In terms of modern indie shmups that are good for beginners but still look/sound/play great, ZeroRanger/Devil Blade Reboot/Angel At Dusk are probably the trifecta.

Personally I like Raizing/Eighting stuff even if it's a bit rough in terms of balancing (more so Batrider & Dimahoo than Garegga; Grand Prix is cool mostly for the novelty and the shmup side mode in TvC is awesome).