bands, albums, books etc... that are underrated

mh · 06 Jan 2007, 17:48

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:Moral of the story -- Khunt is now a CEO in a well-known multi-national

And probably still a major Khunt.

Obviousman · 06 Jan 2007, 20:17

mh wrote:
Izzy HaveMercy wrote:Moral of the story -- Khunt is now a CEO in a well-known multi-national
And probably still a major Khunt.

Lacking all essential things like an impeccable taste in music

eotunun · 06 Jan 2007, 21:31

canon docre wrote:
eotunun wrote: Aye! Anneke should be a star!
But then, I donÂ´t think sheÂ´d want that much of attention for her family and herself?
Maybe Eldo could give her some advice on how to shape a mythical alter ego that vanishes when she leaves the stage and dives back to private life?
And that explains their relatively underrated status. However lovely and nice they are, they don't have the slightest hint of star quality, which hindered them from taking off. That and the lack of writing a truly mainstream marketable single.

You know, as long as they are left to do what they want to, and donÂ´t have to fullfill the demands of shareholders, thatÂ´s all right with me.
No f*ckwitty manager will tell them to make an RÂ´nÂ´B album as itÂ´s hip at the moment.
I think they absolutley like having no herds of screaming teens in front of their houses and all of that.
I donÂ´t fear for them having to live in poverty, and the way it is the music stays highly inspired and great.
ThatÂ´s more than any money could ever buy.

boudicca · 07 Jan 2007, 10:43

Foetus - Nobody else in this world sounds like Jim Thirlwell, I was trying to describe what Foetus is like to a fellow HLander just the other day, and I was completely lost. Foetus sounds like Foetus, trying to shoehorn it into "industrial" or some such genre is woefully inadequate.

Laibach - Pisses me off no end when people react to them as "A Nazi Band". Or a band that just "flirts with" that kind of imagery "to shock".
Milan Fras put it best when he said "We are as much Nazis as Hitler was a painter."

Swans - Unfairly written off by a lot of people when they have just heard their very early material (Flith, Greed etc.). Personally I love that "noisy" stuff too but by the late 80's they were producing something which (superficially at least) sounded very different. Klang-klunking and shouting replaced with Michael Gira's sonorous croon. Love it.

Brideoffrankenstein · 07 Jan 2007, 13:14

boudicca wrote:Laibach - Pisses me off no end when people react to them as "A Nazi Band". Or a band that just "flirts with" that kind of imagery "to shock".
Milan Fras put it best when he said "We are as much Nazis as Hitler was a painter."

Swans - Unfairly written off by a lot of people when they have just heard their very early material (Flith, Greed etc.). Personally I love that "noisy" stuff too but by the late 80's they were producing something which (superficially at least) sounded very different. Klang-klunking and shouting replaced with Michael Gira's sonorous croon. Love it.

Yes to both especially to Michael Gira's sonorous croon

boudicca · 07 Jan 2007, 14:01

Brideoffrankenstein wrote:
boudicca wrote:Laibach - Pisses me off no end when people react to them as "A Nazi Band". Or a band that just "flirts with" that kind of imagery "to shock".
Milan Fras put it best when he said "We are as much Nazis as Hitler was a painter."

Swans - Unfairly written off by a lot of people when they have just heard their very early material (Flith, Greed etc.). Personally I love that "noisy" stuff too but by the late 80's they were producing something which (superficially at least) sounded very different. Klang-klunking and shouting replaced with Michael Gira's sonorous croon. Love it.
Yes to both especially to Michael Gira's sonorous croon

Hee!

One of my favourite voices, and possibly my absolute favourite lyricist (though it's a toss-up between him and Cave)...

Mr. Wah · 08 Jan 2007, 05:58

wild bill buttock wrote:
Mothra wrote:
wild bill buttock wrote:Cubanate
The Worlds greatest(and possibly only) industrial/techno/metal/drum and bass band.
What was the name of the man behind them - Mark something?
I remember him being on GLR's Sunday metal show and saying what a bunch of f*ckwits all metal fans were, a few days before supporting someone on tour (Carcass I think). He read his home phone number out on air and asked people to phone up and give him abuse if they didn't agree with him. Hope his mum didn't pick up.
Mark Heal.It was Carcass.And he was right about metal fans.He was a tad on the confrontational side.

I remember Cubanate supporting The Sisters in 97 at Brixton. Mark Heal did have quite a confrontational stage persona. And what was it he said during the intro to one of the songs? "Yeah, I know I'm a genius" or something very similar.

Still, I bought Barbarossa. And it isn't bad.

Eldorado · 08 Jan 2007, 15:01

Xmal Deutschland - I really loved Anja's vocals. I never hear anyone referencing them.
Her art is just as wonderful.

King of Byblos · 08 Jan 2007, 15:33

site: new strip every tuesday and lots of old material
http://www.e-merl.com/

book: Milorad Pavic The Dictionary of the Khazars
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dictionary-Khaz ... F8&s=books

from someone elses Amazon review
"
I'm willing to bet my paycheck that you haven't read anything remotelylike "The Dictionary...". I know I hadn't. For one it is structured likea dictionary - or, perhaps more accurately, an encyclopaedia. The joy ofthis is that you can open the book at any page and read any entry at all(though I must recommend that you read the introduction before you dothis) and you'll be reading an entertaining 'storylet', which makes uppart of the overall story.
But M Pavic added an additional layer (or rather 3) of complexity to thisstructure: you see, this book is not one dictionary but three - aChristian, a Hebrew and a Muslim version. Each 'book' recounts the taleof the conversion of the Khazars, but approaches the story from theirdifferent viewpoint.
And this adds to the beauty of this book: You can read it 'diagonally' -i.e. read about a person or event (say Princess Ateh) in the Christianversion, then go to the Hebrew and see what they say about her, and thenon to the Muslim. The same story is often slanted subtly in each version- it's very engaging and very clever.
Pavic is a very good writer andevery sentence is sculpted, not a word is out of place. And with theKhazars he has (re)constructed a complete world. And it's a world I'mglad I visited.
One final word of warning: This is no holiday book, an easy airportlounge book. It is serious and dense and you have to wrestle its juicefrom it. The author is perhaps half-serious when he warns in theintroduction that readers have died or gone mad from attempting thisbook.
Still reading? Good. If I haven't scared you off, welcome to the worldof the Khazars. Enjoy.
"
Kinda Umberto Eco on LSD; it is about a book being written about a lost book the stroy of which is deconstructed into references in 3 separate cultural dictionaries

music:
The Hoodlum Priest, ocasionally dark always sample laden and very very engaging. get the first album free here (which is a bit of a rarity on LP)
http://www.hoodlumpriest.net/
apparently he once layed bass for the cure, but don't let that put you off

King of Byblos · 08 Jan 2007, 15:55

[quote="Brideoffrankenstein"]
I have always thought that The Associates were always a bit underrated, I love their "Fourth Drawer Down" album to pieces. I think for it's time it was quite experimental (correct me if you think I'm wrong).
quote]

yeah, love them but i only know of two other people who have ever heard of them. 'Sulk' was a bit more pop-y but still good.
they were the same time as Soft Cell but much more about the sound than the ego

AhrÃ¡yeph · 08 Jan 2007, 16:01

I wouldn't call The God Machine underrated, it's just that they never got a chance to get well known because their bass player died of a brain tumor on the day their second album 'One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying' was mixed. Their albums aren't available anymore, but fans of The Swans should check this band out...

King of Byblos · 08 Jan 2007, 16:07

streamline wrote:Suede (their first album is pure class)

but under-rated by whom? many of comtemporaries would say it's a class album..and it is. They were all over the NME etc at the time too?

King of Byblos · 08 Jan 2007, 16:23

AhrÃ¡yeph wrote:I wouldn't call The God Machine underrated, it's just that they never got a chance to get well known because their bass player died of a brain tumor on the day their second album 'One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying' was mixed. Their albums aren't available anymore, but fans of The Swans should check this band out...

read my mind, i was about to post.
the albums still kick about on'tinternet amazon have both in new and used
scenes from the second storey is 'larger' and has a few instrumentals, one last laugh is a fine collection of compact, well produced thrasy darkrock. saw them once live - FAB

the lead man now has a record label releasing a wide range of fine and odd music http://www.sophiamusic.net/

note to Dark, they did a monster cover of What Time is Love, comparable with the ENT version of 3am

AhrÃ¡yeph · 08 Jan 2007, 16:37

King of Byblos wrote:
AhrÃ¡yeph wrote:I wouldn't call The God Machine underrated, it's just that they never got a chance to get well known because their bass player died of a brain tumor on the day their second album 'One Last Laugh In A Place Of Dying' was mixed. Their albums aren't available anymore, but fans of The Swans should check this band out...
read my mind, i was about to post.
the albums still kick about on'tinternet amazon have both in new and used
scenes from the second storey is 'larger' and has a few instrumentals, one last laugh is a fine collection of compact, well produced thrasy darkrock. saw them once live - FAB

the lead man now has a record label releasing a wide range of fine and odd music http://www.sophiamusic.net/

note to Dark, they did a monster cover of What Time is Love, comparable with the ENT version of 3am

I'd like to add to that that Robin still makes music under the Sophia guise, has been for about ten years now on his Flowershop label. Sophiamusic.net is the collective (as Robin likes to call Sophia) 'unofficial' official website, run by a guy from Antwerp (Yup, another feckin' Belgian

), who does a top job managing the website. Sophia started out as a semi acoustic elegy to get over the death of Jimmy and other assorted heartaches, but has now grown into its own and sometimes hearkens back to Robin's TGM past in the present day. Examples : Desert Song No II (No I. was originally a song on TGM's 'Scenes...'), The River Song (originally an acoustic but live it's become a noise monster worthy of the TGM legacy), Darkness (the chorus is vintage TGM) and most recently the title song and P1./P2. (Cherry Trees and Debt Collectors) on the last Sophia album 'Technology Won't Save Us'. Honest dark music from a brooding yet nice fellow. And yeah, Dark, the 'What time is love' cover kicks an insane amount of ass! TGM also covered Bauhaus's Double Dare and Echo & The Bunnymen's 'All My Colours'. And Nancy Sinatra's 'Fever', the most - and only - humorous track TGM ever put to tape...

King of Byblos · 08 Jan 2007, 16:53

( [quote="AhrÃ¡yeph
TGM also covered Bauhaus's Double Dare [/quote]
bollox CD only, serves me right for being a vinyl whore

)

AhrÃ¡yeph · 08 Jan 2007, 16:59

King of Byblos wrote:( [quote="AhrÃ¡yeph
TGM also covered Bauhaus's Double Dare

bollox CD only, serves me right for being a vinyl whore

)[/quote]
If you'd still like to have 'em - on CD- R that is (probably even worse to you, but still

), just pm me. Lots of good choons there, especially a very subdued but disturbing original called 'Pictures of a Bleeding Boy'...

Dark · 08 Jan 2007, 17:20

King of Byblos wrote:note to Dark, they did a monster cover of What Time is Love, comparable with the ENT version of 3am

I'll keep my eyes out.

sarah_orange · 09 Jan 2007, 01:23

The Church. they've been one of my favorite bands since 1985 and most people have still only heard one track if any...

ABC one of the best of the synthpop 80s bands - so overly dramatic but silly at the same time! ok so they were quite big then but they seem to have been mostly forgotten despite the resurgence of other bands of the era.

bushman*pm · 09 Jan 2007, 01:43

The Dubliners: Luke Kelly was one fantastic sing but also a great lyricist
as well!

Dead_Rock · 09 Jan 2007, 02:11

Music:
Blue Angel

Rockabilly from the year 1980. Cindy Lauper's incredible voice sending shivers down my spine. (yes, she's the singer of this band...)

As mentioned before: MotÃ¶rhead.

Film:
Dark City - watch it, scratch your head why they didn't sue The Matrix...

King of Byblos · 09 Jan 2007, 09:59

films:
A Touch of Zen 1969 China, more slowly paced than Ang Lee's remake/steal 'Crouching Tiger' http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190332/ but much more beautiful, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064451/ with a wacky, trippy ending and really real stunts and fights.

Thunderheart 1992, Val Kilmer in good film shocker as FBI agent sent to keep peace on an Indian reservation as his grandfather was Sioux (or some such). Slow paced 'not-action' movie during which Mr Kilmer finds his roots and... well i wont spoil it.

Dark City - top film! Great trans-atlantic cast and set design by GOD Ian Millar http://www.ianmiller.org/ (who also helped Dave McKean on the recent Mirrormask)

smiscandlon · 09 Jan 2007, 10:24

King of Byblos wrote:A Touch of Zen 1969 China

I'm a big Hong Kong / Chinese film nut, but I found that a bit boring last time I watched it. That was a few years ago though so it may be time to give it another chance. I do agree that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is overrated.

King of Byblos wrote:Dark City - top film!

Haven't seen that one for a few years either, but I do remember enjoying it.

radiojamaica · 09 Jan 2007, 17:30

AhrÃ¡yeph wrote:
King of Byblos wrote:
AhrÃ¡yeph wrote:[TGM also covered Bauhaus's Double Dare
bollox CD only, serves me right for being a vinyl whore )
If you'd still like to have 'em - on CD- R that is (probably even worse to you, but still ), just pm me. Lots of good choons there, especially a very subdued but disturbing original called 'Pictures of a Bleeding Boy'...

Yeah, the God Machine are great!
Do you have any live recordings perchance Raf? I have been on the lookout for those for years and couldn't find anything anywhere. Untill the mighty Z dug one up and presented it to me... Majesty

But there are more boots out there, no doubt about it

Mista Blast supplied me with the Home cdm on cdr.

I had the 12" already, but the Bauhaus cover was something I couldn't let alone

streamline · 09 Jan 2007, 17:34

King of Byblos wrote:
streamline wrote:Suede (their first album is pure class)
but under-rated by whom? many of comtemporaries would say it's a class album..and it is. They were all over the NME etc at the time too?

Didn't notice their publicity at the time

None of my mates liked them at all - ooh they were mean to me!

Badlander · 09 Jan 2007, 18:25

streamline wrote: Didn't notice their publicity at the time
None of my mates liked them at all - ooh they were mean to me!

I can guarantee you they were all over the place in 1993. Not that they didn't deserve it, but when you saw them in virtually every music magazine it started to be a bit too much.

Damn fine first album though, of course.