Five More Obscure Albums
Another Saturday evening sitting here working on content, with random playlists running in the background. I’m loving how the AI in Spotify is constantly improving, generating “stations” around my music listening habits, or, when a playlist I’ve created reaches the end, it adds song suggestions that I sometimes add to the playlist.
Which got me thinking about a few more “obscure” albums that influenced my younger years. Of course, I call them obscure because mainstream listeners may be unaware, but for you die-hard 80’s new wave people out there, you may be familiar with most. Either way, enjoy!
Future Unlimited – EP
I don’t know a lot about the band, but they were formed in the US midwest (Nashville?) about a decade ago, and consists of David Miller and Samuel D’Amelio with some other supporting musicians. Very emotive and shoegaze-sounding with heavy synths and repetitive drum beats. Great soundtrack for a cross-country drive.
Boom Bip – Zig Zaj
One of my absolute favorite finds from the last decade was this album by a former DJ and hip-hop producer who goes by the name Boom Bip. The song ‘New Order’ is haunting and mesmerizing. The album sometimes sounds like a collection of foley artist samples-meets-goth kid ala She Wants Revenge. He has a great voice that reminds me of Interpol a bit. Check out Goodbye Lovers, too. Excellent listen.
Die Warzau – Disco Rigido
Going back to 1989, I came across Die Warzau on a sampler just before their first album was released. It mixes late 80’s hip-hop and industrial with a bit of cultural appropriation to create an amazing dance album that was central to my DJ sets back in the day. I heard the first single ‘Welcome to America’ on Live 105 out of San Francisco, as well, but my favorites from the album are ‘Strike to the Body’ and ‘Money After All.’ Leading up to their second album, I seem to recall the band also appearing on Oprah or some other talk show to discuss the culture thing.
Caribou – Swim
I owe this find entirely to the Spotify AI, and absolutely love this music by Dan Snaith, a Canadian composer and musician. It’s very arthouse synth with vocals and overall vibe of many of the electronic acts that popped up in the early 2010’s. If you go back in his catalog you’ll find more guitar-driven music, but still with his clean, pure, almost Simon & Garfunkel-esque vocals.
Bob Moses – All In All
And to round out this list, I go to ambient-dance duo Bob Moses, consisting of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance. Maybe you’ve heard of them? They were on the Ellen show, received a couple Grammy nominations, and have played the major festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella. Another great album for long road trips, for sure. Check them out!
