We have all liked bands over the years that our friends may not be that familiar with. Sharing them in forums like this is fun and informative. New bands and good songs can be discovered. Generally speaking, the following six bands all have excellent songs scattered throughout their albums. Critical acclaim and devoted followings, yes, but they never made it big time. Their output is uneven with soaring highs amidst more forgettable fare. While there are a few great albums among these bands, there is gold here for song playlists.
Wire
The oldest group here formed in London in 1976; part of the original first wave. Their debut album, Pink Flag, is a must-have Brit punk classic. It was the first punk album I ever heard – one moment CSN was on the turntable, the next, this furious statement announcing a new musical era. Five songs less than one minute, nine less than two minutes. (This is why it’s not one of my very favorites. If I like a song, I don’t want it to end so soon.) Wire quickly evolved into a more atmospheric sound with rich details and complex song structures. Chairs Missing, the second album with its longer, haunting songs and synths exemplifies the band’s signature style. The third album, 154, would continue in this vein while also proving that they could produce a catchy pop song. “Map Ref.41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W” and its glorious huge chorus is worthy of any playlist. The band went their separate ways during the first half of the 80s, reuniting for The Ideal Copy in 1987. “Ahead” is a standout song there. The 1990s were unproductive for Wire, but they reformed in 1999 and have continued ever since. Eighteen albums now! 2008’s Object 47 and 2011’s Red Barked Tree while true to form, lack a memorable song and the edgy intensity associated with the band’s earlier efforts. Their influence extends way beyond their modest record sales: hardcore punks, The Cure, Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices), R.E.M., My Bloody Valentine, Elastica, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, and NIN have all cited Wire as instrumental to their musical inspirations. Here’s a representative song from Chairs Missing, “French Film Blurred:”
Deerhunter
Deerhunter formed in 2001 in Atlanta. They’re different, melding pop and ambient elements into long jams, short ballads, and every so often some weirdness. I first heard them in 2008 when WOXY FM played “Nothing Ever Happened.” Off of their third album Microcastle, it’s a powerful foot-stompin’ jam (a little long as anthems tend to be), and irresistible as to a playlist. Halcyon Digest in 2010 may be their finest album with the garage pop (“Revival”), sweet melody (“Fountain Stairs”), and six-string beauty (“Desire Lines”) all nice additions to your playlists. They put on a solid show in 2016 at the Fremont Theater touring their Fading Frontier album. The front man Bradford Cox also leads a more electronic side project named Atlas Sound (the fetching swirl of their “Quick Canal” made my playlist.) Take a listen to “Desire Lines:”
School of Seven Bells
The story of School of Seven Bells (often stylized as SVIIB) is a heartbreak intertwined with the next band on the list. They formed in 2007 in NYC as identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza and Benjamin Curtis, who had just left Secret Machines. I was unfamiliar with them until I saw them open for Interpol at UCSB in 2011 touring their second album, Disconnect from Desire. Claudia Deheza left the band in 2010 playing on the album but not on the tour. They are dreamy and ethereal with abstract lyrics and gorgeous vocals. “Windstorm,” “ILU,” and “Heart is Strange” from Disconnect and “The Night,” “Lafaye,” and “Show Me Love” from the follow-up Ghostory all exemplify the band’s pop melodies and lush singing. Benjamin Curtis died in 2013 at 35 years old from lymphoma. Alejandra was able to put together a final album using previously recorded material from Curtis. Here’s “Windstorm:”
Secret Machines
Secret Machines formed in 2000 in Dallas but moved to NYC shortly after to begin making music. Brothers Curtis (Benjamin, guitar, and Brandon, bass, vocals) and Josh Garza on drums made up the alt rock trio. They’re different, too. They are commonly referred to as prog rock. I don’t hear Yes or Gentle Giant in them, but space rock maybe. I discovered them by hearing the melancholic grandeur of “Alone, Jealous, and Stoned” from their 2006 second LP, Ten Silver Drops. “Lightning Blue Eyes,” and “Faded Lines” are melodic movers from the same album. Benjamin left in 2007 to join SVIIB before the band made its self-titled third album. They were inactive in the 2010s and reunited for their most accessible album to date in 2020 with Awake in the Brain Chamber. I’ve got to showcase “Alone, Jealous, and Stoned” although it runs a little long.
DIIV
DIIV (Dive) is a Brooklyn band formed in 2011. They tend toward heavy and gloomy – grunge and shoegaze – but also have their softer moments. Call it punishing bliss…and loud as I experienced at their December 2019 show in San Luis Obispo at an old-time Grange Hall. Earplugs time. I’ll suggest three of the lighter songs: “Dust” and “Under the Sun” from their second album Is the Is Are and “Blankenship” off of the most recent Deceiver. Check out “Under the Sun:”
Editors
The Editors got together in 2002 in Birmingham, England with Tom Smith as the front man. Their first full-length, 2005’s The Back Room, contained the singles “Munich,” “Blood,” and “All Sparks.” Wiry, raw music, dubbed “dark disco” by England’s New Musical Express. The follow-up a couple years later, An End Has a Start, included the band’s biggest hit, “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors.” Other singles “Racing Rats,” “Bones,” and “Push Your Head Towards the Air” expanded the band’s reach around the world. These first two albums are outstanding, not a throwaway song in the mix (they’re so consistent the only minor complaint might be that they sound somewhat the same). Then I saw them live in 2008 at the Anaheim House of Blues and was blown away. One of my best shows ever, particularly at a smaller venue. Smith was a tour de force, singing, playing keyboards, and establishing his large presence all around the stage. The guitarist, Justin Lockey, also grabbed attention with his striking riffs and textured layers. Then the band incorporated more electronics at the expense of guitar into their third album, In This Light and on This Evening. It’s foreboding, even darker, and has never grabbed me. Lockey also quit citing concerns over this new direction (that says it all). I haven’t heard any songs from their subsequent three LPs. They most often get compared to Interpol, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Joy Division. The band says debut albums by Elbow (Asleep in the Back) and R.E.M. (Murmur) were the significant influences on their musical style. If you ever see these guys coming to your area, I say “go!” You’ll hear this next song if you do:
