'Near-miss' bands

[LeeHarveyKennedy]

So the other day, I got a copy of the Jay-Z/Linkin Park mashup CD, Collision Course. I let it play one night as I drove home from a friend's house, and when the mashup with Faint came on, and it got to the part with the main riff of the song blasting, I thought to myself "Man, I used to love Linkin Park, why did I ever sell their CDs?"

Then the chorus hit, and I remembered "Oh yeah. The lyrics. That's right."

It got me thinking that I genuinely enjoy LP's music, but their lyrics make me cringe and almost ruin the songs for me. They got so close to something I could enjoy, but it's that one aspect that will never allow me to count myself as a fan of them again.

In this thread, we discuss other bands that are just so close to being something we could really enjoy, and the one thing that will forever turn us off from them.

And, go.

[Arcaeus]

inb4opethgrowls

[ClairvoyantCat]

I expect a lot of "Pain of Salvation"s  

[KevShmev]

A near miss is a hit, ya know.

Two planes collide.

*exploding sound*

"Look, they nearly missed."

"Yes..but not quite!"

/George Carlin

/end of tangent



Oh, and to answer the question:

Coheed and Cambria (could not get past the vocals)

[Zantera]

I expect a lot of "Pain of Salvation"s  

We're talking 'near-miss' and not 'as far away as possible-miss'.

To answer the topic, i'm not quite sure... normally 1 thing isn't enough to turn me off, in the beginning i didn't give Rush a proper chance because of the vocals, but i learned to like them, and that's normally the case with everything i'm not "wow" about in the first place.
Normally things come around for me, and things i didn't like at first grow, and i may love them after a while.
So bands i don't enjoy normally have several things not clicking with me, and that doesn't really make them a 'near-miss'.

[Dr. DTVT]

Coheed and Cambria never clicked for me either, but its more of the lyrics that make me go WTF.  Odd thing is, I like concept pieces - I like Rhapsody of Fire and their continuing story from album to album.  C&C just don't.

[Perpetual Change]

Coheed. For the lyrics, not the music. My first thought when listening to Coheed is "Wtf, is that supposed to be poetic or something?"

Muse is another one. Like Queen, Muse are known for playing a couple of different styles. From bombastic, to pop, to dancy, etc. The problem I have with Muse (that I don't have with Queen) is that I really only like one or two of the styles Muse frequently play.

[Jakartabassplayer]

Red Hot Chili Peppers

I love the instrumental parts and then Anthony Kiedis starts to sing.




 

[Jamesman42]

Opeth - If only they didn't sound so samey.

PT - See above.

Pain of Salvation - Some of the lyrics threw me off from BE, but I didn't give them much of a chance, either.

[Sigz]

PT - If only they didn't sound so samey.

wat

[Jamesman42]

PT - If only they didn't sound so samey.

wat

I don't know, I find that it just all sounds the same, though I know there is variety. granted, I haven't listened to every album, either, but a few to gauge a half-informed opinion.

[Marvellous G]

I disagree with you but respect your opinion, especially with regards to their metal stuff.

[mizzl]

Symphony X

TOO MUCH SHREDDING AAARGH

[ReaperKK]

Opeth

[DarkEternalNight]

Rob Zombie. I'd probably like him if his music wasn't so focused on Horror.

[Perpetual Change]

PT - If only they didn't sound so samey.

wat

I don't know, I find that it just all sounds the same, though I know there is variety. granted, I haven't listened to every album, either, but a few to gauge a half-informed opinion.

Kinda how I feel, too. I like them for what they are, but their music doesn't seem to be nearly as diverse as they get credit for. Same goes for Opeth, in my opinion. Though I wouldn't classify neither as "near miss" bands from my perspective.

[skydivingninja]

Most death metal bands.  I have REALLY specific tastes when it comes to growls that I like.  Its kinda weird.

Coheed and Cambria never clicked for me either, but its more of the lyrics that make me go WTF.  Odd thing is, I like concept pieces - I like Rhapsody of Fire and their continuing story from album to album.  C&C just don't.

I don't understand.  C&C don't what?  That's nowhere near a complete thought to helps me understand your failure.

[robwebster]

Dredg. I dig 'em a bit musically, but the vocals have this sort of angsty Californian thing going on, makes me feel uncomfortable listening to it. Not that there's anything wrong with the Californian accent, but a lot of bands from around there have these horrible pop-punky vocalists. Dredg's is among the most irritating.

Also! Fairly minor one, but Tim Donahue's "Madmen & Sinners" is transformed from a fairly nifty sideproject with some damn catchy songs, into a nigh-on unlistenable sideproject with some damn catchy songs by its hideously muddy production.

More controversially... Spock's Beard are one of those bands that I kind of like, and I can really dig bits of, but then they go and throw in something cringey. Songs like The Ballet of the Impact, June, Strange World, NWC, At the End of the Day, The Great Nothing are all brilliant, but then you listen to, say, the intro to In the Mouth of Madness (*bloop-bloop-bloop-bloop bleep!* "hey there Mr. Fancypants!") and it's all a bit jarring. I do get their sense of humour, to an extent, but I don't always find it funny. Even calling the band Spock's Beard, it's less "hahahaha!" funny and more "...no, really, try again."

They're like watching your dad dance at a wedding. Equal parts brilliant and embarrassing, and although there IS a sort of wonderful joie de vivre to the whole sordid display that you've gotta respect, and yet if anyone asks you'll still insist you've never met him before in your life EVER and if you think otherwise you're lying to be popular which probably means you have had a rubbish upbringing, and it's probably your dad so ha!

[Genowyn]

Neal Morse. The music itself is good but the overly religious lyrics turn me off.

[Arcaeus]

Ah, yeah, I've tried to listen to Neal a few times... his voice doesn't do much for me, and the lyrics don't help either.

That goes for most bands he sings in too.

[Birch Boy]

Lamb Of God because of the vocals

[antigoon]

The Decemberists. Colin Meloy's voice ... fuck. What a great band I just can't fully appreciate.

[Fluffy Lothario]

If a near-miss is a band that scrapes the bottom of my collection, i.e. they've been on the verge of me deleting their stuff at times and just made it out alive:

Muse
Porcupine Tree
Emperor - actually were deleted, but I kept the CD and rediscovered it years later
Dare I say it, at one point, The John Butler Trio
Mastodon
Pineapple Thief
most of Pink Floyd's material
Slayer
Slipknot

I may go back and give reasons later.

[Birch Boy]

Mastodon
most of Pink Floyd's material
Slayer

Uh, what?

[Gorille85]

Reading through this thread...Apparently vocals are really important for the majority of people here...or just a big turn-off when they're not in the tastes of the listener.

[Fluffy Lothario]

Mastodon are only good for the music. Lyrics and vocals are both abysmal.
A lot of Slayer borders on sounding like parody metal.
I've warmed to some of Pink Floyd's stuff over a long time, but to me, they're a band whose influence through experimentation is far more impressive than the songwriting itself, in most cases.

[Birch Boy]

Mastodon are only good for the music. Lyrics and vocals are both abysmal.
A lot of Slayer borders on sounding like parody metal.
I've warmed to some of Pink Floyd's stuff over a long time, but to me, they're a band whose influence through experimentation is far more impressive than the songwriting itself, in most cases.

I guess all of those are valid opinions... but Slayer... parody metal?

[Gorille85]

I've warmed to some of Pink Floyd's stuff over a long time, but to me, they're a band whose influence through experimentation is far more impressive than the songwriting itself, in most cases.

I disagree. It's the quality of the songs that makes me love this band so much. It never seems dated to me and they have absolutely nothing to envy to the great majority of moderns bands today IMO.

[tri.ad]

Porcupine Tree here. A singer that has only two singing modes (bored and whiny), little staying power of the music (it gets old pretty quickly) and inconsistent albums don't really make me adore them as much as some people here do.

[Fluffy Lothario]

I guess all of those are valid opinions... but Slayer... parody metal?

I guess it's because there's never a hint of humour or lightheartedness in their music, combined with a lot of the actual lyrical content, which is insanely over the top. If I'm not in the mood for their stuff, it seems like a joke that their fans simply never got.

[Zydar]

Dare I say it: Rush. I can see that people enjoy the music, and I kind of do too (the little I've heard), but when Geddy opens his mouth my ears start to bleed.

And yes I am very picky when it comes to vocals.

[In The Name Of Rudess]

Coheed and Cambria (can't get into the vocals)
Rush (same)
Mastodon (same, and I don't like the lyrics either)
Agalloch (everyone's talking about how good they are, but I just don't see what's so good about them)
Riverside (vocals)
Seventh Wonder (vocals are great, for a change, but the lyrics are extremely meh. Also, sometimes they show their influences a little too much for my taste)
Redemption (just another standard prog metal band. Nothing I haven't heard a hundred times before.)

[Perpetual Change]

Porcupine Tree here. A singer that has only two singing modes (bored and whiny), little staying power of the music (it gets old pretty quickly) and inconsistent albums don't really make me adore them as much as some people here do.

You are my new hero.

[Arcaeus]

I really like some of Porcupine Tree's stuff, but those are my reasons regarding why I don't find Wilson and his work as godly as everyone else here seems to.

[Perpetual Change]

Same here. They're a band I like quite a bit, actually, but they just don't create music that has good staying power for me.