Most underated British music Artist(s)

[Flying_Monkey]

hhm, they've always struck me as a band designed by music journalists for the sole delectation of music journalists. They are by some margin the worst band I've ever seen live - Sarah Cracknell simply can't sing. I guess I've just never "got it".

I've never seen them live and I wouldn't want to. They've always struck me as a band who make perfectly crafted pop records. I like them for that reason and the fact they make me happy without any need to apologise for this. Same as XTC. And I've also never been one for the idea that 'X can't sing' (or can't play guitar etc.) is a meaningful criticism in pop music. If it was opera we were talking about, sure. But vocals in pop music are about far more than just singing - or are not even about singing at all. There are plenty of distinctive vocalists in pop who simply can't sing, and many perfectly competant singers who are terrible pop vocalists.

 

[redcard]

In recent years, The Holloways.

Britpop era, Suede.

And Shed Seven definitely belong in the underrated category as well.

 

[Fnaar]

British Sea Power, anyone??

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2n-7K0Ef6Y

Good call... this regularly comes up on 'shuffle' for me.... great track, and an interesting band too.

 

[Fnaar]

Richard Hawley used to be underrated, but is now in dange rof being overrated. I love some of his earlier stuff, but I just can't get on with his latest 'psychedelic' 'Standing at the Sky's Edge"

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Britpop era, Suede.

And Shed Seven definitely belong in the underrated category as well.

Suede were one of these bands loved by critics and the congnoscenti but not the wider public. Shed Seven are not underrated IMHO. They are journeymen, they just kept going and, like The Bluetones, kept plugging away at the same second-rate Britpop vein for years even when everyone else had given it up.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Shed Seven has got to be one of the most rubbish names for a band ever, worse than Albert Timkins and his Spoon Orchestra.

 

[ceepeebee]

Richard Hawley used to be underrated, but is now in dange rof being overrated. I love some of his earlier stuff, but I just can't get on with his latest 'psychedelic' 'Standing at the Sky's Edge"

I think I agree with this, Coles Corner is just beautiful, can't really get into sky's edge at all.

Good call on British sea power too, they used to play the little indie circuit that I got very into back around 2000 an awful lot and I never really rated them then, but they've really grown on me now.

Arab strap should have been massive, I really love them:

View: http://youtu.be/g9Krvl7AEAs

 

[ceepeebee]

God, shed seven were bloody awful.

I wouldn't say suede were underrated, they were excessively fawned over back in the day (first album is a corker though, and was a real change of tone at the time)

 

[redcard]

God, shed seven were bloody awful.

I wouldn't say suede were underrated, they were excessively fawned over back in the day (first album is a corker though, and was a real change of tone at the time)

I mean underrated in that they played second fiddle to the Oasis, Blur and (occasionally) Pulp trifecta.

 

[RedRider]

Good shouts upthread from the usual suspects.
I think Michael Head and his various combos were underated. An insular Liverpool phenomena.


Namedrop alert...
I knew Bob Stanley a little from fanzine circles. Met him a couple of times in Manchester clubs at 60s garage/psych nights

 

[redcard]

Suede were one of these bands loved by critics and the congnoscenti but not the wider public. Shed Seven are not underrated IMHO. They are journeymen, they just kept going and, like The Bluetones, kept plugging away at the same second-rate Britpop vein for years even when everyone else had given it up.

Possibly they weren't earnest enough to earn the underrated moniker.

 

[ceepeebee]

Good shouts upthread from the usual suspects.
I think Michael Head and his various combos were underated. An insular Liverpool phenomena.


Namedrop alert...
I knew Bob Stanley a little from fanzine circles. Met him a couple of times in Manchester clubs at 60s garage/psych nights

Then it's v v v possible you know my friend T4g then?

Ahhh pale fountains:

View: http://youtu.be/WDWByu-fw_E

 

[User169]

I've never seen them live and I wouldn't want to. They've always struck me as a band who make perfectly crafted pop records. I like them for that reason and the fact they make me happy without any need to apologise for this. Same as XTC. And I've also never been one for the idea that 'X can't sing' (or can't play guitar etc.) is a meaningful criticism in pop music. If it was opera we were talking about, sure. But vocals in pop music are about far more than just singing - or are not even about singing at all. There are plenty of distinctive vocalists in pop who simply can't sing, and many perfectly competant singers who are terrible pop vocalists.

Dont worry FM, I wasn't expecting an apology! Just trying to liven the thread up - these cafe lists get a bit boring if théy're just a series of youtube links.

I mostly agree with you on the "singing"/"playing" point, but if you want to make "perfectly crafted pop", that context would imply some sort of orthodox intonation. I suppose Cracknell intends to sound somewhat artless, but when I saw her she was so out of tune it was painful. In any event, the live issue is a bit of red herring - I don't really enjoy them on record either.

Doubtless, The Boy Gedge would leave some similarly unenvigorated. But at least on this point, I can confidently say that I am right and they're wrong.

 

[ceepeebee]

Thanks to you lot I'm having a vinyl revival afternoon (a plus side of joblessness), not that velvet underground's VU album fits in this category. I did play Ride's first EP just now though, bloody marvellous, but the drums seemed really muffled compared to how I remember it.

 

[RedRider]

Then it's v v v possible you know my friend T4g then?

Possibly, it was a relatively small scene but I lost touch with that crowd a lo-ong time ago. Their first name Chris by any chance?