Let's Talk About Our Favorite Bands

[Skylarker]

I'd like to start an ongoing discussion about our favorite bands, both new and old. Doesn't have to be huge dissections of their entire discographies; I just wanna hear what everyone is playing, or going back to playing, and why they like certain groups, new AND old. Maybe post a YouTube clip or two to give people an idea; after all, talking about sound is kind of strange, don't you think?

Let's try to be cool about this; if you hear something you don't like let's not feel the need to say, "that f***ing sucks, are you retarded." Negative critiques are fine but let's keep it above the belt if we are gonna say things that are less than complimentary.

But you never know, we might find stuff we never heard of before, or find a kindred spirit who likes a band we thought no one else cared about.

 

[Skylarker]

I'll go first. Lately I've been obsessed with a band called The Hold Steady which I guess has been around since '02 or '04 but I just found out about them two or three weeks ago and I can't get enough.

The singer is this very un-frontman-looking guy named Craig Finn who can't really sing and doesn't really try to; he has this Mark E. Smith sort of style where he just shouts or tells the lyrics, but not without structure or melody. The music is pretty straight-up rock and roll, very verse/chorus/verse arrangements, very tight musicianship and very enthusiastic sounding.

I guess the band writes the music and Finn writes the words but he plays guitar too. A lot of the songs, pretty much all of them are about middle class white kids getting stoned or drunk and going to parties; might seem kind of lowbrow to read about when it's described that way that but the way they pull it off is cool; it's like all these little three minute vignettes. Very punchy songs, lots of great hooks, and Finn is a great lyricist and his excitement for the stories he's singing comes through loud and clear.

Anyway, I like them a lot, been playing them pretty much nonstop for awhile now.

 

[realitybites]

I'll go first. Lately I've been obsessed with a band called The Hold Steady

Do I hear a little Springsteen in there?

 

[peptastic]

Great idea for a thread.

Lately I've been really into Aesop Rock.
I became a fan in 2005 but he didn't release an album for five years so the passion kind of died down. I go through kicks where I'll listen to a particular artist exclusively.
I call it a mini kick if it's just the night.

my favourite albums of his are Labour Days, None Shall Pass and Float.
My twin is obsessed so for about three months I got a little sick of him until I saw him and Rob Sonic live last month.
He has a band called Hail Mary Mallon with Robin Sonic and DJ Big Whiz and a new band with Kimya Dawson called The Uncluded.
I'm looking forward to seeing what they put out as i loved her work with the Moldy Peaches.



I got to meet him and take a picture of my twin with him. He's really nice.
His only credited influence is Tom Waits.


Pitchfork wrote a horrid review of Skelethon that said there was no point in trying to dissect his lyrics because they're annoying.

 

[Skylarker]

Do I hear a little Springsteen in there?

Yeah; a weird Springsteen Costello Newman mash up. With their own thing.

 

[Skylarker]

Great idea for a thread.

Lately I've been really into Aesop Rock.
I became a fan in 2005 but he didn't release an album for five years so the passion kind of died down. I go through kicks where I'll listen to a particular artist exclusively.
I call it a mini kick if it's just the night.

my favourite albums of his are Labour Days, None Shall Pass and Float.
My twin is obsessed so for about three months I got a little sick of him until I saw him and Rob Sonic live last month.
He has a band called Hail Mary Mallon with Robin Sonic and DJ Big Whiz and a new band with Kimya Dawson called The Uncluded.
I'm looking forward to seeing what they put out as i loved her work with the Moldy Peaches.



I got to meet him and take a picture of my twin with him. He's really nice.
His only credited influence is Tom Waits.


Pitchfork wrote a horrid review of Skelethon that said there was no point in trying to dissect his lyrics because they're annoying.

I really liked Kimya Dawson's songs on Juno....that was all I liked about Juno. But then my girlfriend got all her CDs and I thought they were horrible.

Anyway this song had a pretty cool Girlysounds-era Liz Phair thing happening until about 40 seconds in, but I have to be honest...after that, when the drums come in and that guy starts singing, I really could not deal with it.

 

[Skylarker]

When I turned 14 in 1990, the guy who would become my stepfather gave me two cassettes that changed me forever: Black Sheets of Rain by Bob Mould and March by Michael Penn.

My favorite song up to that point had been The King Of Wishful Thinking by Go West. But after hearing Michael Penn I was a different person.

He's only done about four albums since then (he mainly scores films)...and this song is from his last one, in 2004. Absolutely phenomenal songwriter; every thing he does is gold.

 

[Skylarker]

Luke Haines has a voice like gravel being crushed underfoot and when he sings the temperature drops by ten degrees. He wrote a book wherein he claimed to have both singlehandedly started and destroyed Britpop in the 90s; anyone with that much hubris deserves to be given a listen. He mainly writes songs about terrorist factions, obscure wrestlers, and serial killers.

One of my favorite Artists of all time, and no that capital A is not a typo.

 

[Skylarker]

This is my favorite band of all time. By far.

 

[Skylarker]

Belly's second album, King, probably serves as my Exhibit A regarding arguing for the existence of God.

The Doctor Who fanvid makes me cry.

"All my love to long ago."

 

[Skylarker]

I'm bored with this.

 

[mozmal]

When I turned 14 in 1990, the guy who would become my stepfather gave me two cassettes that changed me forever: Black Sheets of Rain by Bob Mould and March by Michael Penn.

My favorite song up to that point had been The King Of Wishful Thinking by Go West. But after hearing Michael Penn I was a different person.

He's only done about four albums since then (he mainly scores films)...and this song is from his last one, in 2004. Absolutely phenomenal songwriter; every thing he does is gold.

Really like the sound of this. Incidentally, he's the brother of Sean and is married to the very brilliant Aimee Mann.

Here's a band that I listen to a lot, the hugely underrated and largely forgotten Strangelove.
Formed in Bristol in 1991, they released 3 albums and were on the verge of big things, but then split in 1998. Vocalist Patrick Duff has often been compared to Morrissey. I like most of their music, the Love and Other Demons album is brilliant.