Work is postponed for the day

Damn the Guardian. I was all set for a massive amount of work, when it linked to this rather wonderful site, tailor-made for people like me, i.e. massive music snobs. Obscurometer uses Last.fm data to show you how obscure your favourite bands and albums are. If, like me, you spent your teens in the dusty back rooms of remote records shops looking for that elusive limited-edition-of-three-one-sided-clear-vinyl-7" by a Faroese band that lasted a week, you'll love it. Or perhaps hate it when you discover that actually, your tastes aren't quite as rarefied as you thought

Let's give it a go. How about my favourite Welsh nationalist hip-hop act, Tystion?

tystion's overall obscurity level is...95.5%. None of the users indexed by the Obscurometer have tystion in their top 50 artists lists.

Not a bad start. What about Ectogram - North Wales's finest krautrock-psych band?

ectogram's overall obscurity level is...94.7% 

Bah. Populists. Let's try David Wrench - Welsh electro-pop maestro and producer:

david wrench's overall obscurity level is...94.1%. None of the users indexed by the Obscurometer have david wrench in their top 50 artists lists 

Beautiful Aussie dream-poppers Hydroplane? 

Hydroplane's overall obscurity level is...91.7%

How about C-Pij, about whom I know nothing?

C-Pij's overall obscurity level is...97.9%

But I can do better. How about bassoon-and-violin rock/jazz/classical duo Architeuthis Walks On Land?

Architeuthis Walks On Land's overall obscurity level is...98.7%

And here they are:




Not bad, but I can do better. How about Epitaff, the previous band of Welsh brother duo Brigyn?

epitaff's overall obscurity level is...99.0% 

And finally shouty teenagers from the 90s The Period Pains:

The Period Pains's overall obscurity level is...99.2% 

Here's their gleefully spiteful track 'Spice Girls':




Bingo! Loads of my albums hover around the 97% range, which is all very satisfying if you think that being there first or at all is a mark of your taste. I used to, but now I'm just sad that these talented artists will never be heard by the people out there, because they're so good. 

Anyway, there's a massive flaw in Obscurometer's system. Quite a lot of the music I have was only released on vinyl, and therefore can't ever show up on their database. Stick that in your CD player, populists!

And now, back to work…