Did you know that music has the power to change your mood? We know everyone is struggling right now, so the TFMS band has created a fool-proof feel-good playlist to help raise your spirits!
Click here for Good Vibezzzzz- a feel-good playlist curated by the TFMS Band!
10 of the Best Obscure Songs |
by Darren Staiz-Stagich
Have you gotten fed up with radio stations playing the same handful of songs over and over again? Are you confused as to why disc jockeys seem to think that Dua Lipa and Post Malone are the only musicians on Earth? Want to support artists who aren’t already millionaires? Then you might be interested in some more obscure music! This list will (in no particular order) give you some insight on some lesser known songs, and the artists who wrote them. Who knows, you might even find a new favorite band!
- The Suburbia Overture by Will Wood and the Tapeworms- Will Wood and the Tapeworms are a jazz-rock band known for their comedic performances, long song titles, and chaotic musical style. Their newest album, ironically titled ‘The Normal Album’, was released in the summer of 2020. The album itself is an energetic hybrid between jazz, funk, blues, punk, and ska. The Suburbia Overture has a bizarre hidden narrative, and switches from an upbeat, jazzy, showtune-style ballad, to a freakishly villainous number in a matter of seconds.
2. Mr. Pinstripe Suit by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy- Swing music was one of the most popular genres in the 1920s, so why not bring it back in the 2020s? Led by Scotty Morris, BBVD is a fairly well-known contemporary swing band. They have played at The Super Bowl Half-Time Show and EPCOT, have performed on Dancing With the Stars, and have even recorded music for Disney’s Phineas and Ferb. Mr. Pinstripe Suit is one of the band’s older songs, having been released in 1998, but still holds up today with enjoyable instrumentation, a lively beat, and smooth vocals.
3. The Bidding by Tally Hall-Tally Hall, nicknamed ‘The Spooky Beatles’ by their fans, are an alt. rock band. Their music has garnered a good reputation amongst fans of alternative music for its upbeat instrumentals and somewhat strange lyrics. The band’s vocals, done by Joe Hawley, along with some harmonized bits in which the entire band joins in, always help to accentuate the mood of each of their songs. The Bidding, a song from their 2005 album, ‘Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum’, is most likely the most Beatles-esque song the band has written, with its gentler, classic-rock style instrumentals, and more harmonized vocals, though it does go out with bang: The song speeds up and intensifies, with a theatrical-style ending.
4. The Queen of White Lies by The Orion Experience-The Orion Experience is a disco/indie band that takes inspiration from the music of the 1970s and 80s. Their most popular album, Cosmicandy, released in 2010, consists of disco and hipster-rock style songs, such as The Queen of White Lies. The Queen of White Lies, like many of the other songs on the album, has a glamorous feel with funk-style instrumentals and easy-to-remember lyrics. As an added bonus, The Orion Experience is extremely supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, and often writes songs campaigning for equality for people no matter their race, creed, orientation, or gender.
5. Kakusei by Superfly- Kakusei is an awe-inspiringly powerful ballad by the Japanese band Superfly. The song was used in Studio Trigger’s gorgeous 2019 movie Promare, as the theme of Lio Fotia. Kakusei has beautiful instrumentals, including an orchestral-style percussion buildup, an instrumental rock-guitar chorus, and piano solos, all of which are masterfully used to display Lio’s rage, despair, and desire for revenge in the movie.
6. Devil’s Price by Poor Man’s Poison-Poor Man’s Poison is an acoustic-bluegrass musical group that has been thrust into the spotlight recently, when YouTube users around the world randomly received recommendations for the PMP song ‘Feed the Machine’. Devil’s Price is a calm-yet-haunting song composed only of string instrumentals and vocals, with the beat of the song being created through cleverly-placed breaks in the strumming. Despite its foreboding lyrics, the song has a peppy instrumental track to back up serenely smooth vocals.
7. GUY.exe by Superfruit- GUY.exe is an electro-pop song by the band Superfruit. The song has a funky vibe and upbeat melody, but it addresses a very important issue. The lyrics are a thinly-veiled criticism of standards for mens’ bodies and social statuses. Though nobody, regardless of their gender, should be judged by their body or how they’re doing in life, it is far more common for body positivity media to be aimed at women. Men, on the other hand, are pushed to unhealthy extremes to achieve a ‘perfect appearance’, but don’t get as much support. GUY.exe criticises this double standard by implying that the ‘perfect guy’ that girls seem to dream about can’t exist, and that you have to put up with peoples’ flaws. Between the social commentary and the synth-heavy dance beat, GUY.exe could very easily become a popular song.
8. Oh Ana by Mother Mother-Mother Mother is a new-wave alternative band whose songs have really resonated with non-neurotypical people and members of the LGBTQ community due to the omnipresent themes of identity, orientation, and dealing with dysphoria throughout their songs. Oh Ana is a haunting track that personifies Anorexia, and has prompted many people with the disorder to seek help. The song has a string-heavy instrumental, and ends with a beautiful-yet-unsettling vocal harmony.
9. Sweet Tooth by Scott Helman- Canadian artist Scott Helman wrote Sweet Tooth as an allegory for addiction, with sugary desserts being used as a stand-in for stimulants. The song has a bright and upbeat melody, with a heavy beat and cheerful synth. The lyrics, however, portray a feeling of desperation and emotional deprivation, along with perfectly portraying the damage addictions can do to both your body and relationships. The cheerful music and heavy lyrics are perfect representations of the song’s goal: To preach the dangers of addiction by using candy as a metaphor for drugs.
10. Black Mambo by The Glass Animals- The Glass Animals are a vaporwave/electronic band with a handful of fairly popular songs. Tracks like ‘Pork Soda’, ‘The Other Side of Paradise’, and ‘Take a Slice’ from their album ‘How to be a Human Being’ have gotten some recognition due to their use in YouTube animations and TikTok trends. However, one of their lesser known albums, ‘Zaba’, has a number of good songs. Black Mambo is an interesting song, in the sense that it manages to be both calming and chilling at the same time. The choruses are all gentle, and the instrumentals have a lofi-esque feel to them, making the song incredibly relaxing. It is the wordless instrumental solos that have a feeling of apprehension to them, helping build a narrative in the song.
Monthly Riddle:
What wears a coat in the winter and a coat and the pants in the summer?
Last Months Riddle Answers
1.A Snowball 2.Mistletoe 3.Eggnog 4.A Candycane
1.A Snowball 2.Mistletoe 3.Eggnog 4.A Candycane