Five Underrated Albums from the Back Catalogue

I was going through my cd collection this weekend, moving stacks of CDs around, and came across a couple classics on this list….and decided to pull together a short list of 5 bands and albums that I think are seriously underrated. Enjoy!

South — From Here On In

Kicking off the list is South, a band I came across in early 2002 that were formed in London in the late 1990’s, and are still working together, with their most recent album released in 2021. Their 1st album From Here On In is moody, melodic and atmospheric, but still on the indie spectrum. I put them in the same category of bands like The Stone Roses, Starsailor, Keane, Travis, and Snow Patrol.  Standouts for me include Paint the Silence, Recovered Now, All In For Nothing, and Live Between The Lines. You can find their catalog on Spotify, although this album shows up with a different cover than my CD, which is pictured here.

 

New Fast Automatic Daffodils —  Body Exit Mind

I discovered New Fast Automatic Daffodils in the early 1990’s when a couple selections from their 1st album Pigeonhole appeared on a music sampler and I wanted more. Formed in Manchester, England in the late 80’s, alas, I was never able to see them live. It was always my dream to attend one of their shows and yell out one of my favorite song titles “You were lying when you said you loved me!” Classified as an alternative rock band, they have a very unique sound with various percussion sounds and frenetic guitars. Another great band that didn’t survive during the mainstream obsession with crap grunge music. Standouts from their 2nd album, Body Exit Mind include I Take You To Sleep, American Money, Beatlemania, and Patchwork Lives. You can find most of their music on Spotify.

 

The Beautiful — Storybook

Back in the mid-1990’s, there was a small music store near my work in Pleasanton, California, that had a couple huge $1 bins full of CDs and cassettes that I would dig through every couple weeks. The album cover to The Beautiful‘s album Storybook caught my eye, but not knowing anything about them, I opened the jewel case and say that their album was engineered/produced by John Fryer, who is one of the most accomplished engineers and producers in the new wave and 4AD music world, working with bands like Nine Inch Nails, Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, Dead Can Dance, and many more. Storybook has been listed as one of the most underrated rock albums of the 1990s, and I agree. It’s dark, atmospheric, and kicks butt. After releasing just an EP and this album the band broke up — but I saw drummer Frank Ferrer touring with the Psychedelic Furs a couple years later, after which he joined (and remains with) Guns and Roses. Standouts from Storybook include Refrain Intro / Lighter Than, Back Inside, Together, and Cocaine. Their music is not on Spotify, but you can find them on Soundcloud and on YouTube.

 

Idlewild — 100 Broken Windows

As grunge was (thankfully) fading away, a number of indie rock bands hopped onto the scene and created some fantastic guitar-driven alt-rock and punk-inspired music, like Idlewild. When 100 Broken Windows, their 3rd studio album, was released in 2000, it quickly became a staple in the Buckley household. It is one of those albums that is consistently good from beginning to end, and would often remain in the car CD player where it was listened to again and again. Standouts include Little Discourage, Roseability, Idea Track, and Actually It’s Darkness. You can find most of their music on Spotify, and the band is still together today.

 

CUD — Leggy Mambo

An indie rock band formed in Leeds, England in the late 1980’s, Cud are one of my all-time favorite bands. In fact, I have a funny story about an interaction with lead singer Carl Puttnam a few years back when I found a CD copy of my favorite album, Leggy Mambo, and refused to sell it to him (apparently it is rare, and at the time he did not have a copy himself). I first heard Cud on Live 105 out of San Francisco when the single Magic was released, which is actually a little bit muted and melancholy compared to the rest of their music. I find it difficult to compare them to anyone, because they have such a distinctive sound. I own all of their albums, many bootlegs and live productions, and have been collecting their vinyl singles for many years. Standouts from leggy Mambo include Now!, Robinson Crusoe, Hey Boots. and Magic. You can find them on Spotify, as well as YouTube.