Between my 8th grade and senior years, millions of albums, EPs, and singles have been released, and many have caught my attention. As someone who listens to music constantly, I have shifted into the spectrum of lesser-known artists. A few lower-scale artists quickly began to catch my attention, aside from the more noticeable big names, and I truly believe they will attract a large gathering rather quickly. My favorite projects released by small (and big) artists are:

Arcade Fire

Ah, starting off with the “Greatest Canadian Band of All Time.” Since their rise to popularity in 2004, the indie rock band led by brothers Will and Win Butler has released seven projects (two being deluxe albums).

Favorite Projects (Ranked):

7. Neon Bible (2011)

6. Everything Now (2017)

5. Reflektor (2013)

4. The Suburbs (2010)

3. Reflektor (Deluxe) (2015)

2.  The Suburbs (Deluxe) (2011)

1. Funeral (2004)

Funeral is the shortest of their projects, containing 10 songs. The album tells the story of a boy growing out of his childhood and beginning to realize the bleak world that lies ahead of him. The storylines mixed with smooth lyrics, synth, and piano makes for a perfect record to listen to when you may be feeling nostalgic.

Similar Artists: Vampire Weekend, Modest Mouse, The Killers, Bon Iver, Tame Impala.

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Django Django

Formed in 2009, this UK alt-rock group has released three studio albums, and one EP. They have historically found a peaceful balance between natural and synthetic sounds in their songs. They are set to release a fourth LP in January of 2018.

Favorite Projects:

4. Late Night Tales: Django Django (2014)

3. Default (EP) (2012)

2. Django Django (2012)

1. Born Under Saturn (2015)

“Born Under Saturn” is a very calm album, best for listening to while relaxing. At times, the LP picks up the pace, and the synth brings the funk, and the fun. The lyrics are ridiculously easy to listen to, and there is a very natural, easy path of listening embedded in the 13-track album.

Similar Artist: Jagwar Ma, Real Estate, LCD Soundsystem, Alt-J, Bahamas

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Foxygen

Like many bands, Foxygen was formed in a garage by two high-schoolers in 2005. Jonathan Rado and Sam France have slowly crept up the ranks of garage and experimental rock. Foxygen loves to create funky psychedelic beats for energizing music that will never fail to pump you up and get you dancing. Since 2005, Foxygen has released five studio albums, and another five EPs.

Favorite Projects (only ranking LPs):

5. Take the Kids off Broadway (2012)

4. …And Star Power (2014)

3. Jurassic Exxplosion Phillipic (2007)

2. Hang (2017)

1. We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (2013)

For short, I will just call this album, “We Are.” “We Are” is a nine-track-just-short-of-37-minute playlist released in 2013. With loads of hinting towards other albums including traces of Tame Impala, The Velvet Underground, and Pond. Any fan of indie/psych rock will be a huge fan of Foxygen, especially this 2013 album.

Similar Artist: Mac Demarco, Tame Impala, Pond, Real Estate, Animal Collective

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So far, these are my top three artists I’ve been listening to for the past few years. After these three, the remainder of my top ten is as follows:

10. Animal Collective – Genre: Alt/Indie Rock, Free Folk

9. Zack Villere – Genre: R&B, Pop

8. Mac DeMarco – Genre: Alt/Indie Rock, Dream Pop

7. Real Estate – Genre: Alt/Indie Rock, Pop/Rock

6. D’Angelo – Genre: R&B

5. Wuh Oh – Genre: Hoodafunk

4. Dr. Dog – Genre: Alt/Indie Rock

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If you have any comments, questions or recommendations, please feel free to comment them below.