The five best bands no one's heard of . . . yet

09/19/07 - After wading through the piles of unknowns currently floating around the music world, I've narrowed the list down to the five bands I think are screaming for attention. Here's a quick rundown of what you're missing:

5. Louis XIV

For a group of horny guys from San Diego with fake British accents, Louis XIV's debut The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, released back in 2005, is actually pretty damn good.

Sexist? Yes. Sure to offend? Certainly. And yet, their brash, guitar-driven rock is impossible to ignore. You can just hear the swagger in lead singer Jason Hill's voice as he puts to music his very perverse thoughts.

Louis XIV is not meant for the politically correct among us. It's dirty, it's rowdy, it's sex, drugs and rock and roll in a CD format but, as Hill sneers on "Paper Doll," "If you want clean fun, go buy a kite."

4. Stars

A far cry from the mountains of lo-fi, simplistic music coming out today, Stars' grand, sweeping sound beautifully amplifies Amy Milan and Torquil Campbell's perfect harmonies.

Songs that tell tales of modern romance in all its various incarnations abound. The often melodramatic lyrics are offset by Milan's innocent, girlish vocals and at the same time enhanced by Campbell's more seductive, throaty ones.

Stars' music is a myriad of contradictions, but it's those very contradictions that help produce some of the most exuberantly dark, dreamy sounding pop music to hit the music scene in recent history.

3. Broken Social Scene

After growing from a duo into a supergroup of around fifteen members, Broken Social Scene grew to become one of Canada's most popular bands.

Featuring everyone from The Dears' Murray Lightburn to Metric's Emily Haines to Stars' Amy Milan and Torquil Campbell, Broken Social Scene is all about camaraderie and freedom, and that feeling is palpable in their music.

There's an infectious energy that bursts forth from a Broken Social Scene record, an almost epic feeling that comes from its lushly experimental music that, while being categorized as indie rock, often defies genres.

2. The Frames

Pop/rock quintet, The Frames, are widely considered by their fellow Irishmen to be one of the best live bands, surpassing even U2.

Yes, I know it's hard to process, but it's true, and for good reason. The band's most recent CD, The Cost, was recorded live in the short span of just ten days, and the result is a collection of poignant, dramatic tunes filled with passion and urgency.

It's hard to come by a voice that's as effortlessly emotive as frontman Glen Hansard's, one that makes lyrics instantly moving, and when paired with The Frames' sumptuously lavish arrangements the combination is purely exhilarating.

1. Sam Roberts

The critically acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter's two albums, We Were Born in a Flame and Chemical City have been purchased by his countrymen in droves but have been virtually ignored by those of us south of the border.

Roberts, however, has all the ingredients of a great artist in the making: profoundly brilliant lyrics, gorgeous melodies filled with energy and charisma to burn.

His music may be largely reminiscent of greats like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, or the Rolling Stones but, unlike the many artists that simply try to copy them, Roberts captures the essence of these influences and makes it his own, creating songs that are distinct, memorable, and, in a word, classic.

So there you have it: a list of the best bands (in this reviewer's humble opinion) that you haven't heard of yet. Now go out and buy some CD's.