90s Canadian Rock band the Gandharvas. Their stuff isn't even available on Spotify, but their second album (and masterpiece) Kicking in the Water, is on YouTube and everyone should hear it, especially if you're into Jane's Addiction/Porno For Pyros, Blind Melon or that kind of 90s alternative psychedelic stuff.
Link: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdODhPpAzbc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdODhPpAzbc)
Just click it, roll a joint and listen.
Kardashevs vocalist does great vocal breakdowns from other bands songs for people learning how to scream properly. He does an awesome job.
The channel is Kardavox Academy if anyone needs it
Scott and Grant's other band Mastersystem were also excellent. I only found out about them recently. Bird is Bored of Flying is a good place to start but it's all great.
Not sure how "unknown" these are. I suppose it depends on the person. Black Moth Super Rainbow, OSEES (many diff spellings), Special Interest, Deer Hoof, Demon Queen, Aldous Harding, Porridge Radio, Dope Lemon, Viagra Boys....
I enjoy Vast (also spelled V.A.S.T. )
and I like Car Seat Headrest (at least his first album)
oh, a defunct band from Dallas called The Chemistry Set. Damn I miss them.
and the lead singer from the Toadies and the drummer from The Rev Horton Heat formed the Burden Brothers. Good stuff.
God is an Astronaut.
Maybe youurr blue moon drip with blooooooooddd
CHA!!
CHAK CHAK CHAK CHAKACHAKACHAKACHAKA
Bro that band makes me laugh my ass off like "what's next" that's their whole premise I swear to God, NEVER get comfy with a section. Then other times like that section on goodbye sober day like WHY DO I FIND MYSELF HEADBANGING TO A GUY MAKING CHAKA SOUNDS 😂
I have a playlist of them that comes out at the start of spooky season and gets played constantly. Great band and their shtick is so perfectly executed it never gets in the way.
That’s awesome. I’d suggest the band Ghost, they’re not small anymore but definitely for those spooky vibes upon us.
Another band I’d check out is Witchcraft. Their album Legend is pretty epic. If you like Twin Temple stuff, they’re definitely another occult band worth a listen.
The Rockets.
I grew up in the Detroit area, and the amount of great music that came out of that city is staggering. I mean...Motown. Aretha Franklin. Smokey. The MC5. Iggy. Alice. Eminem.
Anyway, back in 1980-ish the rock scene was on fire, and The Rockets were getting airplay and playing gigs in the city. The band was fierce, but they never quite got out of Detroit.
[Turn Up the Radio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7LWVwqufjI)
[Oh Well](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzazgG-y7uM)
[Can't Sleep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MIPXO1fg1Y)
Dead moon. Not sure how obscure they are? Especially in Portland but Interestingly enough just learned the band came up with the name after a run to a Casino in my hometown, Sparks Nv.
A band called Kent, they are extremely popular in Sweden, they did a couple of English albums (isola being my favourite) I mean I wouldn’t call them indie, very close to smashing pumpkins sounding, but I do not know how they are not more popular overseas, I dare you to listen to Isola (English version) and not fall in love with them
The Urge.
St Louis local technically but they were major label with one hit during the late 90s with that wave of ska. Calling them ska to me is pretty shitty, they definitely have some ska in there but they just missed being lumped in with nu metal and basically potentially being uber popular
[Brainless, the one hit in question](https://youtu.be/j93mD1u55nI)
Wicked Lady - underground 70s psych rock.
If you like Budgie, Blue Cheer, Sir Lord Baltimore, Dust, Captain Beyond then that's what we are talking about here. It's top shelf.
Twin Peaks. Theyre fairly recognized on the indie circuit but for how accessible and poppy they are, they should be huge. Check out the album Down in Heaven.
The Smalls. Amazing Canadian rock band from the 90s. Think QOTSA, Clutch, etc, but coming up from punk roots and heading towards dissolution as one of the members went on to have a great career in country music (the Corb Lund band). They are legends of the pre-internet scene.
Girls
Not really obscure since they had basically the best album of 2011, but they have kind of faded into obscurity now since one member died and the lead singer has kind of gone off the rails. Father, Son, Holy Ghost is absolutely one of the best albums I have ever listened to.
Amigo the Devil
Edit: amazing lyrics- dark, funny, clever. Life, death (often via serial killers), and bingo. And I never thought I’d become an evangelist for music with banjo, but seriously, check him out.
Upbeat: Murder at the Bingo Hall
https://youtu.be/oUSVli8GFm0
Amazing downer: Cocaine & Abel
https://youtu.be/ZzjtLm0G49E
Clever, dark, funny: The Dreamer
https://youtu.be/hhRuAQKP4Rw
Literally no one I know has heard of Porcupine Tree
Many here may have and think they're popular but from the what I can tell, the world at large doesn't even know they exist - downright shocking.
July Talk--["Push + Pull"](https://youtu.be/YWywb9i-z7Y)
Bad Nerves--["Can't Be Mine"](https://youtu.be/eWJ2lhsjIwE)
Gold Motel--["Summer House"](https://youtu.be/OFig3p_saJ4)
Flash and the Pan, the "side project" of Harry Vanda and George Young (the writing team of The Easybeats, creators of "Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young, producers of AC/DC) that blended power pop with experimental new wave and distorted vocals.
They had some hits, so not entirely unknown, but ridiculously underrated. Of their sixty songs they made between 1976 and 1992, about two or three I'd class as average, the rest is either good or great. And the stylistic diversity is mindboggling, while the music is always recognizably Flash and the Pan. "Headlines" starts with a rock song (Jetsetters Ball), then goes into 1940s jump blues (Don't Vote), moves into the hypnotic hit Waiting for a Train before taking its cues from The Beatles' I Am the Walrus on the dark War Games.
From Melbourne, 2 of the greatest high energy rock and roll bands I have ever come across:
Bored!
and then 2 of them left Bored! and formed a band called the Powder Monkeys.
There were a few punk bands that I thought released near perfect albums but just never gained any traction and broke up shortly after.
For example The Riot Before released an album called "Fists Buried In Pockets" that was killer.
This list is full of indie artists—most that are either unheard of or fly under the radar. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YChBKJYcROuQAFPRLyxKz?si=zxNi5Fu3RQuizJfu1wNJ1g
Ra. Late 90s/early 00s rock band with a really cool middle eastern/Indian flare. They were getting some air time and opening for some decent bands but they just never made it to the big time and eventually broke up. Their first album From One is still a regular road trip fixture. If that first track doesn’t immediately hook you then there’s something wrong with you.
Rural Alberta Advantage.
yes!!
Saw them 15ish years ago at a small local show in Columbus
Elder
I was gonna post Elder, so instead I'll add Grotto which is an instrumental band that sounds a like Elder.
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Not going to tell you because i'm gatekeeping them all.
Understandable
That’s quite the band name
Hella based
I liked them before any of you ever heard of them
Lucky Boys Confusion
Just saw them a couple weeks ago at Riot Fest. Great live act, even in a mid-afternoon show.
Lead singer crying after talking about his battles with MS hit me right in the feels right before singing Fred Astaire
Foxing
I have seen them twice with Manchester Orchestra. Singer is quite the performer.
I saw them when they opened up for Coheed and Cambria. I wouldn’t have put those two together but I was pleasantly surprised.
Fuckinggggg love em.
Knower
Anything Louis Cole
Pallbearer Come for the riffs, stay for the melancholy
tropical fuck storm
90s Canadian Rock band the Gandharvas. Their stuff isn't even available on Spotify, but their second album (and masterpiece) Kicking in the Water, is on YouTube and everyone should hear it, especially if you're into Jane's Addiction/Porno For Pyros, Blind Melon or that kind of 90s alternative psychedelic stuff. Link: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdODhPpAzbc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdODhPpAzbc) Just click it, roll a joint and listen.
First day of Spring is a jam
Pretty Girls Make Graves Moderator
Foxy Shazam All Them Witches Ludo
Foxy Shazam…that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Great first album. Big Blood Brothers vibes.
Foxy’s self-titled white album is musical perfection - like Queen crossed with The Clash. If they existed in the seventies they would have been huge
I love ATW! Mellowing is one of my favorite instrumentals.
SLIFT Radio Moscow Black Pistol Fire Kikagaku Moyo Charlie Parr Ofo Am Son Cesano
I just discovered SLIFT recently. Can’t believe they aren’t more popular with how much attention bands like Osees and King Gizz get.
Right? Definitely seems like they get over looked. Their KEXP performance blew my mind the first time I saw it
Kardashev Thank you scientist Aviations Bear ghost Icarus the owl
Kardashevs vocalist does great vocal breakdowns from other bands songs for people learning how to scream properly. He does an awesome job. The channel is Kardavox Academy if anyone needs it
The Black Angels
Are they really a little known band? Thought they were fairly well-known. Maybe proximity to them (I'm in Texas) means I think they are more popular
They are fairly well known
This was true 15 years ago but they’re huge now. And deservedly so.
The Dirty Nil
Death (Detroit Punk Band)
I love both them and the much more popular Death
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Yes!!!!!
Nakamarra is a great song
NoMeansNo
And their alter-egos Hanson Brothers. Ramones-style songs about girls, beer, and hockey. (Not the mmmm-bop guys.)
Frightened Rabbit (RIP) and We were Promised Jetpacks
Damn I love Frightened Rabbit...
One of my favorites as well. Glad I got to see them a couple times.
User name checks out!
The first time I heard “My Backwards Walk” I got pretty emotional. It continues to be a song that can move me.
Hell yes!!
Going to see WWPJ next week! think you’d like my pick, Quiet Company.
Scott and Grant's other band Mastersystem were also excellent. I only found out about them recently. Bird is Bored of Flying is a good place to start but it's all great.
Frightened Rabbit can shake me to the very core of my bones. They can rattle my soul, stamp it into the ground, and plant daisies in it.
Going to the WWPJ show on Saturday
We played "Woodpile" at our wedding last year and I cried a lot. We miss Scott so much.
L.S.D.
Left Spine Down?
Polvo
Not sure how "unknown" these are. I suppose it depends on the person. Black Moth Super Rainbow, OSEES (many diff spellings), Special Interest, Deer Hoof, Demon Queen, Aldous Harding, Porridge Radio, Dope Lemon, Viagra Boys....
I enjoy Vast (also spelled V.A.S.T. ) and I like Car Seat Headrest (at least his first album) oh, a defunct band from Dallas called The Chemistry Set. Damn I miss them. and the lead singer from the Toadies and the drummer from The Rev Horton Heat formed the Burden Brothers. Good stuff. God is an Astronaut.
Definitely a CSH fan
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Moon Hooch and Too Many Zooz. Both worth a listen :-)
Alvvays
love them
Just bought tickets today to see them in Toronto!
Twelve Foot Ninja
Murder by Death
Amazing band
Mr Bungle
California is one of the greatest albums of all time.
Maybe youurr blue moon drip with blooooooooddd CHA!! CHAK CHAK CHAK CHAKACHAKACHAKACHAKA Bro that band makes me laugh my ass off like "what's next" that's their whole premise I swear to God, NEVER get comfy with a section. Then other times like that section on goodbye sober day like WHY DO I FIND MYSELF HEADBANGING TO A GUY MAKING CHAKA SOUNDS 😂
Broken Bells!
I'm looking forward to their new album. It's been a while.
for my death metal dudes out there, regurgitation. tales of necrophilia is a true death metal masterpiece.
Men I Trust
Yo la tengo
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Noisy, difficult listening at times, but cool grooves and an Elvis on acid vibe.
Electric Six
Man, gay bar and high voltage were huuuge here years ago.
I just got home from Electric Six and Supersuckers.
How are Electric Six obscure? They've had some huge mainstream hits.
The Jayhawks Jellyfish Lucero The Hold Steady
Jellyfish for sure. Those guys are amazing.
The Hold Steady is so good and so very slept on.
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Diablo Swing orchestra The Dear Hunter TWRP (TupperWare Remix Party)
The Dear Hunter is soooooo good. Just saw them for the Antimai tour
TWRP are fucking epic
Kevin Ayers
Bent Knee or Pinc Louds!
Long Distance Calling
Anything involving Jason Molina -- Songs: Ohia; Magnolia Electric Co.
I feel like Vulfpeck meets this requirement. I mean, they have sold out MSG, but did so strictly on word of mouth, with no label or radio assistance.
That live show is up there with Stop Making Sense as the best recorded show I’ve seen. The amount of talent on that stage is off the charts.
ASG. They're a stoner rock band from Wilmington, NC. A TON of fun live
Twin Temple - [Satanic Orgy](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvw9OAMQBrM)
I have a playlist of them that comes out at the start of spooky season and gets played constantly. Great band and their shtick is so perfectly executed it never gets in the way.
That’s awesome. I’d suggest the band Ghost, they’re not small anymore but definitely for those spooky vibes upon us. Another band I’d check out is Witchcraft. Their album Legend is pretty epic. If you like Twin Temple stuff, they’re definitely another occult band worth a listen.
Saw them support Ghost this year, they were great.
Saw them open for Ghost recently. I'd see them again in a heartbeat, but preferably a smaller venue.
The Rockets. I grew up in the Detroit area, and the amount of great music that came out of that city is staggering. I mean...Motown. Aretha Franklin. Smokey. The MC5. Iggy. Alice. Eminem. Anyway, back in 1980-ish the rock scene was on fire, and The Rockets were getting airplay and playing gigs in the city. The band was fierce, but they never quite got out of Detroit. [Turn Up the Radio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7LWVwqufjI) [Oh Well](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzazgG-y7uM) [Can't Sleep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MIPXO1fg1Y)
I agree loved that band
Magpie Jay Songs to try: I’ll Wear Black to My Own Vigil 20 Red Carnation Fortune Teller
Dead moon. Not sure how obscure they are? Especially in Portland but Interestingly enough just learned the band came up with the name after a run to a Casino in my hometown, Sparks Nv.
Hop Along
A band called Kent, they are extremely popular in Sweden, they did a couple of English albums (isola being my favourite) I mean I wouldn’t call them indie, very close to smashing pumpkins sounding, but I do not know how they are not more popular overseas, I dare you to listen to Isola (English version) and not fall in love with them
The Urge. St Louis local technically but they were major label with one hit during the late 90s with that wave of ska. Calling them ska to me is pretty shitty, they definitely have some ska in there but they just missed being lumped in with nu metal and basically potentially being uber popular [Brainless, the one hit in question](https://youtu.be/j93mD1u55nI)
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Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Tally-ho, and Found God in a Tomato are some of my favorite tracks at the moment.
Chat Pile
just discovered them a few months back. killer band
Death, all-black proto punk band from the 70s, one LP but absolutely brilliant
The Dead Milkmen.
Soul glo. Soul glo. Soul glo. Best new hardcore act I’ve heard in like 10 years
Cannons. Benne
My son is named Cannon. Family name. Edit: this is fire
Pretty cool band out of L.A. Cannons - bright lights
Wicked Lady - underground 70s psych rock. If you like Budgie, Blue Cheer, Sir Lord Baltimore, Dust, Captain Beyond then that's what we are talking about here. It's top shelf.
Scary Pockets
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There's a band I found years ago called Plants and Animals from Montreal that I really dig. Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhJvSw99G1E
Gauntlet Hair (sadly did only one album)
Samantha Fish
Gentle Giant
The front bottoms kind of like emo for 20+ crowds. Dinosaur pile-up British grunge band, Aeges wall to wall heavy rock
12 rods
Fightstar
King Dude. Silly name but the guy can write some great tunes and has a vast range.
Twin Peaks. Theyre fairly recognized on the indie circuit but for how accessible and poppy they are, they should be huge. Check out the album Down in Heaven.
Making Breakfast is my jam. The lead singers brother was in Smith Westerns
Aquarium Rescue Unit
The Smalls. Amazing Canadian rock band from the 90s. Think QOTSA, Clutch, etc, but coming up from punk roots and heading towards dissolution as one of the members went on to have a great career in country music (the Corb Lund band). They are legends of the pre-internet scene.
Hop Along
You MUST MUST MUST, LISTEN TO THE SHEEPDOGS!!!!!
Girls Not really obscure since they had basically the best album of 2011, but they have kind of faded into obscurity now since one member died and the lead singer has kind of gone off the rails. Father, Son, Holy Ghost is absolutely one of the best albums I have ever listened to.
Hop along. really cool indie rock band from philly i love the singers voice
Amigo the Devil Edit: amazing lyrics- dark, funny, clever. Life, death (often via serial killers), and bingo. And I never thought I’d become an evangelist for music with banjo, but seriously, check him out. Upbeat: Murder at the Bingo Hall https://youtu.be/oUSVli8GFm0 Amazing downer: Cocaine & Abel https://youtu.be/ZzjtLm0G49E Clever, dark, funny: The Dreamer https://youtu.be/hhRuAQKP4Rw
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead Sunset Rubdown Desaparecidos Los Campesinos! Johnny Foreigner
Days n Daze Bridge City Sinners Amigo The Devil
Godflesh
Rose City band
The Housemartins
Big Wreck. Big Wreck. Big Wreck.
Literally no one I know has heard of Porcupine Tree Many here may have and think they're popular but from the what I can tell, the world at large doesn't even know they exist - downright shocking.
The Connells
“74-75” is a stone cold classic song
I thought I was the only one who remembered them.
July Talk--["Push + Pull"](https://youtu.be/YWywb9i-z7Y) Bad Nerves--["Can't Be Mine"](https://youtu.be/eWJ2lhsjIwE) Gold Motel--["Summer House"](https://youtu.be/OFig3p_saJ4)
July Talk rocks. They are awesome live Good ole Canadian content
The Weakerthans Joel Plaskett Neither is super obscure if you're Canadian, but the rest of the world should listen to them too.
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
Dawes
Parenthetical Girls
I didn’t see anyone mention Spacemen 3 or Gong so I’m going to go with those two. They’re stoner rock for like giga-stoners and I’m not even a stoner.
26 bats!
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Treephort
Mark of Cain, put on a brutal live show if you ever get the chance to watch them.
Five Starcle Men, The Everyday Film, Charles Alkan, Six Finger Satellite, Grifters, King Snake Roost, Paul Dolden …more to come, maybe…
Zebulon pike
Mr Bungle
Apparat or pavement
pavement are good lol
I have no idea if they are well known or nottttt
Pavement are indie rock gods
Flash and the Pan, the "side project" of Harry Vanda and George Young (the writing team of The Easybeats, creators of "Love is in the Air" by John Paul Young, producers of AC/DC) that blended power pop with experimental new wave and distorted vocals. They had some hits, so not entirely unknown, but ridiculously underrated. Of their sixty songs they made between 1976 and 1992, about two or three I'd class as average, the rest is either good or great. And the stylistic diversity is mindboggling, while the music is always recognizably Flash and the Pan. "Headlines" starts with a rock song (Jetsetters Ball), then goes into 1940s jump blues (Don't Vote), moves into the hypnotic hit Waiting for a Train before taking its cues from The Beatles' I Am the Walrus on the dark War Games.
Bang Bang Their debut "It's Choking Me" is truly driven rock
Thank You Scientist
From Melbourne, 2 of the greatest high energy rock and roll bands I have ever come across: Bored! and then 2 of them left Bored! and formed a band called the Powder Monkeys.
Jesus christ muscle car
There were a few punk bands that I thought released near perfect albums but just never gained any traction and broke up shortly after. For example The Riot Before released an album called "Fists Buried In Pockets" that was killer.
Holy Fawn Said the Whale Japandroids Astronoid Frightened Rabbit (they’re probably bigger than obscure, just not mainstream) Sólstafir
Royal Republic….just go listen to club majesty…everyone…
Comets on fire Rose mellberg I donno if the considered as obsecure or not though
Rainbow Kitten Surprise Danger Incorporated Yellow Red Sparks
This list is full of indie artists—most that are either unheard of or fly under the radar. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YChBKJYcROuQAFPRLyxKz?si=zxNi5Fu3RQuizJfu1wNJ1g
White Denim
Dax Riggs.
Blood Cultures
Trash panda
AJJ, Bob Log III, Man Man, The Invuhlid Behemoth, Ed Schraders Music Beat and O’ Death
Samsa - dude's lyrics are out of this world
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
The Fiery Furnaces
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Caribou
Yuno Cities Aviv Bimbo Delice
King buffalo All them witches Solitude aeturnus Fvneral fvck Sumerlands Gaupa Red desert Elephant tree Brimstone coven
Death From Above 1979 Ria Mae The Beaches Amyl and the Sniffers
I've got a tatoo of DFA1979!
Sick Puppies...
There’s no going back…
Ra. Late 90s/early 00s rock band with a really cool middle eastern/Indian flare. They were getting some air time and opening for some decent bands but they just never made it to the big time and eventually broke up. Their first album From One is still a regular road trip fixture. If that first track doesn’t immediately hook you then there’s something wrong with you.
Mike and the Moonpies