5 Bands I can't get enough of
Yes, it's one of those list-thingies; if you hate this stuff, I'm not stopping you to leave. For this list, I use only one criteria: If I was stuck on a desert island, and their songs are played ad infinitum, I shouldn't get sick of them.
Trivia: 4 of the bands listed needed only a minute of consideration before their inundation. The fifth took a lot longer - but the moment I remembered them, they shot straight to the runners-up position. Strange how these things work. Also: Your list will vary. That's how it is. So I don't want no flaming.
Here goes:
#5 - Evanescence
My discovery of Evanescence was a three-step process that took less than 2 hours: Friend send me an mp3 sample. Me went to music store to listen. Me brought home Fallen. For me, their main appeal were their hybrid of rock and gothic elements. Combined with haunting lyrics (Imaginary is pretty much one of the most quotable songs ever) and frontwoman Amy Lee's tormented and powerful mezzo soprano, they form a one-two-ouch combo that floored me from the get-go. The new Call Me When You're Sober feels rather.. different, but still captivating. Let's hope their new album will hold up the standard.
(Would also like to take this moment to say that thru the miracle of the internet, I've managed to score their hyper-limited EPs before turning major label. Hurrah!)
#4 - Linkin Park
Their music is a lovechild of metal & rap, but there's not a single swearword in sight. Is it any wonder that they're a hit with the teen crowd and parents alike? I dunno who first thought that Chester Benningham's very recognisable wailing fits with Mr Hahn's beats, but he was a genious. This band single-handedly make angst cool and marketable. Lately though, the Legion of Emo-Kids have hijacked their songs, reducing the cool factor by 200%. I'm pretty sure the band had nothing to do with this rising atrocity.
#3 - The Offspring
Put simply, The Offspring was how I discovered that music can be fun in the first place. Come Out and Play was so deliciously catchy that even though I only heard it once when I was six, it was instantly recognizable 8 years later. They were also the one that sold my brother on the whole Rock shtick. Ah, the memories of listening to Ixnay on the Hombre as a kid; we would sing along happily, giggling at the rude words but never really understood what they were about. With age comes enlightenment, and with enlightenment came rude shock. There's just something unplacably unique about them that sets them apart from the other punk bands - or maybe it's just vocalist Dexter Holland's degree in Medicine.
#2 - Kahitna
I whacked my forehead when I realized I forgot including them in the list. It was soo obvious, too. Sigh. Anyway, there's a certain timelessness in their songs that never grow old-fashioned. 3 generations from now, someone's child will listen to Cerita Cinta or Setahun Kemarin and it will still be as cool as when they were first released. Also unique in the sense it's one of very few non-boybands that feature 3 vocalists. It's hard to describe how they're awesome, except that they are. Period. They would be #1 on the list if not for..
#1 - The Beatles
Was there ever any doubt? The Fab Four's repertoire run the gamut from the old-fashioned I Want to Hold Your Hand to the timeless Yesterday to the bizarre Revolution #9. They were perhaps the only band that switches their music genre from album to album (sometimes in a single album, even) without losing any of their fans. String ensemble? Eleanor Rigby. Ridiculously silly? I am the Walrus. Rock & Roll? One After 909. Sitars? Within You Without You. And the list goes on and on. They are, undoubtedly, a band without equal. Rock on.