What are some good songs that are not mainstream?
I need new music, but I can’t find any songs.
I just don’t like rap, r&b, hip hop or screamo music.
Any recommendations?
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I have recently been reacquainting myself with and falling back madly in love with the music of Chris Whitley, who sadly died in 2005. He’s just awesome and played one hell of guitar. Extraordinary guitar player.
The following are from his 1991 debut album Living With the Law. When I first got the CD I listened to nothing else for a week.
Big Sky Country
Poison Girl
Living With the Law
Dust Radio
and some later stuff
Wild Country
Cool Wooden Crosses
Medicine Wheel
Radar
He had a tremendous gift and a has a lot of recordings considering he died at 45 and if you like him there quite a bit of his stuff on youtube.
And if you don’t like him, sorry about the overkill. He has so much amazing music I had trouble choosing just one or two.
Edit: Sorry about the ads. I could have sworn I found versions without ads for all the songs.
There are some great songs represented in the answers to this question! You might also try the music by The Black Keys, great rock music.
The national anthem of Jamaica.
born ruffians, vampire weekend, ra ra riot, and yeasayer
For whatever reason, I have always been fond of Stuart Hamm, especially his Kings of Sleep album (many tracks of which show up in that clip I linked of him doing a bass solo). He has range, technique, and just plain mad skills.
Mumford and Sons are an English folky-type band. Little Lion Man is a great song. (They used the f-word at lot but in a gentle way)
Florence and the Machine are another UK band quite sucessful here and amazing songs and music
@Stinley – the hip kids in Brooklyn love those guys. And Florence, too.
I know I’ve been adding them to every thread like this, but I can’t say too many nice things about Pearl and the Beard.
These are some really great new bands:
Two door cinema club
Gardens and villa (album isn’t out yet, but a a couple singles are)
Foster the people
The naked and famous
The joy formidable
Lykke li
Fitz and the tantrums
Civil twilight
Best coast
Funeral party
The General by Dispatch! Wedding Dress by Derek Webb
The New Pornographers are a band that I don’t hear on the radio and they are fricken awesome!
Flaming Lips are rarely on the radio, but Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and The Soft Bulletin are two of my favorites. Weird, but good rock!
“Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” by Cage the Elephant
“She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty” by Pierce the Veil
“If It Means A Lot To You” by A Day to Remember
And check out the artist Cider Sky.
these are my secret stash lol. I never told anyone about them, please don’t make them popular.
@NostalgicChills Kay. Thanks (: And you’re welcome! :D Btww, I’m following you now. Haha.
@coastiegirl96 Or you think they are secret from your town. I never saw what the big deal was about keeping music you like from other people, though. When I was a professional musician, I wanted everyone to know about me. It’s the only way to find enough fans to keep playing music for a living.
@SavoirFaire You have a point. But. The people here are like ‘Oh this is too mainstream.” and “Eww chicken, that’s so mainstream.” So, I’m good with this for myself. I have shared it with people that I know will like it, but not people that will put it down. I know what you mean though. I plan to have a career in music. And I love sharing my music.
@coastiegirl96 Yes, there are a lot of people who complain about music being mainstream. Why bother with them, though? Why worry about what they say? They are losers, and you don’t want to associate yourself with them or their messed up values by hiding your own favorite music from people.
I’m not saying you have to go around shouting your interests to everyone in the world or that you should put yourself up for ridicule. I’m just saying that asking us not to tell other people about your favorite music is what the people about whom you are complaining would do. You seem more mature than those people, so I see no reason for you to adopt their attitudes.
But hey, it’s no big deal. You were willing to share with us, so you’re already a lot better than those other people. I hope your own musical ambitions go well!
I notice that I haven’t actually contributed to the main question of this thread. Let me therefore mention The Increments, whose sound engineer is a fellow jelly. I’ll also mention The Exies, Splashdown, and of course Devo.
@SavoirFaire Agreed. You pose a good argument there.. Oh, thanks. And thanks, you and I both! (: Btw, I checked out The Exies(: I love themmm. I just downloaded These Are the Days Thanks for sharing haha.
@NostalgicChills I forgot to mention Nero and Passion Pit, haha. :D Passion Pit sometimes puts me to sleep though, well their second CD, Manners. Their first one makes me want to walk down the street skipping. :D Lol. Good luck in your music journey, ahha(:
The knife
Love of diagrams
Bear in Heaven
Cut/copy
Prefuse 73
deerhoof
Seefeel
Boards of Canada
Dappled cities
Bon iver
Lazy Eye- Silver Sun Pickups
Bloody Mary- Silver Sun Pickups
Little Talks- Of Monsters and Men
She Don’t Use Jelly- The Flaming Lips
Strange Attractor- Animal Kingdom
Hannah- Freelance Whales
Ready to Start- Arcade Fire
Always Something- Cage the Elephant
Kids Aren’t Safe- Satellite Stories
Eyes Wide Open- Gotye (kinda mainstream.)
Time Won’t Let Me Go- The Bravery
Call in the Calvary- The Shys (Prom soundtrack, but really good song! :D)
Going Down- The Pretty Reckless :D
just some more(:
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