The Heartbeats - A Thousand Miles Away [1956]

The Heartbeats, a quintet formed in Queens, NY in 1955, had a brief but reasonably successful run of infectious doo-wop singles until their sudden disbandment in '59. Their most popular song, A Thousand Miles Away, peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was eventually reintroduced to more modern audiences when included in the American Graffiti soundtrack 17 years later. Rendering James Sheppard's incredibly intimate lead vocal performance all the more convincing is the fact that he had written it - along with the help of William Miller - for his ex-girlfriend right after she had moved away to Texas. As a result, it feels as though Sheppard is not addressing us with his laments but rather her directly.

Merz - Butterfly [2005]

Although British dream pop artist Merz has yet to penetrate the mainstream in his 16-year career, his discography is revered by the fans and critics he has managed to reach. His 2005 sophomore effort Loveheart is an overlooked gem of the indie scene, reminiscent in its intricate yet simple arrangements of contemporaries like Sufjan Stevens. Butterfly is a beautiful and expert combination of soothing male vocals backed by warm, acoustic melodies and ethereal female harmonies.

Future - One Helluva Night [2015]

Future's rapid ascension to stardom over the past couple years has been ignited by both his trailblazing trap crooner style as well as his seeming invincibility since parting ways with Ciara. In relentlessly dropping new mixtapes, albums, and singles for his fans Future has not sacrificed any quality, in fact, he seems to only be improving over time; though how long he can maintain this codeine-fueled run of trap classics is concerning and often draws comparisons to Lil Wayne's career. One track that may have slipped past your radar is the recently leaked One Helluva Night, presumably a cut from his 2014 album Honest. The song plays like a sort of prequel to Codeine Crazy with its portrayal of a hedonistic, drug-addled superstar's nocturnal debauchery and romantic turbulence. The instrumental centers around a 3 Stacks-esque guitar sample and is really more at home in R&B than trap. But perhaps it was best left as a demo since the fuzziness of the mix only solidifies the atmosphere that Future is already going for with his muddy, auto-tuned triplet flows.

Eternity's Children - Mrs. Bluebird [1968]

Starting out as a Mississippi folk duo, Eternity's Children continuously added more instruments and voices into their music until they had developed one of the most rich and complex sounds among pop artists of the time. Not without irony is it that they split up after giving us only two albums; but their latter, self-titled release has come to be regarded as a holy grail of 60s sunshine pop. A genre that most bands oversimplify and fail to make interesting, Eternity's Children incorporated lush production, flawless male/female vocal harmonies and some surprisingly impressive lead guitar to craft tragically underrated singles such as Mrs. Bluebird. 

Lutomysl - Le reniement de Saint-Pierre [2010]

Distinguishing himself from more prominent Ukrainian black metal bands like Drudkh, Lutomysl avoids the typical wall-of-sound atmosphere in order to make way for some phenomenal melodies. Having released eight albums over the past thirteen years without ever growing bland or redundant, it's a shame that he has failed to accrue fans outside of black metal's small, dedicated niche. Le reniement de Saint-Pierre, the towering, penultimate track off his self-titled release, features tortured, Russian shrieks over relentless blastbeats and some stunning tremolo riffs that essentially carry the song. 

Lowdown Da Sinista - Going Thru A Thing [1996]

Straight outta Memphis with a voice that's unique
Have to lay down with this Glock just to get some sleep

By '96 the norm of Memphis rap delivery was already settling around Three 6 Mafia's hushed, smoked out mumbles. So when Lowdown Da Sinista released his first (and unfortunately last) album Coming For Your Soul, it was rejuvenating to hear a more aggressive, visceral tone reminiscent of groups like N.W.A and Geto Boys over the same familiar Memphis production. The project itself can be a little hit or miss but underground classics like Going Thru A Thing place Lowdown's hard-hitting horrorcore raps right at the forefront despite the thumping instrumental's best efforts.

Stan Hubbs - Juggernaut [1982]

Our knowledge about Stan Hubbs is almost as hazy as his music. The story is that as a middle-aged man he suddenly decided to hire a band, retire to a cabin in the California wilderness, and bang out an acid-soaked cult classic in no more than two days. The album quickly went out of print and he faded back into obscurity, until recently when a Companion Records employee managed to re-issue it from vinyl. Although Crystal dropped in '82 it is entirely at home in the conscious, psychedelic sounds that defined the two decades previous. The 7-minute epic Juggernaut features spaced out, lo-fi production and beautiful male/female vocal layers. But the real star of course is Hubbs himself with his guitar work. What ostensibly may sound repetitious eventually comes to be appreciated as him entering an emotive, trance-like state as he dexterously solos over a pulsating rhythm section. 

Iglooghost - Gold Coat feat. Cuushe [2015]

18-year old UK producer Iglooghost has generated a lot of hype over the last year or so, largely due to his addition to FlyLo's Brainfeeder roster. Acting as his label debut is a brand new four-track EP Chinese Nü Yr. According to him, the release's concept is centered around a "gelatinous worm-shaped creature...wear[ing] a witch hat called xiāngjiāo" who suffers a perpetual existential crisis and is voiced by his own family. The lead single Gold Coat features Japanese ambient pop artist Cuushe and like most of his work defies any kind of pigeon-holing. Combining multiple different pop, hip hop, and electronic trends, Iglooghost manages to deliver a coherent, catchy instrumental out of seemingly disparate elements. The track sports a hard-hitting beat climaxing with a breakdown in the second half and woven together by an incredibly infectious female vocal sample.

Robert Pollard with Doug Gillard - Pop Zeus [1999]

Although he has contributed to more than a dozen different musical ventures over the last three decades, Robert Pollard is still predominantly known for his vocal and guitar work with indie giants Guided By Voices. In '99 he teamed up with bandmate Doug Gillard to release one of the most underappreciated albums of the genre, Speak Kindly Of Your Volunteer Fire Department, right in the midst of their Do The Collapse world tour. Charming marquee tracks like Pop Zeus exemplify Pollard's prowess for engineering melodic yet to-the-point lo-fi indie masterpieces.

J. Mars - Galaxies feat. I.R.V. [2013]

Two years ago a friend introduced me to J. Mars' sophomore project After Lights when he was just a Soundcloud rapper. Unfortunately he still is as his releases trickled off last year, but the work he did leave us with is worth checking out. Both MCs' deliveries have a very Midwestern flavor to them here - perhaps due to the lack of Delaware rappers. J. Mars reminds one of King Chip and I.R.V. of Vic Mensa. But knocking percussion and a hypnotic female vocal sample are what make Jehf Slap's production the real standout on Galaxies.

Fenton Robinson - Somebody Loan Me A Dime [1974]

Despite being a revered, Grammy-nominated blues musician, Fenton Robinson is one of those artists who was sadly robbed of their true opportunity in the spotlight. His contagious followup single Somebody Loan Me A Dime should have launched him into stardom in 1967, but a freak Chicago snow storm prevented his label from distributing the record to the rest of the country. This delayed its release another seven years, by which time other artists had already attempted to claim the song as their own. The album of the same name on which it finally appeared garnered acclaim from critics and fans alike, but Robinson's shot at fame had already passed him by as popular music tastes shifted evermore towards rock n' roll. Now that you're all caught up on its turbulent history, check out the track above and immerse yourself in his smooth, soulful voice and masterful, jazz-influenced guitar licks.

Mihai Edrisch - Oublier [2005]

Mihai Edrisch are a French screamo/post-hardcore band that only managed to drop two LPs before they split up, but even then fans are divided on which was the superior effort. The group's debut showcased their staggering level of raw energy, while their sophomore album Un Jour Sans Lendemain focused more on creating progressive instrumentals, taking significant influence from post-rock and metal artists of the time. With powerful, black metal-like vocals backed by a rhythmic ebb-and-flow instrumental, Oublier is probably the best place to start.

Natas - Doubelievengod [1995]

In the mid-90s it seemed that horrorcore was permeating every city on the American rap circuit, from the Gravediggaz in New York City to Brotha Lynch Hung in Sacramento. A young Detroit scene would spawn the trio Natas, consisting of rappers Esham, Mastamind and TNT, in '91. By the time the group reached their third album - Esham's eighth if you count his solo material - they were peaking both lyrically and musically. Check out the title track here featuring a sinister synth groove, haunting vocal hook, and their signature cinematic horrorcore raps. 

Glen Porter - 29 Palms [2008]

Glen Porter is an instrumental hip hop producer out of Huntington Beach, California. First gaining traction in '08 after music off his debut record Blessed By a Young Death was featured on the OLN travel series Departures, he's since had a low-key but consistent output of EPs and albums. 29 Palms is indicative of his experimental tendencies, fluidly combining indie and post-rock guitar leads with a mid-track reggae breakdown. Making it all the more impressive is that Porter does his own live instrumentation instead of relying solely on samples.

Holiday Shores - Bradley Bear [2009]

Even though they never achieved any real recognition among critics or the mainstream, Holiday Shores managed to release a few memorable singles in their brief discography. Channeling a nostalgic blend of surfer and psychedelic rock into infectious joints such as Bradley Bear put them in the same sphere as the likes of Delta Spirit, Surfer Blood, etc. Their debut album Columbus'd the Whim may grow a little monotonous after repeated listens, but this track is guaranteed to resurrect those summer vibes whenever you're in need.