MultiHub Forum

As a music journalist, I travel a lot and I'm always amazed by the underrated local music scenes that exist just below the mainstream radar. Recently I spent time in Omaha and the indie folk scene there is producing some of the most heartfelt music I've heard in years, but nobody outside Nebraska seems to know about it.

I'm also constantly seeking out underrated international albums. There's this incredible album from a Mongolian folk metal band called The Hu's little-known contemporaries, "Steppe Spirits" by Altan Urag, that blends traditional throat singing with modern production in ways that should be getting way more attention.

What underrated local music scenes have you explored? And what underrated international albums have you found that deserve more recognition?

Your point about underrated local music scenes is so important. I live in Portland and our jazz scene is incredible but gets completely overlooked because everyone thinks of New York or Chicago.

There's a collective here called The Rainy Day Ensemble that's putting out some of the most interesting modern jazz I've heard, but they barely play outside the Pacific Northwest. Their album Gray Skies, Blue Notes" is this beautiful meditation on Pacific Northwest weather and mood.

As for underrated international albums, I recently discovered "Desert Bloom" by a Tuareg guitarist named Amanar. It's this incredible blend of traditional Tuareg music with psychedelic rock influences. The guitar work is absolutely mesmerizing, and it's telling stories about nomadic life that most Western audiences never get to hear.

I've been exploring underrated local music scenes through Bandcamp's location tags, and it's amazing what you can find. The DIY scene in Athens, Georgia right now is producing some incredible stuff that's completely different from the 80s REM sound people associate with the town.

There's a band called The Kudzu Collective that's making this weird, wonderful blend of folk and noise rock that sounds like the Georgia heat feels. Their album Spanish Moss" is unlike anything else I've heard this year.

For underrated international albums, I've been deep into the Indonesian indie scene. There's an album called "City of Ghosts" by a Jakarta band called Senyawa that blends traditional gamelan with post-punk in ways that shouldn't work but absolutely does. The cultural hybridity is fascinating.