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Mar 4, 2009

Just for fun: My Top 10 Bands Right This Second

I'm not one of those people that has a favorite band that stays their favorite band forever. If you watched your favorite movies every other day for 10 years, you'd probably get sick of them and name some new favorites. I might have loved Pearl Jam and STP in '94, but I rarely listen to them these days, save for a select track here or there that pops up on my iPod when it's on shuffle. It's not that I dislike their sound anymore, I just need a (long) break to appreciate them.

Some bands/acts are more immune to this than others (a lack of radio play certainly helps), others I make a conscious effort to not 'over-listen' to, and for some reason, I can listen to standard-fare 'classic rock' on the radio for years and years and somehow never tire of hearing the same 12 Led Zepellin songs. But, by and large, this phenomenon strikes everyone that was "my favorite band of the moment" at one time or another. I wish it wouldn't, and I'd hardly say that I hop onto fads or trends in music, but it does. Never fear though, Cherry Poppin' Daddies - I shall listen to your music again in time.

Anyway, here are my favorite bands right now, which pretty much means that each of them has held "favorite" status at some point over the last 3-5 years:

1. DeVotchka
2. Kings of Leon
3. Franz Ferdinand
4. Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers
5. Sigur Ros
6. Arcade Fire
7. Interpol
8. The Go Team!
9. Brazilian Girls
10. The Pixies

Ok, your turn.


22 people have chosen wisely: on "Just for fun: My Top 10 Bands Right This Second"

Anonymous said...

Wow, I don't even know you anymore man. I imagine we would have shared a majority of this list 10 or 15 years ago, but then, my list probably hasn't changed much. So I guess this is the top 10 bands you enjoy listening to "at this moment," as opposed to "of all time." I mean, you don't really consider something called "The Go Team!" to be a better band then Zeppelin or even Pearl Jam, right? Admittedly, I haven't followed new music closely in a while, but did any of these bands even exist 10 years ago, aside from The Pixies? Here's what I know about them:

- never heard of 1, 5, 6, and 9
- heard of, but never heard 7 and 8
- heard 1 song, which I like, from 2 and 3
- heard 2 songs, which I like, from 10
- 4 is one of my favorite bands

So I guess you should let me borrow some CD's. Gimme that Cherry Poppin' Daddies one too. Haven't heard them in a while :)

Fletch said...

Aw, don't be so melodramatic. ;)

Nothing's changed - you didn't know who half the bands I listened to 10 years ago were, either, right? Eventually you came to know, if not necessarily like, most of them, and you still don't know or care about the rest, which is fine.

Yes, these are my top 10 "at this moment," but I think what I'm saying is that I've discovered that, unlike with favorite movies which get laid in concrete and essentially stay there, it's not that way with music, at least not for me. I might have listened to 10 different Buffett albums twice a day for three years 10 years ago, but I rarely listen to him at all anymore. While I guess I could make a different list of 'Lifetime Top 10 Musical Acts' that had the greatest impact at some point or another, this list is, like I said, which ones have been the biggest to me over the recent past.

As it relates to you and these 10, I'd think that you'd like Kings of Leon the best. They practically sound like southern classic rock already, even though they're a current band. And I can definitely lend you some CDs.

You might like Franz Ferdinand, and you sure as hell ought to like The Pixies, since you love grunge music and they practically invented it. The rest you probably wouldn't like, but that's just because you hate interesting music. ;) Seriously, though - there is some avant garde stuff here. Sigur Ros is Icelandic, DeVotchka plays what you might call gypsy music, etc.

Though you're probably more familiar with them than you think. If you've seen Little Miss Sunshine, you've heard DeVotchka's music. If you saw the trailers for Slumdog or that new Planet Eart movie (or many other uses), you've heard Sigur Ros. The Go Team is used in commercials, etc.

Besides the Pixies, I think that Sigur Ros existed 10 years ago - not sure about the rest.

Nayana Anthony said...

At the moment...

1. Kimya Dawson
2. Jeremy Messersmith
3. Simon & Garfunkel
4. Mason Jennings
5. Fleet Foxes
6. Eddie Vedder
7. Belle & Sebastian
8. Blitzen Trapper
9. Michael Franti
10. Raconteurs

Honorable Mentions: Ben Connelly, Jon Foreman, She & Him, Cloud Cult, Atmosphere

Unknown said...

I could never get into DeVotchka. My cousin tried to get me to listen to them, heard a few songs...just wasn't for me.

Over the past couple of years, I've probably listened mostly to

Ash
The Detroit Cobras
Friendly Foes
Lily Allen
Tegan & Sara
Matt & Kim
Streetlight Manifesto
The Kills
Black Kids
CSS
The Long Blondes
The Nice Device

Though I'm sure there's a lot of other stuff, those have been my favorites for a while, getting a lot of play in the car and on planes.

Anonymous said...

Haven't heard of most of the bands listed so far. I don't think I could come up with a top ten list. I generally just keep listening to the same couple albums over and over again.

Right now they are:
1)Infected Mushroom - Converting Vegetarians
2)Juno Reactor - Labyrinth

Others that I listen to on a fairly regular basis.
System of a Down
Disturbed
Tool
Skindred

Caitlin said...

Nice list! Can't say I've heard of your #1, #4, or #9, but I might be inspired to check them out eventually.

Right now (and I do mean in this moment, as opposed to ten seconds from now when everything south of #3 is subject to change) my top ten would probably go something like...

1. The Gaslight Anthem
2. Alkaline Trio
3. Third Eye Blind
4. Placebo
5. Fleetwood Mac
6. Foo Fighters
7. Counting Crows
8. Broken Social Scene
9. Dropkick Murphys
10. Modest Mouse

David S. said...

Arcade Fire AND Interpol!?

I just gained astronomical amounts of respect for you.

Pixies are pretty excellent as well.

Also, about Arcade Fire: they have a bunch of random songs floating around on youtube. You might have already heard them, but they aren't on any album. (ex. Winter for a Year, Accidents, Virgin Mary Highway)
For some reason it said they were related to Six Feet Under and I was like "OMGOMGOMG*die*"
Because I really like Arcade Fire. And so I am looking forward to 'The Box' very much.
But, unfortunately, Arcade Fire is not exactly popular with young teenagers such as myself.

Ryan McNeil said...

Lordy am I impressed by some of the bands people are mentioning. Y'all have good taste!

My own top ten would go a little like this...

1. U2
2. M.I.A.
3. The Shins
4. Arcade Fire
5. Scissor Sisters
6. Amy Winehouse (talented, despite her life choices)
7. TV On The Radio
8. Radiohead
9. The Swell Season
10. Gogol Bordello

Nick said...

Shane: Good taste on all counts. I *love* the song "Converting Vegetarians." Though that's one of the only songs I like from Infected Mushroom. Their other stuff is way too techno.

As for my tastes... it changes way too often to even have an 'at the moment' favorite. But I'll list some favorites anyway...

System of a Down
OK Go
Presidents of the United States of America
Korn
Apocalyptica
My Chemical Romance
Barenaked Ladies
Weird Al
The All-American Rejects

And basically any 90s Alternative music or musical soundtracks...

I have a pretty wide taste. I like basically any genre except country.

Fletch said...

Nayana - well, I need to get listening, too. I'm pretty unfamiliar (at best) with 3 or 4 of your ten (though you ought to refer to your numero uno as Moldy Peaches - when I looked her name up, which I didn't recognize, I did one of those "ok, that's who she is" moves).

dreamrot - you have a smart cousin. ;) Nah, I'll forgive you. You tried, at least, and I guess they can't be for everyone, which is probably good in the end.

Side question: are Lily Allen and Katy Perry the same person? I know nothing of either's music, really, but they appear to look the same, they each have a 4-letter first name coupled with a 5-letter last name...

Shane - considering who you listed, I'm not surprised you're not into the bands on my list. We appear to travel in different musical circles. I've got a couple albums from a few of the bands you listed, but I'm far from a metal head.

Princess - I like your list overall, but...3EB? I can't join you there. I also have a like/tolerate/hate (it varies by song) relationship with Fleetwood Mac, too.

David - how old are you? Though I guess it doesn't matter - if you're a teenager even of 19, it's obvious that you're way ahead of the curve and way too smart for your age. I also see that you hate Fall Out Boy - even better, my friend.

Thanks for the info on Arcade Fire - I don't think I've heard many of those songs. I know they had A song on the Six Feet Under soundtrack years ago (I think it was No Cars Go), but I didn't know they had several that were associated with the show. I will definitely be listening. And yea, I'm looking forward to The Box, too; especially after Southland Tales, I feel like I have to see what Kelly comes up with, even if it's trashy.

Hatter - I already knew you had good (read: similar) taste, but your list confirms it. Surprised to see U2 as numero uno, though, for some reason. I've never disliked them, but never really loved them, either. And what does it say that Zooropa is probably my favorite album of theirs?

Does Winehouse have more than the one album? I have and love it, but haven't bothered to even look for others as I thought it was her debut.

MIA and The Shins would be in my next 10...

Nayana Anthony said...

Yeah, I definitely should have included the Shins in my Honorable Mentions.

However, I do stand by specifically naming Kimya Dawson as herself. I'm a huge fan of her solo stuff (My Rollercoaster), as well as her Antsy Pants stuff (Vampire), so she can't be defined by only the Moldy Peaches. I also had a similar conflict with M. Ward vs. She & Him... he's half of She & Him, but I didn't want to use up another one of my spots to name him individually.

Nick said...

I, too, like Kimya Dawson, by the way. I bought the Juno soundtrack and realized that all of her songs were the best on the whole thing... which isn't saying much, considering she did about 2/3s of that soundtrack.

For the record, I hate both Amy Winehouse and U2 (nothing against Bono as a person... I just can't stand their music, specifically their vocals and lyrics).

As for your top 10, Fletch... I've heard Kings of Leon, but am not a fan. I also know of Franz Ferdinand, but am not sure if I've heard their music. Same with Sigur Ros and Arcade Fire. I have heard The Pixies, but it's been a while, so I can't remember if I like them or not. I think they were hit or miss, if I recall. Never heard of the others.

Funky vocals are basically my number one turn off when it comes to music (hence my dislike of Amy Winehouse and U2). However, I do have exceptions, which is strange (such as my love of Kimya Dawson).

Out of all the other bands that people have listed, I also enjoy selections from (in order of listing) Disturbed, Tool, Skindred, Third Eye Blind, Foo Fighters, Counting Crows, Dropkick Murphys, and M.I.A.

vic said...

my top 10 bands/artists at this very moment are:
1. the shins
2. vampire weekend
3. youth group
4. modest mouse
5. the format
6. lily allen
7. red hot chilli peppers
8. death cab for cutie
9. the fray
10. cat power
these are the artists which i have been listening to on repeat the last couple of weeks.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Princess, The Gaslight Anthem right now is my favorite band. They are so good and I've been telling everyone about them. Also really have been into The Hold Steady as well.

Fletch said...

Nayana - consider yourself stood. That was just me not knowing her name outside of the Moldy Peaches.

Nick - hate her all you want, but I'm not sure I'd classify Winehouse's voice as "funky." It's old school all the way, and silky smooth.

Vicky - thanks for stopping by and commenting. Me likey your tastes, too.

Craig (and Princess) - I can't say that I'm familiar with Gaslight at all. Will have to give them a spin.

By the way (this goes out to everyone) - if you haven't been yet, I highly recommend lala.com if you just want to check out new music. You can listen to any song (even full albums) once for free. After that, you can pay a dime for each song (held online for you) or buy mp3 for 89 or 99 cents. Additionally, they give you 50 free songs when you sign up. I've just been listening to random albums that I wasn't familiar with lately and loving it. I just hop from one to the next; if I really like something, I'll toss it in my Amazon cart. So if there's an album you want to hear but not necessarily buy, it's a great place to start.

And no, I did not get paid for that advertisement. ;)

Nick said...

Fletch: I know her voice is oldschool. I still don't like it :P . And I can't stand her 'Rehab' song.

RIPE Creative said...

On the other hand, there's Mrs Fletch who only knows mainstream music that could probably be regognized by your mother. Well, except for #10.

1. beatles
2. bowie
3. queen
4. white stripes
5. fiona apple
6. tool
7. dave brubeck
8. soundgarden
9. ben folds five
9a. they might be giants
10. motherbus

THN said...

1. Iron Maiden
2. Motley Crue
3. The Hold Steady
4. Journey

Yep, I like Journey, people. I've been trying to avoid it for years. But damn it, I'm going to go out and admit it right now. I like Journey. I like Journey. Sue me.

Nick said...

Oh, how can I forget Three Days Grace? Love those guys, too.

Anonymous said...

Nice list.

Arcade Fire, Interpol, The Pixies and Kings of Leon go down as some of my favourite bands full stop, let alone right now.

Others are Radiohead (gods amongst men), The National, Muse, Modest Mouse, White Stripes and many other indie bands.

Fletch said...

That's okay Mrs. Fletch - you might not be a music geek, but you have good taste in what you do like. :)

THN - the inclusion of The Hold Stead on your list reminds me of a list of Cusack's in High Fidelity, to which Jack Black responds with:

"Ooh! A kind of recent record! Rob's sly declaration of new classic-status slipped into a list of old classics! Nice! "Let's Get It On?" Couldn't you make it more obvious than that?"

Not that Journey is a classic or anything. ;)

What, no REO Speedwagon?

Anders - I of course like all the others you listed, though I'm not terribly familiar with The National.

Joe Baker said...

Current ten that pop up more on my Ipod than any tother:

1. Radiohead (head and shoulders my fav)
2. Pearl Jam
3. The National
4. Sigur Ros
5. Broken Social Scene
6. U2
7. Counting Crows
8. Greg Dulli (in any form... Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers etc.)
9. Black Crowes
10. The Arcade Fire