Radiohead
Strengths: They never stay in one spot or settle for something that they've done too much. Great at balancing experimental aspects of their music while staying relevant and not drifting too far away.

Weaknesses: The fans, myself included hype them up too much. The Bends is overrated and Pablo Honey is shit. HTTT is about 4 songs too long. Chris Martin.

No.

Oh yeh I forgot Thom Yorke gave birth to him.

Radiohead
Strengths: With Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A (I have still to hear Amnesiac), they have done what the best and most well known rock bands of all time like The Beatles have done; move rock music forward, and maintain experimental tendencies while having a pop sensibility that makes them just as listenable (generally) as The Monkees.
Weaknesses: Overexposure for one. They were refrenced on a Disney Channel episode recently. And also they have the tendency to go nowhere with some songs and have too few hooks on the last two albums.

Pavement
Strengths: First three albums are perfect, melodies are amazing- another band that changed the sound of rock; one time a friend said about them "They sound like generic 90's rock...but awesome!" a perfect example of how imitated they were.
Weaknesses: Malkmus can reach too far sometimes, look at the song, I think it's 'Sagnaw' or something, from that EP they did after Wowee Zowee; it's supposed to be this odd unusual Native American sounding Pavement song...but it just sucks. Also, Terror Twilight tries to be pretty rather than engaging, and thus fails as an album.

Deerhunter
Strengths: Great melodies, every album has a different sound to it, they do a near perfect mix of punk, shoegaze, 60's pop, and krautrock.
Weaknesses: Parts of Cryptograms can drag a little, and some of their less poppy songs can get boring at times.

The Olivia Tremor Control
Strengths: One of my favorite bands of all time, OTC is what the Beatles would sound like 30 years later if they had done acid 1000's of more times....and if they didn't just get stuck in that 70's rut that just about every 60's band did. Black Foliage may be the best album of the 90's.
Weaknesses: Their ambient stuff is sometimes just a tape recorder left out a window for 10 minutes, or a bunch of sound effects...for 15 minutes, which I personally feel, ****s up the flow of their albums.

Yeah, that's about right.

Haha. I was the one to give you shit about it last time. I can't believe I actually remember that. :p:

Hell yes to that. I stopped reading interviews with him at one point because hearing what he had to say was making me like their music less. And on a similar note...

Swans
Strengths: Some of the most intense, powerful and unique music ever recorded IMHO.
Weaknesses: As far as personalities go, Jarboe and Michael Gira are the type pretentious jackasses that you just want to slap.

The Cure
Strengths: Robert Smith's ability to write happy upbeat pop songs along side brooding melancholic epics. Robert's huge guitar sound, Simon Gallup's bass style, brilliant albums like Disintegration, Faith, Pornography and The Head On The Door.

Weakness: Robert doesn't know when to call it quits, i think they've gone on long enough. 4:13 Dream and the s/t were very average and at 50 years of age does anyone think Robert Smith is a bit too old to be wearing make-up and singing angsty songs?

Tell that to Joan Jett.

EDIT: If you diss Joan Jett I will find where you live and it won't be pleasant. :D

Very nice. Insightful too.


Creedence Clearwater Revival
Strengths: John Fogerty is a musical genius oozing with more talent than he knows what to do with. He has made an distinct sound for his band (with his unique voice and recognizable guitar) all himself. He didn't put out A LOT of music but what he did put out was quality. On top of everything else, he has some really beautiful lyrics in his songs. He often sings about small town life and rivers and such (much of what I am around and what I can relate to) so they really have some personal meaning to me which adds to my liking of this band. So I cannot guarantee they would have the same effect on someone from big city.

Weaknesses: A few of the songs tend to sound the same, not a whole lot of experimentation, but I guess he was just doing what works. When John Fogerty was a young dumb kid and he sold the rights of his songs and one of them in particular (Fortunate Son) got used in commercials and the meaning was twisted and chopped up to convey the opposite of what the true meaning of the song was. That was a major dick up, in my opinion.

The Marshall Tucker Band
Strengths: A soulful southern rock band that mixes many different elements in their music to make it a band to really appreciate. There is not one weak member in this band, and they blend together perfectly. They all are very talented, and it really shows through when you hear a song like "Can't You See", my favorite along with their most popular song. If you just set there and listen to their music it can really take you away. You can really see and feel what they are singing and playing about. Doug Gray's vocals are great. Definitely a major strength.

Weaknesses: When I first listened to this band, I heard their often used openings for songs (the flutes) and I went "Well, this is gay" and I took me a little bit to get used to the beginnings, but they started to grow on me and I soon appreciated the flute solos and such. I may be wrong, but I think these beginnings scare off a few potential fans. Their music also tends to be a little on the long side. Southern Woman, Running Like the Wind, are both about two minutes too long. I would like it more if they cut out a little more of some the fair instrumental pieces they have in a few songs.

I have to say I much prefer Lake and Wetton over Belew. Belew is the reason I have a hard time getting into any of their work from 81-on. Discipline and The Power to Believe are the only two I've heard during that time, though, but both have some very cheesy vocal/lyrical stuff, IMO. So to me, vocals and general inconsistency throughout their career are KC's weaknesses. I agree with the strengths posted.

Spot on.


Noooooo, I love her. I would go *** for her in a heatbeat.

Talking Heads

Strengths: CHANGED PUNK FOREVER. If you listen to "Nevermind the Bollucks" and think that they didn't overthink the album, I would highly reccomend you allow "Remain in Light" to absolutly blow your mind. Its gorgeous. The lyrics, the crazy/charismatic singing, the tribal music influences, the brilliant guitar....

Weaknesses:...but I'll admit that if you're not in the mood to listen to it, it gets highly annoying. Perhaps the last thing I want to hear when I'm really upset is, "TAKE A LOOK AT THESE HANDS. TAKE A LOOK AT THESE HANDS. TAKE A LOOK AT THESE HANDS. I'MA GOVERNMENT MAN."

And got far too carried away with that whole 'world music' thing.

The Fall
Strengths: WHen theyre on, sound like no other punk band, yet encapsulate punk perfectly, 'Hex Enduction' is spot on.

Weaknesses: Far too prolific...it's clear if someone downloaded ten completely random Fall songs they probably wouldn't like them. Then again, thats why I research bands/albums before I listen to anything.

Magnetic Fields
Strengths: Absurdly catchy, and also the perfect meld of funny, clever, simple lyrics I love.
Weaknesses: See above.

Nine Inch Nails

Strengths Trent Reznor is a musical genious. He also proved that industrial music could be catchy as well as progressive.

Weakness Sometimes his music is simply too dense and feels as if it is going to collapse under the weight of itself. Lyrics usually are sub par. Overall it takes itself far too seriously.

Very well said.

Minutemen

Strength: Great Ideas musically, guitar, bass, and drumwork are excellent

Weakness: Their songs are too f**king short. i mean i can understand where they're coming from, but it seems that when i'm getting into one of their songs, it's already over.


oh and to anyone who says, what do you expect from the Minutemen, f*ck you:finger:

i can understand where you're coming from but that's what hardcore was. it's not like there was much else to the songs; they purposely left them short to leave out the production flourishes that usually accompany pop music.

good to see you're enjoying them this much though. :thumb:

Ya, that too.

yeah, i know that, just a small part of me wanted a bit more, haha;)

bumped because I'm in that kinda mood.

Steel Pulse
Strengths: Terrific bunch of musicians responsible for some of the finest roots and dancehall reggae there's ever been. David Hinds is one of my favourite vocalists, and he's got a way with words as a lyricist which really gets his message across with a lasting impact. Handsworth Revolution and True Democracy are two of my desert island albums.

Weaknesses: It's not much of a criticism, but you could say that they did too much too soon. 3 of their first 4 albums are amazing, but from there all of their releases lack the same sort of punch. Plus, State Of Emergency is one of few albums I've spent good money on that I can't say a single good thing about.

The Future Sound Of London
Strengths: The men behind the name, Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans, are without a shadow of a doubt two of the best composers in electronic music. From dancefloor classics like Papua New Guinea and Humanoid, they've been responsible for some of the most breathtaking progressive house, ambient, down-tempo and neo-psychedelic music I've ever heard. Virtually all their album covers are awesome too.

Weaknesses: Among their performing and recording aliases are the Amorphous Androgynous, Humanoid, Stakker, Zeebox, Yage, Part-Sub-Merged, Heads Of Agreement... you get the idea. Coupled with countless EPs, live albums and compilations, this not only makes them far too prolific, but also makes hunting down their discography just about the most confusing and infuriating task a collector can take on. Plus some of their more left-of-centre and therefore best albums can seem a bit much to take on for the beginner.