Artist List

I frequently find myself lamenting how some of my favorite bands are under appreciated and bitching about how certain other bands don’t deserve the success they’re enjoying. This usually internal exercise reared its head when a colleague of mine posted the following quote to his Gmail chat:

“It’s been said that Coldplay are the poor man’s Radiohead. This is not true. Travis are the poor man’s Radiohead. Coldplay are the poor man’s Travis.”

As a Travis fan (and an even bigger Radiohead fan) who thinks Coldplay stole their spotlight, I can really appreciate that sentiment. I also once read that the Goo Goo Dolls’ biggest influence was the Replacements. Not surprising if you consider John Rzeznik’s similar vocal style, especially during the band’s earlier days. It’s a crime that the Goo Goo Dolls became a world wide smash while Paul Westerberg and his band of merry fuck-ups went down in flames, critically worshiped but ultimately eulogized as the little engine that couldn’t. Being cult heroes doesn’t pay the bills.

If there was any justice in the world, the following bands would have reaped as much financial success as critical adoration:

The Feelies
Heroes to R.E.M., Galaxie 500, Yo La Tengo and countless other indie rock bands, the Feelies never got the success they deserved. Their 1980 masterpiece, Crazy Rhythms, rivaled any album by their NYC-area contemporaries, the Talking Heads. The Feelies’ terse, jittery, paranoid delivery brilliantly mixed the sound of the Velvet Underground with their own brand of manic post-punk. Although they never recaptured the glory of their debut, The Feelies went on to release three more respectable albums before dissolving in 1991. The band had reunited on occasion over the past few years and will be playing a much anticipated free show with Sonic Youth on July 4th in New York City’s Battery Park. If you’re in the area you’d be wise to attend!

Choice picks: Crazy Rhythms (1980), Only Life (1988)
For fans of: R.E.M., Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Luna

Eleventh Dream Day
If you’re a fan of Neil Young and Crazy Horse then you won’t want to overlook the rich catalog of Eleventh Dream Day. Featuring a raging guitar attack, the band’s 1988 sophomore effort, Prairie School Freakout, is a bona fide indie rock classic. Their more recent albums find Eleventh Dream Day complimenting their guitar heroics with more ambient textures, thanks in part to the contributions of bassist Doug McCombs and producer John McEntire (both of whom are members of Tortoise).

Choice picks: Prairie School Freakout (1988), Lived to Tell (1991), Ended Up a Stranger (2001)
For fans of: Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth

The Walkabouts
Hailing from Seattle, the Walkabouts bear no resemblance to the grunge bands that crawled from the rain soaked streets of the city in the 1990s. Although they recorded for Sub Pop, they never even came close to the success of label mates Nirvana, Mudhoney or Soundgarden. It’s a shame because the Walkabouts’ sultry, smoky brand of country-tinged rock is sublime.

Choice picks: New West Motel (1993), Satisfied Mind (1993), Zeros and Ones (2006)
For fans of: Cowboy Junkies, 10,000 Maniacs, Townes Van Zandt, Emmylou Harris

Lloyd Cole
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions enjoyed some success with their stunning 1985 debut, “Rattlesnakes.” Problem was, their success was largely confined to the other side of the pond - in Europe. Cole would go on two release a couple of more doosies with the Commotions before branching out on his own. His solo records have been musically diverse (the electronic bent of Bad Vibes, the string-laden Don’t Get Weird on Me Babe, the acoustic fingerpicking of Music if a Foreign Language) and lyrically razor sharp. Cole enjoyed very modest MTV and radio success with the 1991 single She’s a Girl, But I’m a Man, but has continued to churn out solid albums in relative obscurity since then.

Choice picks: Rattlesnakes (1985), Don’t Get Weird on Me Babe (1991), Music in a Foreign Language (2003)
For fans of: Nick Drake, Jose Gonzalez, Bright Eyes

Paul Kelly
A bona fide star in his native Australia, Paul Kelly is a brilliant songwriter and lyricist. He’s had a remarkably consistent career that’s spanned 27 years and over 15 top notch albums. He isn’t called the Australian Bob Dylan for nothing!

Choice picks: So Much Water So Close to Home (1989), Comedy (1991), Stolen Apples (2008)
For fans of: Bob Dylan, Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young