3 highly recommended

[Trellis]

Some of these aren't that obscure, but then Calexico recommended TV on the Radio, who are pretty well known indie folks, so there's precedent.

1. AC Newman "The Slow Wonder." Front man for the New Pornographers and an excellent pop rock indie album. Much much better than, and very different from, Destroyer's "Rubies" (also by a guy from the NPs) in case you've been steered down that path and disliked it as much as I did.

2. The Schramms "Walk to Delphi." Recommended to me by an Alabamian turned Tar Heel turn Peterboroughian. They're folk alt countryish, but just barely alt country, more just plain old country. The lyrics from some songs are from Emily Dickinson poems.

3. Stars "Set Yourself on Fire." One of the many very cool Montreal bands around right now. Fun and smart and talented and skilled album.

Great Album.....cheers as well to the A.C Newman..but please give Rubies another chance....took a few spins before its brilliance shone though.

Well, ok.

[Blimps Go 90]

Some of these aren't that obscure, but then Calexico recommended TV on the Radio, who are pretty well known indie folks, so there's precedent.

1. AC Newman "The Slow Wonder." Front man for the New Pornographers and an excellent pop rock indie album. Much much better than, and very different from, Destroyer's "Rubies" (also by a guy from the NPs) in case you've been steered down that path and disliked it as much as I did.

2. The Schramms "Walk to Delphi." Recommended to me by an Alabamian turned Tar Heel turn Peterboroughian. They're folk alt countryish, but just barely alt country, more just plain old country. The lyrics from some songs are from Emily Dickinson poems.

3. Stars "Set Yourself on Fire." One of the many very cool Montreal bands around right now. Fun and smart and talented and skilled album.

Great Album.....cheers as well to the A.C Newman..but please give Rubies another chance....took a few spins before its brilliance shone though.

[jon]

Lenny & the Piss Poor Boys - Cambridge Port Saloon
Ted Hawkins - next 100 years
Three Mile Pilot - another desert, another sea

[Trellis]

Some of these aren't that obscure, but then Calexico recommended TV on the Radio, who are pretty well known indie folks, so there's precedent.

1. AC Newman "The Slow Wonder." Front man for the New Pornographers and an excellent pop rock indie album. Much much better than, and very different from, Destroyer's "Rubies" (also by a guy from the NPs) in case you've been steered down that path and disliked it as much as I did.

2. The Schramms "Walk to Delphi." Recommended to me by an Alabamian turned Tar Heel turn Peterboroughian. They're folk alt countryish, but just barely alt country, more just plain old country. The lyrics from some songs are from Emily Dickinson poems.

3. Stars "Set Yourself on Fire." One of the many very cool Montreal bands around right now. Fun and smart and talented and skilled album.

[calexico]

Hazeldine:very underated New Mexico female band.Around in the late `90s/early `00s.The all cover songs album Orphans from 1998 has them covering from Genesis to Radiohead to Gram Parsons to Sparklehorse.Really nice voices and guitar sounds.

Great choice. Their Doubleback album was brilliant.

[barclocksays3am]

2.Mary Lou Lord>City Sounds This was recorded in the Boston subway. Just Mary Lou Lord and her acoustic. This is truly one of my desert island discs. I love it. Mostly reverent covers, from Springsteen and Richard Thompson to Big Star, Daniel Johnston and The Magnetic Fields with a couple of her songs for good measure. It is simply good music played by someone in love with playing music.

3.Murder Misery and Then Goodnight>Kristin Hersh This is a loving tribute to Appalachian murder ballads (mostly) by the ex-Throwing Muses (a great band in it's own right - weren't those 4AD bands great?) leader. She plays all instruments with help from her young son on a couple of tunes. Beautiful, emotional renditions of 3 Nights Drunk, Pretty Polly, Little Birdie, I Never Will Marry and more. All the dark ones you love. I think that it is out of print, though. If so, I am willing to help.

Mary Lou`s Got No Shadow album has been a favorite of mine since it came out in `98
I love all of Kristin Hersh`s projects.The first Muses album and The Real Ramona and her solo Hips And Makers are fantastic

[barclocksays3am]

Eleventh Dream Day:yeah I did a thread them here before,they don`t get enough attention.They`ve been around since 1983 and in recent years the touring and albums have been more infrequent.They did a good record last year called Zeros And Ones.My fave albums however are their early 90`s days,Lived To Tell and El Moodio are recommended.Think Neil Young meets X meets Television meets the Velvet Underground.

The Bats:around longer than Eleventh Dream Day.New Zealand band in the jangly vein of early REM.I hear one of their songs and it`s in my head all day.Their first album Daddy`s Highway is hard to find these days but if you can find it in my book it`s one of the finest `80s indie releases.

Hazeldine:very underated New Mexico female band.Around in the late `90s/early `00s.The all cover songs album Orphans from 1998 has them covering from Genesis to Radiohead to Gram Parsons to Sparklehorse.Really nice voices and guitar sounds.

[maura tierney]

It's like floating on your back with your eyes closed down a river running through the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time.

What flowery bollocks!

It's the best fucking record ever made!

Never. Not a patch on Right Said Fred.

I'm too sexy for Milan, New York AND Japan!

[calexico]

It's like floating on your back with your eyes closed down a river running through the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time.

What flowery bollocks!

It's the best fucking record ever made!

Never. Not a patch on Right Said Fred.

[maura tierney]

It's like floating on your back with your eyes closed down a river running through the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time.

What flowery bollocks!

It's the best fucking record ever made!

[calexico]

It's like floating on your back with your eyes closed down a river running through the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time.

What flowery bollocks!

[maura tierney]

Some of you know this one, I'm sure, but the Meat Puppet's Up on the Sun is a classic.

It's good, but I prefer 'II'.

How about:



Forget 'Dark Side of the Moon', 'Spirit of Eden' is THE best headphones album EVER. It's like floating on your back with your eyes closed down a river running through the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time.

[Talus]

Some of you know this one, I'm sure, but the Meat Puppet's Up on the Sun is a classic.

[calexico]

Damien Jurado - Now That I Am In Your Shadow. Highly recommended. Low key stuff but beautiful.

[ScottZeagle]

Seven Mary Three - Rock Crown

One of my top 5 CDs of alllllllllll tiiiiiiiiiiime....and one that most of you have probably never heard.

I remember them. They are from Orlando right? They used to get some radio play in Tampa back in the mid 90's along with Son Volt.

Correct. First record was a huge hit, then they got caught up in label issues which delayed the release of Rock Crown - and they completely changed direction from the "grungy sound" which did not go over well with the mainstream.

However, 11 years and 6 albums later, they are still playing and performing...

I went up to see them last month in Cincy, as a matter of fact!!

That show, which I recorded, is up on the Traders Den now...