So you're a hipster. Not you specifically. I would never accuse the great Rocks Off readers of being hipsters. But hypothetically, say you're a hipster. How do you choose your favorite bands? Well, you stroll on over to any indie-rock blog and check out all the latest buzz bands obviously. The problem with buzz bands though is that they don't always maintain their buzz.
Sure, some have kept it up like Girls (who play Houston March 13), but for every Girls there's a Gay Dad. Bands that strike for a moment and then completely burn out.
The fun of following all these indie buzz bands is you never know who will have staying power. You put all your chips in one basket, let's say the Gay Dad basket, and then it turns out that you were wrong and it's Modest Mouse that ends up being a classic band a few years later. Of course, some of these bands that don't manage to stay in the spotlight are legitimately great bands. Today we'll talk about 10 of the greats who you may have forgotten.
10. Joanna Newsom: For a moment in 2006 with her album Ys, Joanna Newsom made playing a harp cool. However, her popularity immediately dropped off and not even a very highly regarded three CD follow-up in 2010 could bring her back to that level. These days she might be known more for dating Andy Samberg.
9. Fujiya & Miyagi: This electronic group might have been helped along when they hit it big in 2006 by the fact that LCD Soundsystem, Gorillaz and Death From Above 1979 were massively popular at the time. Unfortunately for Fujiya & Miyagi, while those bands have stayed popular, people stopped caring about Fujiya & Miyagi so much that I don't think anyone even noticed they had a new album last year.
8. A Place to Bury Strangers: A Place to Bury Strangers burst on the scene with not only a hit self-titled album but also a major opening slot for Nine Inch Nails. They were poised to be the next big thing in electronic rock, but since the release of their sophomore album Exploding Head in 2009 they've released a steady stream of EPs which nobody seems to have been paying attention to.
