10 overlooked modern albums that will be viewed as masterpieces in the future
One of the most frustrating things in music, or art in general, is when people try to sell you a secret formula to success. We can look back at the success of bands such as The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, and The Last Dinner Party and pick apart why they did so well, but there is no set formula to guarantee their level of stardom.
Good music is important, obviously. If an album doesn’t sound good, it won’t perform, and that’s a simple fact of life. However, there is a lot more to a successful release than just the music itself. You have to consider things such as timing, image, what’s trending at that moment in time, and, something which most successful artists will hate to admit, luck.
The convoluted experience of releasing an album involves so many ifs, buts, and maybes that there is no exact science behind how to ensure that an album will do well. The result is that a number of records, both by well-known artists and artists who should be well-known, often fly under the radar. There is a cacophony of wonderful albums out there that few have listened to merely because they are the by-product of an industry that is tricky to predict.
If you’re worried you’ve missed some potential classics in the confusing midst of the music industry, fear not, as here, we have put together a list of ten overlooked albums that will undoubtedly be viewed as masterpieces in the future.
10 criminally overlooked albums:
The Joy Hotel – Ceremony
When I first heard Ceremony by The Joy Hotel, I refused to believe it was a debut record. It’s one of the most perfectly crafted, free-flowing, and mature sounds a band has ever created, and it deserves so much more credit than it got. Granted, Joy Hotel might disagree, as they’re an indie band who released a well-received debut album. What else could you ask for? But this record needs more ears on it.
The album is incredibly cinematic, as each song flows into the other seamlessly, and themes about religion, age, and nostalgia are all touched upon beautifully. There’s no doubt that The Joy Hotel has an exciting future ahead of them, and when they become better known, everyone will look back at Ceremony and say, “How the hell did we miss that?”
The Child of Lov – The Child of Lov
The Child of Lov was a relatively private man. He made music and released it; there was never much else to his career, as he didn’t do much to put himself in the limelight or become the centre of attention. Even when NME awarded him the best newcomer award, his acceptance speech was a simple, “Thank you very much.”
This reluctance to embrace the limelight likely led to the Child of Lov and his debut (and only) album slipping under the radar. The concoction of genres and effects on this record, which doubles up as a soul, indie, hip-hop and R&B masterclass, was well ahead of its time and remains an understated classic. The singer tragically passed away at 26 due to complications following heart surgery in 2013, but his legacy remains in this beautifully crafted album.
Childish Gambino – Bando Stone and The New World
Childish Gambino is hardly an underrated artist; his music has been groundbreaking and exciting in the past, and he is recognised for as much. That being said, with his most recent (and apparently last) album, Bando Stone and The New World, it felt as though the release fell a little bit flat. This is likely because Gambino tried to do too much at once, selling the record as the soundtrack for a movie, releasing it two months after another album and confusing fans as to what is actually the last thing Childish Gambino will do.
When you remove the record’s complicated marketing and just listen to it for what it is, it is nothing short of a masterpiece. It combines all the varied sounds that Childish Gambino has made famous over the years and puts them together in a way that sounds both experimental and cohesive. This is one that people will likely look back on and love, but for now, it remains a lacklustre send-off.
Peace – Kindness Is The New Rock ‘N’ Roll
Peace pioneered the indie boom that occurred a little over ten years ago. Their debut album, In Love, was a critical and commercial success, as songs like ‘Wraith’, ‘Delicious’, and ‘Follow Baby’ are still considered classics of the movement. Their second record, Happy People, also did well, but momentum dropped around the release of their third record, Kindness Is The New Rock ‘N’ Roll.
It’s a shame that the band’s third record didn’t gain as much publicity as it saw the band at their most vulnerable. Souls were laid bare on songs like ‘Silverlined’ and ‘From Under Liquid Glass’, but people didn’t get on board with them as much as previous records. Kindness remains Peace’s most personal outing, and it will hopefully get the praise it deserves in years to come.
Daudi Matsiko – The King of Misery
Often, when people talk about good guitarists, they refer to musicians who can “shred.” This means playing at speed, lots of distortion and plenty of movement across the fret. While this is impressive, there is also something about being able to write with minimalism, which is also deeply impressive, and that’s what Daudi Matsiko does on his record The King of Misery.
This is an incredible, sweet, and honest album. Emotions are laid out for all to see, and every word is said with such fragility that it feels as though it is imposing on the song just by being there. Matsiko’s instrumentation complements this style, as he plays guitar and piano sporadically, often using only the occasional note to complement his words. It all comes together wonderfully, and more people should know this record.
Kety Fusco – The Harp, Chapter 1
It’s one thing for an artist to look at their chosen instrument and think of different passages and selections of notes to play on it, but on her record The Harp, Chapter 1, Kety Fusco does a lot more than that, as she looks at her harp and decides that it is being played wrong entirely. Throughout this album, you hear Fusco smash bottles against her harp strings, run it through different effects and add an intense rhythm section by banging on the side of the harp.
The result? She creates an alien-like sound, all coming from the same instrument and the same innovative mind putting them together. There are segments of this record where it feels like you are trapped inside a breaking heart. It is truly spellbinding, yet nowhere near enough people know about it.
Temps – Party Gator Purgatory
This record doesn’t even feel like a record to me; instead, it is a fixed moment in time, a sonic window into a very specific period where the world stood still and we became totally powerless. Through Covid, James Acaster, who is more commonly known as a comedian, showed the world that his previous history in bands and ability as a drummer is more than just a punchline. His percussion on Party Gator Purgatory is astronomical, chaotic in every sense of the word and yet still holding down a solid rhythm section.
The album is more than just Acaster flexing his musical muscles, though. By writing about music and doing podcasts about his favourite artists in the past, he had a range of names in his phone book he could turn to for collaboration, and given the whole project was made during Covid, it’s not like anybody had plans. In the end, 39 different collaborators came together to help make this album and given no one was relying on its success to help pay bills, and it was made during a period of frustration and confusion, Party Gator Purgatory is the musical equivalent of a stress ball. This is creative freedom at its most expressive, and more people should be aware of it.
Black Sabbath – Forbidden (Tony Iommi Remix)
Forbidden is a Black Sabbath album that most fans thought would be a better idea to collectively forget. This is because it hardly sounds like a Black Sabbath album, as Ice-T was brought along to help write and produce it, Tony Iommi was steadily ushered out of the creative process, and the record was a haphazard mess of rock and rap.
“Forbidden has been a thorn in my side for years,” said Iommi, reflecting on the record. “I knew all about Ice-T and that he was good, but I didn’t expect him to bring along his guitar player to produce the album […] When a band knows its sound and exactly what it wants, bringing in an outsider is very disruptive. I found myself on the sidelines. Our whole situation had become so frail.”
In 2024, Iommi released his own remixed version of the album, which saw him regain creative control. The improvements to the record are huge, and in light of them, it plays like an excellent Black Sabbath album. It seems the damage was already done with Forbidden, though, as few people have bothered to listen to the remixed version, even though it has the potential to be a fan favourite.
Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
I know what you’re thinking. Doechii can hardly be considered an underrated artist given how well she is doing at the moment; however, only segments of songs are going viral and becoming classics. People adore specific moments in tracks like ‘Denial Is A River’, but by only listening to what social media separates for them, they end up missing out on an exceptional record.
Alligator Bites Never Heal is one of the greatest rap albums of 2024 and the decade. Doechii’s mastery over flow and lyricism are something else entirely and this album will be looked back on as a turning point for the game and a piece of music that kicked off a blossoming career. Don’t just listen to what’s on social media; this record deserves your full attention.
The Unicorns – Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? It is the last studio album by The Unicorns, and to this day, I can’t work out why it’s not considered a classic. It’s a bizarre record in parts, but it also makes for exciting listening. It seems no instrument or genre is off-limits as this trippy listen takes you on one of the most exciting sonic journeys in recent decades.
It’s only a matter of time before people start giving this record the credit it deserves. It does well in Canada and is widely considered one of the best rock albums ever made there, but borders should not limit its greatness. Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? It is a timeless classic and deserves to be treated as much.
