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10 of the Most Underrated Bands of the 21st Century

By Tom Hawking on

This week sees the release of a new album by The Veils, who have a special place in our hearts as one of those bands that we absolutely, wholeheartedly believed at one point would be massive. Everyone has a band like this — a band they tipped for greatness, a band that they can’t quite believe the world never cottoned onto. And sadly, the best part of a decade later, The Veils remain a band whose charms are appreciated by a select group of fans but have largely evaded the rest of the world. So in the interest of celebrating their music and other, similarly under-appreciated groups, here are some of the most overlooked bands of the 21st century; make your additions in the comments.
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Music

10 Albums Guaranteed to Make Your Ears Hurt

By Tom Hawking on

We’ve been listening a lot to the new Crystal Castles album III, which is out this week, here at Flavorpill, and while we’ve been enjoying it a lot more than we thought we would, we do rather miss the days when they sounded like someone taking a sledgehammer to a Commodore 64. Clearly, you have to be in the mood for such things, but when you are in the mood, there’s nothing more viscerally thrilling than some nasty, nasty noise music. We thought we’d share some of our favorite albums for inducing earaches. What are yours? (Incidentally, we mean albums that make your ears hurt in a good way — which means: sorry, Hadouken!/Enter Shikari/BrokenCYDE/etc, you don’t qualify.) … Read More

Music

The Flavorpill Mixtape: Explosions in the Sky, Ponytail, The Wrens

By Margaret Eby on

How’s your March going? OK? Too quiet? Stuck inside in the drizzle watching reruns of Will Smith movies? We thought so. Here’s the cure for whatever ails you: another heaping serving of new music, fresh off the griddle. There’s a sneak peek at Wiz Khalifa’s new album, plus tracks from the Dodos, Parenthetical Girls, The Wrens, and more. Right click and “Save As” to download, or if you want it all, scroll down to the bottom to get a big ol’ zip file. … Read More

Music

A Eulogy for Great Bands We Lost This Year

By Zoë Leverant on

Maybe all good things really must come to an end, but it seems a little cruel that seven of them had to do so this year. With careers spanning from less than five years to nearly two decades, the bands that broke up in 2010 all left a mark on the music map that won’t be soon forgotten. It’s sad to think we’re entering 2011 knowing we won’t hear new music from any of these artists or be able to see them live, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for new groups to pick up the slack. For those who quit their rock, here’s our salute to you. … Read More

Music

Exclusive: One Last (Definitive) Dispatch from SXSW

By Michael Byrne on


Last month, Earplug’s Michael Byrne hit massive music industry gathering (and unofficial weenie roast) SXSW alongside photographer Josh Sisk, wading through the thousands of bands and lapping up all the backyard BBQ he could eat. What’d he take away? Austin’s premiere event isn’t going anywhere. … Read More

Music

Viva La Mix!: This Week’s Essential Free Downloads

By Joe Defranceschi on

Flavorpill’s weekly show on Viva Radio is a canvas upon which we splash, dot, and etch hyper-fresh gems and classic cuts. In this inaugural edition of Viva La Mix!, we hone last week’s playlist into a mixtape containing 10 essential downloads. Once you’re done downloading, check out our Viva Radio page for this week’s show (which offers a nice preview of next week’s mixtape) and to browse the 60-plus playlists in our archive. … Read More