The Best Band in the World Today!

PaulBrewer

I see on BBC 6Music's site that Coldplay are up for 4 Q awards, including 'Best Band in the World Today'.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20080902_QAwardsNominations.shtml


I find that bands who hit that level of success have moved off my Radar, despite some having been on it once.

I loved Coldplay's first album, 2nd one was ok, 3rd one not interested and so on.
That's been a pattern all my life with bands (bar The Jam who got better as they went along..... but they broke up in 1980!)

Even as a kid and the odd mish-mash bunch of bands one likes it was the same.


And so it went/goes - liked or loved the first couple of records- then monster hits and indifference from me.

Do you have a similar relationship with bands? What is it that they loose?
From my point of view it's nothing about being big, I like big! I ain't ashamed of big.

Here's Q's lists - all good stuff (bar Bon Iver
and Gabriella Cilmi who I don't know)

Breakthrough Artist
Duffy
Adele
Santogold
Bon Iver
Gabriella Cilmi

Best New Act
Fleet Foxes
Glasvegas
The Ting Tings
The Last Shadow Puppets
Vampire Weekend

Best Track
Keane - Spiralling
Duffy - Mercy
Coldplay - Violet Hill
Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name

Best Video
Hot Chip - Ready To The Floor
Coldplay - Violet Hill
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
Goldfrapp - Happiness

Best Live Act
Kaiser Chiefs
Kings Of Leon
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
The Verve
Rage Against The Machine

Best Album
Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death Or And All His Friends
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age Of The Understatement
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Nick Cave And The Band Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!

Best Act In The World Today
Coldplay
Oasis
Muse
Metallica
Kings Of Leon

Which of the newer lot will be making any impact on the Brewer (or your) Psyche on their 3rd album I wonder?

... and how the feck can you be 'THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD TODAY'?

TelePaul

Paul Wellers new album is bitchin'. Nick Cave...I didn't love that album. He's doing well from the alt. revival.

jtsuited

fairly predictable list (not that that's a bad thing).

I like Coldplay. Loved their first album, loved their second, sort of loved their third and haven't heard the new one.

I think one band who have really shown how to do a long career properly are Radiohead.

Pablo Honey - typical breakthrough album for a rock/indie band with an epic single (Creep)

The Bends - High quality guitar album (sounds painfully dated now though) with absolute corkers of singles (high & dry, fake plastic trees, just). Hints that the band are moving to a darker place.

Ok Computer - Absolute classic, if not perfect album. Has classic pop-songs hidden in a cloak of paranoia, panic and sort of experimentalism (fitter happier etc.).

Kid A - Not a guitar anthem chorus in sight, clearly (and admittedly) influenced by Warp records' back catalogue. Turns on a whole generation of geeky indie-types onto electronic/dance music. No radio hit, no stadium belters. Just trippy beautiful electronica. Their first US Number 1 album, and not a bit of radio airplay. That's how you do it.

Amnesiac - Sort of showed that Kid A was not just a phase.

Hail To The Thief - Fantastic album bringing together the best of both Radiohead worlds. A lot of people didn't like it though. there there is probably my favourite radiohead song ever (and probably favourite song ever)

In Rainbows - Apart from all the publicity about giving it away for free (which technically is not what they did at all), it's a really great album. A lot more 'band-sounding' than maybe a few earlier ones. The dub influence is very clear, even in a musical context (listen to the drumming). I imagine a lot of Kraftwerk was listened to with this one.


But Coldplay haven't really done that. They've sort of gone from 'Indie band with nice songs' to Superstar Band, sounding uncomfortably like U2 and seeming to have lost a sense of purpose.
But hey, on those rare occassions that I have to listen to the radio, hearing a Coldplay song is a hell of a lot better than having to endure the aural sodomy that is Chris Brown!

trackmixstudio

Never liked Coldplay, even before they turned into a second rate U2.
Their American success greatly surprises me.
I love the bit in "the 40 year old virgin" where the 2 guys are having a slagging match and one says "do you know how I know you're gay?, 'cause you like Coldplay"

There are many bands I used to really like but at some point didn't connect with them.
There are not many bands around these days who have held my attention over a few albums. Some exceptions would be The Hold Steady, Porcupine Tree, Dredg, Chevelle.

Some bands have not changed at all over the years and these are usually the bands I tend to keep enjoying. Maybe it's good to know what to expect and if I want to listen to something different, I will listen to someone else.

For example, I read a great interview with Angus Young who replied to a question about the latest album (at the time) sounding like the rest with "We've been playing the same song for 20 years but it's a good song".

As for bands selling out, a friend of mine writes a punk fanzine and got to interview Dexter Holland of the offspring a few years ago when they played the Point at the height of their career. The offspring where an underground band until "pretty fly for a white guy".
My friend asked him what he had to say about people saying the offspring had sold out to which he replied "Come to my yacht and tell me I've sold out!"

studiorat

Kings of Leon would be my tip.

Of course we all know the best band in the world are Wilco.

PaulBrewer

studiorat wrote: »

Kings of Leon would be my tip.

Of course we all know the best band in the world are Wilco.

Saw the Kings in the RDS earlier this year ....

They were slightly less interested than I was. I left before the end.
Even the ceiling lost interest ............

FlipperThePriest

I saw Muse at Marley Park and they were pretty damn good! Thought they would have been considered for best live act...again.

Also, I would have thought Arcade Fire (brill live - saw them in radio city New York) and Sigur Ros would have been mentioned somewhere along the line, two of my favourite acts at the mo.. along with Radiohead of course!

Check out Miracle Fortress dudes - great new band, debut album: Five Roses.

studiorat

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Saw the Kings in the RDS earlier this year ....

They were slightly less interested than I was. I left before the end.
Even the ceiling lost interest ............

Good team on a bad day. I heard the lads were pissed off 'cause there was no horses or tractors there. About the only thing the RDS is good for going to see!

jtsuited

studiorat wrote: »

About the only thing the RDS is good for going to see!

And horsey girls in late august.
Ah the memories!

jiltloop

Looking at recent bands I highly regard Arcade Fire, they're very original and seem to be musically intelligent and gifted. I hope they last a long time and continue to evolve and develop, but hey, they probably won't, just cos I like them of course.

jill_valentine

Another vote for Arcade Fire here. Radiohead... maybe, but their best days are behind them.

Feelgood

BullSh1t list if you ask me, not even a hint of Pearl Jam in there....

PaulBrewer

Feelgood wrote: »

BullSh1t list if you ask me, not even a hint of Pearl Jam in there....

Excuse me?

Feelgood

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Excuse me?

Q's list looks bull**** to be honest. Best Act in the world today?. Oasis or Coldplay?. Laughable!.

PaulBrewer

Ah, I see.

And your suggestions?

Seziertisch

For all those bigging up the Arcade Fire as completely original, I would recommend they check out Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Airplane over the Sea".

IMHO a far superior work.

suckslikeafox

I would have to say Muse are by far top for consitentcy of their albums and for being kick-ass live. Thought the fact that everyone namechecks them now annoys me

jtsuited

suckslikeafox wrote: »

I would have to say Muse are by far top for consitentcy of their albums and for being kick-ass live. Thought the fact that everyone namechecks them now annoys me

jeepers completely forgot about them.

wasn't a massive fan of their last album though.

PaulBrewer

suckslikeafox wrote: »

I would have to say Muse are by far top for consitentcy of their albums and for being kick-ass live. Thought the fact that everyone namechecks them now annoys me

Yes I agree they do seem to be progressing. I always think that they have a natural confidence about them (judging from interviews, I don't know them) that they don't seem to be under pressure, Hugeness is what they do.

Perhaps that's what allows them to continue in an interesting fashion.