Bands I Discovered from Sputnik
With Sputnik seemingly on its deathbed around a month ago, it got me thinking about all the music I’ve discovered directly from this site, not to mention that which grew my love of music I’d first heard elsewhere. List is examples. |
| 1 |  | Arcade Fire
Funeral
Phase 1 - What Brought Me Here:
This is what first led me to Sputnik some 18 years ago. I grew up in rural South Africa so, even though internet access was very much a thing, I didn’t have regular access until I was probably about 15 or so. Until then, I just relied on physical media to learn about bands I’d found, or just let my imagination wander. I also pretty much only bought and listened to music on CDs, although I did have a 128mb (laughable now) MP3 player. In early 2008, someone gave my dad this hard drive full of music. It had everything you could think of, including stuff like Dillinger Escape Plan, The Mars Volta, Thelonious Monk - stuff I’d never even heard of. One of the albums on there was Arcade Fire’s Funeral, and I fell in love from first listen. I thought Tunnels was one of the greatest songs I’d ever heard and I started wanting to know more about the band, their lyrics, etc. Without a physical copy to look through, I searched the internet for all my information. |
| 2 | | Arcade Fire
Funeral
For whatever reason, I remember the Sputnik review really sticking with me (I think it must have been Electric City’s one). I began to come back to the site more often when I wanted to learn more about other bands I was also finding at that time, such as The Flaming Lips, Dream Theater, etc. |
| 3 |  | Flickerstick
Welcoming Home the Astronauts
In August 2009 I finally made an account so that I could submit my first review on the site for this classic of my childhood. I didn’t get any replies, as I now realise it’s not really the type of music Sputnik goes for haha |
| 4 |  | Dream Theater
A Change Of Seasons
A couple months later, I did an awful review of this and got a lot more… engagement haha. |
| 5 |  | Converge
Jane Doe
Phase 2 - What I Found
A few months after those reviews I arrived at uni, and there I finally had genuine, regular internet access and the ability to file share. All of these albums listed here were ones I discovered DIRECTLY as a result of browsing Sputnik - seeing recs in comments, reading reviews, lists, etc. The most important one, though, was the Best of the Decade list from 2010 that led me to stuff like Jane Doe, which would go on to be my favourite album of all time. I need to go through the whole list again sometime to check, but I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to most of what was on there, especially things in the top 25 or so. |
| 6 |  | dredg
El Cielo |
| 7 |  | Burial
Untrue |
| 8 |  | The Microphones
The Glow Pt. 2 |
| 9 |  | Agalloch
Pale Folklore
Saw these guys described as being the black metal version of Opeth and promptly lost my mind, as I’d become a massive Opeth fan (unfortunately one that was not directly the result of Sputnik, but through a friend). |
| 10 |  | Alcest
Souvenirs D'Un Autre Monde |
| 11 |  | The Angelic Process
Weighing Souls With Sand
Huge W, this one. Can’t remember who recommended it in a comment back in the day, but it was totally different to anything else I’d listened to by mid-2011. Instantly became obsessed with this whole project and obsessively searched for live footage (which didn’t emerge until 2025!). |
| 12 |  | maudlin of the Well
Bath |
| 13 |  | Wolves in the Throne Room
Two Hunters |
| 14 |  | Stars of the Lid
And Their Refinement Of The Decline |
| 15 |  | Swans
Soundtracks for the Blind
I remember when I discovered this in late 2011, the band had most of their discography with less than 50 ratings (unless my memory is failing me, which is quite possible), which seems ridiculous now. I think The Seer did a lot of heavy lifting in getting more people to check them out. |
| 16 |  | Black Swan (USA-NY)
The Quiet Divide
I think I saw a front page review for this in 2011. At that stage I had yet to delve into any ambient music (the closest was some post-rock like Sigur Ros) and so I remember joking to my friends about how this was just vacuum cleaner sounds. On some random, stoned, late-night listens, though, stuff like Angel Eyes became ridiculously transcendent. |
| 17 |  | Brand New
The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me |
| 18 |  | Neutral Milk Hotel
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea |
| 19 |  | Neurosis
Through Silver in Blood |
| 20 |  | Refused
The Shape Of Punk To Come |
| 21 |  | Rosetta
The Galilean Satellites |
| 22 |  | Mew
Frengers |
| 23 |  | Esoteric
The Maniacal Vale |
| 24 |  | Thergothon
Stream From The Heavens
Didn’t like this back in the day, just thought it was kind of funny. Come to love it, though. I think I saw someone commented how depressing it was which, back in 2010, appealed to me greatly. I wasn’t ready for it back then, though - my favourite bands were still stuff like Underoath, BMTH, etc. |
| 25 |  | Oceansize
Frames |
| 26 |  | Jakob
Solace |
| 27 |  | Atoma
Skylight |
| 28 |  | Shpongle
Tales of the Inexpressible
Shpongleyes, man. What a trip. Getting in to, ahem, “horticulture” was doing a fair bit of the lifting here, too. |
| 29 |  | Olafur Arnalds
...And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness
Phase 3 - What Others Discovered For Me
I was genuinely insufferable in my late teens and early 20s, because I talked about nothing other than music. Fortunately, I surrounded myself with others who wanted to or didn’t mind doing the same. As a result, I led them to Sputnik, too, and they ended up finding some great stuff on here to show me. This album being one such example. |
| 30 |  | Amenra
Mass III
Another one here |
| 31 |  | Comus
First Utterance
And this |
| 32 |  | Overmars
Affliction, Endocrine...Vertigo
And this |
| 33 |  | Time To Burn
Is.Land
And this |
| 34 |  | Rota Fortunae
Hinterland
Phase 4 - User Projects
As the years rolled on, I began to use Sput less and less. However, I found myself engaging with it in a new way once I started making my own music, and talking to other users about theirs. I discovered some excellent user projects that I still listen to to this day |
| 35 |  | Devictus
Personal Infinity
I LOVE this album. Dead Branches always hits me in the right ways. |
| 36 |  | Ethereal Shroud
Trisagion
Don’t think I’ve talked too much to DarkNoctus over the years (in fact, I haven’t really engaged with anyone all that much, as is my way of- always been more of a lurker) but this slaps. |
| 37 |  | Tomb of Annihilation
Execration Rites |
| 38 |  | State Faults
Children of the Moon
Phase 5 - Still Discovering New Stuff
I barely use Sputnik anymore tbh. I basically started moving over to RYM in about mid-2013 or so, and that transition slowly happened without me realising it. However, in the last couple of years I’ve realised that Sputnik shaped my tastes, and that I’ll always align more with the tastes of users here than RYM (which I am now in the process of slowly leaving haha). This album, for example, was something that would have completely passed me by on RYM, but ended up being one of my top albums from 2024. |
| 39 |  | Ichiko Aoba
0%
This isn’t a newer one, I just forgot to add it in earlier. It was 2015 when I saw this on the front page and gave it a listen, and now Ichiko Aoba has been one of my most-played artists over the past ten years. |
| 40 |  | Deafheaven
Lonely People With Power
This is a 5 and I like that the Sputnik community tends to agree with that. Anyway, I’m done. Thanks for reading! |
| 41 |  | Isis
Oceanic
This point and beyond is just more stuff I remember getting from here |
| 42 |  | diSEMBOWELMENT
Transcendence into the Peripheral
I remember reading the description of this and being so pumped to hear it that I packed up my laptop and walked like 30 minutes to the library in the middle of the night to download it. |
| 43 |  | Lykathea Aflame
Elvenefris |
| 44 |  | Latitudes
Individuation |
| 45 |  | Kayo Dot
Choirs of the Eye
Also, I just want to add that the actual main reason for making this list was to say PLEASE DON’T LET SPUTNIK DIE!!! Look at all the stuff I may never have heard if it weren’t for this site. My whole music taste was effectively developed around it |
| 46 |  | Gospel
The Moon Is a Dead World |
| 47 |  | The National
Boxer |
| 48 |  | The Antlers
Hospice |
| 49 |  | Glassjaw
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence |
| 50 |  | mewithoutYou
Brother, Sister |
| 51 |  | Cynic
Focus |
| 52 |  | Devin Townsend Project
Deconstruction
I remember being so hyped for this and Ghost. At that stage I’d only heard SYL and none of Dev’s solo stuff |
| 53 |  | Kashiwa Daisuke
Program Music I |
| 54 |  | Eluvium
Copia |
| 55 |  | Porcupine Tree
Fear of a Blank Planet |
| 56 |  | Have a Nice Life
Deathconsciousness |
| 57 |  | Gas
Pop |
| 58 |  | A Bunny's Caravan
Draining Puddles, Retrieving Treasures |
| 59 |  | (The) Slowest Runner (In All The World)
We, Burning Giraffes
I actually think I may not have listened to this in 15 years. I have it at 4.5, though, so I must have enjoyed it back in the day |
| 60 |  | The Pax Cecilia
Blessed Are The Bonds
I think maudlin of the Well led me to this somehow |
| 61 |  | Anathema
The Silent Enigma |
| 62 |  | Electric Wizard
Dopethrone |
| 63 |  | Gorguts
Colored Sands
I am ashamed to say that even after all these long, long years, I have not been able to conquer Obscura |
| 64 |  | Mono
You Are There |
| 65 |  | Manic Street Preachers
The Holy Bible
I admittedly already knew the band, but I had no idea they had anything as dark and vile as this in their discography. I was unaware of its existence |
| 66 |  | Maeror Tri
The Beauty of Sadness
No idea how I found this tbh but I was the fourth person to ever rate it so one of the first three must have told me haha |
| 67 |  | Moonsorrow
Verisäkeet |
| 68 |  | Nick Drake
Pink Moon |
| 69 |  | American Football
American Football |
| 70 |  | Atheist
Unquestionable Presence |
| 71 |  | Boards of Canada
Music Has the Right to Children |
| 72 |  | Camel
Mirage
TECHNICALLY I got this from Mikael Akerfeldt, who talked about their influence on Opeth. I learned a lot more about the band from Sputnik, though |
| 73 |  | Coldworld
Melancholie² |
| 74 |  | Demilich
Nespithe |
| 75 |  | Discordance Axis
The Inalienable Dreamless |
| 76 |  | Drudkh
Autumn Aurora |
| 77 |  | Fall of Efrafa
Inle
I think this one actually falls into that earlier category of friends who discovered stuff on Sputnik and then showed it to me haha |
| 78 |  | Extol
Burial
I went through an initial awkward stage where I was wrestling with my spirituality a bit and wanted to find bands that were heavy and dark but still allowed me to feel like I wasn’t going to go to hell |
| 79 |  | Foxing
The Albatross |
| 80 |  | Kvelertak
Kvelertak |
| 81 |  | Lifelover
Pulver
I remember seeing this on the site sometime around early 2011 and I think I briefly checked it out but, as I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t quite ready for it yet. A year and a half later and I very much was |
| 82 |  | My Dying Bride
Turn Loose the Swans |
| 83 |  | Orchid
Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! |
| 84 |  | Shiina Ringo
Shouso Strip
I live in Japan now but I had no idea that Shiina Ringo was actually a popular artist here for over 10 years. I thought she was just some cool weeb shit |
| 85 |  | Shining (SWE)
V - Halmstad |
| 86 |  | Shining (NOR)
Blackjazz
Pretty sure I discovered this trying to search for the other Shining |
| 87 |  | The Hotelier
Home, Like NoPlace Is There
Oh yeah, the other Album of the Decade in my list |
| 88 |  | This Runs Through
Until Forever Finds Me
As an absolutely massive Underoath fan before converting to Convergeism, I was so stoked to find out this existed |
| 89 |  | Worship
Dooom |
| 90 |  | Ben Howard
I Forget Where We Were
My youngest brother had already shown me his first album and I thought it was just so-so (although I did later grow to enjoy it a fair bit). The hype for this on here, though, convinced me to give it more time and it ended up being one of the defining albums of 2014 for me. |
| 91 |  | Blut Aus Nord
The Work Which Transforms God |
| 92 |  | Bongzilla
Gateway |
| 93 |  | Rolo Tomassi
Rolo Tomassi
Was trying to find stuff like Converge. Would never have predicted the band would end up where they have now |
| 94 |  | Deer Leap
Here. Home. |
| 95 |  | Evoken
Antithesis of Light |
| 96 |  | Forgotten Tomb
Springtime Depression |
| 97 |  | Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects
Sol Niger Within |
| 98 |  | Haste the Day
Attack of the Wolf King |
| 99 |  | Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
I mean, I’m not gonna pretend like ALL the music was that good |
| 100 |  | Minsk
The Ritual Fires of Abandonment |
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