what's the most critically acclaimed band...

[user_60]

Christ.

I dig some of his earlier works.

[user_333]

Christ.

I dig some of his earlier works.

I guess the general public need things predigested hence His popularity.

[user_463]

Radiohead

The critical and youth attention lavished on them seems misplaced. Sure there are more deserving bands out there. But do the general public need things predigested hence their popularity?
Is that too precious?
Stevo

WAT?

[user_305]

I mention Kid Rock jokingly and everyone's all, "He's not critically acclaimed," but nobody said that when others mentioned, say, Muslimgauze or ECM records.

[user_60]

Okay, roll your eyes, but I still contend that Kid Rock is at least as critically acclaimed (in that certain critics have acclaimed his music) as is Muslimgauze. He's certainly appeared on far more covers of glossy music magazines, which like it or not, represent popular music criticism. Just because you might not take those critics seriously doesn't change the fact.

[user_305]

they should make a 'you know what they meant when they said that' emoticon.

[user_60]

Or a 'you don't seem to get my point' emoticon.

[user_305]

touche

[user_380]

bjork
my bloody valentine
almost all of what beck has put out.

[user_125]

wasn't Music For 18 Musicians released on ECM originally? that was pretty acclaimed, no?

-paul

[negative potential]

Such a great idea for a thread. Let's revive it.

For me it's The Minutemen. I tried really hard to like them, especially since they come so highly recommended by people whose tastes tend to correspond to my own, but I just can't help but regard them as another poor man's Gang of Four, like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

What makes both Minutemen and RHCP so shitty is that basically they superficially nicked the sound of Gang of Four, but what made Gang of Four great was the total package: not just the trebly staccato guitars and funky rhythm section, but also the Marxism-by-way-of-private-life lyrics, dry vocals, Situationist imagery, and historical context that it emerged from.

WIthout all that, you have a recipe for a lame, lukwarm white boy punk-funk band, which is basically what the Minutemen were.

[bedouin]

but to answer your question more accurately, I purposely avoid public places because I don't like most people.

hahaha, awesome!

there is so much music i have avoided, but relating to this forum, i'd guess it would be Sonic Youth, the entire post rock deal, and most of the tzadik + thrill jokey labels. not sure why, but they seem to be too much noise about not that much (though i maybe wrong)...

[negative potential]

i'd guess it would be Sonic Youth

Oh yeah, absolutely. I think at least among the top three of critically adored bands that do absolutely nothing for me.

Sonic Youth have all the right influences (Velvet Underground, 20th century western "classical" music, avant-garde Jazz, etc.) which might be indicative of impeccable taste, but in terms of their own output, they are dull, dull, dull, and the inspiration for every shitty guitar-based band of the past 25 years or so (I basically loathe all the 1990s "indie-rock" stuff as well, with the partial exception of Stereolab, who get points for their lounge-pop/kraut-rock pastiche with Castoriadis-inspired lyrics)

Ultimately it's not their fault that they have a legion of dull indie-rock fans who would rather listen to Sonic Youth than the music that influenced Sonic Youth, they certainly do enough to promote their influences and what not, but the appeal of their music continues to elude me.

To sum up, the type of band formed by people who have really good record collections but no intense personal vision.

[cheerios]

weezer. can't stand 'em.

[J.F.]

Sonic Youth have all the right influences (Velvet Underground, 20th century western "classical" music, avant-garde Jazz, etc.) which might be indicative of impeccable taste, but in terms of their own output, they are dull, dull, dull

I'll admit that I turned out to avoid about 70% of their output (which I often find to be "dull" as well), and just focus on a few songs per LP - but I have a lot of time for those!

I have a rough picture what bands are popular these days, but I have no idea which are "critically acclaimed" (that is... in the music journalists' camp).

[Gerardo A]

Sonic Youth
Unleashed -- all of my friends who dig Swedish death like them, I hate 'em.
David Bowie
Elvis Costello
Beach Boys
Springsteen
Tchaikovsky
Big Star
Rolling Stones
80's Fela after "Coffin for Head of State"; "Army Arrangement" is so cheesy it made stop listening to Fela for a couple of months.
Os Paralamas
Jandek
Beastie Boys (when they're not playing punk)
Beck (walked out of his concert at Outside Lands 2 years ago)
Cat Power
Bonnie Prince Billy (except some of the covers he plays)
Thom Yorke/Johnny Greenwood (and I do remember "OK Computer" and "Kid A" with some affection)
White Stripes
Arcade Fire
Animal Collective
LCD Soundsystem
Outkast
Pat Metheny
Chick Corea Elektric Band
Flip Philips
Oliver Nelson as a soloist/player (as a composer he rules)
The Decemberists
Devendra Banhart
Julieta Venegas
Ximena Sariñana
Ely Guerra

[jon abbey]

wow, people like to mythologize the 'early days of IHM', but we were really not too far from Hipinion here (which I don't think existed yet, but still).

it's never crossed my mind to compare Gang of Four and the Minutemen, two bands who I love at their best. Entertainment is one of my top rock albums of all time, endlessly playable (maybe in part because I didn't hear it until later, but still), but for me, they lost it right after that. I'm not a fan of most early Minutemen, but their excursions into longer tracks (most of Post-Mersh, Vol. 2 on CD) are also superb. also, their covers are hilarious and brilliant: shredding tracks like Dr. Wu and Ain't Talkin' Bout Love, shrinking them down to a minute by getting rid of anything unnecessary. adding in the Red Hot Chili Peppers is just confusing the issue.

I think Sonic Youth is basically meh on record (except for 'The Diamond Sea' and 'Hits of Sunshine') and always have been (although I didn't start listening until 'Daydream Nation', so maybe if I'd heard the earlier ones when they came out?). they can be really good live, though, especially when O'Rourke was in the band and Kim didn't have to play bass.

[efren_del_valle]

I think Sonic Youth is basically meh on record (except for 'The Diamond Sea' and 'Hits of Sunshine') and always have been (although I didn't start listening until 'Daydream Nation', so maybe if I'd heard the earlier ones when they came out?). they can be really good live, though, especially when O'Rourke was in the band and Kim didn't have to play bass.

Their first albums don't stand the test of time very well, and that includes "Daydream Nation", which sounds kind of bland to me. From then on, there are good recorded examples of their music (Sister, Dirty, Washing Machine, Experimental..., A Thousand Leaves), but the whole thing starts going down the hill with "Sonic Nurse" up to "The Eternal", which is absolutely mediocre and forgettable.

They're a memorable live experience, though.

[free math]

tom waits
johnny cash
kate bush
lou reed solo (i like some velvets)
thurston moore solo/side-projects (likewise SY, less so)
laurie anderson
david bowie (except his "wild is the wind")
the cure, the smiths, depeche mode, etc... (i have a little love for joy division/new order, basically just "transmission" and "bizarre love triangle")
the clash

[Steve Reynolds]

I never loved Sonic Youth until the last few months

I now find playing the recordings LOUD in my car is my new favorite thing

love Rather Ripped and The Eternal


as someone said there are always a few real good tracks - and those 2 most recent records have a few absolutely great tracks (Incinerate, Sleeping Around, Pink Steam, Antenna, Sacred Trickster, etc)

like Daydream Nation and Goo - the famous record still comes across as somewhat muffled even in the latest re-master


will be listening to the 2 with O'Rourke (Sonic Nurse & Murray Street) within the week


then Washing Machine and A Thousand Leaves

then to the earliest records which back in the day never had an effect on me for whatever reason


also a new love are the last 2 Dinosaur records - if mostly for the great sound and melodies of J Mascis