The Union.
Hunners and hunners of you will definitely have heard this, but I occasionally still stick on "Pure" by "The Times", which was one of Ed Ball's side projects.
I still love it, and the way it bizarrely corkscrews its way through some classic British influences- The Who, the Jam, etc, then goes onto covering "Blue Monday" in French, before side 2's Anthony Burgess-inspired bits.
Possibly not obscure enough for here, though.
Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place
Electronic gorgeousness so wonderful it's like an hour long hug for your ears.
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Hmm, had a listen to that Neutral Milk Hotel album, recommended at the start of the thread.
Not that impressed really. Sorry.
The Neutral Milk Hotel album is amazing, one of my favourites.
How about Spiderland by Slint if you like your music dark and brooding.
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Junichi Watanabe
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My band 😀
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/risk-it-all/id595356552
http://open.spotify.com/track/4hue7XRAU19ki8Y76HfjWc
Also, I really like a free album made on the Tenorion by a guy called Norman Fairbanks.
http://www.normanfairbanks.com/blog/?page_id=12
Richmond Fontaine - I really wish he'd lighten up a bit... 😉
How 'bout Nortec Collective
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Murcoff
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aP - I'd image everyone posting on STW has heard of Murcof. Purple stuff, cleans yer bike, innit.
^ ...[s]image[/s]... imagine
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Discharge
Not particularly obsure but both Wooden Shjips and The Black Angels get a lot of play time on my iPod.
Tool are one of my fave bands. Picked up their first album when no one had heard of them. Now it's bands like the Russian circles
Ace!
Life Without Building's one and only album The Leanover was excellent. Like The Black Angels referenced above I came to them via one of the Dirt films.
Temple of the Dog is likely to be well known to a few on here but may still be auteur enough, especially as the forerunner of Pear Jam.
Great great band