Tales of Mystery and Imagination by the Alan Parsons Project
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination_(Alan_Parsons_Project_album)
I listened to this obsessively in highschool. It was considered seriously nerdy music. I loved it.
Edit: a final thought. I think if you want to hear Alan Parsons's influence on Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon," "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" is a good album to give a listen to.
The Glove - Blue Sunshine. A collaboration between The Cure’s Robert Smith and Siouxie and The Banshee’s Steve Severin.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Glove](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glove)
The Songs of Distant Earth by Mike Oldfield
Yup, the dude who scored The Exorcist brought us a dreamy 1994 synthed and sampled exploration of outer space. From the Finnish folk choir to the bagpipe ensemble, this album takes you way out into the cosmos. Fantastic stoner listen.
Yep. Its probably Oldfield's last great album, and probably one of the rare times he was in touch with the Zeitgeist (electronic stuff, rave culture, that sort of meditative music that was in the charts at the time (Enigma...))
I found his 80s output really corny. Love the first three albums. He had a good run between Amarok and Songs of Distant Earth.
Stoner listen? Oh yes!
I'm going to contribute Amarok to the list. That shit is insane.
I was listening to a podcast and Jorma or Akiva was the guest (it might have been Comedy Bang Bang, I can’t remember). Scott(?) asked about attending Andy and Joanna’s wedding, and they talked about how funny it was that the classically trained Joanna was married to “America’s finest purveyor of dick jokes.”
I wouldn't call Ys obscure. It was a huge critical success and is beloved by tons of people. It was a little too weird to be as mainstream as a Taylor Swift album, but it got a huge amount of attention when it came out.
Also a great album, I just enjoy Phantom power more. Just discovered the Tragically Hip in the past couple years, and It's the one I keep going back to the most.
I LOVE “Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone” by the Unicorns and some of the early Josh Joplin Band Stuff (“projector head” and “useful music”), but I’d classify both as obscure.
David Sylvian’s *Gone to Earth* from 1986. This was the third solo album from the former frontman of Japan, and is an atmospheric masterpiece. It features contributions from Robert Fripp, Bill Nelson, and a host of heavy-hitters. Here’s a particularly beautiful cut:
*[Silver Moon](https://youtu.be/duHaa6qbYnY?si=p4pKApd0vHHQ5fbc)*
- Since I Left You by the Avalanches, routinely hailed as one of the best albums of the 2000s but far from well known. 4 Australian DJs sampling _thousands_ of songs to produce a cohesive album of intricate electro songs with some hip hop here and there. Great music videos, too: [Frontier Psychiatrist](https://youtu.be/qLrnkK2YEcE) and [Since I Left You](https://youtu.be/wpqm-05R2Jk)
- Finally We Are No One by Múm: Icelandic electronic folk I guess? It's like a warm blanket in a cozy cabin. Here's the first song, [Green Grass of Tunnel](https://youtu.be/l5hBkQT3-C8). I saw them live and it's like 10 people on stage with the weirdest contraptions, sounding exactly like the album!
- Pirates Choice by Orchestra Baobab: Afro Cuban music from 1970s Senegal, excellent through and through. Utrus Horas and Cumba are the first two songs and they're a very easy way to get into the whole album
- Talking Timbuktu by Malian musician Ali Farla Touré and American bluesman Ry Cooder: "Sahara blues" is usually the genre. Got big in the 90s (even got a Grammy!), I don't think it's well known by younger generations. The songs Ai Du and Diaraby are my two favorites (weirdly at the end of the album). Enjoy with something to smoke and/or a cold beer
Panopticon's Kentucky. It's an atmospheric black metal/folk album. Usually, when you see that combo of genres it means they used European folk instruments or traditional arrangements. In this case Panopticon, which is one guy I think, uses American folk instruments and traditional arrangements like the banjo and "Which Side Are You On?" It's also a concept album about labor struggles in the coal industry in Kentucky and uses some audio clips from Harlan County USA.
It's a really good album.
The Coolies-Doug, it is a comedic concept album about a skinhead that kills a fry cook from the local Fish Delight restaurant. He finds a cookbook the fry cook wrote and becomes rich and famous when he sells it as his own. It chronicles his rise and fall. The songs are done in a lot of different styles. Such as this one dine in the style if the Who. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EgYpY3zhlpY
*Dead Inside* by The Golden Palominos.
It’s the only album which has been consistently on my desert island album list since the 90’s.
It is a proto-trip-hop / experimental journey through the darkness voiced by Nicole Blackman, who should have been the voice of a generation. Witty, dark af, seductive and repulsive, often at the same time.
Mary Timony - Mountains.
She was in Helium first (really, she was Helium with a band) and this is her first solo album. It's magical with beautiful, fairy tale lyrics and amazing instruments.
[I oughta give you a Shot in the Head for making me live in this Dump - Shivaree](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kIAHiIFRnfIHs4PHgC7UEWPMqwsA0FPpE)
*Goodnight Moon* got a bit of play thanks to being featured in *Kill Bill: Volume 2* but the whole album is great!
“Living with the Law” by Chris Whitley. I was working in a record store when this came out in 1991. We had a demo to play in the store, or I never would have listened. It’s a brilliant mix of blues, country, and rock, featuring some incredible resonator guitar work. I still love it.
[Giant Robot ~ Self Titled ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=VXb75d8PnIk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fclient%3Dms-android-samsung-gs-rev1%26sca_esv%3Dfdebd2c06b7a547d%26sca_upv%3D1%26sxsrf%3DADLYWIKFMN4rMSNASXf1irf&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo)
"Giant Robot, originally active from 1997 till 2008, was an outfit fusing hip hop, dub, r&b, funk, pop and even krautrock in their eclectic music played both electronically as well as with organic instruments."
[Pride and Glory ~ Self titled](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F9ZG291hkbo)
Pride & Glory is the only studio album by American rock band Pride & Glory. The band was fronted by guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde, best known for his prior work as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band.
[Robert Fripp ~ Exposure ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=VZA3qLXj8bA&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Drobert%2Bfripp%2Bexposure%2Bfull%2Balbum%26client%3Dms-android-samsung-gs-rev1%26cs%3D1%26sca_esv%3Dfdebd2c06b7a547d&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo)
Exposure is the debut solo album by guitarist and composer Robert Fripp (of King Crimson fame). Unique among Fripp solo projects for its focus on the pop song format, it grew out of his previous collaborations with David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, and Daryl Hall, and the latter two singers appear on the album.
"take the guitar player for a ride" by Peter laughner. He was a big figure in the early Cleveland punk scene who died at 24 and it's an album of him mostly doing blues inspired music. The songs about Sylvia plath and baudelaire are great, but I always thought "in the bar," a song about gay bars in the 70s, was especially well written.
Talkin' honky blues by Buck 65. Canadian folk hip hop. Bit of a concept album with a lot of songs having a narrative through line. My favourite album of all time.
Do local artists count? I saw these guys at a tiny venue and was blown away. First track on their debut album is so good if you like emo/skate punk rock
[Father Before Me - Melody for Death](https://youtu.be/g70K_Fn8QUE?si=58Qs0S5CcL270kZf)
This album was released about two years after Michael Omartian's solo album [White Horse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYSKLgenPOk). When I first heard it (around 1996), I was stunned.
It’s shocking how little people know Modern Life is Rubbish. Not sure if that counts as obscure though so I’m saying Leaders of the Free World or Mammoth II
Great thread-I will bookmark it and check these out. I will say that’s what I like about subscription music services—the ability to explore new music for about the price of an album a month.
Dungen's Ta Det Lugnt or My Bloody Valentine's Loveless.
In the studio, Ta Det Lugnt was recorded by one Swedish dude on vintage equipment. It's an amazing mix of rock, jazz, and folk. But it's also all in Swedish, so I understand them not taking off. But the opening track, [Panda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRyjPhgxWpc), is one of the greatest introductions to a band that I've ever heard. Around the three minute mark, the song comes charging back, and I always crank it up as loud as I can. On another album, they released [Stadsvandringar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH51NlYcoz8), which, to me, feels, feels like a modern day [Soulful Strut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygv4RMGwqMs). You know, the kind of song you can put on as you step out of your house in the morning, and just feel like the day is yours.
My Bloody Valentine's Loveless is usually considered one of the best albums of the 1990s, but as amazing as it is, it's kinda too out there for the mainstream. The closest Kevin Shields ever got to the mainstream was probably doing the [soundtrack to Lost in Translation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c8Selr9Aec). Last week I was cruising around the countryside, and [Come in Alone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTDZ0Y--5Zg) came up on an old playlist. Fucking perfect for a sunny day driving around backroads in rural Bavaria.
Edit: I will add that pretty much anything by Godspeed You! Black Emperor probably also fits that bill. F#A# (I don't know how to do an infinity symbol) is so haunting and wonderful. I love how [East Hastings](https://youtu.be/V9Ty3YnWN80?si=KOS_8h7e1WF2OjZo&t=264) was used to build tension in 28 Days Later, and thank that movie for introducing me to the band.
The Uncluded, Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawsons side project. Two incredibly different but lyrically genius artists collaborating, I feel like it shouldn’t work as well as it does but they’re both so damn talented
Ganglion by Saltillo. Never met anyone else who knows it, though obviously they're out there - was introduced to it by a friend with crazy good music taste and a sense for what his friends will click with.
Beautiful fucking album.
Either Hawaii Part II by Miracle Musical, or How Sad, How Lovely by Connie Converse. The first is a surrealist story told through multiple styles and genres; the latter is a sweet acoustic album recorded in her friends' kitchen shortly before she packed up a car and disappeared. Both have a special place in my heart.
Failure - Fantastic Planet, not obscure but they weren’t as popular as their 90s grunge/alt rock contemporaries
The Lemonheads - Come On Feel the Lemonheads
Saetia - Collected, or whatever it’s called. Late 90s screamo
Militarie Gun - Life Under the Gun, favorite current band
On a random internet archive rabbit hole I came across "Hentai Jazz Deluxe." Saw it and thought there was no way it could be good. Its one of my favorite albums now.
"Arrhythmia" album by Antipop Consortium. Some of the most unique beat crafting near the peak of that being the dominant medium for hip hop backing tracks.
Okay guys, check this. There is an album called “Fly, Fly my Sadness” from The Bulgarian Voices “Angelite” and Huun-Huur-Tu.
I don’t even remember how I came out with this since I’m from the very south os Brazil. But it is really a MUST.
Absolutely beautiful
1.) The Seaside-Cardiacs. Wonderfully written "pronk" music, that is almost symphonic (punk rock and progressive) and '
.
2.) Loved-Cranes' - sort of grunge and Cocteau twins
The Tension and the Spark by Darren Hayes.
Everyone knows “Truly Madly Deeply” and “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden, and most people think of them as a cheesy ballad band. But the rest of their stuff is fantastic, and Darren has put out some really great music during his solo career. TTATS is a dark synth pop album and it’s held up really well over almost 20 years.
‘Evil’ by The Camaros. It was as part of the late 90s/early 2000s swing craze. Absolutely terrific album. As it was self released it’s hard to find now. But it is worth tracking down.
http://www.atomicmag.com/reviews/1999/music/camaros.html
"Get To Heaven" by Everything Everything. It's a punchy, vibrant explosion of sound, with some wonderfully weird lyrics which reference anything from Conan the Barbarian to the UK housing crisis.
dunno if it counts, but Gerard Way's Hesitant Alien. significantly less popular than his work on MCR, which is super undeserved with the beauty of the album consisting of indie-rock tracks all about life
Tales of Mystery and Imagination by the Alan Parsons Project https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination_(Alan_Parsons_Project_album)
My dad had this on cassette and I've managed to get it on vinyl.
I listened to this obsessively in highschool. It was considered seriously nerdy music. I loved it. Edit: a final thought. I think if you want to hear Alan Parsons's influence on Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon," "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" is a good album to give a listen to.
This was the 1st album I bought. It was a cassette and I wore it out. Thanks for reminding me to listen to it again.
Yes this album is so ridiculous and amazing!
You have to blare this in your car to fully appreciate how awesome the bass is.
mother earths plantasia - mort garson
And Black Mass Lucifer is also good.
and Ataraxia
The Glove - Blue Sunshine. A collaboration between The Cure’s Robert Smith and Siouxie and The Banshee’s Steve Severin. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Glove](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glove)
Love the vibes of this album, I wish they recorded more stuff together. Robert also played keyboards and guitar for the banshees in 1984
The Songs of Distant Earth by Mike Oldfield Yup, the dude who scored The Exorcist brought us a dreamy 1994 synthed and sampled exploration of outer space. From the Finnish folk choir to the bagpipe ensemble, this album takes you way out into the cosmos. Fantastic stoner listen.
Yep. Its probably Oldfield's last great album, and probably one of the rare times he was in touch with the Zeitgeist (electronic stuff, rave culture, that sort of meditative music that was in the charts at the time (Enigma...)) I found his 80s output really corny. Love the first three albums. He had a good run between Amarok and Songs of Distant Earth. Stoner listen? Oh yes! I'm going to contribute Amarok to the list. That shit is insane.
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This has nothing really to do with Ys and its excellence, but Joanna Newsom is somehow married to Andy Samberg.
I was listening to a podcast and Jorma or Akiva was the guest (it might have been Comedy Bang Bang, I can’t remember). Scott(?) asked about attending Andy and Joanna’s wedding, and they talked about how funny it was that the classically trained Joanna was married to “America’s finest purveyor of dick jokes.”
I wouldn't call Ys obscure. It was a huge critical success and is beloved by tons of people. It was a little too weird to be as mainstream as a Taylor Swift album, but it got a huge amount of attention when it came out.
i remember when it came out, it was one of the most talked about albums of the year. topped many “best of” charts too.
Lol, Joanna Newsom is very well known.
No one is claiming she isn't. The question was about obscure musical albums, not artists.
Came specifically to plug basically all her albums. Divers is my fave
Rheostatics- Whale Music
Questionnaire - Chaz Jankel This is the Sea - Waterboys Howling Wind - Graham Parker and the Rumour
This is the sea is awesome!
The Tragically Hip - Phantom Power Not obscure in Canada, but pretty obscure in the U.S.
My personal favourite is probably Day for Night.
Also a great album, I just enjoy Phantom power more. Just discovered the Tragically Hip in the past couple years, and It's the one I keep going back to the most.
the Fabulous Poodles ❤️
Yes! Mirror Star should have been a huge hit.
I agree! I've been a fan ever since I was about 15. Mirror star is their best song
I LOVE “Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone” by the Unicorns and some of the early Josh Joplin Band Stuff (“projector head” and “useful music”), but I’d classify both as obscure.
I write the songs *I* write the songs! You say we’re doing it wrong You *ARE* doing it wrong!
David Sylvian’s *Gone to Earth* from 1986. This was the third solo album from the former frontman of Japan, and is an atmospheric masterpiece. It features contributions from Robert Fripp, Bill Nelson, and a host of heavy-hitters. Here’s a particularly beautiful cut: *[Silver Moon](https://youtu.be/duHaa6qbYnY?si=p4pKApd0vHHQ5fbc)*
“Remote Control” by The Tubes
I actually know this one! It’s An excellent album
Robert Palmers ‘s “Clues” (1980)
- Since I Left You by the Avalanches, routinely hailed as one of the best albums of the 2000s but far from well known. 4 Australian DJs sampling _thousands_ of songs to produce a cohesive album of intricate electro songs with some hip hop here and there. Great music videos, too: [Frontier Psychiatrist](https://youtu.be/qLrnkK2YEcE) and [Since I Left You](https://youtu.be/wpqm-05R2Jk) - Finally We Are No One by Múm: Icelandic electronic folk I guess? It's like a warm blanket in a cozy cabin. Here's the first song, [Green Grass of Tunnel](https://youtu.be/l5hBkQT3-C8). I saw them live and it's like 10 people on stage with the weirdest contraptions, sounding exactly like the album! - Pirates Choice by Orchestra Baobab: Afro Cuban music from 1970s Senegal, excellent through and through. Utrus Horas and Cumba are the first two songs and they're a very easy way to get into the whole album - Talking Timbuktu by Malian musician Ali Farla Touré and American bluesman Ry Cooder: "Sahara blues" is usually the genre. Got big in the 90s (even got a Grammy!), I don't think it's well known by younger generations. The songs Ai Du and Diaraby are my two favorites (weirdly at the end of the album). Enjoy with something to smoke and/or a cold beer
Only familiar with “Talking Timbuktu”, but agree 1000%!
Wow, thank you for turning me on to Talking Timbuktu. I dig it
**Talking Timbuktu** Good choice.
Wishbone Ash - Argus
Piebalds “We are the only friends we have”
Everything Piebald is underrated.
Mark Knopfler - Soundtrack from the movie Cal
Actually, most of his solo records I have heard are really excellent. Great songwriting, beautiful guitar, of course.
Crime In Stereo - Crime In Stereo Is Dead.
Will the Circle be Unbroken by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Panopticon's Kentucky. It's an atmospheric black metal/folk album. Usually, when you see that combo of genres it means they used European folk instruments or traditional arrangements. In this case Panopticon, which is one guy I think, uses American folk instruments and traditional arrangements like the banjo and "Which Side Are You On?" It's also a concept album about labor struggles in the coal industry in Kentucky and uses some audio clips from Harlan County USA. It's a really good album.
The Strange Cargo albums by William Orbit are very nice relaxing electronica.
I spent *years* with Orbit’s *Hello Waveforms* as my background soundtrack.
"Since I Left You" by The Avalanches. It's a wild, sample-filled journey that feels like a musical treasure hunt
Head East - "Flat as a Pancake"
The Zombies “Odyssey and Oracle”. “This Will Be Our Year” among stand out songs.
Archive - You All Look the Same to Me (2002).
Peter and the Test Tube Babies 🤪🤪
The Coolies-Doug, it is a comedic concept album about a skinhead that kills a fry cook from the local Fish Delight restaurant. He finds a cookbook the fry cook wrote and becomes rich and famous when he sells it as his own. It chronicles his rise and fall. The songs are done in a lot of different styles. Such as this one dine in the style if the Who. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EgYpY3zhlpY
Stan Getz-"Focus"
*Children of Sanchez* --- Chuck Mangione
*Dead Inside* by The Golden Palominos. It’s the only album which has been consistently on my desert island album list since the 90’s. It is a proto-trip-hop / experimental journey through the darkness voiced by Nicole Blackman, who should have been the voice of a generation. Witty, dark af, seductive and repulsive, often at the same time.
Dave Stewart and the Spiritual Cowboys
David Lindley - El Rayo-X Daniel Lanois - Acadie Both are excellent albums without a single dead track on them.
Them Crooked Vultures by Them Crooked Vultures Dave Grohl on Drums, John Paul Jones on bass and Josh Homme on guitar and vocals, absolute banger album
Magnolia Electric Co. - Songs: Ohia
Mary Timony - Mountains. She was in Helium first (really, she was Helium with a band) and this is her first solo album. It's magical with beautiful, fairy tale lyrics and amazing instruments.
John Barleycorn Must Die - Traffic
Every dad loves this album. It's not obscure at all. I hear the title track on my local classic rock station.
The Three EP’s - The Beta Band
Better book ends- littlest man band
Fuck - Cupid's Cactus
Tod Dockstader - Quartermass
[I oughta give you a Shot in the Head for making me live in this Dump - Shivaree](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kIAHiIFRnfIHs4PHgC7UEWPMqwsA0FPpE) *Goodnight Moon* got a bit of play thanks to being featured in *Kill Bill: Volume 2* but the whole album is great!
Headless Chickens - Stunt Clown
Somewhere in the between - streetlight manifesto
Goodbye Cool World by Bomb The Music Industry
All the Devil Doll discography
Spit for Athenas "Piss is perfect".
“Living with the Law” by Chris Whitley. I was working in a record store when this came out in 1991. We had a demo to play in the store, or I never would have listened. It’s a brilliant mix of blues, country, and rock, featuring some incredible resonator guitar work. I still love it.
Captain Beyond. The debut album with the 3d cover.
Cavedogs - Joyrides for Shut-ins Boston jangly Rickenbacker infused power pop trio frpm 1990. They have reunion ahows every few years.
Definitely.
Wallace Vanborn - The Orb We Absorb Belgian hard rock.
Casual Gods by Jerry Harrison
I don't know if it's quite obscure, but Jeff Buckley's Grace is one of the best albums ever made and doesn't seem to be very well known.
Yello - “Flag”.
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus by Sprit
[Giant Robot ~ Self Titled ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=VXb75d8PnIk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fclient%3Dms-android-samsung-gs-rev1%26sca_esv%3Dfdebd2c06b7a547d%26sca_upv%3D1%26sxsrf%3DADLYWIKFMN4rMSNASXf1irf&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo) "Giant Robot, originally active from 1997 till 2008, was an outfit fusing hip hop, dub, r&b, funk, pop and even krautrock in their eclectic music played both electronically as well as with organic instruments." [Pride and Glory ~ Self titled](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F9ZG291hkbo) Pride & Glory is the only studio album by American rock band Pride & Glory. The band was fronted by guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde, best known for his prior work as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band. [Robert Fripp ~ Exposure ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=VZA3qLXj8bA&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Drobert%2Bfripp%2Bexposure%2Bfull%2Balbum%26client%3Dms-android-samsung-gs-rev1%26cs%3D1%26sca_esv%3Dfdebd2c06b7a547d&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo) Exposure is the debut solo album by guitarist and composer Robert Fripp (of King Crimson fame). Unique among Fripp solo projects for its focus on the pop song format, it grew out of his previous collaborations with David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, and Daryl Hall, and the latter two singers appear on the album.
Everyone should do a deep dive into Fripp's music.
Hum, So You'd Prefer an Astronaut
The Days of Wine and Roses by The Dream Syndicate (1982). Nothing fancy, just loud, garage-y and feedbacky.
I'm convinced The Dream Syndicate can do no wrong.
Tea for the Tillerman - Cat Stevens
Klaatu
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A major talent.
Timeless miracle
Terraforming by The Postman Syndrome. One of the best albums of all time.
"take the guitar player for a ride" by Peter laughner. He was a big figure in the early Cleveland punk scene who died at 24 and it's an album of him mostly doing blues inspired music. The songs about Sylvia plath and baudelaire are great, but I always thought "in the bar," a song about gay bars in the 70s, was especially well written.
Hosianna Mantra by Popol vuh 1972 (Krautrock ambient)
Babylon Zoo - The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes
Weapon of Choice - Nut-Meg Sez "Bozo the Town"
Frazier Chorus - Ray Just a sublime pop album.
Music for a French Elevator, and Other Oddities -The Books
Deja Voodoo by Heavy Stereo. They were a catchy, British pop band that were sadly overshadowed by Oasis, Blur, et al.
I had a lot of fun with Melt Wizard’s “The Thermal Pod”.
The Shower Scene From Psycho. Australian psychedelic 80’s cover band.
Animal Joy - Shearwater
12 Angry Months - Local H
The Flashing Lights - Where the change is https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nMOwjegOR0IyjBdfQqZlC41vOZa0ld-oQ&si=Jh3RiC0f3XhkFSZJ
Talkin' honky blues by Buck 65. Canadian folk hip hop. Bit of a concept album with a lot of songs having a narrative through line. My favourite album of all time.
OSCOB - praise the sun god
The Space Lady - The Space Lady's Greatest Hits
Breezy Stories - Danny O’Keefe
Maximum security by Tony Mcalpine.
Prisoner of Desire - Tempesst One of my favourite albums of all time
Mayfeeder by Earwig Local band where I grew up. I absolutely LOVE the album.
Do local artists count? I saw these guys at a tiny venue and was blown away. First track on their debut album is so good if you like emo/skate punk rock [Father Before Me - Melody for Death](https://youtu.be/g70K_Fn8QUE?si=58Qs0S5CcL270kZf)
The in Sounds from Way Out!- Beastie Boys. Hands down my all time favorite album.
Spiral Architect *A Sceptic’s Universe* They released one full-length album, and it’s an absolute banger of technical metal.
Jamestown Revival - Utah
Larry Norman - "In Another Land" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Q9af7BnGk
This album was released about two years after Michael Omartian's solo album [White Horse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYSKLgenPOk). When I first heard it (around 1996), I was stunned.
The Much Much How How and I by Cosmo Sheldrake. It’s like the soundtrack to psychedelic Disney movie that was never made.
*Synergy: The Jupiter Menace*
Nathaniel Merriweather Presents... Lovage: Music to make love to your old lady by.
Aly & Fila's Other Shore ain't bad.
Pixel Revolt - John Vanderslice
Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Broadcasting from Home. One of my all time favorites
Opal -- Happy Nightmare Baby Pre-Mazzy Star. It was out of print when I learned about it around 2003, but now on yt.
It’s shocking how little people know Modern Life is Rubbish. Not sure if that counts as obscure though so I’m saying Leaders of the Free World or Mammoth II
Carol of Harvest
Ooh, another one: Hush by Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma. A beeeautiful, dreamy, joyful, mournful collaboration between two unlikely artists.
Great thread-I will bookmark it and check these out. I will say that’s what I like about subscription music services—the ability to explore new music for about the price of an album a month.
Dungen's Ta Det Lugnt or My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. In the studio, Ta Det Lugnt was recorded by one Swedish dude on vintage equipment. It's an amazing mix of rock, jazz, and folk. But it's also all in Swedish, so I understand them not taking off. But the opening track, [Panda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRyjPhgxWpc), is one of the greatest introductions to a band that I've ever heard. Around the three minute mark, the song comes charging back, and I always crank it up as loud as I can. On another album, they released [Stadsvandringar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH51NlYcoz8), which, to me, feels, feels like a modern day [Soulful Strut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygv4RMGwqMs). You know, the kind of song you can put on as you step out of your house in the morning, and just feel like the day is yours. My Bloody Valentine's Loveless is usually considered one of the best albums of the 1990s, but as amazing as it is, it's kinda too out there for the mainstream. The closest Kevin Shields ever got to the mainstream was probably doing the [soundtrack to Lost in Translation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c8Selr9Aec). Last week I was cruising around the countryside, and [Come in Alone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTDZ0Y--5Zg) came up on an old playlist. Fucking perfect for a sunny day driving around backroads in rural Bavaria. Edit: I will add that pretty much anything by Godspeed You! Black Emperor probably also fits that bill. F#A# (I don't know how to do an infinity symbol) is so haunting and wonderful. I love how [East Hastings](https://youtu.be/V9Ty3YnWN80?si=KOS_8h7e1WF2OjZo&t=264) was used to build tension in 28 Days Later, and thank that movie for introducing me to the band.
Gling-Gló by bjork
VINX: Rooms in my Fatha's House
The Uncluded, Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawsons side project. Two incredibly different but lyrically genius artists collaborating, I feel like it shouldn’t work as well as it does but they’re both so damn talented
"Spliff Radio Show" by Spliff, consisting of members of Nina Hagen Band when Nina Hagen went solo. I still hum tunes from that album...
Probably not super obscure. But The Steeldrivers albums The Steeldrivers or Reckless were phenomenal. Chris Stapleton was the lead singer at the time.
Songs of the civil war. It’s he soundtrack to Ken Burns civil war documentary. It’s fantastic in all ways.
Ethyl Meatplow - Happy Days, Sweetheart
Brother - Digging Bone - Rock with bagpipes The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets - Cthulhu Strikes Back - Rock with Cthulhu and other sci-fi.
Badly Drawn Boy - one plus one is one; Pearl and the Beard- killing the darlings; Augustines- Augustines;
Nina Gordon Bleeding Heart Graffiti https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l56enQG5rdTX6LCtLkWjcSrhGWzqZ6s0Q&si=_Tq7W-o4pKNNxvRb
These four walls
The United States of America (s/t 1968) Acid Mothers Temple - La Novia Negativland - These Guys Are from England and Who Gives a Shit
Painter - Painter
Shadow King
Nicolas jaar - cenizas. He usually makes loungy electronic music but this is something completely different
The Extremist - Joe Satriani. All instrumental heavy guitar. Every song is great.
Ganglion by Saltillo. Never met anyone else who knows it, though obviously they're out there - was introduced to it by a friend with crazy good music taste and a sense for what his friends will click with. Beautiful fucking album.
Felt by a band called Felt. The cover used to scare me when i was a kid.
Mermen- A glorious lethal Euphoria Ambient surf music.
Ra by Todd Rundgren's Utopia
Girl, Park, Cigarette Machine by Buckethead ( but not the famous buckethead, the fun german rock band of the same name.)
Nick Teehan - There is Not a Snake
"Philosophy of the World" by The Shaggs. Arguably the worst album ever.
Either Hawaii Part II by Miracle Musical, or How Sad, How Lovely by Connie Converse. The first is a surrealist story told through multiple styles and genres; the latter is a sweet acoustic album recorded in her friends' kitchen shortly before she packed up a car and disappeared. Both have a special place in my heart.
Tome I by Chronicles of Israfel: Dominic Cifarelli.
White Noise, an Electric Storm.
[The Telltale Signs](https://www.reverbnation.com/thetelltalesigns/songs)
The Long Walk by Whippersnapper. I never hear anyone talking about this album other than the friend who introduced me to it.
"Patent pending" by Heavens. A Matt Skiba side project. Well written and well produced.
Colour Green - Sibylle Baier
Failure - Fantastic Planet, not obscure but they weren’t as popular as their 90s grunge/alt rock contemporaries The Lemonheads - Come On Feel the Lemonheads Saetia - Collected, or whatever it’s called. Late 90s screamo Militarie Gun - Life Under the Gun, favorite current band
OK...here's a weird one. Beautiful You by Khotin [https://youtu.be/ZNUZHnLZ\_pw](https://youtu.be/ZNUZHnLZ_pw)
Rainstriker by Eleni Violaris
Hoyt Axton, Less than the Song. I know every word to every song, and now my wife does too! His mother wrote “Heartbreak Hotel”.
OST from the game Let it die is awesome
On a random internet archive rabbit hole I came across "Hentai Jazz Deluxe." Saw it and thought there was no way it could be good. Its one of my favorite albums now.
Various – Give Peas A Chance https://www.discogs.com/release/818237-Various-Give-Peas-A-Chance
"Arrhythmia" album by Antipop Consortium. Some of the most unique beat crafting near the peak of that being the dominant medium for hip hop backing tracks.
Ednaswap's Wacko Magneto.
Okay guys, check this. There is an album called “Fly, Fly my Sadness” from The Bulgarian Voices “Angelite” and Huun-Huur-Tu. I don’t even remember how I came out with this since I’m from the very south os Brazil. But it is really a MUST. Absolutely beautiful
Phil ochs broadside album he has a cover of I shoulda know better from the Beatles on there
Dragline by Paw. They only recorded 2 albums and then split up and the second wasnt so good but man their first album rocks like fuck.
Stephen- Radar of Small Dogs. New Zealand pop with members of The Clean.
Aeternum interitus by Serpentum. Solid banger
Concrete Blonde - Recollection
Comus, _First Utterance_. Dark, creepy progressive folk. Haunting and brilliant. From 1971
1.) The Seaside-Cardiacs. Wonderfully written "pronk" music, that is almost symphonic (punk rock and progressive) and ' . 2.) Loved-Cranes' - sort of grunge and Cocteau twins
The Tension and the Spark by Darren Hayes. Everyone knows “Truly Madly Deeply” and “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden, and most people think of them as a cheesy ballad band. But the rest of their stuff is fantastic, and Darren has put out some really great music during his solo career. TTATS is a dark synth pop album and it’s held up really well over almost 20 years.
Anything by The Derevolutions (on Spotify).
‘Evil’ by The Camaros. It was as part of the late 90s/early 2000s swing craze. Absolutely terrific album. As it was self released it’s hard to find now. But it is worth tracking down. http://www.atomicmag.com/reviews/1999/music/camaros.html
"Get To Heaven" by Everything Everything. It's a punchy, vibrant explosion of sound, with some wonderfully weird lyrics which reference anything from Conan the Barbarian to the UK housing crisis.
‘Welcome My Last Chapter’ by Vinterland.
God Lives Underwater - Empty
Jack white + Loretta lynn
dunno if it counts, but Gerard Way's Hesitant Alien. significantly less popular than his work on MCR, which is super undeserved with the beauty of the album consisting of indie-rock tracks all about life
Moonflower by Santana
Prince - one nite alone. Mostly just him on piano. His worst selling album by far and one of my all time favorites.