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What're your Top 5 favorite bands / artists and why?

palmerc2

palmerc2

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Feb 29, 2008
1,625
687
Los Angeles
Mine are:

1. Avenged Sevenfold - Because their lead guitarist (Synyster Gates) is my favorite of all time. Their playing is polished and technical. I love a lot of things they've done.

2. Slayer - Because they're brutal, sporadic, not polished at ALL, not very technical....and I love it. They're the one band that truly strike a chord with me when I see them live.

3. Queens of the Stone Age - Because they have a unique sound, are incredibly talented, and their lead singer (Joshua Homme) is very creative.

4. Led Zeppelin - Because they revolutionized Rock n Roll as we know it and created a unique sound, and have produced some of my favorite songs of all time. I can't get enough of the singer (Robert Plant) and guitarist (Jimmy Page), truly amazing.

5. Black Sabbath - Alongside Zeppelin, created a new sound which paved the way for Metal. I love the lead singers voice (Ozzy Osbourne) and the lead guitarists (Tony Iommi) signature sound.
 
I'm going to stick to active bands with the prerequisite that I have seen them live.

1. Arcade Fire - "Funeral" and "The Suburbs" were among the best albums I have ever heard. The Suburbs was the deserving album in years to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.

2. Jack White - For contributions to the White Stripes and his solo efforts in particular. Undoubtedly a force in the modern music business.

3. Black Keys - Keep it simple, keep it catchy. Their old catalog would be HUGE if "Brothers" had come out first.

4. Queens of the Stone Age - You really can't go wrong with Josh Homme and Dave Groehl in his proper place. Their music is cake, but it's damn good anyway.

5. Phoenix - Makes this list as they are the BEST live show I have seen. BAR NONE. Absolutely fantastic.
 
The Beatles- The great variety of sound. The swift evolution of their music in only 7-8 years of releasing albums. The focus that each song on the album should be great, not just fillers between 2 or 3 hits. I love their whole style, hair, and attitude.

The Rolling Stones- It's pretty cool to see them still rocking even after Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are over 70 years old. I think that says a lot about their resiliency. I love their blues-inspired and innovative sound they produced in their mid-late 60s and early 70s albums.

Bob Dylan- His voice is an acquired taste, but once you get into it, it really goes well with all his songs. I'm not a fan of his later work, but his 60s stuff is amazing. His superior song-writing is shown throughout his early works (and I'm sure is still there in his later stuff)

Nirvana- I used to listen to a lot of them in high school, and I still like them now. I like the angsty feel of the songs as well as the low/mellow verses followed by upbeat choruses.

Our Lady Peace- I also used to listen to these guys a lot during high school, and I still like the way their music sounds. I can't really pinpoint what else I like about them other than the fact that I like listening to them.
 
I'm absolutely unable to justify the music I like. I don't know why; I'm capable of arguing about books and artwork and films, but debating the merit of music eludes me. I'm accepting of anyone's tastes, and I can't accept that 'x is better than y'. My response to music is too emotional.

Anyway... according to last.fm/iScrobbler my most scrobbled tracks over the last twelve months are...
1. The Civil Wars
2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
3. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
4. Yo La Tengo
5. The Specials

That's a pretty eclectic mix, but I haven't done a great deal of scrobbling in that period - the #1 slot only took 80 plays.

All-time top 10 is...
1. The Go-Betweens
2. Bob Dylan
3. The Triffids
4. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
5. Tom Waits
6. The Who
7. Miles Davis
8. Joy Division
9. Kate Bush
10. Yo La Tengo
 
Queens of the Stone Age - I could listen to their sound forever and be a very happy man.

Massive Attack - Fantastic triphop group. Later albums aren't the best, but I still love them.

Limp Bizkit - My first ever band. I know they're ridiculous, immature and Fred can't rap, but their energy and live shows are always fantastic.

Nomeansno - Weird punk rock band from Canada. I don't have a single album by them I don't love.

Arctic Monkeys - Loved them since their first ever album. Loved them even more when they got Josh Homme as a producer.
 
Hmmm, that's a tough one. I have such an eclectic taste in music.

They're numbered but to me they're in no particular order of importance.

I like listening to them and they're my favorite for various reasons. The Christian artists like Kari Job, Casting Crowns, etc are because of their lyrics, musical ability and meaning behind it. The 70s/80s rock bands because that's what I grew up with them and enjoy the music.

I'd say
  1. Kari Jobe
  2. Casting Crowns
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. AC/DC
  5. Eric Clapton
  6. Johnny Cash
  7. Michael W Smith
  8. Michael Card
  9. Queen
  10. Chris Tomlin
 
AustinIllini said:
I'm going to stick to active bands with the prerequisite that I have seen them live.

4. Queens of the Stone Age - You really can't go wrong with Josh Homme and Dave Groehl in his proper place. Their music is cake, but it's damn good anyway.
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Nice! I've always had a difficult time seeing them live. Either I'm out of town, they don't stop in Los Angeles, or I don't find out until a few days before the show and it's sold out. However I'll be seeing them next week in San Francisco for the first time, I'm stoked! Have you seen the live DVD Over the Years and Through the Woods? If you haven't I definitely recommend seeing it. Also, yes, it's a DVD...they need to hurry up and do a Blu Ray transfer :D
 
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palmerc2 said:
Nice! I've always had a difficult time seeing them live. Either I'm out of town, they don't stop in Los Angeles, or I don't find out until a few days before the show and it's sold out. However I'll be seeing them next week in San Francisco for the first time, I'm stoked!
Click to expand...
Cool! I saw them at the ACL Music festival. They played a great set. Seeing them live gave me a whole new appreciation for their stuff.

Have you seen the live DVD Over the Years and Through the Woods? If you haven't I definitely recommend seeing it. Also, yes, it's a DVD...they need to hurry up and do a Blu Ray transfer :D
Click to expand...

Oh man a DVD? lol
 
Celtic Women - I'll be honest, they are like sirens leading ships onto the rocks.

Leonard Cohen - When he sings there is a passion in his voice. In concert, he sounds the same as on a record. No studio magic for this guy.

Elvis Aron Presley - "Hold on! One more thing or I'm walking, too. I don't work on January the 8th. It's the King's birthday."

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel - In both their career together and Paul's solo career, the music is timeless.

Alabama - I'll bet that one caught you by surprise. Truly, the country group of my era. They were able to liven up country music from the drinking, cheating, etc. to move it into mainstream.
 
mine there can be only four :D

Goblin - as I discovered more genre films, so Goblin became a way for me to love those films even when I was not watching them. I can listen to 1 or several tracks of theirs on a loop all day - especially when I’m at work and/or doing creative things. They transport me.

Ufomammut - I was into doom metal when it was Sabbath, St. Vitus and a few bands like Cathedral and Penance. As the sound became more popular, I find it boring. Ufomammut are different however, they add a Goblin aesthetic and vaguely punk sound to their lumbering songs. And I love that the vocals are kept mysterious, something in the background. I can listen to them on a loop all day too - (select songs though.) I am looking forward to whatever they do next. They give new meaning to the term power trio.

Hail of Bullets - a mid aughts death metal metal comprised of guys who have been playing this music since the 80s. Since my beloved Bolt Thrower stopped recording nine years ago, these guys are a worthy substitute and they have the better vocalist (sorry Karl.) Ironically, said vocalist filled in for the Bolts back in the 90s but never recorded with them. There’s also more than a bit of Celtic Frost influence too - that never hurts. HoB are blisteringly heavy. They seem to be stuck on WWII lyrically - Eastern Front, Pacific Theatre, Polish uprising and now the African front.

Bolt Thrower - I only listen to their Realm of Chaos album now but there was a time these lads and lass were my favorite band. And by time I meant 20 years. Sure they’ve surpassed the musicianship, but I adore this down tuned bombastic Games Workshop fueled noise. Realm remains the perfect death metal album for me: unbelievably heavy songs with some catchy moments, down tuned tank-sounding bass and guitars, terrific fantasy lyrics and sometimes music that sounded as chaotic as the visuals they were describing. In my world they would have continued with this sound and pitch, but that’s me, not them. Bolt Thrower got me through the worst job I ever had and they still inspire me in all kinds of positive ways.

I’ll just leave the fifth spot blank - I like some classic rock, film scores (especially if they’re electronic like Goblin), funk, old school rap, U.K. punk. And I can’t think of another band that I listen beyond these four right now.
 
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