SPIN Picks: 8 Undiscovered Bands Worth a Listen

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SPIN Picks: 8 Undiscovered Bands Worth a Listen

FREE DOWNLOADS: Discover groups we picked from among 500 entrants to have their song spun on the radio.

By Peter Gaston 02.06.09 11:08 AM

Beehive

Recently, SPIN and music community website Sonicbids teamed up to bring worthy new bands the attention they deserve. Tonight at midnight (EST), Boston radio station WFNX will broadcast the fourth installment of the SPIN/Sonicbids Emerging Artists' Showcase, featuring eight cool unsigned bands from around the world, hand-picked by SPIN.com staffers from more than 500 submissions. (Tune in to 101.7 FM in the Boston area or listen live online via wfnx.com). Scroll down to meet these up-and-comers, snag a song from each, and click their website links to find out more!

Want your unsigned band to be considered for future radio shows? Click here to find out more and register your band today!

Overnight

Hometown: New York, NY
Recommended if you like… Bloc Party, Nada Surf
Why we picked them: Jabbing, post-punk guitar and fuzzy, spoken word verses give way to a delicate, even pretty, indie pop chorus.
Links: MySpace

Listen: Overnight, "I Know" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Paul Avion & Par Avion

Hometown: Los Angeles
Recommended if you like… Weezer, Voxtrot
Why we picked them: Featured song "Fibromyalgia" is pure mid-'90s L.A. nerd rock, but this band also shows a deft touch with winsome Britpop and lite-electronica.
Link: MySpace

Listen: Paul Avion & Par Avion, "Fibromyalgia" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Ivan Ives

Hometown: Los Angeles (via the USSR)
Recommended if you like… Jurassic 5, De La Soul
Why we picked him: With soulful beats and clever samples that hearken back to hip-hop's '90s heyday, this Russian expat deserves to get in the game.
Link: MySpace

Listen: Ivan Ives, "Got It" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Brite Lite Brite

Hometown: Boston, MA
Recommended if you like… The Knife, Lykke Li
Why we picked them: Twitchy, Scandinavian-sounding electro-pop imbued with urgent, even desperate, vocals.
Link: MySpace

Listen: Brite Lite Brite, "Sky Turns Red" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Susu

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Recommended if you like… Sonic Youth, Pixies
Why we picked them: This band's shouty, raucous noise rock is both aggressive and relentless, only slightly softened by guitarist Andrea Havis' backing vocals.
Link: Official site

Listen: Susu, "Sawtooth" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Beehive

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Recommended if you like… Garbage, Shiny Toy Guns
Why we picked them: Where many electronic acts synthesize, Auto Tune, and otherwise digitally enhance vocals, there's no doubting the inherent soul of Beehive singer Butterfly Beats.
Link: MySpace | Official site

Listen: Beehive, "Pretty Little Thieves" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Stranded Conqueror

Hometown: Chicago/Switzerland/U.K.
Recommended if you like… Idlewild, Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Why we picked them: A globetrotting, Swiss-born frontman named Patrick crafted these heavy, post-shoegaze hooks in the U.K. and Chicago.
Link: MySpace

Listen: Stranded Conqueror, "Fooled" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Echosuite

Hometown: New York, NY
Recommended if you like… Snow Patrol, Travis
Why we picked them: These lads might hail from the Big Apple, but they are well-equipped to churn out bombastic, emotional arena rock balladry.
Link: MySpace

Listen: Echosuite, "Disarmed" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Comments

Posted By mink23 02.07.09 10:12 AM

I'd hate to hear the other 492 bands...

Posted By angelalovesmusic 02.10.09 12:55 AM

The only band I liked was Beehive.. the other ones kind of not so much...

Posted By davey 02.12.09 6:18 PM

Thanks for introducing some really underground bands Even if they aren't all my cup of tea, I like this feature.

Posted By jennex 02.21.09 2:08 PM

Bands sound good! Top picks: Par Avion and Susu.

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