10 Most Underrated Guitarists Of All Time
6. Sadie Dupis
Speedy Ortiz’ first album Major Arcana, especially, features some of the coolest, catchiest guitar playing in recent years. The 2013 release was heralded at the time primarily for Dupis’ lyrics and the strong, varied selection of tracks, but Dupis deserves equal credit for the melodic and brilliantly placed guitar work throughout.
The gloomy "No Below" is particularly strong, with deep guitar playing which follows the melody before going off and doing its own thing. "Fun" flits neatly between a cute riff and boisterous power chords as the song zooms along.
Best of all is the closer, "MKVI", which takes the brash indie rock of the previous nine tracks and thickens the mix with increasingly heavy guitars which weave around each other for an extended instrumental section.
Beyond the riffs, Dupis is commendable for the sound she conjures from her guitars. It’s inspired by a glut of great ‘90s indie acts but modernised, especially as later Ortiz albums take on a poppier bent. The guitar heroics may not be the band’s main focus, but as far as added bonuses go, this one’s pretty great.