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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Porcupine Tree is pretty cool but they never grabbed me that deeply.
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.
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.
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…
And yeah, Crack the Skye was meant to have more melodic vocals and arrangements…
Arcade Fire.
Their first CD is a masterpiece.
Their second CD is very very good.
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.
Metallica is oldest and coolest band
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.