# Who is your favorite rock band of the past 10 years... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349 "2009-08-04T22:06:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/41 "2009-08-05T20:02:55Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > Again, if we’re talking “relevant in the past ten years”, then my vote is for **Porcupine Tree**. > > Steven Wilson, PT’s bandleader, doesn’t produce “neo-prog” (i.e. faux-prog) – there’s really nothing “progressive” about a band in 2009 making records that sound like they were recorded in 1971. Instead, PT produce genuine progressive rock. > > The highlights of the last ten years: _Stupid Dream_ (1999), _In Absentia_ (2002) and the _Nil Recurring_ EP (2007). The track “Arriving Somewhere But Not Here” from 2005’s _Deadwing_, however, is a perfect encapsulation of their current sound. I like _Fear of a Blank Planet_ best, personally. Great band, tho, and SW is in a league with Todd Rundgren, Neil Young, and a very few others who can pretty much decide what they want to do and nail it nearly every time. He’s an extremely gifted musician and songwriter. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/42 "2009-08-05T20:03:49Z")
Ever since the Promise Ring broke up, I’ve tried to not have a favorite rock band as those have a tendency to break up. But I guess I’d have to go with _Coheed and Cambria_, which _should_ “break up” (or at least change their name) after they complete the quadrilogy, but will probably stick around much to the detriment of Claudio’s side project, _The Prizefighter Inferno_, which I have more hope for more cool stuff from than Co+Ca despite their _In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3_ being the best prog-metal album ever. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/43 "2009-08-05T20:06:13Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > :eek: > > not even CLOSE to hair metal. Not even close. Not even remotely related. > > I mean, Mastodon cites Neurosis as their single biggest influence. You ever listen to Neurosis? It’s not even in the same galaxy as hair metal. > > You don’t have to like them, but geeeeeeez. Yeah, I agree. I’m not really a huge Mastodon fan but they are obviously not hair metal. About the closest thing you could compare them to from that era (and really before that era) is Motorhead, who also isn’t hair metal. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/44 "2009-08-05T20:08:30Z")
My favorite band of the last 10 years is also my favorite band of the last 25 years: **SLAYER**! These guys are in their mid-40s, and the music they make today is more complex, more hard-hitting, faster and more lyrically stinging than ever before. Their live shows are still full of tremendous energy. For a band that helped pioneer the Thrash sound and aesthetic, they haven’t given an inch in almost 30 years. In fact, they’ve prolly taken a few inches: that’s how aggressive they are. If I have to go with a band formed in the last 10 years, I gotta go with **The Bronx**. They often seem to be the only band around that really understands what punk rock was (and is). (If only because **Refused** are fucking dead, that is.) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/45 "2009-08-05T20:12:48Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Ever since the Promise Ring broke up, I’ve tried to not have a favorite rock band as those have a tendency to break up. But I guess I’d have to go with _Coheed and Cambria_, which _should_ “break up” (or at least change their name) after they complete the quadrilogy, but will probably stick around much to the detriment of Claudio’s side project, _The Prizefighter Inferno_, which I have more hope for more cool stuff from than Co+Ca despite their _In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3_ being the best prog-metal album ever. I was waiting for someone to mention Coheed. I think their good songs are _great_, but some of their weaker stuff sounds like Incubus b-sides. They’re very inconsistent. I know I’m probably not hip or technical enough to “get” their instrumental progressive genius, but I listen to music holistically\*, and it sounds to me like there is a lot of filler on each album with a few good songs in between. _Meaning I’m not typically one to go, ZOMG^&_\_$^& DID YOU HEAR THAT _GUITAR?!!_ The package has to meld and sound good together as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/46 "2009-08-05T20:57:41Z")
**Modest Mouse** , hands down. As for a band FORMED in the last 10 years… That is tougher. My short list would be: **The Fratellis, Animal Collective, Eagles of Death Metal, Bishop Allen**. Hard to pick a favorite there, at gunpoint right now I would go with Animal Collective. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/47 "2009-08-05T21:12:10Z")
Why do people have such a hard time listing one thing as their favorite on this board? Every thread like this has people listing their top 10 favorite things when they were asked for their number one. Hmm… I would say, last 10 years, Trivium probably. All of their albums are spectacular and they play the hell out of their instruments. Check out their latest, Shogun, for an awesome album. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/48 "2009-08-05T21:22:14Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > Why do people have such a hard time listing one thing as their favorite on this board? Every thread like this has people listing their top 10 favorite things when they were asked for their number one. Hmm… I hardly have a single favorite anything, and in the rare instances that I do, it’s not really representative of my tastes. For instance, my favorite movie is _Citizen Kane_, but I’m not particularly fanatical about the 1940s in cinema. In fact I’m not even particularly excited about narrative film at all these days; I’m more into documentary. In music, it’s even more complicated. I have favorite classic rock bands, favorite composers, favorite death metal bands, favorite bluegrass bands, favorite avant garde bands, favorite folk bands, favorite reggae, favorite power metal, favorite rap, favorite pop, favorite punk, favorite jazz, favorite baroque pop, etc etc etc, and they’re typically all based on my mood. If I tell you my “favorite band” is 311 (which it probably is), that tells you **nothing** about my taste in music, because there are few bands that sound remotely similar to them, and I don’t really like any of them. That’s probably why people are reluctant to list one favorite; if your tastes are broad or complex whatsoever, then it’s like reading one paragraph out of the middle of a book. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/49 "2009-08-05T21:22:56Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > Again, if we’re talking “relevant in the past ten years”, then my vote is for **Porcupine Tree**. > > Steven Wilson, PT’s bandleader, doesn’t produce “neo-prog” (i.e. faux-prog) – there’s really nothing “progressive” about a band in 2009 making records that sound like they were recorded in 1971. Instead, PT produce genuine progressive rock. > > The highlights of the last ten years: _Stupid Dream_ (1999), _In Absentia_ (2002) and the _Nil Recurring_ EP (2007). The track “Arriving Somewhere But Not Here” from 2005’s _Deadwing_, however, is a perfect encapsulation of their current sound. Porcupine Tree is pretty cool but they never grabbed me that deeply. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/50 "2009-08-05T21:23:57Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Yeah, I agree. I’m not really a huge Mastodon fan but they are obviously not hair metal. About the closest thing you could compare them to from that era (and really before that era) is Motorhead, who also isn’t hair metal. Are you serious? Motorhead? I don’t hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/51 "2009-08-05T21:27:49Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Are you serious? Motorhead? I don’t hear it. I’m just thinking more along the lines of balls-out, sub-mainstream, aggressive hard rock. Not really a direct comparison, which I don’t think really existed in the '80s. Maybe Sabbath would’ve been a better choice. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/52 "2009-08-05T21:29:17Z")
Until their latest CD, Crack the Skye, I’ve described Mastodon as Ride the Lightning-era Metallica… ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/53 "2009-08-05T21:32:31Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Until their latest CD, Crack the Skye, I’ve described Mastodon as Ride the Lightning-era Metallica… Everything I heard was off of Crack the Skye and was more poppy metal. Hair metal might be a poor description, but I don’t see them as being anything all that exceptional. I’ll try to find older stuff, if people have a link for me it would be appreciated. I love Ride the Lightning era Metallica. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/54 "2009-08-05T21:38:07Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Everything I heard was off of Crack the Skye and was more poppy metal. Hair metal might be a poor description, but I don’t see them as being anything all that exceptional. I’ll try to find older stuff, if people have a link for me it would be appreciated. I love Ride the Lightning era Metallica. Last two CD’s were Blood Mountain, which I don’t have, and Leviathan, which I do and is the one I based my reference on. Maybe try a YouTube search? Ah - [here’s one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-au_rqpDHng)… And yeah, Crack the Skye was meant to have more melodic vocals and arrangements… ---
**Author:** ![bramma23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@bramma23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bramma23)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/55 "2009-08-06T04:11:06Z")
Arcade Fire. Their first CD is a masterpiece. Their second CD is very very good. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/56 "2009-08-06T05:26:57Z")
Another vote for **White Stripes** - _Ball & Biscuit_ alone puts them on top of my list. Still kicking myself for about 4-5 years ago when I bought tickets for my two sisters for their concert but not for myself. ---
**Author:** ![crazzycat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@crazzycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazzycat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/57 "2009-08-06T09:32:25Z")
Metallica is oldest and coolest band ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349/58 "2009-08-06T10:20:36Z")
90’s bands like Belle and Sebastian or Radiohead still had a lot of good and interesting material in the 00’s. There’s been so much good music, like there is any decade. Only perhaps now more than ever, there is a brooding underground scene that keeps things divergent. I’ve enjoyed watching Feist and MIA hit the mainstream. Both deserve it. Animal Collective is a very interesting band as well. White Stripes doesn’t do much for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-favorite-rock-band-of-the-past-10-years/505349.md?page=2)