The Official Unknown/Unsigned Band Thread™ 2005
 

Previous Official Unknown Band Thread (2003)

#1: Omnisoul

Figured it was time to do another Unknown Bands Thread. My contribution last time was a band called Omnisoul, and they have been signed to Wind-Up.

What's funny is that since I last mentioned them a band with a pretty similar sound (Maroon 5) has hit it big. These guys don't sound just like Maroon 5, but they definitely have that sort of pop-rock thing about them.

I hope they do well.

Anyways, on their website you can listen to snippets of the album they put out last year, "Happy Outside" -- email me if you want to hear more. :)

#2: The Russian Futurists

Not VERY unknown, just underappreciated.

Sounds like: Magnetic Fields, Postal Service, The Shins, Beatles, Beach Boys
Site: http://www.geocities.com/russianfuturists/

New album is coming out in a couple of weeks and this guy is touring currently.

LMP

It's hard to pin down what muscial "type" the band is, since it's all over the place, but they mostly seem to revel in an 80s style pop with solid hooks.

Possibly the most ambitious band that still wallows in obscurity, in 1999 the band started the ambituous 100 song project A Century of Song, which covers a song from each year of the past century. It's an impressive kaleidoscope of style and approaches. In particular, their covers of "Pop Goes the World" and "Only Happy When it Rains" are nothing short of inspired.

Which isn't to say they're slackers when it comes to their own material. Their EP 'The New Body Language' is in my mind the best pop EP ever made. Their most recent album 'Love Conquers Alda' is no slouch either.

You can hear a good number of mp3s from them at the following links:
http://www.polyholiday.com/artists/LMP/sounds/
http://www.polyholiday.com/sounds/index.html#LMP

3 - Wake Pig is a really great album, progressive rock, in the same vein as Mars Volta or Brazil.

Open Hand - Hard to describe their sound, Queens of the Stone age meets Radiohead, maybe. Good stuff.

Here we go:

Hawthorne Heights
Breaking Point
Armor for Sleep
Madside
The Black Maria!!!
Red Light Music
Flying Tigers
April Sixth
Seemless
No Address!!!
Over It
Spitalfield
Rise Against
Hopesfall
UNDEROATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This will be their year
The Cardinal Effect
Dead Poetic
Bleed the Dream - I believe these guys are still unsigned. One of the better bands on the 2004 Warped Tour.
Gratitude

Open Hand reminds me a lot of Soundgarden.

UPDATED WITH A FEW LINKS
A-Z

<a href="http://www.alog.net/soundclips/duck-rabbit/duck_rabbit.mp3"> Alog </a> - Norwegian Electronic/Jazz
<a href="http://www.beyonddawn.com/mp3s/Beyond_Dawn_Far_From_Showbiz.Mp3" > Beyond Dawn </a> - also Norwegian, they played metal now they sound more like Joy Division
<a href="http://www.minorityrecords.com/mp3/Cheval_De_Frise-songe_de_perte_de_dents.mp3"> Cheval de Frise </a> - If you miss Storm and Stress these guys will help to fill the void
<a href="http://www.threespheres.com/site/mp3s/pitbulls.mp3"> Desert Fathers </a> - Great Rock Music
<a href="http://mp3.insound.com/download.cfm?mp3id=1916"> Envy </a> - Maybe not that Obscure but utterly amazing Japanese Melodic Hardcore
<a href="http://www.soundclick.com/util/streamM3U.m3u?ID=765391&q=Hi"> Fear Before The March Of Flames </a> - More Amazing Hardcore
<a href="http://webjay.org/iteminfo/676484/2d34651c9e2149777cb6145e3e18a3b6"> Green Milk From the Planet Orange </a> - Japanese Psych Rock A La Ghost
HORSE the band - Heavy, Screams, Keyboards, and HORSE
Isan - Electronic pop-inflected song structures, and strong, committedly analog melodies
Japancakes - Melodic instrumental band that could be on Constilation Records (Maybe)
Kinski - Soft Loud Soft "Sonic Youth meets Mogwai"
Lowfish - An 808 and 303 never sounded as good since Apex Twin Ambient Works
Melechesh - Black Metal directly from the holy land of Jerusalem
Nagisa Ni Te - Dreamy Japanese folk-psych
Oceansize - Why is this not being played on the radio? Good Rock music!
Purple Confusion - Label mates with M83
Q - ???
<a href="http://www.sabbatum.com/sound"> Rondellus </a> - They did an entire album of Sabbath Covers using 15th century insturments and sung in Latin
Supersilent - Dark atmospheric jazz(?) Album 6 is nothing short of amazing
<a href="http://www.tunng.co.uk/audio/tunng_talefromblack.mp3"> Tunng </a> - a review calls is an "Updated version of the Wickerman Soundtrack"
Unicorn Hard On - There's a song about a Unicorn Named "Pinky Sha Boo Boo". nuff' said
Vibracathedral Orchestra - Drone. This puts me right to sleep
Woven Hand - Folky, gospely and good
X - ????
Young And Sexy - nice pop music from Canada with boy-girl vocals.
Zombi - There on Relapse so they not really unheard. Think Goblin - Suspira Soundtrack

Maybe some of these guys are not that obscure but I love them all

I don't know how well they are known but the Cranebuilders's debut album is the best debut album I've heard since Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted. The album sounds like the 3rd VU album. Absolutely stunning.

I guess it's hard to interpret what "unknown" is, but I think these guys -- with major distribution already -- have surfaced over the bubble. My valley, filled with white suburban youth, drool over these guys, along with Senses Fail, Atreyu, and other "post-emocore"/hardcore bands.

I really meant more along the lines of unsigned, although both bands I mentioned were signed. I was also hoping people would direct us to websites/etc where we could hear the music. (Like Open Hand, which I could hear).

I still think you can be signed to a major label and still be unknown. Lots of bands get zero radio play and if they do get a video shown, it'll be on mtv 2 or fuse. The general public only notices most bands on the radio or tv. I guess alot of these bands are unknown until you hear them. :)

Ghinzu

Solly
www.sollysounds.com
www.cdbaby.com/solly

The Frauds
www.thefrauds.com

The Oohlas
www.theoohlas.com

Misery Signals: www.miserysignals.net
Ferret Music

Metal-Core with some really, REALLY good, heavy prog chops.

LUCE: www.luceband.com
nettwerk america
Pure (tasteful)pop/rock goodness. Their first self titled album was great from start to finish. They sold 30,000 copies of it too, not bad for an fairly unknown band. Goes to show, good music sells itself. They just released their second CD today as a matter of fact, but I haven't heard it yet so I don't know if it's as good. Great live show too though. Can't wait to see them again.

JETLINER: www.jetlinermusic.com
Oaktree records

Think good vintage 70's rock with a Queen vibe. Their new CD comes out soon. Go to their website to hear their three newest songs. Holy Shit! Rock is alive and well! If anyone deserves to make it, these guys do. Rock on brothers.

oh my god.
http://www.ohmygodmusic.com

from chicago. they feature no guitars; just a bass, organ, and drums, yet they still rock. its really interesting stuff.

Brothers Past

Their new album, This Feeling's Called Goodbye, is incredibly good.

Bump because Omnisoul is going to be on the Fantastic Four soundtrack. Amazon doesn't list the tracks, but the official site does - small clip of theirs on there.

thanks for this thread. i love this stuff. i'll have a few contributions soon too.

Lewis Taylor - an expanded edition of his first release since being dropped from Island Records, Stoned sees a North American release this September. His debut on Island from '96 and his 'Lost Album' from last year are among the very finest albums I have ever heard in my life.

Because I'm kinda out of the loop nowadays, I don't always know how popular a band is.

Here are a few bands I've heard recently that I took note of:

The Handsome Family - folk/bluegrass (there's samples on Amazon)
Royal City - folky rock ... vocals remind me of Violent Femmes. (also on Amazon)
The Duhks - folk/bluegrass - some celtic influences
The Elected - "This is the new project from Blake Sennett, co-singer/songwriter of Rilo Kiley. "Me First" includes the help of Mike Mogis (Saddle Creek Records partner and producer extraordinaire), Jimmy Tamborello (Postal Service, Dntel), Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley), Daniel Brummel (Ozma), Orinda Fink (Azure Ray), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley, Postal Service), Schmed (Arlo), and many others. It incorporates everything from lap steel to melodic, glitchy electronics. A compelling, cinematic framework for Sennett's exemplary songwriting. " (on Amazon)
Criteria en Garde - "Criteria is singer songwriter Stephen Pedersen, a founding member of Cursive & The White Octave. Featuring members of Cursive, Bright Eyes & Desaparecidos. Digipak. " (on Amazon)
Desaparecidos - Speaking of them... Check them out too. and Cursive

Check out this local hip-hop group:

Matt G. & Justin Bardic

sHEAVY.

http://www.sheavy.com/

Heavy psychedelic rock deeply rooted in classic Black Sabbath, especially the "Volume IV" and "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath" era. Often referred to as "stoner rock" or "stoner metal".

http://wlp.newemit.com/#

World Leader Pretend
these guys are an awesome newer band from the New Orleans area who have a unique sound from song to song and terrific instrumentation.

their upcoming album is called "Punches" and is out at the end of June

Amazon has 3 tracks for download from their debut record from last year.

just scrolled quickly, i might have missed these:

oceansize
pelican
sounds like braille
battles
turing machine more
the forms
the mercury program

Great Band!

Been listening to these guys for awhile, bought them on a whim from Amazon(you may like suggestion)

Check them out if you haven't
:rock:The Black Maria :rock: