The Top Five Most Underrated Artists (That You've Possibly Heard Of)

You know, once I thought more about this, they're all one hit wonders, who were surprisingly awesome. The kind of bands that you buy the album because of your insane addiction to that one song that you heard and then couldn't get out of your head. Well, here's my ode to the underdogs...

5. Poe
Remember her? The "Angry Johnny" or "Hey Pretty" chick? Well yeah, she's awesome. And what's even better is that she's supposed to be making music again, which she hasn't done since 2000's Haunted, a semi-autobiographical album and outlet for her grief after her father's death. I listened to that album, went a read her brother, Mark Danielewski's book, House of Leaves, then went back and listened to it again and it was even better. Both of her albums are utterly fantastic in their own ways. Hello was edgier. It was gritty, angry, girl rock and I loved every minute of it. In the decade of her "disappearance", she did occasionally make her voice heard. Collaborations with Conjure One and Fastball, as well as a few solo tracks for soundtracks and what not, leaked their way out. Also, she was the voice of the "single mother" in Repo: A Genetic Opera. There's your weird trivia for the day. Also, she's fucking phenomenal live. Absolutely electric.

4. Joan Osbourne
The "What If God Was One of Us" lady. That song is a mere fluke. It's the only song on any of her albums that even remotely sounds like that and it's sad that that was the one famous song she got. And what's even more amazing is that she's made like, ten albums. I cannot even say that I know all of them, but the ones that I have listened to are amazing. The rest of Relish was phenomenal. She's not that one-hit wonder that you know from the radio, she full of soul and funk and blues. She came out around the same time as a slew of radio friendly female vocalists along the lines of Alanis Morrisette and Sheryl Crow, but never really got all the way there, which is a damn shame. She's opened for The Dead (not the Grateful Kind, but still), Phil Lesh, and The Funk Brothers. The girl's got soul and you certainly don't hear it on the one song that a record label thought would sound good on the radio and sell records to teenage kids. She was Amy Winehouse before Amy Winehouse was Amy Winehouse, except, you know, without the drug addiction and domestic abuse.

3. Gravity Kills
Ohhhh, being an early teen "goth kid". Gravity Kills still has a spot in my heart along with black lipstick and hair dye. Their best known album, and my favorite, their self-titled, is a classic. Their following albums, Manipulated, Perversion, and Superstarved were pretty damn good, too. Gravity Kills was every bit as good as other industrial bands who actually made it big, like KMFDM and Ministry, but they just never seemed to really make it big after their first hit single, "Guilty". Their lack of touring may have had something to do with this, but hey, they were different, dammit. And they were always so...elusive. They didn't tour, they didn't have crazy antics. They made music. And I think they were on "120 Minutes" on MTV once. Maybe. Even now, they don't have a website, they barely have a Wikipedia entry, and good luck with trying to find a decent biography on these guys. Everything is vague insinuations and rumors and assumptions, but that's just Gravity Kills for you.

2. Marcy Playground
Yup, the "Sex and Candy" guys. They've released four entirely different albums. Yes, people still make music after a one hit wonder. While minimalistic in style, they're always entertaining. And they're always looking out for number one...you're not going to see John Wozniak, or any other member of the band for that matter, playing the corporate rock game. Listening to their albums in succession is like getting a bird's eye view of Wozniak's life. You start with childhood on the 1997 self-titled album and work your way to the present with their 2009 release, Leaving Wonderland...In A Fit of Rage. They're awesome, catchy (but not annoyingly so), an genuinely cool dudes. Also, I think John Wozniak looks like Kyle MacLachlin in Blue Velvet and I find that terribly creepy, yet...sexy. I'm a huge Kyle MacLachlin fan in the sexy sense, but that movie's just so damn creepy, I have a hard time admitting that. Okay, well even minus the creepy/sexy factor, they're still an awesome band.

1. Third Eye Blind
I fucking love Third Eye Blind. Okay, so they were like a three hit wonder, but still, there's so much more to them than "Jumper" or "Semi-Charmed Life" (which is a fantastic song by the way, have you ever actually listened to the lyrics!?). Stephen Jenkins, the lyrical mastermind behind the band, is a seriously effed up dude, and I can appreciate that. With so many musicians out there these days that, well, quite frankly suck (Ex: Soulja Boy, he makes a song out of two words, and just repeats them for three minutes.), it's refreshing to see a band with actual lyrics. Even their most recent album, Ursa Major was good. How many bands can you actually say that about? They've managed to make four albums of heartfelt, intense music and no two songs sound the same. While describing a life of decadence, sleaze, and drug addiction, there's somehow a hopeful radiance that comes out of it. Like, "Hey, yeah this happened, but we're still here". They write and play songs that everyone can relate to, but not cheesy pop hits. If you've only ever heard the songs on the radio, go beg, borrow, or steal Out of the Vein. You can thank me later.