Unsigned bands and musicians in the music world?

What old bands and musicians should I listen to to enrich my current leanings towards modern day indie music?

• I am a huge indie rock music fan, listening to a lot of the trending bands such as Alt-J, Local Natives, Atlas Genius. However, a friend recently introduced me to Simon and Garfunkel, Gil Scott Heron and Prince and I cannot seem to get enough. Due to FOMO, what are some great musicians of time gone by can I get to enrich my musical, listening experience?

• Answer:

  This is a huge subject, obviously, but one place I would highly recommend exploring is Brian Eno's 'vocal albums' (i.e. he did loads of Ambient instrumental stuff, but it's the songs I'm recommending here). Here Come The Warm Jets (1974) is a real template for all the slightly off-centre Indie Pop to come. e.g. Baby's On Fire (Robert Fripp guitar solo is in a class of its own). One major advantage of these records is that you can work outwards from them, checking out the musicians Eno collaborated with, and you will end up chest-deep in some of the most wonderful music ever.