EWB's Favourite 102 Artists for 2009!

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Somebody to Love, Don't Stop Me Now, '39, Stone Cold Crazy, The Show Must Go On all say hi. All good songs imo.

[Skummy]

"Don't Stop Me Now" makes me cry blood. "Somebody To Love" makes me wish I was listening to "Don't Stop Me Now".

I'll grant you "Stone Cold Crazy" as an acceptable cock-rock song. "Tie Your Mother Down" also, though Lemmy's version is infinitely superior.

[METALMAN]

Queen is a tough one. I mean, I've got 20 odd Queen songs in my top rated playlist thing on itunes. On the other hand, there's about 180 songs I have that I dislike/couldn't give a fuck about. Which basically dovetails quite nicely with my opinion that Queen were a pretty consistent singles band but couldn't make a solid studio album. the main difference between Muse and Queen was that Queen had a sense of humour.

Oh and Somebody to Love is awful, but the version sung by George Michael at the Mercury memorial might be the best thing they've done.

Radiohead - I really quite like the Bends and In Rainbows. the rest is really quite mediocre. I don't really know why they've become the critical darlings that they are. Key example is Kid A being declared album of the decade by Pitchfork...wtf?

But yeah on balance I like Radiohead. I like them when they stick to a tune...not so much when they go experimental. Cause...fair enough, it is fairly different from what other bands of Radiohead's stature do, but nobody really stops to consider whether it is actually any good in their rush to lavish praise on the band. Which is why my favourite Radiohead songs - Planet telex, High & Dry, My Iron Lung, 15 Step, Reckoner, Paranoid Android, Karma Police, Myxomatosis, National Anthem - are all for the most part nice tuneful affairs.

And I know the depressive thing for Radiohead is really overwrought, but maybe one happy song would be nice. >_>

[Skummy]

To be fair, if I looked like Thom Yorke I wouldn't be the cheeriest fucker.

[METALMAN]

He should be thankful he isn't as awful as blonde mullet thom yorke.

[Skummy]

Blonde mullet Thom Yorke is a fucking revelation. Mopey indie messiah Thom Yorke wishes he could write a fucking pop song, but of course he bloody won't, because that's not what Mojo wank him off for. I mean, "Pop Is Dead" is absolute shite, but that's besides the point - it's young kids putting their bollocks into making exciting pop music, like they've just been listening to nothing but The Police and some such rot, and think "let's fucking do it", and come out with this sub-Blur Britpop dross, but they totally bloody mean it. Which is beautiful - because that's what so much of the best pop music is. It's kids wanting to do something, and getting it spectacularly wrong. The only thing better is their first demo EP thing, where they cover "Rhinestone Cowboy". Can you imagine if they did that now? I might gain some respect for the gammy-eyed little twat.

In summary - get a sense of humour, Thom Yorke.

Edited November 20, 2009 by Skummy

[METALMAN]

I still don't find blonde mullet Thom Yorke attractive.

And are you saying they didn't mean bloody mean it when they did the Harry Patch song? >_>

Oh and it annoys me when everyone's like oh IN RAINBOWS SO INNOVATIVE when they basically watered down Prince's giving away a new album for free thing. Poor Prince. What an injustice.

It also amuses me how thom Yorke begins the live version of "Planet telex" that was a b-side for something or other by saying "let's have some fun now". em...no.

Although it's probably my favourite Radiohead song on balance. Just not fun.

[Skummy]

A load of po-faced bollocks. Harry Patch had a sense of humour, for a start - Thom Yorke certainly doesn't. And if, god forbid, I live as long as Patch did, I wouldn't want to be remembered by some Oxbridge cunt writing the worst anti-war song this side of Green Day. Besides, I can count the number of good anti-war songs on my right hand.

And fuck "In Rainbows". People have been giving away music for free for fucking decades. The album's shit anyway, it's barely worth giving away, and if it weren't for the stupid gimmick along with it, no one would call it innovative or interesting, because it's dull as pigshit.

If I could go back and change my votes, I'd have voted for Helen Love. Ten times. Or maybe Cheryl Cole. Or The Ramones.

[METALMAN]

I was actually joking about Harry Patch.

And I liked In Rainbows. I mean, I would by no means get on my desert island discs or anything but it PROPER SONGS unlike the scree of their "experimental" albums. And I like 15 Step. It still amuses me that my dad heard that on the radio one day and he really liked it, until the end when the presenter said it was by Radiohead, by which point he decided it was shit. ha.

For some reason it kept getting played during my Freshers week last year. Not really fitting for the whole party atmosphere thing.

I've always thought it must be really boring being one of the other four members in Radiohead. I mean, what do they actually do? Further hone their gloomy photo poses?

[Skummy]

Have you heard Jonny Greenwood's solo material? If not, don't.

The best thing he ever did was get too drunk to show up to a DJ set he was meant to do at a festival I was at once.

[GoGo Yubari]

In Rainbows bored me, but Radiohead in general often bores me. Harvey Danger also released a free album like two years before Radiohead did and it was much better.

[Dingle]

Fucking cunts. THom yorkew has a sense of humour, just his lyrics take a backseat to the music itselkf. And myxomatosis isn't experimental? HA! It's one of the more experimental alongside wolf at the door (itgirl.ragdoll). His live shows show he has humour, just he doesn't deal with one on ones veryh well and well I'm not very with it and will post a more structured argument tomorrow but if you were to follow his stuff, blanket statements like "miserable bastard" wouldn;t really sit well, especially from you skummy since you love the smiths so much. I figufred you'd see past the down hearted lyrics.

[SeanDMan]

I'll let Intoxicated Jouzy continue frontmanning the arguement, but yeah, I do like Radiohead and I voted accordianly.

[Clawson]

In Rainbows is the worst Radiohead album byyyyyyy far.

Luckily, their mid-90s albums are enough to get them in the top 20 alone.

[Shelty92]

The list has been... interesting thus far. Loads of names I've never heard in my life, and loads I've heard, but never really took the time to listen to (the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins, Boards of Canada etc.). That being said, there's also a bunch of bands/artists I absolutely adore, including Arctic Monkeys, The Smiths, Wu-Tang Clan, Lupe Fiasco, The Libertines and whatnot. Jimi Hendrix, obviously, was good to see in the list, as was David Bowie too - never been a big fan of his, but I do love some of his songs ("Starman", "Ziggy Stardust" and "Heroes" in particular). Kanye West is good also, even though I hate his new album, 808s & Heartbreak. Electric Six was a good laugh in the early parts of the list, as was Blink 182. The difference is that one of them is actually meant to be a joke.

The biggest joke thus far has been Limp Bizkit. I mean, c'mon, does anybody really listen to that crap?

De La Soul brought a smile to my face. They rocked when I saw them live a year back.

I was shocked to see people actually like Lady GaGa. At first glance, I thought it had to be some inside joke or somethin', but fair enough. I hate her music, but I guess I'm the wrong guy to comment on mainstream pop: don't like it, never liked it, and never will.

One thing I wasn't shocked about was to see Michael Jackson. As others have already said, it's kinda disappointing. That damn Tupac effect.

All in all, it's been a fun list, even though the people here in EWB seem to have such a different musical taste compared to mine - but then again, I think it's a good thing. What better way to get to know some new bands and so on? Oh, and I suspect that Muse will (obviously) be in the top3, and I've no problem with that. A bit overrated? Maybe. Fantastic nontheless? Definately (except for their newest album).

Jayzon's a bit you know... foreign though. Finland and all that jazz.

Oh, piss off.

[NobBe Nobbs]

In fairness, you appear to like Pete Doherty, and that makes you unsuitable to comment on anything. Ever.

[Rich]

To be fair, if I looked like Thom Yorke I wouldn't be the cheeriest fucker.

One of my housemates from uni looks like Thom Yorke... he suffers from manic depression, your theory is sound.

Oh and Shelty92, eat shit and die, on your birthday

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I heard that Pete Doherty takes drugs.

[Skummy]

Fucking cunts. THom yorkew has a sense of humour, just his lyrics take a backseat to the music itselkf. And myxomatosis isn't experimental? HA! It's one of the more experimental alongside wolf at the door (itgirl.ragdoll). His live shows show he has humour, just he doesn't deal with one on ones veryh well and well I'm not very with it and will post a more structured argument tomorrow but if you were to follow his stuff, blanket statements like "miserable bastard" wouldn;t really sit well, especially from you skummy since you love the smiths so much. I figufred you'd see past the down hearted lyrics.

It might be experimental, but it sounds like a flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs.

The Smiths aren't just miserable, though - Moz's lyrics are absurd, often tongue-in-cheek and very often incredibly funny.

[Shelty92]

In fairness, you appear to like Pete Doherty, and that makes you unsuitable to comment on anything. Ever.

Bwahaha.

Yes, I do like him when he's in the studio singing - not when he's out doing stupid bullshit, snorting coke and so on. But I gotta point out that I never followed his career when he was getting all the media attention 'cause of his drug abuse (actually, I had never even listened to The Libertines at that point), so that might be the reason I've really got nothing against him... or atleast, I don't hate him for what he's done, no matter how idiotic it may be.