I mean really obscure as in you’re probably one of ten people listening to it. This is kind of my thing.
Anthracite Fields by Julia Wolfe
Won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Gives an impression of life in coal country around the turn of the century; the same sort of milieu that spawned songs like “16 Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford. It’s artsy fartsy music through and through, but I think it’s very effective in its aims. The composer intended it as an exploration and tribute to American labor history.
Too Many Zooz
Saw these guys open for Coheed and Cambria and Primus this summer. It was a very confusing set, but I liked it a lot.
Short Ride In A Fast Machine by John Adams
Orca - Wintersleep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RRsi5BZxQU
For the electronic music fans there is shitmat or maybe Venetian Snares
Off the top of my head, I caught this Jazz group called Marbin at a local event (very small festival in a small city). I bought several of their CDs afterwards. Here is a random video.
Rego (00s singer/songwriter/americana group from illinois). From the Royal Arcade is a great album and After the War is probably my favorite song on it. Cant find either posted online anywhere but they should be on streaming services.
minerva lions (2010s indy group from new york). i guess they only released an EP and disappeared: https://minervalions.bandcamp.com/album/great-strides-priestess-queen
Goblin (70s italian prog rock). the entire il fantastico viaggio del bagarozzo mark is incredible.
Thank you for your recommendations, I have been enjoying them very much.
I recommend the album “Cosmic Frog” by S2cool. Funky indie album, I love it. I think maybe he is focusing on a band he is in, “Fictionist,” although he also does writing for lots of other companies so not sure really…
Also “07” by The Chicken Chokers. Bluegrass/string band album, it’s how I came to love bluegrass. These guys were active for a while in the New England area but I believe they have split and now some of them are playing in another band “Twang.”
Finally, “Seara de Jazz cu Aura” by Aura Urziceanu. Romanian scatt jazz. I think she was pretty famous in Romania, but I have to take Wikipedia’s word for it. She eventually had a career in the USA; she certainly toured with some big names but it’s hard to tell if she was a success.
cool I’ll check em out thanks
S.K.O.R. from Luxembourg, they had a brief episode of fame locally some 15 years ago, and then more or less disappeared.
Section 8 - Right Here Now:
https://archive.org/details/section8-right-here-nowChris Smither’s 19th album dropped last year.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m5juHHLewlTZVC2XvbjZH-HKvRFeJHa1c
Brandon can’t dance, Mason proper, Jib Kidder, and Anna ash and the family tree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MagmOKmhAd0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcfiXNRc_aA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8frL7dKBfU
Difficult to find Anna ash and the family tree, her solo stuff eclipsed it long ago.
La Commune : death metal, Parisian band, 34 monthly listeners on Spotify apparently
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lC1KDPT5KI
I’m obviously biased cause I like what they do but they’re really good imo
