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What artists really surprised you?
Have there been any musicians you didn't think much of at first, but upon closer inspection, really surprised you? I've recently listened to Barenaked Ladies' album Maroon and it's a surprisingly introspective and melancholy record, but with upbeat sounds. Off The Hook and Conventioneers are fantastic songs that I've heard nothing about
Ghostkeeper.
The style's a bit off-putting, but man does it ever grow on you. I didn't like it at first, except there were bits that I did like and couldn't get out of my head. Two or three spins and I was a fan.
Thanks for the recommendation. Really enjoying these guys. I don't suppose you can recommend some more bands like them?
Speak Low If You Speak Love was a side project I really thought was going to be terrible.
At the time, I really hated the band the person behind Speak Low is normally in (State Champs), as it was a really generic, vaguely dudebro-ish sort of band. I'm a huge pop-punker, but State Champs is so generic even I couldn't like them! Their latest album is pretty good, though.
But anyway, I put on the first Speak Low record, Everything But What You Need, thinking "Eh, I'm gonna hate this, but if nothing else I'll have at least cleared something today." I ended up loving it. Full of some of the catchiest love songs I've ever heard in my life, it was fantastic. Super easy to share too; as easy to pick up as a Taylor Swift record.
Highly recommend the project; they've released another record since and it's similarly fantastic, if not as easy to get into.
The biggest one and the one that comes to my mind first is cLOUDDEAD and their self-titled album, which I went from extremely disliking to now considering one of my favorite albums in general.
Also No Motive, which I went into expecting some really lo-fi and potentially just annoying late era no wave, but it had some surprisingly interesting ideas.
Michael McDonald.
I always thought of him as a cheesy light rock guy based on his solo hits in the '80s. But back in the early 2000s I was in a band that got to open for him at the House Of Blues in New Orleans. We thought we were hot shit and were snickering about how lame he was going to be. WRONG!!! He blew us right off the fucking stage. He was so soulful and awesome, and his band was super tight. It still ranks among the best shows I have seen, maybe in the top ten on my personal list. We actually had a second gig at another bar that night, and even though there was hardly anybody there we rocked the shit out of it because we were so inspired from Michael McDonald's set. I still smile every time I think about it.
Kanye west. Thought his music would be shitty and that he is overhyped. He's actually a really good producer.