A lot of these bands are actually quite popular, but their popularity is limited to different continents, different music scenes, or different decades from today's average listener. You've probably heard of most of these bands, but I challenge you to go back, listen to their music critically, and decide again how good they are. If you do listen to these bands, I applaud your musical taste!
1) The Smashing Pumpkins - This band was wildly popular in the 90's, in the same grunge scene as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. But I'm of the opinion that, even at the height of their popularity, the Smashing Pumpkins were underrated. I sincerely beleive they are one of the best musical acts of the 20th century. The most common criticism I hear about them is that the lyrics are too angsty, which I don't understand at all. Sure, they're fairly dark ("Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage") but then again, lyricist and frontman Billy Corgan had a shitty life, so he's entitled to write dark lyrics. That, in addition to the fact that I care more about musicality than lyrics, is how I come to the decision about their greatness. Their guitar layering combined with the alternating gravel and beauty of Corgan's voice gives the Smashing Pumpkins a feeling about them that isn't easily imitated.
2)Coheed and Cambria - This is a band a lot of people haven't heard of, but they're very popular within certain circles in the U.S. I went to one of their shows last summer and it was by far the best live show I've ever seen. Their absolute shredding of guitar solos makes you nearly weep that you can't play like them. It is the quintessential "rock show" pioneered by Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. But their live music isn't the only reason they are so good. Their four albums follow the storyline of a comic book series (The Amory Wars), written by the bands singer/guitarist/frontman Claudio Sanchez. This gives the music a more personal feeling because you know that they're talking about characters that you can have feelings about, rather than abstract concepts. And in regards to their actual music, they push the boundaries of rock, which is something I love. They don't follow the strict form of today's music. They write music that has the emotion they're trying to convey, without regard to whether the structure of it will be easy to swallow for the mainstream.
3) Muse - My personal favorite band, Muse has become wildly popular in continents not named North America. Muse is... well Muse is many things. They, like Coheed and Cambria, push the boundaries of music in whichever direction suits them. Matt Bellamy's skill at simultaneously playing guitar and singing is miraculous for his age and experience. With their distortion and excellent playing, it's sometimes easy to forget that only three people are playing (Guitar, Bass, Drumkit). The things Bellamy does with his guitar are (I've heard from actual guitarists) frankly amazing (especially for live shows). The music of Muse isn't music. It paints vivid pictures of alien civilizations, supermassive black holes (an excellent song) and a myriad of other scenes. When Bellamy puts down his guitar and plays the grand piano, he releases a torrent of musicality that is nearly unparalleled in today's rock scene. Another great thing about muse is that, unlike most of today's music world, their rhythm section plays with... BALLS. They rock out while Bellamy makes his magic happen, and the combined effect is more than sound. It's emotion. It's difficult not to just get completely caught up in the emotion of their playing.
Go listen to these bands right now.
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