What do you think of these bands? indie edition

[Guest Kinetic]

You all know how this works and you're all tired of it.  But I figure that I might as well pad my post count with meaningless nonsense before people are around to read any of this.  Thus, I present the Indie Rock-Pop, etc., edition of "What Do You Think of These Bands?"

 

Pavement:

Guided by Voices:

Bjork:

Belle and Sebastian:

Elvis Costello:

Built to Spill:

Blur:

Modest Mouse:

Beta Band:

Clinic:

Portishead:

The Smiths:

Elliot Smith:

Dismemberment Plan:

The White Stripes:

Wilco:

Grandaddy:

 

I realize that not all of these are indie bands, but...go to hell.

[Guest Kinetic]

Great topic!  You rule, guy.  

 

Pavement:  First two albums were great, the rest were different shades of mediocre.  Malkmus' solo album wasn't much better.  I'd say he's officially lost his touch.

 

Guided by Voices:  I'm not that familiar, but I've heard good things.

 

Bjork:  Great.  "Post" is fucking awesome, "Homogenic" even fucking awesomer, and then..."Vespertine" is just sort of there.  Not offensive, but not up to the standard of brilliance set by her earlier solo stuff.

 

Belle and Sebastian:  I love Belle and Sebastian.  "Tigermilk" and "If you're feeling sinister" are both too great to be described with words, but there's been such a vicious backlash against them that I'm scared to buy "Arab Strap" or "Fold your hands child..."  Any opinions on those albums would be greatly appreciated.

 

Elvis Costello:  Great.  My favorite recording artist ever.  

 

Built to Spill:  Good, though "Ancient Melodies of the Future" is pretty bland.  Everything prior to that has been spectacular, though.

 

Blur:  One of the better bands of the 90s, but you wouldn't know it from the perception of them in America.  They're that "Woo-hoo" band over here.  And now that Gorillaz is apparently a full time gig for Damon, I fear that Blur is forever done.

 

Modest Mouse:  Their indie stuff was tolerable, but "The Moon and Antarctica" is fucking great.

 

Beta Band:  I'm not really into the Beta Band much.  It seems like something I'd like, but I can't sit through any of their albums without getting fidgety.

 

Clinic: Hell yeah.  "Internal Wrangler" is fucking great beyond all superlatives.  "Walking With Thee" comes out next month and I fully expect it to be an immediate AOTY candidate.

 

Portishead:  "Dummy" is a great album, but their self-titled album that no one seems to own is better.  I do hope they're still around.

 

The Smiths:  Great.  If you don't already know about the Smiths, there's no point in me saying anything.

 

Elliot Smith:  I'm a fan.  Then again, I mark out for albums full of somber acoustic ballads, so what do I know?

 

Dismemberment Plan:  Probably the best band that no one knows about.  "Emergency & I" is an absolute must-own album for anyone who considers themselves a fan of independent music.  "Change" is a slight step...er, not down but in a different direction that I'm not quite as in to.  Still...

 

The White Stripes:  "White Blood Cells" is a fantastic album.  Everything else, I can give or take.  They seem to be coming into their own, though, so I predict big things.

 

Wilco:  I like Wilco, damnit.  "Being There" is superb.  "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" finally has a label willing to release it, too, and it's supposedly the best work of their career.

 

Grandaddy:  "Sophtware Slump" is WAAAYYY overrated.  Or it was, before everyone forgot about them.  It's good, but the "OK Computer" comparisons were ludicrous.

[Guest gthureson]

Pavement:  Love them.  'Terror Twilight' was a bit of disappointment, though I do love 'Carrot Rope'.  'Wowee Zowee' is a killer album though, as is 'Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain' and 'Slanted and Enchanted'.  'Brighten the Corners' is quite up there, but still has some gems.   Malkmus' album was a disappointment to me, but was made up for by the excellent 'Preston School of Industry' album from Spiral Stairs.

 

Guided by Voices: Never got into it.

 

Bjork:  Like some of her stuff, but not a huge fan.

 

Belle and Sebastian: If someone put it on, I wouldn't complain, but I wouldn't pay money for it.

 

Elvis Costello: See the EC thread.

 

Built to Spill:  Again, never could get into them.

 

Blur:  The Britpop scene was never mine.

 

Modest Mouse: Heard some, didn't blow me away.

 

Beta Band: See Belle and Sebastion

 

Clinic:  Eh.

 

Portishead: Sometimes interesting.

 

The Smiths: By and large good.  Morrissey needed Johnny Marr to curb his musical indulgences and lyrical excesses.

 

Elliot Smith: Eh.

 

Dismemberment Plan: Eh.

 

The White Stripes:  Heard good things, but haven't heard them.

 

Wilco:  I like 'em.

 

Grandaddy: Huh?

 

I've been sort of out of the musical loop for awhile.   Probably has something to do with getting a bit older and set in my tastes.

[Guest LooseCannon]

Pavement:  Mediocre. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is way overrated. Slanted and Enchanted and wowee zowee are pretty good in my estimable opinion. The other two are pretty weak.

 

Guided by Voices:  Robert Pollard F'n Rules. I've seen these guys live more than any other band.

 

Bjork:  A lot of her stuff is overrated. She has her moments though.

 

Belle and Sebastian:  I've never seen it.

 

Elvis Costello:  Good, but haven't heard a lot.

 

Built to Spill:  Not a big fan, but I don't mind if someone plays it in my prescence

 

Blur:  I like Oasis better

 

Modest Mouse:  Pretty solid, but not great

 

Beta Band:  Never understood the attraction really.

 

Clinic:  The greatest band since the Pixies.

 

Portishead:  Not a fan. Portishead is better than the overrated Dummy

 

The Smiths:  I like a few of their songs

 

Elliot Smith:  Not a fan

 

Dismemberment Plan:  I quite like Emergency and I

 

The White Stripes:  I haven't gone out of my way to hear anything other than their singles, though they seem okay, and I've heard mostly good things about De stijl and Whit Blood Cells

 

Wilco:  All my friends love 'em... I don't.

 

Grandaddy:  I like Under the Western Freeway a lot. And I thought The Sopthware Slump was almost as enjoyable. And, I've witnessed them put on quite an impressive concert on what appeared to be a rather limited budget. So I like them a good bit.

 

EDIT: to reflect intervening changes of opinion.

[Guest ArkhamGlobe]

Pavement: Liked what I've heard.

Guided by Voices: Who?

Bjork: Interesting work, some of it is really good.

Belle and Sebastian: Haven't heard that much, what I've heard left me kind of flat.

Elvis Costello: Awesome.

Built to Spill: Who?

Blur: The early stuff is great, the newer stuff is awesome.

Modest Mouse: Who?

Beta Band: Who?

Clinic: Who?

Portishead: Liked what I've heard.

The Smiths: Liked what I've heard.

Elliot Smith: Liked what I've heard.

Dismemberment Plan: Who?

The White Stripes: I seem to remember hearing a few songs but I can't for the life of me remember what they sounded like.

Wilco: Haven't heard enough to give an opinion.

Grandaddy: Have only heard a couple of songs, but what I heard was way WAY awesome and I'll be buying the album shortly.

[Guest Moleculo]

Pavement:Wowee Zowee ruled!

Guided by Voices:Mediocre

Bjork:OK,but I have no real interest in her music

Belle and Sebastian:Good

Elvis Costello:Awesome!Elvis Costello is one of my favorite recording artists ever.

Built to Spill:Meh.

Blur:see above

Modest Mouse:Liked what I've heard.

Beta Band:Haven't heard enough of them to form an opinion.

Clinic:who?

Portishead:Awesome

The Smiths:Morrisey was (and is) a genius

Elliot Smith:who?

Dismemberment Plan:Haven't heard enough.

The White Stripes:Freakin' awesome!"White Blood Cells" rocked my face.

Wilco:OK,I guess.

Grandaddy:Meh.

[Guest MaskedDanger]

Pavement: Catchy sometimes, but the irony wore thin quickly.

 

Guided by Voices: Great band, great songs. Pollard is king.

 

Bjork: Not my thing.

 

Belle and Sebastian: See above.

 

Elvis Costello: Excelllllennnt.

 

Built to Spill: Absolutely awesome. A bunch of great albums in their catalogue.

 

Blur: Some goods songs. They run hot and cold.

 

Modest Mouse: Fucking amazing, fucking amazing, fucking amazing! One of my favorite bands ever. They've never made a bad album or song.

 

Beta Band: My boss used to try to get me to listen to them, but I never have.  

 

Clinic: Never heard them.

 

Portishead: I got over them fast. To me, they're still back in '94.

 

The Smiths: Morrissey is my hero. Everytime I hear "Girlfriend in a Coma" I don't know whether to laugh or be afraid.

 

Elliot Smith: Smith is genuinely talented. Saw him live and he was great.

 

Dismemberment Plan: "Gyroscope" is one of the best songs I've ever heard.

 

The White Stripes: Another big hype band I've never heard.

 

Wilco: Good, but they're no Son Volt.

 

Grandaddy: Never heard them.

[Guest Anorak]

Pavement:Always liked

 

Guided By Voiced: Excellent

 

Bjork: Never understood the fuss

 

Belle and Sebastian: Slightly overrated i think

 

Elvis Costello: Always seemed a pretty unspectacular songwriter to me.Some good stuff,but i dont think he's that great really.

 

Built to Spill: Not really heard although they are meant to be very good

 

Blur: Too self-consciously clever for their own good sometimes but have written some great songs

 

Modest Mouse: Never heard of them

 

The Beta Band: Unfufilled potential but talented (3 ep's was great)

 

Clinic: Got no time for them

 

Portishead: Good sound but never had enough good songs

 

The Smiths: Great songs and totally disinctive sound

 

Elliott Smith: I like him.A good songwriter.

 

Dismemberment Plan: Not heard an awful lot really

 

White Stripes: A good band who perhaps were overhyped but are still worthy of attention

 

Wilco: One of my favourite bands,Jeff Tweedy is a great songwriter and i actually think they are far better than Son Volt.'Being There' is a classic and is full of great songs,i think Jay Farrar has struggled since the first excellent Son Volt album while Tweedy seems to get better and better.Every Uncle Tupelo album they did together was brilliant

 

Grandaddy: Another band i really like.I got into them when 'uner the Western Freeway' came out and they got praise for the 'software slump' soon after.I dont think they are overrated at all.

[Guest Incandenza]

EDIT: Oh, yeah, this is a BUMP

 

Pavement: I'll love these guys forever solely for Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Aside from their first album, the rest of their discography is far from spectacular.

Guided by Voices: Terrific. Bob Pollard 0wnz joo all.

Bjork: Eh, never really got into her.

Belle and Sebastian: I like them, even if they are a bunch of pussies.

Elvis Costello: Da Bomb.

Built to Spill: Good, good stuff.

Blur: They're okay. I like some of their stuff, but am not the biggest fan.

Modest Mouse: [see Blur]

Beta Band: Don't like 'em.

Clinic: Am indifferent to them.

Portishead: Don't like them.

The Smiths: Dis sum good shit, mang.

Elliot Smith: Some good shit, too.

Dismemberment Plan: I am quite fond of them, yes, I am.

The White Stripes: I am fond of them, too.

Wilco: I am so very fond of this band. So very fond, yes.

Grandaddy: Overfuckingrated. The world already has the Flaming Lips, so why should I settle for a b-grade version?

[Guest La Parka Es Mi Papa]

Pavement: Pretty good

Guided by Voices: Ditto

Bjork: Crap

Belle and Sebastian: Crap

Elvis Costello: Fucking rules

Built to Spill: Horrible, just horrible

Blur: They're so much better than Oasis

Modest Mouse: Pretty good, not amazing

Beta Band: Never heard

Clinic:Ditto

Portishead: Ditto

The Smiths: KICKASS

Elliot Smith: No idea

Dismemberment Plan: Ditto

The White Stripes: One of my favorite bands

Wilco: Also another one of my favorites

Grandaddy: No idea

 

 

Yeah, you can tell I'm not a big indie guy.

[Guest saturnmark4life]

THE SMITHS BAH GAWD%%% i think they're the greatest band of all time, and that Morrissey is the greatest songer songwriter ever. Marr was a great guitarist too.

 

apart from that, i like what i've heard from clinic and the beta band, i'm sick of the white stripes since i saw them dog it live, and i don't know/care for the rest. Though Parklife was the first album i ever owned on CD, so i kinda like a few blur songs.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

EDIT: Oh, yeah, this is a BUMP

That's a helluva bump. This thread is actually older than I am (in terms of board presence, not actual age).

 

You know its funny, but since there are so many "indie" fans in the music forum, I wouldn't consider any of these artists "indie" at all. Then again, I usually associate "indie" with "never heard of them". With the exception of Dismemberment Plan and Guided by Voices, I've actually heard of (and in most cases even heard songs from) all these bands!

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

I can only comment on those that I've heard:

 

Bjork: Good stuff, but I've never been able to fully enjoy her after seeing that CRINGE-WORTHY piercing video.

 

Elvis Costello: (holds up shield) He's all right. (gets a club too)

 

Blur: The Fricking Shizniz, yo.

 

Clinic: They toured with Radiohead FOR A REASON. CLINIC OWNS YOU AND YOU WILL LIKE IT. NO GO MAKE THEM A SAMMICH.

 

Portishead: Okay.

 

The White Stripes: Love the music, can't stand the mysterious image crap.

 

Wilco: Never got the big deal about them.

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

[Guest Kinetic]

This is a pleasent surprise. Quite possibly the first thread I ever started on this board, long before I ever ventured outside of the Music folder. Good times.

 

I haven't really changed my opinion on any of these, although Dylan has replaced Costello as my all-time favorite recording artist. Oh, and it turns out that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot WAS the best album Wilco's released and my personal pick for AOTY at the present moment.

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

That, and you're ESTABLISHED~! now. I was quite surprised at the original date myself.

 

I need to create one of these bands, except make it a Pop edition and tell people to give their HONEST opinions.

 

(still holding his shield up and his club at the ready)

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

[Guest LooseCannon]

In my mind, Kinetic was already ESTABLISHED~! at the time as "the guy who loves Elvis Costello." But it was after this thread that I started paying closer attention to his posts.

[Guest Vitamin X]

...(wishes he was established~! now)

 

 

it's like getting picked last in schoolyard football