November 17, 2004

• I'm pleased as punch to see Low on there. Love that band to death.
• Additionally, The Postal Service is tops.
• Not to jumpstart the your-favorite-band-sucks-fest as I actually am a fan of most all of the below listed names, but... The Flaming Lips? Guided by Voices? Sonic freakin' Youth? Brian Wilson? The Pixies? David Byrne? Green Day? It's supposed to be the 'best' of **2004**. This list makes me wonder what decade I'm in... I guess that's what you get for asking such a vague and inane question. PS - Newsflash. Elliott Smith is dead. He died in 2003. How can he possibly make it on this list?
• To be fair, a few of those have had albums/tours recently.
• Yeah, there are a few on there that don't seem right, but then there are a lot that seem very right. If you are looking for new music to check out, that list is a great place to start. Epitonic.com has a ton of free mp3 downloads of a lot of the bands on that list. They also have "if you like this, check this other band out..." recommendations that are usually pretty helpful.
• DrPynchon: Flaming Lips are on the top of the world and have been since the Soft Bulletin if you haven't noticed. Youth != Quality, and vice versa. GBV are on their farewell tour, and the Pixies have just reunited - the two tours have been called THE live shows to see this year, and both bands have been drawing raves. Sonic Youth just put out a killer comeback album with Sonic Nurse. Green Day came out of nowhere with what is, for me, one of my top 5 albums of the year. Have you listened to American Idiot? Brian Wilson finally finished a project started nearly 40 years ago, and did so brilliantly. David Byrne probably shouldn't rank as high as he did, though he is still putting out fantastic and forward thinking albums. And Elliot Smith is dead, but his last (and possibly best) album just came out.
• Also, Better Propaganda > Epitonic.
• Is it lame to have albums by all these folks? Should i be concerned about that whole target demographic thing...
• 17) THE STROKES...ok, that sends the entire list into the "yeah right" realm. who edited this list? SPIN magazine...the little girls of "good charlotte"?
• B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
• I long ago decided arguing about stuff like this is pointless (though I certainly have my opinions). I look at lists like this as a source of suggestions for stuff I might like. Two bands that belong, IMO: Secret Machines and Songs:Ohia.
• I posted my surly response there; I'll save you guys. This is why I hate MOR indie. These are boring bands, compiled by people with a safe "critical consensus" behind them. This is a mixtape for sissies and shut-ins.
• Captain, My Captain: Yoshimi blows. Soft Bulletin was great. The current love for the Flaming Lips is just compensation for them being overlooked for so long.
• 37) METALLICA WHAT THE FUCK AUTHORS OF THIS LIST.
• Coming next week: The Top Forty Bands in America Today, according to a panel of incarcerated felons. - according to a panel of Dairy Farmers. - according to members of the REM fan club. - according to mechanics and plumbers.
• mixtape for sissies and shut-ins. ...and now I've got a working title for my next swap cd!
• Maybe the reason for so many older bands is a lack a quality stuff making it to the airwaves thse days. I caught the Pixies on Saturday at the Aragon Ballroom and was very entertained. They didn't do much jumpin around, but best concert of the year in my book. (I've gotten old and cranky and haven't seen much recently so the there is admittly a limited pool of competition) The Walkmen? feh. weak. I've listened to a dozen or so Ted Leo songs now and have yet to hear a hook or anything compelling. Can someone tell me what anybody that's not standing to make a profit sees in either of those bands?
• Js: The Lips, I suspect, are up there primarily on the strength of the live show nowadays. Yoshimi is no Soft Bulletin, but it's solid I'd say. Richer: Yea, metallicas pretty fucking baffling. mmmuttly: The Walkmen are being carried on the strength of one song - "The Rat" which is fucking amazing. Most of the rest of their stuff blows. Ted Leo is absolutely great though, and I stand by my having put him on my ballot.
• They can't spell Joanna Newsom right. Right.
• Hey, Captain Psycho, you were missed! I hope things are going well. Have a ). This is fascinating, thanks - good time to find out about all these bands I haven't heard of.
• *Psyko reading is a good idea.
• Hmmmm..... according to that page, Luna has broken up. But how come I just bought tickets to their concert this Saturday?
• Fashion. Vanity. Where would we be without them?
• Not nearly as infuriating as most of these lists. But where are Fountains of Wayne?
• Metallica?
• Psyko, Never said youth = quality. What I implied was that the music performed by these musicians was dated. Dated in the context of a list compiled for this year. You're not telling me anything I don't know. Yes, most of those guys reunited or put out records, and yes, I caught the Pixies and it was awesome. But it's hard to deny that it was awesome largely because it reminded me of my time as a college radio dj in ancient times. The facts are the Pixies haven't really put out anything new. Smile is great but the music is so old most popheads and their parents had already compiled their own versions of the songs. And the rest well, is ultimately a matter of taste, but I'd say most people don't think the Lips, GBV, Sonic Youth, Elliott Smith, or Byrne have been doing their best work lately. I guess I'll grant you Green Day put out a pretty good piece of work. Despite that, the rest still sound like the music I was listening to a long time ago, and if it comes to it, I'd rather put on Daydream Nation, XO, Bee Thousand, Transmission from the Satellite Heart, etc... I mean c'mon... Whole genres hardly or not at all represented, and so much music's coming out these days.. And if you ask me, by your logic things are still shadey as the best comeback this year is actually Mission of Burma, who remain steadfastly brilliant and are not represented.
• MMMmmmm. The Killers out of Vegas. Can't say enough good things about their new album. Glad to see them on the list, 'cause, it vindicates my overall cool index despite the obvious signs of oldfartdom.
• All I want to know is, why was the Tofu Hut not polled? he he, "polled".
• drpynchon: I'll give you most of those. The only ones I nominated are Green Day & Brian Wilson. And Mission of Burma actually came in @ #11 for me, and so weren't on my ballot. Nontheless, I can at least comprehend their inclusion.
• Not to beat a dead horse, but WOXY plays most of those bands.
• Psyko, Well, then I guess we're going to have to agree to agree... Oh and I checked out your personal list and, well, just mentioning Neutral Milk Hotel at any point in any conversation, list, debate, or the like is enough to win me over... Nice...
• Glad to hear it. :) And yeah, the Decembrists have a very NMH vibe, if a bit less Lo-Fi. Too bad Jeff Mangum went and, y'know, went insane.
• drpynchon is right. Woeful list, to the point of being pointless in the extreme, which I guess is a success because every list is, in fact, pointless. "I feel this list is pretty solid and a very good representation of what is happening in music RIGHT NOW." That's the comment that I found hardest to stick. Absolute NME/Rolling Stone token gestures of hip-hop (Eminem, Jay-Z and Outkast) and metal (erm… Metallica?!) propping up a so-so list of indie stalwarts and 'new big things' ephemera. Metallica haven't made a good album for years. Eminem's last two albums have been shocking by his standards. The Walkmen have done one good song… I won't go on, coz it's boring, but for the love of god, go listen to the Head Automatica and The Rise albums quick! This list needs a pulse.