EWB's Favourite Bands 2010: The Results

[ADG]

I blame metalman

Counting Crows - didn't realise we had so many housewives on here.

You take that back.

Right.

Fucking.

Now.

Or I swear to God if I find you at uni next year I'll make you pay.

[New Damage]

I've been bumming the shit out of Killswitch Engage's "As Daylight Dies" for a few months now. Amazing. Listening to the first Howard Jones album (I think) and it was ok. Don't believe I've heard any other KSE albums, definitely not the latest, as they're not up on Spotify. I would've voted for them if I had more votes or had more time to listen to them as mine was based on Last.FM activity.

I do sort of kinda like City & Colour, but I do find him to be too depressing to listen to, possibly because I discovered them almost a year ago when I was feeling shit anyway. Even if he does name-drop Wales.

The rest I haven't listened to nor do I have any desire to. I'm assuming Alestrom are pirate metal? Ugh, I hate 'genre' metal.

Edited July 28, 2010 by TheModernWay

[Sousa]

Are ADG and I the Counting Crows fans to blame? If so, that's awesome.

And yes, I am a housewife. My wife is actually learning how to use a sewing machine, and her first project is making me an apron. That's not a joke.

[Skummy]

NOFX are absolute shite, and I hate whoever voted for them for reminding me that they even exist. That cheery skater "pop-punk" bollocks is the most fucking hideous type of music I have ever heard.

The Lucksmiths are possibly my favourite band. Certainly up there. Criminally under-rated, absolutely wonderful, and just seemed to get better and better with every album - apart from Arab Strap I can't think of any other band that gets the "shit, I know exactly what they mean" side of lyric-writing quite like them, and they've got a hell of a knack for a catchy tune and a good turn of phrase. I was legitimately incredibly upset when they broke up.

Mew are a band I really should listen to. Everything I've heard is nice, but like a lot of bands like them, I just don't really know where to start.

New Order I actually barely know. I know "the hits", and find some of them a bit naff, but some are TUNES.

Tom Waits is fucking godly. He's one of the best. I like that Swells line that GA posted, though honestly I think Waits has moved well away from the "drunk at the piano" schtick - pretty much since the '80s he's been doing something totally different, though I think his "mad old junkyard stomp" persona is in danger of getting as tired as the beatnik drunk did beforehand. Rain Dogs, Bone Machine and Frank's Wild Years are some of the best albums ever made, though. Generally wonderful.

Don't care about Killswitch Engage or Against Me!

Leonard Cohen is a bad-ass. Love the guy. Even his stuff since the '80s, where he's been all synths, fretless bass and saxophone, just has a wonderful charm to it, and honestly nowadays I find I'd rather listen to that than his folkier early stuff. He's obviously an incredible writer, but more than anything I just love the timbre of his voice, and the general aura of being sophisticated yet still pretty sleazy that comes off of him. Also one of those whose lyrics are so good, but the music a little naff, that it's always worth listening to other people's interpretations of his work. Good, in any case.

Bob Dylan's brilliant. Obviously. For years I never really "let" myself get into Dylan, because Dylan fans pissed me off so much - I hate the idea of "Dylanology", or the idea that his lyrics carry some deeper meaning or that his work is some literary masterpiece when, honestly, it just seems like he writes the odd incredible song, and then writes an awful lot of nonsense lyrics but with the odd incredibly deep line, and that leads people to believe that everything he writes is imbued with some sense of purpose and meaning. Blonde On Blonde era Dylan was pretty much the coolest motherfucker who ever lived, though. A fantastic look. I actually love him now, though - his music is still great, and a lot less self-centred than it perhaps once was, but you just get the sense that he has a lot of fun these days, and has a sense of humour. Stuff like his radio show and the Chrismtas album, in particular, just make him seem like a great guy who just really loves what he's doing, which is always appealing.

The National are another one I tried to resist - assumed they'd be shitty indie darlings, and just didn't bother. 6Music wouldn't stop banging on about them, so I picked up High Violet. It's nothing spectacular, but it's nice, and I always like it when a track comes on my iPod. So, yeah, they're good.

The Clash were a band I was massively into when I was about fourteen/fifteen. Really went off them for years, as I did with most of "punk", but them especially - I just got annoyed with the idea of them as being some kind of political activists, when really they were just naive, clumsy sloganeering set to some alright riffs, with a lot of "four lads against the world" rock and roll posturing that, frankly, was completely at odds with everything "punk" was supposed to be about. So, for the longest time, they kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. Just recently I've been starting to listen them a little bit again - I'd probably never really love them again, but London Calling's a great album, and I'm still a big fan of Guns Of Brixton, but frankly, a lot of their stuff is bollocks aside from that.

Counting Crows fall into the Stone Temple Pilots category of "what, people remember these guys?", except I could probably bear to listen to Counting Crows.

I've only ever heard of Alestorm, never listened to them. I don't imagine I'd like them all that much, they seem to veer towards the more ridiculous side of heavy metal that I just really couldn't give a toss about.

Can't stand Billy Talent. Never heard City & Colour - I imagine I don't like them, and they annoy me because whenever I hear their name I think of Crime & The City Solution, and then remember that nobody ever talks about Crime & The City Solution.

[lari]

I didn't get to vote. Daymn!

[METALMAN]

Oh one of the main reasons I like Bob Dylan is his nonsense lyrics. I don't have a clue what he's banging on about. And I love that.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Something about cap on head, suit that's read, special night, beard that's white, ho ho ho, cherry nose?

[YI]

75. THE OFFSPRING (54pts - 3 votes)

COUNTRY: United States

PLACE LAST YEAR: n/a

STUDIO ALBUMS: 8

ANYONE ELSE FIND IT FUNNY AND IRONIC: that "Can't Repeat" sounds exactly like "The Kids Aren't Alright"?

74. THRICE (54pts - 3 votes)

COUNTRY: United States

PLACE LAST YEAR: n/a

STUDIO ALBUMS: 7 (6)

LATE NIGHT! BRAKES LOCK!: HEAR THE TIRES SQUEEL!

73. ROB ZOMBIE (54pts - 3 votes)

COUNTRY: United States

PLACE LAST YEAR: n/a

STUDIO ALBUMS: 4

LOL: his real name is Cummings

72. REEL BIG FISH (54pts - 3 votes)

COUNTRY: United States

PLACE LAST YEAR: n/a

STUDIO ALBUMS: 6

FIFA 2000: FUCK YEAH!

71.

[ROC]

Aww, happy Chad Kroeger!

[METALMAN]

oh this is easy. I don't like any of these guys.

[GoGo Yubari]

For me this really might be the worst start to one of these lists yet. 30 spots in and I'm at one I genuinely like (The Clash) and a couple here and there that I like but have never really been able to get into the way others have (Waits, Dylan, Cohen). Let's turn this around, EWB!

[Rich]

For me this really might be the worst start to one of these lists yet. 30 spots in and I'm at one I genuinely like (The Clash) and a couple here and there that I like but have never really been able to get into the way others have (Waits, Dylan, Cohen). Let's turn this around, EWB!

Maybe you should blame yourself and not EWB?

[GoGo Yubari]

This thread is not this thread without high-handed dismissals of what most of EWB likes from the EWB Music Nazis. It's not my fault you people don't listen to jazz. Or Swedish pop rock. Or the other subgenres that only two to three people on EWB listen to.

[Rich]

Well in that case. This list has been mostly bollocks and has far too much insipid, overly unimaginative alt. rock and metal bands. Lamb of God? Alestorm? Counting Crows ()? Rob Zombie? Not my bloody cup of tea!

[GoGo Yubari]

Now you're getting it.

[DFF]

Alestorm are awesome.

As for the new list:

Offspring are pretty good, most of the time

Thrice - never really got into them

Rob Zombie - has a few cool tunes, but the rest is bit... generic.

Reel Big Fish - bore me senseless.

[METALMAN]

I very much doubt this list will sink very much lower than Reel Big Fish.

Believe it or not I actually like more bands than I dislike. Probably. It's just that you people are doing so well at picking out the ones I don't like. >_>

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Reel Big Fish are good fun Though they'd be nowhere near my top 15

I like Offspring too.

[GoGo Yubari]

I like NOFX a million times less than Reel Big Fish, since the latter put out a enjoyable enough Incredibly '90s Song in "Sell Out." NOFX, on the other hand, has done nothing of interest to me.

[EddieRuckus]

Yes, just because I voted for such and such bands clearly means I've never heard any jazz, classical, Swedish pop rock, country, or any other genre besides the ones I voted for. I was asked to list my 15 top bands, and these are bands that I will listen to over and over again. It's just my personal music preference, and although Lamb of God is my 3rd favorite band ever, I realize that they have no place to be in the top 10, let alone the top 50 or 100. If this list were the Top 100 bands based on merits, worldwide popularity, contribution to music, and so forth, my list would have been WAY different(there would have been none of my metal bands on that list). It's not though, it's my favorite 15 bands, and besides the top 5 or so, they're going to change year to year. I have a hard time because I listen to EVERYTHING(and I mean everything), and it's hard for me to say "oh yeah, this band will always be my 6th favorite" or whatnot.