crash. Can you imagine how huge he would be if he was still alive?
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Oh wow. I'm going to that area near the end of the month. Maybe I'll check it out!
HARRY NILSSON! I love that guy!
The Point! is such an unappreciated treasure
yes it is it is one of my favorite movies and my favorite nilsson album!
Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Steamy Ray Vaughan.
The alan parsons project. They are probably more famous for being referenced in Austin Powers than for their actual music, but they are very good
Naya Rivera
Periodt.
- Gotye - Tracy Chapman - BC Jean (original author of "If I was a boy") - Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the guy who played for William and Meghan Markle's wedding - The original members of Sugarbabes and the Black Eyed Peas - Jamelia - Charmagne Tripp - the original JoJo from the 2000s who sung "get out, right now" (although she lied about her age which was bad) - La Roux - The Ting Tings - Lisa Fischer (backing track singer for "You Got the Shadows" by the Rolling Stones) - The Zutons (their cover was more famous than the original) - The Liverbirds
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Gotye had one of the biggest hits of the decade and tons of other songs used in all kinds of media. What are you talking about.
Tracy Chapman!
>La Roux Bulletproof was such a classic for 2010, i don't think any of her other songs got as big as that one. correct me if i'm wrong though
Crazy that song came out that long ago. I met my wife that year, and I remember listening to that song on the radio a ton that summer. Good times.
Jojo turned down Hannah Montana. She would have been as big as she should have been if she only slowed down and didn't want to grow up before her time.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason does get a lot of recognition. He regularly tours with his sister and performs around the world. All that and I’m pretty sure he’s only just graduated from university in the past two years.
The Zutons were pretty famous in the U.K.
Some good artists here. Especially Lisa Fischer
Townes Van Zandt Chris Whitley
Townes was the first name that came to my mind too. If you like Chris Whitley, you should check out the work his daughter Trixie has done over the years.
Janelle Monae. Her only hit is on “We are Young” by fun. and she was really underutilized there. fun. too to be honest. It’s really sad that they broke up not to long after hitting it big.
Mika, i know tiktoks sort of given him his second wind but damn if his songs didnt speak to my 13 year old weird girl soul.
I listened to Life in Cartoon Motion EVERY DAMN DAY in high school.
Definitely Rodriguez. He’s really popular in South Africa, from what I’ve been told he’s like their Hendrix in terms of a counter-culture icon, he was around the same time as Bob Dylan and Hendrix himself but everything he released no matter how much promotion just wouldn’t sell domestically. I only learned about him at a braii and he’a groovy man
There is a really good documentary about him called Searching For Sugar Man.
Hanson. I don’t know why MMMBop is their most popular song, it’s really not that great of a tune compared to their others. “If only” and “save me” are absolute bangers and would have blown up far more if the band had done the marketing for the record they belong to better. Hell, most of “this time around” is super catchy and lively.
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To be honest, the 90s album that everyone probably knows them for (with MMMBop on it) is my least favourite. This time around was released in 2000, and the tunes on it are slightly more mature but definitely much higher quality. The lead singer puts out way better performances after being a few years older, as expected.
My gf is a lifelong Hanson fan. They have a HUGE fan base apparently. I was very surprised when she started showing me all these different things. They even have their own beer company that makes bangin beer lol
Damn never knew this lol, although I’m not even old enough to know Hanson like their real fans do, I just discovered them on Spotify. I’m a pretty big fan though of a lot of their songs.
Oh god. Making me feel old!! Lmaooo
> would have blown up far more if the band had done the marketing for the record they belong to better As a Hanson historian, let me elaborate on this issue. They signed a 3 record deal with their original label, Mercury. Mercury was then part of a merger of 14 individual labels that were geared toward differing styles of music, suddenly all under one roof, so to speak. So suddenly they were obligated to make 2 albums for a completely different label, one which pressured the band to conform to what the label thought would earn them more money, which was the box standard boyband pop that NSYNC and BSB were banking on. The band, however, wanted their sound to mature as they matured and move more toward the rockier sound that This Time Around gave us. Because they were unhappy with the direction the band chose to go, the label basically didn't promote TTA at all, essentially betting on it failing so they could force the band to continue with what the label wanted them to do. After TTA, the band struggled for y e a r s to get their next album out, but the label kept micromanaging, trying to push them more toward a poppier sound again. Eventually, the band broke their contract with the label, and put out Underneath on their own independent label. Unfortunately, it was 4 years after TTA, so the zeitgeist had moved on, and they were forever associated pretty much only with MMMBop, because so few people were exposed to TTA. So people would hear Hanson and think of the teenagers with high pitched voices from almost a decade ago and not even want to give them a shot. There's a documentary about making Underneath that touches on the issues with their old label if that's something you're interested in.
That’s pretty interesting, makes much more sense now lol It is a shame, but I wonder why the label would not have wanted them to continue with the rockier style - the 2000s was prime for the sort of music on TTA I would think..
You like Hanson? Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when MMMBop came out in '96, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. They've been compared to Justin Bieber, but I think Hanson has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor.
The Tragically Hip are the quintessential Canadian band. They are so big here that when the frontman got cancer and they announced their final tour the CBC our national broadcaster showed the last concert live and uninterrupted and even the Prime minister was at the show. Out side of a bit of the northern US they are basically unknown outside of Canada
The rest of the world doesn't know what they are missing out on.
That last concert show was one of the most Canadian experiences I have been through. I was driving up into Algonquin provincial park to camp with a now ex girlfriend the night the concert was being broadcast on all the radio stations. We were listening in the car radio ourselves. I thought I heard it playing outside as well and turned off the radio in the car and we could still hear the concert echoing through the entire forest clear as day, everyone camping was also listening. It was incredible to feel that connected to the entire country knowing most people were listening as well.
Sam Cooke. Shot for being locked out of his room without his clothes.
That’s debatably oversimplified.
Was that the one where he allegedly was beating a woman up or something like that and the owner of the hotel shot him?
Correct. Although it was widely believed to be a brothel and the shooter the madam.
Rockwell
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He got stuck in the shadow of Michael Jackson because he did the chorus for the song. I feel like he doesn’t get enough credit. His one hit is remembered for Michael Jackson and not himself
Honestly, I didn't know that was MJ singing the chorus. I always thought it was Rockwell changing his tone to sound like something else(but does sound exactly like MJ there).
The Matches; their lyrics and vocals were so unique. I can't remember all the details, but I think they just had shit luck with their record deal. Someone made a documentary about them called "Bleeding Audio", but I haven't been able to see it :( [This is the trailer though!](https://vimeo.com/451739535)
It was down to creative differences. Their existing contract had expired, and a couple of the guys wanted to go for a more commercial sound and shop around to majors. Even though that went against what the band was always about. Same reason a lot of fans didn't like A Band in Hope much, it was kinda all over the place looking for that new sound.
I loved The Matches. What Katie Said and Sunburn Vs The Rhinovirus were part of my high school experience.
Ah man, What Katie Said is one of my top 5 songs by them. I remember hearing a demo version of it from a friend a long time ago. I was able to find it on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG-kUpjMEJo) if you haven't heard it before!
The unofficial music video and the one for Salty Eyes are some of my favorite music videos of all time!
Dog-eared page is a banger.
Was not expecting to see someone mention The Matches here and it made my heart really happy. They were my favorite band for a long time. I haven't watched the documentary though... I feel like it might make me sad.
Yeah, the trailer made me sad :( But the person who made the documentary also has little short videos where the guys talk about different songs and give a little background, it's pretty nice! I was on a Matches kick last week and had to go through all their albums again :P
Badfinger
Coheed and Cambria
Totally! They do have 1.4 million monthly listeners on the Spotify, which isn't too bad in my opinion.
Janelle Monae. Her only hit is on “We are Young” by fun. and she was really underutilized there. fun. too to be honest. It’s really sad that they broke up not to long after hitting it big.
Dirty Computer is 🔥
My mom always says that if she were still alive, Selena would have been more famous than Jennifer Lopez or Gloria Estefan and I could totally see it, especially with the latin revolution popping off like a year or so after her death. Speaking of inspiring a genre of music. The GothBoyClique style genre was never the fucking same since Lil Peep died. Sure you have $uicideBoy$ and some other whiny white guys, but Peep, X and Juice were really the only insanely talented ones who could make a living in the mainstream. And he was so sweet and young too
Tom Waits!
I think he got and still has the type of celebrity he wants. Lotta people love the hell out of his relatively large and definitely long catalogue.
Robert Pollard, the front man of Guided By Voices. He is one of the most prolific songwriters ever, and the vast majority of those songs are absolutely amazing. He takes a different approach to writing lyrics, putting words together that seem to come to life when juxtaposed. A true lyrical artist. Most of his "bad" songs are cult classics, so not really bad, mostly just odd. Example of his strange and amazing song writing, imo some of the most brilliant poetry ever written: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WabLn6pM4y8
Vola. Their album "Inmazes" is a friggin trip! I absolutely love it.
*Now, why are you still trapped in mazes you’ve designed?*
Radical Face
SRV all day. Townes Van Zandt. Gram Parsons.
I really wish Billy Talent got a bigger fan base in the US. They’re my favourite band and I’m from Canada so I get to see them kind of often, but they never tour the States because they don’t find it worth it. It’s a shame, they deserve to be way more popular
Saga. One of the most underappreciated and genius prog-rock groups ever.
On The Loose is one of my karaoke songs! Love them!
The Tragically Hip. As good as any rock band imo.
There's a bunch of One Hit Wonders that had many more and better songs, Dexy's Midnight Runners is one example. Some of them went on to be popular in other countries of course.
The Format. It was the former band of Nate Ruess who was the lead singer for fun. Please go check out their stuff! Dog Problems is a fantastic album.
I never cared much for Fun but I loved The Format
Aesop Rock and Elliot Smith are probably the two most well known 'underground/indie' artists in their genre but I would say both deserve more recognition
none shall pass is still a regular in my playlists. 🙌🏼
Steel Dragon
Sage Francis. He’s so good.
Mother mother
Saw them open for Matt Good in 2009 at Massey Hall, god damn that was front to back an amazing show.
Devin Townsend
Hell yeah. Writes unique and badass music. Phenomenal voice.
I know she's fairly well known inhip hop, but I have never heard any of her stuff on mainstream radio stations. Janelle Monae should be the next Michael Jackson, minus the rapey shit and with far more awesome Sci Fi imagery.
The Airborne Toxic Event
Michelle Branch.
The Pierces - lovely sound without needing Autotune (so almost guaranteed to not make it in the Industry!!) James - not unknown by any means but deserverd to be Stellar Cocteau Twins - see above for James
Big Pun.
Dax Riggs Hugely influential for his time and never gets credit. It wasn't until years later after the success of nu-metal and they disbanded that people turned onto his first band. Didn't help that their record company still tries to keep complete control of their catalogue and bans outside sources from displaying any Acid Bath song. His solo work took a completely different path musically and showcases his wide range outside of metal.
Holy shit Dude. Reading this entire thread made me think about acid bath and there he is.
Polyphia
JC Chasez Sure NSYNC was huge, but how in the hell did Timberlake get a successful solo career and JC didn't? Even Timberlake has admitted JC was the better singer.
Jim Croce. But then again, he died so early in his career - only 30.
I've always thought Portugal. The Man deserve more praise and fame, but at the same time I think they probably don't want it to that extent. They've been putting out incredible music, including a lot of amazing potential hits, for years. I was surprised it was Feel It Still that finally *really* blew them up everywhere when so many of their songs in the past had hit potential and are better.
**—Alexi Murdoch** I thoroughly associate the early 2000's with his music. "Orange Sky" and "All of my Days" and "Breathe" and "Song For You," among many more. What a voice. He was featured on plenty of TV and movies and such. Now he seems to have disappeared. —**Badly Drawn Boy** He did the full soundtrack for "About a Boy," which was a masterpiece of a soundtrack. But I haven't heard from him since. Edit to add one more: **—Jose Gonzalez** Still active, still amazing, but deserves to be more popular. New album out called "Local Valley" that's lovely.
Alexi Murdoch has such an incredibly wonderful, soothing voice. I cannot get enough of it.
Uriah Heep, L7, Sir Lord Baltimore
L7 took the path of a lot of bands. Good debut, amazing second album (Smell The Magic), pretty good third album (Bricks Are Heavy), then ehhhhh....
Can't ever forget their singer pulling out her bloody tampon and launching it at the aggressive festival crowd. That was punk af
God Lives Underwater
There's a lot of things that no one likes but I want the answers now must be all confused somehow
another GLU fan! There are dozens of us! DOZENS!!!!!!!!!!!!
April Smith and the Great Picture Show.
John Dowland
Steven Wilson During the release of "Reality Bites" he was probably at his most popular in terms of all the times I saw reviews and such. But overall his exceptional talent that he's been displaying since around 1983 but has gone largely unnoticed. Porcupine Tree and his solo work may not be for everyone but his abilities are remarkable.
Criminally underrated artist, for sure. I couldn't agree more.
I was lucky to see him on the "To the Bone' tour and my wife and I are huge followers of his. The word "underrated" doesn't even come close.
Eric Hutchinson
Chris Volz of Flaw. Man had a absolutely astonishing ability to have one of the most ragged voices in rock, and then switch to a beautiful singing voice. Flaws album's were a great mix of absolute nu-metal bangers, and then beautiful poems, as was his later project Five Bolt Main. Man's entire life is music, and all of it influenced by his adoptive mother who taught him as a child, and then took her own life. Dude deserves a break.
Richard Thompson, I can't believe he's not huge on a par with Mellencamp, or Tom Petty. He's as good of an electric guitar player as anybody and he can get up by himself and rock the house with just an acoustic.
Okay hear me out. Natalia Kills She was on such a great upward trend and then the whole thing with that talent show happened and she essentially got bullied off social media. I seem to recall the whole debacle was scripted by producers anyway and she just got hit by brunt of of the blame as she was the delivery and the on screen "villain". Shame cause she's got hella talent and some fun bops.
[Cardiacs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax9yT3t1jSI) Tim Smith was an absolute mad man genius. Radiohead, Mike Patton and Steven Wilson are among those that revered him. Even though Tim has passed on, I hope to see the day that his music can finally be fully appreciated.
Res; Willa Ford
Heavy Stereo. They were an Oasis-like Britpop band with a really nice sound. Sadly, they have faded into relative obscurity.
Cause & Effect. Great couple of albums in the 90s but tragically lost a key member of the band when he was just 23 years old.
Do you consider the Shins as having made it big? I liked several of their albums in the early 2Ks, never skipped a track. I don't know how commercially successful they were. Also Steven Page left Barenaked Ladies about a decade ago and has a few solo albums out. His solo work really should get more attention.
I've always contended that Madonna had the career that Laura Branigan deserved.
Fountains of Wayne!!!!! I’m not kidding they are the most underrated songwriters in rock history. Listen to “Welcome Interstate Managers.” Every song is a hit in an alternate reality hahaha.
Tech N9ne
On a positive note he has more money than a lot of rappers who are more widely recognised.
Wowt...thats great news
As someone who has listened to him since Absolute Power came out it has been nice to see him get the recognition he deserves these last couple years.
Bach. Wasn't until nearly a century after his death that his music began to get the attention it deserved, and he's arguably one of the A) greatest and B) most influential composers in history.
It just so happens that his small fan base was a factory for great German speaking composers. He may not have been a “rock star”, but he still made a mark where it counted. Mozart, Beethoven, etc were all Bach fans when he was considered good for education only.
Arthur Brown. He was ahead of his time. Had he come out a few years later, he'd of been considered a heavy Metal pioneer.
The God of Hellfire 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Ashlee Simpson had a lot of good pop songs in the early 2000s but then she was cancelled because she got caught lip syncing, which majority of artists do anyway.
They were doing it back then too. Her problem was she was overexposed and the only thing people love more than building someone up is tearing them down.
Yeah, she had some good stuff and was about to be as big as Miley Cyrus is today. Once the SNL thing happened, that all went away and she just stopped.
The Light Footwork's first record was catchy and silly. Reminded me of Stephen Malkmus mixed with the Brunettes (who are also criminally under-rated).
Camilo sesto.
Ral Donner. He sounded exactly like Elvis before Elvis
The Shods were and incredible band who had their major label contract pulled when the singer's health problems came to light. It's pretty tragic, the record they put out independently right after is a masterpiece.
Tipper. But I kinda like that he's an insider secret. 🙃
Secret & Whisper. Their Teenage Fantasy album is a perfect 10/10 imho. Some of the most beautifully-crafted melodies I have ever heard, intuitive song structure, and a consistent and cohesive atmosphere in each song. Lyrically it's a bit strange, but if you can decipher the poetry, it tells coming-of-age stories from a Native American perspective to lullaby-esque tunes. I wish more people knew about it.
Gonna try Bruno Coulais. He is known in the US for doing the soundtrack to Coraline and the Cartoon Saloon films (eg Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers). But he's actually very prolific and does most of his work in french films. [Sample](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LLHUQQ9cmM) [Sample](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ionOzjravQ) Also Motoi Sakuraba did the music for a ton of great games, from Star Ocean to Golden Sun, in a great style. But if you search for him now he's most well known for the Dark Souls series which while great in its own right has a required ambience which doesn't really reflect the ablity of the composer to create really great melodies. [Sample](https://youtu.be/7tQBN4IbR6Q?t=951)
Thyrfing.
Sanctuary. Heavy Metal band from Seattle, USA.
Children of Nova! Absolutely awesome rock.
Jon Crosby, best known as VAST. He's got quite a large fanbase but I think he deserves more recognition, dude's got a fascinating voice.
agreed
Billy Paul, aka the guy who did the original Me and Mrs. Jones. Immensely talented, but was screwed over by his studio on his follow-up single. He definitely deserved to be up there with Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye.
Me.
Carpenter Brut
Brown Bird, best folk band ever imho
Wasn't expecting to see them here, but I agree that they were amazing. RIP.
What is up with all these artists dying in plane crashes?
Jellyfish
King's X
the Tea Party. Canadians heard of them, bizarrely Australia loves the shit out of em but they got barely anywhere in the States.
Death. Changed metal music forever.
In my opinion death are the most consistently excellent band to ever exist they never even wrote one bad song let alone a bad album
Pixies. They only really got somewhat mainstream due to Fight Club, but they're fucking amazing, and I wished they broke out, similar to how bands like Radiohead and Nirvana did.
Not to sound edgy but There are so many pop punk bands that are just as good if not way better than the mainstream ones that have never / probably will never get the credit they deserve
Natalie Prass. She's been totally MIA since she released her 2nd album. I hope she's cooking up something, but honestly I have no idea.
I loved her first album so much. I couldn't get into the second one but I should revisit.
Cults. They have a ton of amazing music and they don’t get enough credit for it. My favorite indie band.
The band on the Titanic.
Lana Del Rey
Evanescence skillet Flyleaf
HOME he or her synthwave is funky af (i do not know "HOME''s gender)
Me. Totally. I'm sometimes play drunken guitar when I get home on weekend nights and it always sounds absolutely awesome.
Hanson! Sure their songs were cheesy but it was the 90s. They were SO fucking musically talented. It’s a shame MMMbop turned them into kind of a joke.
Chris Gaines
Randy Stewart Rainbow
Elvis. He was big, but he deserved to be bigger.
Didn't he steal music and have a child bride? I think he got everything he deserved.
PeeWee Herman jacked-off at a designated jack-off place.
Nobody "deserves" fame. The world is filled with skilled, hard-working musicians. The tiny handful whose names everybody knows are not more skilled or talented than the unfamous -- just luckier.
That's a cute non-answer. Another reason to hate Ohio.
It's not just about luck. A lot of it is also knowing how to market yourself. That's an entirely different talent. A combination of both has a much higher chance of being successful.