Recently popular rock bands

[Special K 0]

Meaning, they'll be listened to for quite a while. There's some bands, like Sleater-Kinney, Blonde Redhead, L'~, that I HOPE are popular in the long run, but certainly aren't now. (Plus they've both been playing for quite a while) Some suggestions.

 

Queens of the Stone Age: Their last two albums are by far their best. Can write some sexy songs, and can definitely play some of that guitar. They put on a terrific live show, I've seen them thrice.

 

Franz Ferdinand: Two good albums and charisma. Their live performances of their songs put the studio recordings to shame. Seen 'em twice.

 

The Strokes: WAY overhyped, but they've survived it. Many will differ in opinion, but I think they're getting steadily better. Either way, they're evolving. Supposedly good live, their back and forth guitar work is pretty fun.

 

Coldplay: I started out liking Coldplay just fine, then they made the same song 80 times. Their best melody was lifted from Kraftwerk. Nonetheless, they're massively popular, and I don't see it ending soon. Calling them rock may be a bit generous, though.

 

On the cusp?

 

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I liked their first album quite a bit. They have a really sloppy, but very energetic live show. Really hinges on their second album. While Karen O's squealing, brew-swilling theatrics get all the press, the guitarist and drummer are more than solid. I know a few people who bought the album for 'Maps' and were turned off by the rest of the album.

 

White Stripes: Have had some really good albums, but the last one left me cold. Problem? They can't duplicate their sound live, and are sort of terrible live. Meg is NOT a good drummer, and they need to form a touring band to accentuate Jack White's work.

 

Ben GIbbard. Death Cab is a decent band. As girly, introspective bands go, they're tops for me. Postal Service is the way to go, though, and he should embrace it. Has a pleasant voice, and can write some good songs. He can also write some tremendously cloying lyrics.

 

 

 

Notable: I don't think any of the nu-wave bands are going to last. Killers et al will be a footnote. Same with the generally talentless emo bands. Dreary Joy Division-lite bands like Interpol and She Wants Revenge. I saw Interpol live, because Blonde Redhead opened for them. BR was awesome. Interpol was just dreary.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I wanted to punch every member of Blonde Redhead in the crotch when I saw them open for Interpol. Their sound was mixed terribly and I didn't like that warbly man-woman thing's approach at all.

 

I think a lot of this depends on how you're defining "quite a while," and "popular." Queens of the Stone Age have been around for eight years already (R is my favorite album of theirs, by the way). They'll make it to ten no problem. "Popular" is a tough term too; are we looking at longevity, sales, or some combination of both? Oh, my spinning head!

 

On Interpol: I'm not really sure how they'll fare. They've put out two relatively acclaimed albums that have both been pretty popular for albums coming out through Matador, but I think both are floating around 400,000 copies sold at this point. They can probably maintain that level, but I'm not sure they go much higher without some breakout single. Death Cab/Gibbard are in a similar situation, but their latest has gone gold (500,000 copies).

[The Czech Republic 0]

How was "Specialist" not marketed as a single? That might be their catchiest song.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Wilco. They've been putting out albums for the last ten years and are bigger now than when they started. They got legs.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

And dude, shut up with the Interpol/Joy Division shit. It was lazy criticism three years ago and it's simply pathetic now. Any similarity between the two is superficial at best.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

I am grateful for an Inc post because it saved me from saying the same thing, only not as good.

 

Czech- "Specialist" was never actually put on any album. I think it was recorded as a B-side and then lost in the shuffle after Turn on The Bright Lights came out. To this day it's the most requested song at shows that they'll never play.

[nl5xsk1 0]

I am grateful for an Inc post because it saved me from saying the same thing, only not as good.

well. not as well. not, not as good.

[Special K 0]

FINE. Getting past the fact that I don't like Interpol, which newer bands do you think have legs?

[nl5xsk1 0]

I'm a pessimist and a cynic by nature, so I'm comfortable saying that most bands that are currently on the cusp are as 'eternally famous' as they're going to get.

 

There are some bands that will maintain their current level (Radiohead, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, for example) but no one that I see having a U2-type career with commercial AND critical success stretched out over 2+ decades.

 

There aren't any new artists that I could see even getting to the level of the bands that I referenced above. Coheed & Cambria? The Killers? I could see maybe another album or two doing moderately well, but I doubt either will be that memorable in 5, 10, 20 years.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

If The Killers second album does even remotely as well as their first I'll be shocked. They're a band I don't see evolving at all.

[Guest Coffey]

I certainly can't think of anyone. At least not in the rock department.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Not in the rock department? Don't tell me you're thinking rap. Rappers have a notoriously short shelf life when it comes to mainstream popularity.

[Guest Coffey]

Nah, I was thinking someone like Alicia Keys would have a good shot.

[nl5xsk1 0]

Alicia Keys, meet Alanis Morrissette, Fiona Apple, Michelle Branch, & Vanessa Carlton. Their careers will be your career: many albums, quasi-successful small tours, most likely a comfortable life & income. But not the huge radio success that you're currently enjoying.

[Renegade 0]

White Stripes: Have had some really good albums, but the last one left me cold. Problem? They can't duplicate their sound live, and are sort of terrible live. Meg is NOT a good drummer, and they need to form a touring band to accentuate Jack White's work.

While I agree about about Meg I prefer them live. I actually disliked them before I saw them live. They sound really bland on the CDs.

[Guest Coffey]

Alicia Keys, meet Alanis Morrissette, Fiona Apple, Michelle Branch, & Vanessa Carlton. Their careers will be your career: many albums, quasi-successful small tours, most likely a comfortable life & income. But not the huge radio success that you're currently enjoying.

I disagree because Alicia hits a different demographic. She's on MTV AND BET. She's talented, even if you don't like her music. She can sing and play an instrument. That puts her at least one up on the majority of "pop acts" out there today. Then you factor in that she writes her own shit.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I don't see any bands currently enjoying radio success being around in 5-10 years that haven't been around for decades.

 

But, since it's my generic answer (and has been for the last 5 1/2 years) for these threads, I'm saying Shadows Fall. They're talented enough musicians that they can stay within their genre (metal) while writing good songs that can be differentiated, and are DAMN good live.

 

I don't see ANY of the current wave of emo bands staying around much longer. That horse is on its way out of the corral.

[5_moves_of_doom 0]

I second Wilco. They've become pretty massively popular (relative to their original popularity, I mean) and every time I try to catch them live they're already sold out. Not only that, but I think that one of their next two records or so could actually top anything that they've done up until this point. They've had a couple (or a few, depending on your opinion) of near-perfect albums already, but with their new guitarist and Tweedy more creatively active than ever, they're definitely not out of steam yet.

[snuffbox 0]

Modest Mouse

[Annabelle 0]

if they stay together, broken social scene. but its very doubtful. i agree with wilco more than anything else in this thread.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I am grateful for an Inc post because it saved me from saying the same thing, only not as good.

 

Czech- "Specialist" was never actually put on any album. I think it was recorded as a B-side and then lost in the shuffle after Turn on The Bright Lights came out. To this day it's the most requested song at shows that they'll never play.

Actually, I think they do play it a bit. I've seen them three times, and both of the times that I saw them at a non-festival, they played it. Great encore, and really one of my favorite songs of theirs.

[nl5xsk1 0]

Alicia Keys, meet Alanis Morrissette, Fiona Apple, Michelle Branch, & Vanessa Carlton. Their careers will be your career: many albums, quasi-successful small tours, most likely a comfortable life & income. But not the huge radio success that you're currently enjoying.

I disagree because Alicia hits a different demographic. She's on MTV AND BET. She's talented, even if you don't like her music. She can sing and play an instrument. That puts her at least one up on the majority of "pop acts" out there today. Then you factor in that she writes her own shit.

I actually have no problems with her music. I'm not a huge proponent of the genre, but I recognize that she's a skilled muscian and songwriter. I just don't think that she'll have a noticably better career than the other musicians I compared her to. It's not an insult: Alanis has been around for 10/12 years.

[Black Lushus 0]

out of the genre, I'm impressed with Mary J. Blige...a lot of people don't realize she's been making music for almost 15 years and still sells strong. I'm not sold on Beyonce, still. I'd prefer her to still be in Destiny's Child. I don'tt hinks he can hold an entire song on her own. She doesn't have that "IT" that someone like Mariah Carey has to withstand the test of time.

 

EDIT: sorry, shoud this thread only be about ROCK music? I went off on a tangent after reading niskie's thread.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I like what Broken Social Scene I've heard, but I can't hear how they're going to be in any way memorable.

 

 

 

Lord of the Curry will be here to call me an idiot by 4.30 Eastern Standard Time.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

You Forgot It in People was my #2 for 2003. I still love it; the s/t is good, but I haven't been compelled to listen to it very much. It's a very exhausting album, from the overproduction to the lengths of the songs themselves—"It's All Gonna Break," for instance, should've been seven minutes shorter.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Yeah, there's a lot of shit happening at once on the self-titled. "Windsurfing Nation" gets too busy and cluttered

[LJSexay 0]

Death Cab is awesome. that is all.

[BigPoppaKev 0]

This is a tough one that me and my friends were talking about the other day. One band that came up that we all agreed with was Incubus. They have enough radio friendly songs to keep up on the radio as well as a pretty devoted following.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Yuck.

 

Sufjan Stevens should be around for a while to come. He's cresting now with Illinois, and seems to be sliding nicely into the role that a lot of people saved for Elliott Smith before he pwned himself.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I want him to stick around just to see how he makes an album about Delaware.