Brother Sun Sister Moon

Not to be confused with the Franco Zeffirelli film or the Donovan album, Brother Sun Sister Moon is the trip-hop collaboration between Paul Robb of Information Society and vocalist Barbara Cohen. For anyone familiar with Cohen's more acoustic work with Little Lizard or her country-sounding solo album, the pair do not seem to be a logical match. For someone who first encountered Cohen's powerful voice in the context of Brother Sun Sister Moon's lush orchestrations, it's hard to understand why there have only been two albums by the duo.

Their first album The Great Game was released in 1997 to local buzz in Minneapolis and other parts of the heartland. It caught the attention of Virgin Records who signed them to produce a second album. Unfortunately, that album, Luminous, was never released by Virgin, the group was dropped, and eventually Luminous was released by Bleep Records in 2002.



Both albums were re-released by Robb's HAKATAK imprint in 2007. They are available for download only through Amazon.com (here and here) as well as through other online music outlets.

Source: Time to play b-sides

Kerbdog

Hailing from Kilkenny in Ireland, Kerbdog has a mature post-grunge sound that fits perfectly in to any 2000s alternative metal playlist. Their only sin is being a good five years too early. Their first eponymous album was released in 1994. It neither fits the fading grunge sound of the time nor the budding genre of post-grunge which didn't come into prominence until the early 2000s. While Kerbdog did receive a wide release (their first album was available through BMG or Columbia House) and recorded a second album, On the Turn (1996), they never quite found their niche in the 90s.



Though officially "disbanded," Kerbdog maintains a strong fan base and has found some success in performing in the UK. In fact, if you happen to be in Dublin this December, you might want to check them out at Andrews Lane. If you are sadly states-bound, there is hope. Kerbdog offers both of their albums as well as a comprehensive array of "extras" for free in their media gallery.

Machines of Loving Grace

Perhaps the most underrated band of 90s, Machines of Loving Grace released three albums and the single "Golgotha Tenement Blues" from The Crow soundtrack. While MTV Music doesn't have videos by many larger bands, they do have a few for Machines of Loving Grace. Below is "Butterfly Wings" off the 1993 album Concentration.

Machines of Loving Grace |MTV Music

While I could not find Concentration available for easy purchase, Amazon.com has Machines of Loving Grace and Gilt available for DRM-free MP3 download for a modest price.