5 best underrated or unknown bands and why?

Gene - Artistic guitar rock. All great albums. You should start with the first one.

Underground bands are only underground to those that stay within the mainstream of commercial music. Those that like to stray off the beaten path are more likely to be familiar with "out of the ordinary" bands that really are "underground" to the mass majority of music listeners. Then again, being both "music lovers" and "audiophiles", i would hope that those frequenting this site might be slightly more familiar with a wide variety of music and lesser known bands / musical projects. After all, we buy the gear to listen to music, so we obviously should be actively seeking out new and different music to listen to, right ???

Having said that, the first "band" that popped into my head was Foetus", as in a child in the womb. This "band" is really Jim Thirwell playing all of the instruments and changes its' name on a regular basis. He has released albums under the band names of "Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel", "Philip & his Foetus Vibrations", "Foetus Uber Frisco", "Foetus Art Terrorism", etc... As the name implies, Thirwell is into tortured, abrasive, industrial grade art and his music reflects those twisted ideas. While those that are into such things may already be familiar with him, others may recognize the name of his girlfriend ( don't know if they are still together since the last time that i talked to them ), who was better known as Lydia Lunch.

The second band that came to mind is a band known as Skyclad. Their records ( 10+ ) are VERY hard to find in the USA but can be ordered directly. After "The Flying Dutchman" turned me onto who was in this band after a post i made over at AA, i was lucky enough to stumble across a used copy of "Irrational Anthems". I have since been able to dig up several of their discs and enjoy them all. This band is a highly opinionated bunch that plays a rather unique blend of highly Celtic influenced music with their own version of "metal" ( for lack of a better term ) thrown on top of that. One of the things that sets them apart from most "metal" bands is the fact that they have a member that is female AND she plays the violin on a regular basis. They also have lyrics that are mostly story based that actually try to get a point across. The original singer / songwriter ( Martin Walkier, previously of "Sabbat" ) has recently left the band, but the band is supposedly pressing onwards.

Another band that offers a "twist" to the hard rock / metal theme is Nightwish. While i only have one disc from them, which is entitled "Wishmaster", it is good enough to make mention of here for several reasons. First of all, the band can all play VERY well and have an excellent sense of timing and structure and play what i would term "progressive metal". While this in itself sets them apart from the majority of "metal" bands out there, the major difference is in the fact that they use a female vocalist that has a beautiful voice and sings in a near "Operatic" style and the songs are presented as stories. The recording is very "sharp" sounding and may come across as a little too "digital" at some points if you've got a bright or analytical sounding system, but it does offer a great amount of impact on some tunes.

There's three for ya : ) Sean
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Ben,
Do you have any of older publications about Can or at least do you know how to get them? I'm not realy interested in Spoon records information rather than leaning towards collecting not only records but other notes and posters of my favourite band of all times. English is prefered but German is OK as well.

Marakanetz,
Sorry I don't, I like Can a lot based on what I've heard but I haven't really done on any great research on them.
I would imagine Ebay in Germany or somewhere on the web would have the original stuff you are looking for....
I may check out some things later when I get time.
David Sylvian has a new CD out by the way..only available mailorder-I'm awaiting mine-it comes from the States...
Regards,

Hey, I can do a shameless plug for a friend of mine who's making some excellent music, right? If you're into amazing, often sublime lyrics with a very talented, folkey guitar back, this is the best stuff going, in my experience. Danny Schmidt Also a huge fan of an Argentine fellow by the name of Daniel Melingo. A celebrated tangoista who is known for stripping the veneer of respectability off and "putting the whorehouse back in the tango." First effort is Tangos Bajos -- well know in Argentina, but I've yet to find it here in the States. If Tom Waits were Argentine, into the tango, a little more sodden and a whole lot darker, he'd sound just like this. Finally, although it's definitely a little more widely known, check out the Orishas album, A lo Cubano (and that you can find on Amazon). Cuban rap blended with very traditional Cuban jazz, even with some of the folks from Buena Vista Social Club on a few tracks. Likely one of the most successful fusions I've heard, a really different and exciting sound, and a very solid and deep album to boot. I know lots of folks around these parts are quick to turn their noses up at anything that smacks of rap, but this is one that might begin to broaden horizons--a lot of good stuff going on.