8 Underrated Albums From Your Favorite Artists

Great Bands/Great Songs/Overlooked albums.

Foo Fighters performs at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
David Goldman/AP

Most artists become popular for their spectacular songwriting ability in their prime. These songs become etched in your brain and become an important part of who we are as fans. And more often than not fans can point to one album or one song as a band's defining statement.

But what happens to the rest of the band's discography? With one landmark album, it's typically downhill for some bands. There are different albums that fall into obscurity though. Every band has those albums that meet a deaf ear upon their initial release. These are albums where artists usually take risks or become too homogeneous for the fans to care anymore.

Among these albums, some truly remarkable albums fall through the cracks. Albums that were panned in their prime but are actually standout achievements in a band's discography. Whether it's bad marketing or too drastic a change in sound, these albums never seemed to get their proper time in the sun. So here's their time to shine. Here's a look back a bunch of great songs from great artists - but from records you probably didn't buy.

8. Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns (2010)

For most Linkin Park fans, this is where the band completely lost their way and sold out. What's this? Electronic interludes and a more synthetic sound? Nope. Hard Pass. I'm good with Hybrid Theory, thank you very much.

What those fans are missing out on is what might be Linkin Park's most ambitious album experience of their career. This record saw the band wanting to make a more conceptual record, centered around apocalyptic imagery brought about by missile attacks.

I will throw the haters a bone here and say that not everything on this album is golden. The interlude tracks seem to drag for a bit too long and not every song is a classic Linkin Park stomper. But the album is far from just electronic shenanigans. Some of the interludes help put the listener in that uncomfortable environment of life post-nuclear attack. Songs like "Robot Boy" show that world-weary sound while "Wretches and Kings" speaks of an anarchic rage hidden underneath the devastation. And "Waiting for the End" is probably one of their greatest singles.

For Linkin Park fans who didn't catch this one, give it a shot. There's a good chance you'll find something you like here even if it's not what you expect from Linkin Park.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

I'm just a junkie for all things media. Whether it's music, movies, TV, or just other reviews, I absolutely adore this stuff. But music was my first love, and I love having the opportunity to share it with you good people. Follow Me On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/timcoffman97