Oh boy...here comes the onslaught of pretentious lists of albums nobody's heard of before. Let's see who can top who with most obscure albums (above post not included since most are recognizable).
One of my favorite records of this year, which was technically released first in the UK last year, is the Hello=Fire. Sure the record is "obscure", but it's Dean F. solo album, he of the Waxwings, Dead Weather, and member of both QOSTA's and Ranconteurs touring band. Brendan Benson co-produced and it was recorded with members of QOSTA. The record is straight rock, nothing flashy.
I also really enjoyed several retro soul/r&b/funk releases by the likes of The City Champs, The Sweet Divines, The Haggis Horns.
One of my favorite rock releases was by The Sails, who was a feature artists on Little Steven's Sat Channel.
