Welcome to “Underrated Artists,” an entertainment column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering unpopular and unknown artists. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role of writer, reviewing single releases and albums from four underrated artists.
Manu Chao is a Spanish speaking and innovative music artist. He was born in Paris, and incorporates his multilingual abilities into his music. Additionally, he is a very underappreciated artist who should be recognized for his style. While Manu Chau does not have a giant following, he has many very popular songs that are well known. A couple examples have been widely played like “Me Gustas Tu” and “Me Duele.” Other songs that are not as well recognized are “Desaparecido” and “Bongo Bong” which are both unfairly underrated songs. One of the most impressive traits of his music is that his style mashes together different musical and cultural styles. Because of this mash of cultural music, he has fans in many different places around the world. Manu Chao has been creating music since his participation in the band Mano Negra and since leaving, he has released 4 albums: “Radio Bemba,” “La Radiolina,” “Clandestino” and “Proxima Estacion: Esperanza.” Manu Chao has only created remasters — and some collaborations — since 2007. He is and will continue to be an underrated artist who is yet to be recognized.
Another underrated and unknown artist is Philip Philips. Born in 1990 in the United States, he is most well known for his success on American idol, which led him to release one of his most popular songs “Home” . Still, Philip Philips is unfairly under the radar of many listeners. Examples of two of his most known songs are “Gone, Gone, Gone” and my favorite, “Home.” His music uses a combination of guitar, singing and heavy background accompaniment to create happy and hopeful music. Philip Philips conveys emotion with his music and generates beautifully powerful songs. What I love most about his style is how he writes about very present pieces of his life. During the height of the COVD-19 pandemic, his experiences shaped him, and he released an album to show his appreciation for his family called “Love Like That.” Finally, the most enjoyable part of his music is the nostalgia brought with it; Philip Philips brings back memories of the much simpler and beautiful early 2010s. Hopefully in the near future he continues to release music and gain popularity as he should.
Trueno is another Spanish speaking artist who brings modernity to Latino music. Trueno is playing a huge part in reshaping rap music around the world. His genre of Latin urbano and Argentinian trap are what make up the majority of his songs. Born in Argentina, he has gained his biggest following from his home country. In Latino music and modernity, he still lives in the shadow of many other artists like “Bad Bunny,” “Bizarrap” and “Duki,” but he has contributed to an evolution in Spanish music. Some of his most popular songs are “MAMICHULA” and “FEEL ME?” Through his meaningful and descriptive lyrics, we can understand his message in every song. Trueno will continue to create innovative music, and hopefully receive the recognition he deserves.
Finally, the last artists I chose to highlight are MGMT. Ben Goldwasser & Andrew VanWyngarden are two American artists who came together to form MGMT. They are an underrated band who have many well known songs. Two major hits of theirs are “Time to Pretend” and “Kids.” Their intricate and unique art style brings variation to the music of the early 2000s using electric and strange sound effects into a complicated yet beautiful melody. One of their less known songs, “Electric Feel,” is my favorite because it shows exactly how MGMT uses complicated melodies to create a song. Because of their strange genre, MGMT is able to attract very diverse listeners. My favorite thing about this band is that you can recognize any of their songs because you won’t hear much else like it. Hopefully MGMT will continue to release music and contribute to the growth of the alternate indie genre. Their music will continue to have a special place in summer days and will hopefully become better recognized for their talent.
