by Helet Van Staden
Musical taste is extremely subjective and thus, there is no true right or wrong way to do music. It is perfectly alright to love Taylor Swift, just as it is perfectly good to support your buddy’s SoundCloud rapping career. With this in mind, we are taking a look at the top five artists of 2017 that didn’t break platinum, but remain unafraid to be themselves, say what they believe and do what they love.
5. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
If you think you know a thing or two about genre and how a band should work, you will have to throw all those thoughts out the window as you try to wrap your brain around the bizarre concoction that is King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. This monster band from down under mixes garage rock with psych rock and metal into something pure. The group consists of no less than six members, each playing a variety of instruments backed up by two different drummers. The band released five full length albums last year and will be playing in Atlanta in June 2018.
4. Shopping
The post punk band Shopping is made up of a creative trio from the United Kingdom who could easily be mistaken for three SCAD students. Their delightfully funky bass tones and their surprisingly cheery and fun energy show that they don’t take themselves too seriously. They are at the very start of their career, but their down-to-earth style and dedication to bass are sure to see them go far in the future. Their 2017 release was “Hype” and they will be performing in Atlanta in March.
3. The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats, a band that has been around since the 90s, are still going strong. Their 2017 album “Goths” contains their typical relaxed melodies accompanied with slightly detached, witty lyrics, that sound like they should be played by a man wearing an orange turtleneck with a keyboard in a basement somewhere in the 1970s.
2. ByLwansta
In a world where SoundCloud rappers are dominating the scene, ByLwansta is an artist to subvert your perceptions about hip hop forever. Far from being a lean, mean, fighting machine, he performs his sets while wearing a dorky backpack, gives embarrassed backstories to each of his songs before dropping into his scathing verse that’s honest, sarcastic, intelligently poetic and full of the nihilistic outlook typical of millennials. His only contribution to 2017 was a breakup song, which is not really a breakup song, called “OH WELL” which was good enough to earn him a spot on this list.
1. Oh Sees
The OCS, previously known as the “Oh Sees,” and before that, “Thee Oh Sees,” are an alternative rock band from California that give life-altering live performances. Their sound is strange and manic. This band has energy that could probably wake you from a coma, so if you know someone in that condition, I would recommend letting them listen to their new album Memory of a Cut off Head.
