We all have them, those obscure albums we stumble across in one way or another that unexpectedly end up becoming our favorites. You can tell they are something special since, even if you weren't into them the first time you heard them, they somehow sound better with every listen and have an inexplicable staying power. This is the music that resonates with you, that you cherish, that touches you at your core and that you hold on to while you let other "I-used-to-listen-to-that-all-the-time"music fall by the wayside.
These are some of mine. So, do yourself
a favor and turn down the lights, pour a glass of wine or 3 fingers of
bourbon, and give these albums a relaxed, focused listen. Or maybe give them two or three listens, since, if you are like me, your favorites never become your true favorites until at least a third time through...
GRACE by Jeff Buckley
Released in 1994, Grace was the only album released by Jeff Buckley before his untimely, tragic death in 1997. Even with only one release, Buckley is ranked as #39 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Singers Of All Time, Grace is ranked as #304 on their 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time and #43 on their 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time. To top it off, his beautiful, mesmerizing performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is ranked at #264 on the Greatest Songs Of All Time and became a posthumous #1 hit in 2008, 11 years after his death.
Buckley's intricate guitar work, unique musical style, and ethereal vocals (with an incredible 4-octave range) make Grace a timeless underrated gem that should be in everyone's music collection.
Key Tracks:
"Last Goodbye", "Grace", "Lover, You Should Have Come Over", "Eternal Life",
"Hallelujah", "Forget Her" (B-Side)
"Hallelujah", "Forget Her" (B-Side)
MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN BRAINWASHED TOO by New Radicals
Known for their international hit single "You Get What You Give" and somewhat known for their second (and only other) single "Someday We'll Know," the New Radicals' Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too is their one and only album release. The group was disbanded by leader Gregg Alexander shortly after they started gaining popularity and media attention due mostly to his phobia of the public and fame. This led to their eternal categorization as a one hit wonder.
Alexander's eclectic style, upbeat melancholy tone, Mick Jagger-esque vocals, and touch of neuroticism make Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too one of those albums that may take a little bit to adjust to, but seems to get better and better with every listen.
Known for their international hit single "You Get What You Give" and somewhat known for their second (and only other) single "Someday We'll Know," the New Radicals' Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too is their one and only album release. The group was disbanded by leader Gregg Alexander shortly after they started gaining popularity and media attention due mostly to his phobia of the public and fame. This led to their eternal categorization as a one hit wonder.
Alexander's eclectic style, upbeat melancholy tone, Mick Jagger-esque vocals, and touch of neuroticism make Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too one of those albums that may take a little bit to adjust to, but seems to get better and better with every listen.
Key Tracks:
"Mother We Just Can't Get Enough", "You Get What You Give",
"Someday We'll Know", "Jehovah Made This Whole Joint For You", "In Need Of A Miracle", "Crying Like A Church On Monday"
THE SOFT BULLETIN by The Flaming Lips
Credited as the one of the weirdest bands ever, The Flaming Lips have been around since 1983, and, due to their bizarre musical style, have had ups and downs in success over the past 30 years. Although many of their albums are basically painful to listen to, The Flaming Lips 1999 release, The Soft Bulletin, is an unexpected masterpiece. The lead singer, Wayne Coyne, shines through on this album with his eerily soothing trademark vocals that are paradoxically grating and comforting at the same time. The odd lyrics leave you confused, yet, somehow, you internally understand what the songs were about at the same time.
Mainly, the reason to listen to this album is that it is an experience, not just a bunch of songs thrown together to make radio hits. The Soft Bulletin is an actual album. It's The Beatles meets Pink Floyd meets, well, The Flaming Lips (since no one else is quite like them). From the darkly upbeat "Race For The Prize" to the oddly tear-jerking "Waitin' For A Superman" to the self-reflective "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate," you will find hopefulness in hopelessness, triumph in tragedy, and maybe a new concept of what music is capable of being in the process.
Credited as the one of the weirdest bands ever, The Flaming Lips have been around since 1983, and, due to their bizarre musical style, have had ups and downs in success over the past 30 years. Although many of their albums are basically painful to listen to, The Flaming Lips 1999 release, The Soft Bulletin, is an unexpected masterpiece. The lead singer, Wayne Coyne, shines through on this album with his eerily soothing trademark vocals that are paradoxically grating and comforting at the same time. The odd lyrics leave you confused, yet, somehow, you internally understand what the songs were about at the same time.
Mainly, the reason to listen to this album is that it is an experience, not just a bunch of songs thrown together to make radio hits. The Soft Bulletin is an actual album. It's The Beatles meets Pink Floyd meets, well, The Flaming Lips (since no one else is quite like them). From the darkly upbeat "Race For The Prize" to the oddly tear-jerking "Waitin' For A Superman" to the self-reflective "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate," you will find hopefulness in hopelessness, triumph in tragedy, and maybe a new concept of what music is capable of being in the process.
Key Tracks:
"Race For The Prize [Remix]", "The Spark That Bled",
"Waitin' For A Superman [Remix]", "A Spoonful Weighs A Ton", "Buggin [Remix]",
"Feeling Yourself Disintegrate"
"Feeling Yourself Disintegrate"
CRASH KINGS by Crash Kings
The self-titled debut album from Crash Kings brings a unique style of instrumentation to the alternative rock world by replacing the traditional electric guitar with a customized clavinet with distortion and a giant whammy bar. On this album vocalist-keyboardist Antonio Beliveau demonstrates that ebony and ivory fingers can rock just as much as callused ones on six strings.
Piano-driven composition combined with belting vocals, contagious choruses, and unrelenting percussion make Crash Kings one of those albums that makes you realize that rock is very much alive and comes in many different forms. It also makes you wonder why you haven't heard any of these songs blowing up the airwaves, but you have managed to learn from the radio that "yesterday was Thursday, today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterwards..."
THE GOLDEN HUM by Remy Zero
Mostly known for the 50 second section of their song "Save Me" that served as the Smallville theme song, Remy Zero remains one of the most unknown and underrated bands of the late 90's and early 2000's. To anyone willing to give it a real listen, Remy Zero's 3rd and final album The Golden Hum is much, much more than "the album that song from Smallville was from." It is auditory bliss.
Aggressively precise percussion, Edge-esque guitars, larger-than-life sound, and a timeless feel make The Golden Hum a lost instrumental treasure. But it is frontman Cinjun Tate's angelic, powerful-yet-vulnerable vocal performance that truly makes The Golden Hum an album worth knowing inside and out.
The self-titled debut album from Crash Kings brings a unique style of instrumentation to the alternative rock world by replacing the traditional electric guitar with a customized clavinet with distortion and a giant whammy bar. On this album vocalist-keyboardist Antonio Beliveau demonstrates that ebony and ivory fingers can rock just as much as callused ones on six strings.
Piano-driven composition combined with belting vocals, contagious choruses, and unrelenting percussion make Crash Kings one of those albums that makes you realize that rock is very much alive and comes in many different forms. It also makes you wonder why you haven't heard any of these songs blowing up the airwaves, but you have managed to learn from the radio that "yesterday was Thursday, today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterwards..."
Key Tracks:
"Saving Grace", "14 Arms", "Mountain Man", "It's Only Wednesday",
"1985", "Raincoat", "You Got Me"
"1985", "Raincoat", "You Got Me"
THE GOLDEN HUM by Remy Zero
Mostly known for the 50 second section of their song "Save Me" that served as the Smallville theme song, Remy Zero remains one of the most unknown and underrated bands of the late 90's and early 2000's. To anyone willing to give it a real listen, Remy Zero's 3rd and final album The Golden Hum is much, much more than "the album that song from Smallville was from." It is auditory bliss.
Aggressively precise percussion, Edge-esque guitars, larger-than-life sound, and a timeless feel make The Golden Hum a lost instrumental treasure. But it is frontman Cinjun Tate's angelic, powerful-yet-vulnerable vocal performance that truly makes The Golden Hum an album worth knowing inside and out.
Key Tracks:
"Impossibility", "Save Me", "Glorious #1", "Perfect Memory",
"Out/In", "Belong"
"Out/In", "Belong"
