Underrated or forgotten indie bands let's go

[alan nagsworth]

I've been revisiting lots of this stuff lately (as well as a load of post-hardcore stuff which was largely not all that great) and I've found some bloody corkers, particularly from about 5-10 years back. Admittedly most of the best stuff is on the first album of every band but my god, what first albums they were!

First up, it's The Spinto Band, and their debut "Nice & Nicely Done". I remember watching some Reading Festival footage on the red button BBC3 thing years back and seeing these lads bopping about and having a great old time, doing that thing where your forearm does a 360 spin at the elbow join as they strummed their guitars. It looked like a hell of a lot of fun and the music was ace too. There's so much sweet and jangly pop on this album, it always puts a big smile on my face. Without a doubt, the lead single "Oh Mandy" is top of the class here, but if that's a 10/10 then there's still a fair amount of 6-8/10 to enjoy here, namely the kazoo-tooting stop-start of "Brown Boxes", the cute lead synth-driven hook of "Spy vs. Spy" and the dance-tastic ode to infidelity that is "Crack the Whip".

Oh Mandy

Then there's Cold War Kids, with their rattling, dusty tribute to late-night blues and jazz music, singing songs about alcoholism and murder and stealing stuff. Again, their debut "Robbers & Cowards" really bowled me over at the time and is something I can come back to regularly and reach the same happy conclusion. The singer has an excellent voice and the music is immensely fun to sing along to.

Hospital Beds

One more for the opening post, it's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and their... wait for it... debut album! This one's by far the best of the three, IMO. A fucking magnificent record of tight, gorgeous and infectious hooks with Alec Ounsworth's inimitably fragile yet powerful voice which feels like a glorious sun-drenched wave that could split apart on a loose rock at any moment. This is an album that keeps me coming back without a second thought. It's absolutely wonderful from start to finish, soaring through sea shanty backing vocals, hints of shoegaze and an overall lush feel of 90s indie music. For some reason they always remind me of the Stone Roses, despite them not being all that similar, and me not liking the Stone Roses all that much.

Over and Over Again (Lost and Found)
Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood
In This Home on Ice

Oh and here's a cheeky bonus to see if we can dig Neil out of the woodwork:

Tapes n' Tapes - Insistor

[Don_Preston]

My mate Martin enters thread and mentions The Milltown Brothers and  Shack (who were once Arthur Lee's backing group, and therefore Love). I'll give an honorary mention to the brilliance of Pete Astor, brains behind The Weather Prophets and The Loft

[Neville Chamberlain]

With their brand of intricate, colourful and angular pop, Dora Brilliant deserved to be massive, but they seem to have dropped off the radar a bit. Still, I can't recommend them highly enough!

And now, from the mid-90s, I bring you the totally brilliant yet totally bonkers Bunty Chunks - Muck for Skinheads. Apparently they supported Cardiacs a few times 'back in the day'.

And here's a cracking early 90s shoegazey track that I discovered on a compilation that Bunty Chunks were also featured on, Audiblethought - I Exist. Can't find a single ruddy thing out about this band!

Is this the thread in which I get to mention Pigment Vehicle again?!?

[Spiteface]

Here's where I get to mention JJ72.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFoHnQHjeIA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol0IqppUQxo

Fucking boggles my mind that of the glut of similar-sounding bands of the time, it was fucking Coldplay and Muse that went on to play enormodomes, in spite of both JJ72 albums blowing those two bands' entire output out of the water.

[Tom Pynchon's Photo]

The Railway Children made a great album called Reunion Wilderness. They did other stuff that wasn't so great after that, but, hey - so it goes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp8rSCJXAug

Then there was Easterhouse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD4CapF8hL8



and The Bodines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwpayJhiH6w

[Absorb the anus burn]

The Colourblind James Experience.

[Puce Moment]

Prolapse released a number of utterly fucking amazing albums, veering between noisy punky spikes, poppy bliss, soundscape anthems and krautrock dance-a-longs. I would also recommend the excellent rockabilly inflected Tindersticksy sound of The Flaming Stars.

When this subject comes up with friends someone always mentions 5:30, iLikeTrains or Cud.

Actually that Cud album is fucking great - what a brilliant set of songs!

[Neville Chamberlain]

Let me tell you, Prolapse are neither underrated nor forgotten round my place! Fucking brilliant band!

[Gavin M]

Perfect opportunity to shamelessly plug the Spotify playlist I made containing every available song that ever charted on the Chart Show Indie Chart (well, all the ones I know about from Youtube videos etc) spanning 1986 to 1998:

http://open.spotify.com/user/derekt/playlist/2jgExlQOIUHvYrfSuV5Ud5

Naturally you get all the big hitters like Erasure and Depeche Mode but you'll find lots of great, long-forgotten oddities in there as well.  42 hours of the stuff!

[Puce Moment]

Let me tell you, Prolapse are neither underrated nor forgotten round my place! Fucking brilliant band!

See when I think of you, I'm not even thinkin'!

[shiftwork2]

It's the My Life Story thread really isn't i it?
http://youtu.be/ZaRQ1YxybYk

[Rev]

Fucking boggles my mind that of the glut of similar-sounding bands of the time, it was fucking Coldplay and Muse that went on to play enormodomes, in spite of both JJ72 albums blowing those two bands' entire output out of the water.

This is true - but I think they had a very limited shelf-life and were never in it for the long haul.  Managing a second album was a surprise because I remember seeing them at Reading in what I think was the week their first one came out and thinking that they'd be done.  The one album and done.

Cud were mentioned - not sure how underrated or forgotten they are, as they always had a pretty big following despite not selling too many records apart from that one single.  Always good fun though, and someone in the 'scene' they were in needed to bring a bit of funk.

How about the very short-lived but pretty great Bandit Queen?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6ON3wJPpOk

[NumberOneAll-TimeSuperfan]

I can't think of a more forgotten band than Cay. I only know the one song, but it's a corker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4GAE9mIHVM

The lead singer died. I always feel sad about that, even though I only "know" her from her charismatic performance in that song, and a couple of pictures.

[Mark Steels Stockbroker]

It's the My Life Story thread really isn't i it?
http://youtu.be/ZaRQ1YxybYk

Sorry, but the thing with MLS is that they were the vehicle for some aging goth to have a go at the Britpop bandwagon. Despite being mates with half the staff of Melody Maker and getting ridiculous amounts of support off them, he failed to become as big as Jarvis, though that's not really surprising as MM went defunct a few years later. More surprising is he couldn't make it big even when signing a deal with Andrew Lloyd-Webber's company.

"Strumpet" is ok, if you overlook the gratingly Wener-ish lyrics.

[Mark Steels Stockbroker]

Blessed Ethel did a fanastic single ("Two Minute Mind") that should live forever in every indie disco, but fizzled out in the struggle to make the album.

[Funcrusher]

Sorry, but the thing with MLS is that they were the vehicle for some aging goth to have a go at the Britpop bandwagon

Did that guy have a hidden goth past?

[Brundle-Fly]

Sorry, but the thing with MLS is that they were the vehicle for some aging goth to have a go at the Britpop bandwagon. Despite being mates with half the staff of Melody Maker and getting ridiculous amounts of support off them, he failed to become as big as Jarvis, though that's not really surprising as MM went defunct a few years later. More surprising is he couldn't make it big even when signing a deal with Andrew Lloyd-Webber's company.

"Strumpet" is ok, if you overlook the gratingly Wener-ish lyrics.

In the late 90s, Jake Shillingford was on the panel for some Camden Town music industry seminar, I once attended. He explained how many labels turned down MLS at the beginning of their career. Apparently, one A&R man bluntly told Shillingford "As a front man, you don't sparkle."  The singer went out to prove him wrong and wrote the song You Don't Sparkle. It was one of their early singles but it didn't chart. Then, after a head of steam on the live circuit, it was re-released to more indifference. A year or so later, he put it out again but it was just called, Sparkle this time round'. It flopped.

Now, if he couldn't see the irony here, there was no way he could take on Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon, or even Rialto. Anyway, we all know the real BritPop casualty was baroque pop genius, Simon Warner.

By the end, Jake decided The Ramones, CBBGs sound, etc was the way forward... just as The Strokes rolled into town. Gah.

MLS gigs were always a great night out though. 

[Serge]

When this subject comes up with friends someone always mentions 5:30, iLikeTrains or Cud.

Actually that Cud album is fucking great - what a brilliant set of songs!

Oddly, the 5:30 album was reissued on CD recently - all I remember about them was that their singer was a man called Tara.

I only own one Cud album, 'Asquarius', which has the excellent 'Magic Alex' on.

How about the very short-lived but pretty great Bandit Queen?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6ON3wJPpOk

I actually mentioned Bandit Queen to somebody yesterday! Though largely to point out that their album had a picture of Frida Kahlo on the cover.

And, as ever in a thread like this, I should mention The Popinjays (guest appearance by Cathal Coughlan in this video) and the massive, massive crush I had on Polly Hancock.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

If you're on CaB you're never allowed to forget about JJ72.

I am finding it difficult to contribute to this thread as a lot of indie bands I can think of weren't even remembered enough to be forgotten.

Underrated? My favourite band James will always win that one.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Anyone remember or see People's Friend back in the mid to late 90s?

Dead Bossa Nova

[doppelkorn]

doppelkorn mentions The Research.



My mate and I were initially infatuated with this group and later befriended them as they toured the indie circuit from about 2002-2007. They were part of the then Yorkshire scene that was riding high on the success of bands like the Kaiser chiefs and the Cribs, except The Research were a fair bit more poppy and only included a guitar on their second album, which was never completed.

Not exactly sure what they're all doing now but I am friends with one of them on Facebook so that's something.

[Vodka Margarine]

Sorry, but the thing with MLS is that they were the vehicle for some aging goth to have a go at the Britpop bandwagon. Despite being mates with half the staff of Melody Maker and getting ridiculous amounts of support off them, he failed to become as big as Jarvis, though that's not really surprising as MM went defunct a few years later. More surprising is he couldn't make it big even when signing a deal with Andrew Lloyd-Webber's company.

"Strumpet" is ok, if you overlook the gratingly Wener-ish lyrics.

Ageing goth during Britpop? He's three years younger than Cocker!

MLS and Shillingford may have had more commercial ambitions (who doesn't?) but I think they belong in that pantheon of great cult acts. Saw him doing a short set recently and not only has he steadfastly refused to go to pot twenty years on, he also clearly enjoyed every last moment. He also hung around for ages talking to people in the bar. You wouldn't get that with Luke arsing Haines.

[DrGreggles]

SENSELESS THINGS: 'Too Much Kissing'

[holyzombiejesus]

So many of those records that I found so thrilling sound like shit nowadays. I sometimes regret selling most of my Sarah Records stuff but I don't think stuff like The Sweetest Ache, a band who I adored at the time, would sound anything other than dated and pissy nowadays. I don't think Even As We Speak and St. Christopher will have aged particualry well either.

Having said that, The Sea Urchins still sound brilliant, and some of the Orchids and Field Mice singles are still worth a listen. In a similar vein, The Razorcuts back catalogue, especially that Flying Nun 12", stands up well and McCarthy's Red Sleeping Beauty still sounds like one of the best singles that the 80s had to offer. Many of the obscurer early (ish) Creation bands did great 7"s that I still enjoy: Revolving Paint Dream, Emily, The Bodines, and Biff Bang Pow! are still really enjoyable in a chelsea boots and suede jacket kind of way, as are East Village.

EDIT: Is Ric Menck still going?

EDIT #2: The Wake! They're probably better regarded now than at any other time in their career, yet still pretty much forgotten by most.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Has anyone got a link to the 18 Wheeler EP Crabs? I seem to remember quite enjoying their dance-rock grooves back 'in the day'.

Oh, and I stuck my iPod on shuffle the other week and was immediately transported back to the late 90s when Dawn of the Replicants' Rule the Roost came on. They were a pretty good band, I seem to remember.

[Vodka Margarine]

Six By Seven. I adored The Closer You Get and probably still do.

[23 Daves]

A thread of this nature cannot pass without me mentioning Animals That Swim - truly glorious, bright music coupled with prose lyrics which described endless absurd urban situations. "Faded Glamour" is probably their finest single and lyrically manages to sum up the subject matters they favoured in the streets and situations it lists. http://youtu.be/yR32O2vXLHQ

My Life Story? They were around in 1992 as a local band when I lived in Southend, and if memory serves they sounded more like James in those days. There was definitely something suspect about how quickly Shillingford jumped on the more sophisticated Britpop sound, and for me it never quite gelled - the band never seemed to have the lyrical ability or even the arrangements of Pulp, The Divine Comedy, Jack (another band everyone should never be allowed to forget - http://youtu.be/igZNivZJ_Oc), or even Rialto. I had a neighbour who swore by them, I pretty much ignored him. I might revisit them soon, but I doubt I'll be any more convinced.

And on the subject of Cud... is the first album "When In Rome Kill Me" any good? I loved "Only a Prawn in Whitby" off that, always meant to investigate further, and never did. I was less convinced by their funkier 90s stuff, though I was nearly tempted by a £4 copy of "Aquarius" in a charity shop recently.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Didn't Animals That Swim release some new material fairly recently? I really have to check them out more - I love that track 50 Dresses :-)

[Don_Preston]

Do Laughing Hyenas count? Similar ilk to Scratch Acid, but I never hear their noisy onslaught ever mentioned.

[chand]

JJ72 were sort of briefly interesting in so far as their singer having a distinctive voice, but it was probably that which put a lot of people off. I remember finding their debut album to be quite exhausting when listened to as a whole. Whenever I hear their name I remember this time I went to a My Vitriol gig and was hanging around afterwards while my mate was chatting to Som Wardner. My Vitriol had smashed their instruments at a previous gig and my friend told Som half-seriously that he was a bit disappointed they hadn't done it tonight. He responded by saying "We don't do it every night, we're not JJ72". So now their name is inextricably linked with contrived instrument-smashing in my head (they did it in the video for 'Oxygen' too).

Actually, My Vitriol would be a good shout for this thread, although they were predominantly forgotten because they released a quite well-regarded album in 2001 and then pretty much disappeared. They returned from 'hiatus' in 2005, but other than a single and EP in 2007 the long-promised second album is still yet to come. It was due to be released this year but it's been delayed again. On their Myspace page a few years ago their forthcoming album had the working title 'Chinese Democracy', so who knows, maybe one day. I really liked them actually, I remember seeing them first on the bill on the main stage at Leeds and they were alright but nobody really gave any sort of a shit. Cay were on afterwards and bombed, not really a main stage kind of band.

My Life Story I never liked. '12 Reasons Why I Love Her' had that really good string hook, and it had all the elements of an indie classic, but...I dunno. I always found Shillingford a kind of unconvincing frontman, he always looked like a man slightly too old to be trying to look like he did, seemed a bit...forced?

Shout out also to Dark Star, who released one good album in 1999 when the post-Britpop indie scene was absolutely riddled with bands inspired by Radiohead. They had some good songs though.
I Am The Sun (Jools Holland)
At least their work led to this YouTube comment, which will stand forever as their legacy:

this rapes icp (insane clown posse) up the ass, twice !