We're teaming up with BBC Radio 6 Music again to present a special half-year Music Blog Zeitgeist. But we also thought it'd be interesting to hear about artists not getting enough attention from the music blog massive. Here's what the bloggers recommended:
Rokia Traoré
Mali's Rokia Traoré made a record that's immediately arresting, beatiful and unvarnished. Free of world music's typical sheen, a fit for so many mixes - but it's not indie rock, or on a hip US label, so it'll forever be underblogged. — said the gramophone
Rokia Traore - Kounandi
No WordsFollow “Download [YouSendIt—Direct Link Coming Soon] / Request Immediate Removal” on Mar 4th, 2009 →
Vaghe Stelle
Turin native Daniele Mana (aka Vaghe Stelle) is one of the most accomplished and compelling instances of deranged dancefloor deviations that we've come across lately. — no fear of pop.
Vaghe Stelle - Unofficial Megastructures
The Ransom Note Follow “The Italian producer has announced his four track EP 'The Full Stream Ahead: Prologue,' with Nicolas Jaar's Other People.” on May 17th, 2016 →
Mom Tudie
Really exciting talent, and only 17. Cool garage/soul vibe going on. — Music Broke My Bones
mom tudie - Fear Leads Us On
Clash MagazineFollow “R&B meets soca in a jazz framing... Mom Tudie and Nectar Woods team up on fantastic new single 'Fear Leads…” on Dec 1st, 2021 →
Waxahatchee
She has an effortless knack for simple, beautifully crafted songwriting and a voice that is gently beguiling. — The Line Of Best Fit
Waxahatchee - Right Back to It (feat. MJ Lenderman)
nialler9Follow “My annual list of my favourite albums of year from 50 to 1. Previous years: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019….…” 2 days ago →
Aosoon
Aosoon stands for AlotOfSomethingOutOfNothing and is a new London duo that totally wow’d us with their outstanding debut single 'Skinny Strong'. — disco naïveté
Clipping.
Clipping. play a very loud and very brash sort of experimental hip-hop/noise. It understandably might be a bit much for some people, but for those willing to give it a fair shake I think they will find something really exciting and new about their approach. — Cactus-Mouth
clipping. - nothing is safe (remx)
My Blog ClicheFollow “Clipping. reveló un pequeño EP sorpresa a través de Sub Pop con un par de remixes que giran alrededor de…” on Jul 26th, 2022 →
Plastic Animals
Plastic Animals call themselves ‘atmospheric punk sludge rock’ before admitting that they think that’s a terrible description, but the best they can do. It’s the best I can do too. — Song, by Toad
Plastic Animals - Demmin
THE VINYL VILLAINFollow “Plastic Animals are an Edinburgh-based band. I use the present tense as I’m not sure if they are still on…” on Feb 5th, 2021 →
Rose Windows
I've become completely obsessed... They create great psych-pop with plenty of stellar hooks, loud wild guitar solos and soft/subtle tunes that make you feel something... usually good. A truly great summer album, but one that translates well year round. — FensePost
Rose Windows - Glory, Glory
KEXP BlogFollow “photo by Lauren Rodriguez Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the…” on May 29th, 2015 →
To Kill A King
To Kill A King have finally produced the record you always hoped that they would... it's excellent without there being much press about it. — The Blue Walrus
To Kill A King - THE UNSPEAKABLE CRIMES OF PETER POPOFF
Indie is not a genreFollow “After recently releasing their new single The Spiritual Dark Age, To Kill A King have just announced their third album…” on Nov 2nd, 2017 →
El. Train
Brighton-based producer El. Train has been on a roll, he's released a free EP on the 25th of the month since December. He's consistently putting out solid dance tracks - but somehow his soundcloud plays still seem to be in the hundreds. Hopefully he won't stay under-blogged for long. — Dipped in Dollars
El. Train - Nostalgia (feat. Kaisha & Loelash)
StereofoxFollow “El Train is back with some new fire! After he remixed Lina Nikol & Boyan’s “Just You And Me“, here…” on Aug 11th, 2023 →
Thin Hymns
It's an organic and hypnotic nature that this Chicago-based bunch possess. They're like mythological sirens. — Head Underwater
THIN HYMNS - cast aside
Chicago TunesFollow “A short time ago I wrote about the new Mazes song, “Peace Can Do No Wrong” (I think it divine,…” on Aug 23rd, 2012 →
I Am The Cosmos
Their debut LP Monochrome is a moody Italo disco album inspired by the motorik electro synthesizer sound of '80s song ‘Shinzo No Tobira’ by Maria. The result is an analogue album evoking a "tears on the dancefloor" vibe. — nialler9
i am the cosmos - Making Me Wait
nialler9Follow “Ross Turner and Cian Murphy’s I Am The Cosmos project isn’t exactly what you’d call prolific but the duo have…” on Nov 21st, 2017 →
Vhvl
Rhythmic tension, eerie sound design and a malevolent attitude are all hallmarks of a Vhvl track. — The 405
Findlay
She has had some high profile support slots (Jake Bugg) and radio play (Steve Lamacq)... but bloggers dont really seem to have picked up on her that much. — The VPME
Findlay - Off & On +1 remix
EarToTheGroundFollow “I have a love hate relationship with female-fronted rock acts. All too many times, promoters showcase the lead singer as…” on Feb 28th, 2017 →
Junior Prom
Junior Prom's infectious brand of electronic indie pop reminds us that it still can be fun to listen to music. Get outta here, introspection! (...If you read Knox Road you know we don't actually mean that.) — Knox Road
JUNIOR PROM - Young Stunners
Niche MusicFollow “ニューヨーク/ブルックリンを拠点に活動する Mark Solomich (ex-The Takeover UK)のソロプロジェクト Junior Promが、5/12にリリースしたニューシングル 'Young Stunn […]” on May 13th, 2017 →
La Big Vic
La Big Vic's follow-up album this year confirmed two things: the NYC trio make some of the most beautiful, forward-thinking pop music around. And they remain just a shade on the outside, under-hyped for sure. — Stadiums & Shrines
La Big Vic - All That Heaven Allows
The Deli MagazineFollow “Dreamlike and picaresque, La Big Vic’s self-titled first single from their sophomore album, “Cold War,” is hypnotic to listen to.…” on Feb 12th, 2013 →
Twin Peaks
No Dale Cooper, Laura Palmer, Black Lodge or Donna Hayward. No midnight trysts over the border at One Eyed Jacks. Instead, itinerant fuzzy rock & roll from a bunch of young Turks who call Chicago home. — An Aquarium Drunkard
Twin Peaks - What's The Matter
HI54Follow “Every week I shuffle up all the songs I’ve liked over the years—well, all the songs I was smrt enough…” on Oct 31st, 2022 →
Copy Paste Soul
Our most overlooked artist of the year thus far would be London-based Copy Paste Soul. He makes soul-quenching deep house music that is guaranteed to get your feet moving. His ‘Look At Me’ EP on Exploited Records perfectly shows how his fractured and left-field style can be totally infectious, we can’t wait to hear more of his music. — Human Drizzle
Copy Paste Soul - CTRL
THUMPFollow “Rising UK producer Copy Paste Soul is making his debut on one of Europe's most well-known electronic music labels, Carl…” on Jan 14th, 2016 →
Laura St Jude
A Scot's singer songwriter who creates sparse emotional torch songs that sound as if they've been conjured up from a gothic wild west. Like Nico and Lana Del Rey occupying one long eyelashed body. Amazing, haunting, sultry and beautiful. — Breaking More Waves
Laura St. Jude - Town
ravechildFollow “It doesn’t take Laura St. Jude long to captive the audience with her enchanting vocals; silencing the room from the…” on Aug 31st, 2016 →
Blue Hawaii
Montreal’s Blue Hawaii are as refreshing a blustery gulp of wily rejuvenation as a can of crested sea foam on once-military sands. — Dots & Dashes
BLUE HAWAII - Where is the Sun???
Exclaim!Follow “As originally published by Kaelen Bell on Exclaim! Blue Hawaii dropped their latest EP, My Bestfriend's House, back in February,…” on May 30th, 2022 →
Thoughts On Air
With tapes on many respectable imprints, like Hobo Cults, Tranquility Tapes, and Old Frontiers to name a few, Hamilton, Ontario project Thoughts on Air, aka Scott Johnson, may still only be familiar to regular fans of those labels. Still, his lo-fi and improvisations acquire enough depth to hold even casual interest, unexpectedly emerging from somewhere in the interplay of expanding and receding swells from his heavily distorted guitar, a range of vocals, and the occasional punctuation of sharper sounds. — Decoder Magazine
Thoughts On Air - Harness
weird canadaFollow “WTCHS // Thoughts on Air WTCHS // Thoughts on Air 7" (Perdu) Hamilton, ON // Hamilton, ON ::web/sounds:: // ::web/sounds::…” on Jun 25th, 2013 →
DJ Rashad
Chicago footwork producer and Ad Hoc Man of the Year, DJ Rashad, represents the sound of “footwork going international”, spreading from the streets of Chicago outward to London and beyond. — AdHoc
DJ Rashad - Everyday Of My Life (feat. DJ Phil)
Bandcamp DailyFollow “RP Boo, DJ Spinn, and Taso remember the iconic producer. Read full story on the Bandcamp Daily.” on Feb 15th →
Fol Chen
This is a group that gets off on experimenting with the rulebook, bending the boundaries and ending up with highly original music. — Bowlegs Music Review
Fol Chen - I.O.U
Indie ShuffleFollow “Sounds like: Bombay Bicycle CLub, Tokyo Police Club Song: Morning Parade (& Stache) - ALIENATION (Grouplove Remix) What's so good?…” on Apr 3rd, 2014 →
BODYWORK
Bodywork are responsible for some of the headiest dance-punk I've heard since LCD Soundsystem self-immolated, and their debut LP (free available) is quickly becoming one of my favorite albums of the year. — i guess i'm floating
Taneli
Taneli is a young Preston based producer making exciting and age-defying house tracks with an irresistible garage edge. — Cruel Rhythm
Taneli - You're The One
Crack in the RoadFollow “I /// II /// III /// IV /// V /// VI /// VII /// VIII Sam Smith Sampha Sam Mei…” on Dec 12th, 2013 →
Majical Cloudz
Devon Welsh's powerful vocals combine with raw and vulnerable lyrics and relatively simple production to create an album that makes me feel feelings unlike any album I can think of in recent history. — dailybeatz
Majical Cloudz - Downtown
Silent ShoutFollow “Images Do Easy Heaven Song 36 Downtown The Distance of the Moon Anything Polished Close Heaven's Mouth The wondrous, meticulous,…” on Feb 3rd, 2017 →
YouYourself&I
This collection of songs has shaken me to the core and restored my hopeful outlook toward discovering new music. — We Listen For You
YouYourself&i - HOROSCOPE GIFT
buffaBLOGFollow “After a morning of heavy-hitting investigative journalism that I haven't delved into since my 2005 riveting article on the absence…” on Mar 13th, 2014 →
Witch Hunt
I've chosen a band from Leeds. I always feel like bands from the north of the UK get overlooked--there is so much great stuff happening and Witch Hunt are one of the best. — Flying With Anna
Witch Hunt - Crawl
Bad FotographyFollow “So we’re pretty excited about Live At Leeds hitting the city come May 3rd-6th this year. And I’ll tell you…” on Apr 19th, 2013 →
Participating blogs
Once a week, Stack delivers a mix of the most interesting new music on the web, handpicked by the Hype Machine team. Here's a recent mix.