TDoL's Top 21 Bands/Artists and Other Kewl Stuff

[True Death of Life]

At this point in my life, I’m being thrown so much music to listen to, and I huger for more; there’s never enough. However, when I talk to people about my favorite bands/artists, I end up going, “Well, I love______ but this band is even better…on second thought, forget I said that and check out ___.”

While I’m doing this partly for my own sanity, I also realize that I’ve mostly been a “music-seeker” on DTF; searching for more music to listen to, but never really recommending any to anyone. So, people of the interwebz, here are my top 21 (because I couldn’t bear to take one out) bands/artists, some put up pretty high because of recommendations from you DTFers.
________________________________________________________________________________________

21. The Spring Standards- This band is rather obscure, and is newly-born, but that doesn’t put a damper on their talent. Although they’ve only put out two albums, I’ve enjoyed both immensely: they’re full of amazing riffs, which are badass in their simplicity, impeccable vocals (from every band member, might I add), and they cover a wide range of genres and styles. Sometimes I’ll be reminded of the Beatles, but by the next track it’ll be Pink Floyd, and by the end of the album I’m just simply mesmerized by the tuba solo. Pure talent.

20. Tenacious D- I’m probably going to get some crap for this, but they have to be on this list. Tenacious D was one of those bands that I went to for a quick, hearty laugh, and nothing more. However, over the last year, I’ve been listening to them more and more. Kyle Gass and Jack Black are two underrated geniuses; I can expect their music to have either gorgeous melodies or a fun riff that you can’t help but move to. But their true genius comes in with the lyrics—only Jack Black could get away with crooning vulgarities as a soothing love song! And, I still find myself laughing my ass off to their perfectly-rhyming, making-sense-while-making-no-sense lyrics while I shake my head in disbelief because the music is still so good.

[skydivingninja]

Tenacious D is awesome.  The reason I can still listen to them is because the music is actually good.  Kinda like Dethklok.  The biggest joke is that these fake bands make good music.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Tenacious D is awesome.  The reason I can still listen to them is because the music is actually good.  Kinda like Dethklok.  The biggest joke is that these fake bands make good music.

This. The funny part is, I don't even like death metal yet I like Dethklok.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

cock pushups? what's that?

that's when you lie on the floor, and let your boner lift you up

how many can you do?

uh, one i guess

just one?

one is all you need

[Birch Boy]

Tenacious D FTW

Jack Black

[glaurung]

cock pushups? what's that?

that's when you lie on the floor, and let your boner lift you up

how many can you do?

uh, one i guess

just one?

one is all you need

Cock pushups? Child's play. Let me know when you can do cock pullups.

[Dimitrius]

Tenacious D FTW

[True Death of Life]

cock pushups? what's that?

that's when you lie on the floor, and let your boner lift you up

how many can you do?

uh, one i guess

just one?

one is all you need

It does make you men "more attractive to the ladies"...

I dunno if I'm doing this right, but whatever, here goes:

19. Antonio Vivaldi-Yes, I mean the dead, classical composer guy. At school (and possibly on da forumz?), I'm known as a total metalhead, but Vivaldi is something I listen to often, and own waaay too much of.

My love for Vivaldi stemmed from my 6(8) years of playing the violin (I still play, but I stopped taking private lessons 2 years ago). My parents do listen to a great deal of classical music, but for some reason, never Vivaldi, so I soon stocked up on plenty of his compositions. He was a total GENIUS: not as schmaltzy as other classical composers, but still managing to send shivers up your spine. Most of his work has a very eerie, shadowy feel to it, but sometimes he throws in an incredible cello or classical guitar solo that weaves in and out, but never commands all of the attention. He has something for every mood I'm in, has made violin a delightful experience, and has made me appreciate all music even more.

18. The Offspring- Congrats and thank you to everyone who recommended the albums Smash and Ixnay on the Hombre! I had only known Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace and some of Americana before, but these albums secured the Offspring in my top 20 bands.

The Offspring take the "traditional" punk sound and bring it up a few steps. Not quite as poppy as Green Day, but not as brash as the Plasmatics, the Offspring strike a perfect balance between the two and often keep that up throughout an entire album (Smash being a perfect example).

The Offspring also strike me as the more sensitive of punk bands. As much as I love the Misfits and other punk bands with mindless, playful lyrics, the Offspring really are able to move me emotionally.  

[Birch Boy]

The Offspring FTW. I think I was one of the Smash recommenders (my personal favorite). I think of them as punk + metal, which I like. "Gotta Get Away" and "Self Esteem" were two of my favorite songs in middle school (right before I got into metal).

[Progmetty]

is Tenacious D the Jack Black band?

[True Death of Life]

The Offspring FTW. I think I was one of the Smash recommenders (my personal favorite). I think of them as punk + metal, which I like. "Gotta Get Away" and "Self Esteem" were two of my favorite songs in middle school (right before I got into metal).

That you were...thanks mang!   

is Tenacious D the Jack Black band?

Oui.

[faemir]

Good choices all around so far

[PlaysLikeMyung]

I love the Offspring

*inb4UMHsmileesontheoffspring*

[faemir]

On the subject of Tenacious D...inward singing

[sneakyblueberry]

The Tenacious D HBO series is so freakin lol

[Sigz]

  Vivaldi

I approve TDOL.

[jsem]

  Offspring
  Vivaldi... Four Seasons makes me 

[73109]

I know the next two. Muahahahahaha!!!

And I approve.

[True Death of Life]

Lovin' the Vivaldi fans :

Vivaldi

I approve TDOL.

Offspring
  Vivaldi... Four Seasons makes me  

HATERS GON HATE

lawlsjk

ALRIGHTY THEN.

17. The Misfits- OMG PUNK OVERLOAD. So. This band. Is amazing. I got into them while going through a huge Cliff Burton phase (former bassist of Metallica; killed in a bus crash while touring in 1986). He swore by them and shoved them down the other bands members' throats, and suffered for it, but kept doing it anyway. I decided I had to hear them.

The Misfits instigated my love for punk. Their hysterical, meaningless lyrics, their outrageous getup, an incredible frontman (Glenn Danzig, of course...Jerry Only wasn't even close), and, obviously, good music. Walk Among Us and American Psycho are two of the most amazing albums I have ever listened to, filled with a constant dark-humor attitude and creativity. Can't ever get enough of this band...I'm sad they only made 6 albums.

[Birch Boy]

(former bassist of Metallica; killed in a bus crash while touring in 1986)

Thanks for clearing that up, I had no idea.

[Portrucci]

I aint no god damn sonna 'va bitch, you better think about it baby!

The Misfits 

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

I've only heard one song by them, and they had the worst production of any band I heard, ever. Still, I shouldn't criticize them from just that...

[True Death of Life]

(former bassist of Metallica; killed in a bus crash while touring in 1986)

Thanks for clearing that up, I had no idea.

GTFO ALRIGHT

I've only heard one song by them, and they had the worst production of any band I heard, ever. Still, I shouldn't criticize them from just that...

I know, right? I try not to judge bands on production. I mean, Metallica's ...And Justice For All sounds like it's played in a tin can and it's still amazing.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

(former bassist of Metallica; killed in a bus crash while touring in 1986)

Thanks for clearing that up, I had no idea.

Believe it or not, there are people who don't know that

[True Death of Life]

Exactly.

I WAS BEING CONSIDERATE

[73109]

Get the next one up, will you?

[Seventh Son]

Too bad Tenacious D is awful.

Indifferent on the rest.

[glaurung]

Too bad Tenacious D is awful.

Indifferent on the rest.

 

[True Death of Life]

Too bad Tenacious D is awful.

Indifferent on the rest.

Tenacious D is awesome.  The reason I can still listen to them is because the music is actually good.  Kinda like Dethklok.  The biggest joke is that these fake bands make good music.

[skydivingninja]

WHADDYA KNOW SEVENTH SON DISAGREES WITH EVERYONE YET AGAIN!

[Seventh Son]

Too bad Tenacious D is awful.

Indifferent on the rest.

Tenacious D is awesome.  The reason I can still listen to them is because the music is actually good.  Kinda like Dethklok.  The biggest joke is that these fake bands make good music.

I suppose I would get a lot of shit if I said I don't like Dethklok either? 

WHADDYA KNOW SEVENTH SON DISAGREES WITH EVERYONE YET AGAIN!

Its almost like clockwork! 

[True Death of Life]

16. Morbid Angel-This is probably a surprise to many of you who know me (especially Lat, if he's following this), because I've never broadcasted my love for RORORORORO vocals and all that jazz. Death growls have never been my "thing"--I do love Opeth and Edge of Sanity and Born of Osiris and Cannibal Corpse (all of which could be on this list but aren't, simply because I don't know enough of their music)--but Morbid Angel found the dark slice of my soul that had a growling fetish and made it its bitch.

Why should Lat be surprised? Because, if he's reading this, he's probably going, "Wait...did I get her into them? Wait...it couldn't have been me...wait--really?" But yes, Lat, it was you. I was asking him for recommendations for Cole's "heavy" roulette round, and he recommended Morbid Angel's "Gateways to Annihilation." I sampled it, rejected all the songs as ones to send to Cole, but went back and listened to it afterwards anyway and I haven't looked back since.

MA is capable of being slow and unbearably BRUTAL, not just you standard death metal--you really can't say, "Oh, that sounds exactly like __ (band name)." They remind me a bit of Death, but I think they surpass them in every way possible. No words for their sound which has mutilated my soul so gracefully (which is a rather ironic thing to say, considering the amount of words I've just typed ).


15. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band- He can't sing and nearly all other guitar player can run circles around him, but the Boss just has something that seems rather hard to come by these days: a pure, fun-loving, I'm-not-doing-this-for-the-money-but-because-I-wouldn't-rather-be-doing-anything-else-in-the-world spirit.  While he croons "The River" I feel as though he's sitting beside me, needing comfort; during "Born in the USA" I feel like I can chant along with him and, who knows, give him a fucking high five or something.

Bruce has energy that I can't really describe. No matter what CD or record or iPod song of his I listen to, his energy seems to flow into my ears and pulses in my body, like two hearts. It's amazing. I've never seen him live, but if listening to studio versions is this good, then I probably wouldn't be able to stand his actual presence.

Oh, and I almost forgot--the music is overwhelmingly good. Always simple, always mindblowing. Gotta love it.

[Dimitrius]

They remind me a bit of Death, but I think they surpass them in every way possible.

lolque?

[wolfking]

They remind me a bit of Death, but I think they surpass them in every way possible.

lolque?

Yeah, um, no one surpasses Death.

[Zydar]

15. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band- He can't sing and nearly all other guitar player can run circles around him, but the Boss just has something that seems rather hard to come by these days: a pure, fun-loving, I'm-not-doing-this-for-the-money-but-because-I-wouldn't-rather-be-doing-anything-else-in-the-world spirit.  While he croons "The River" I feel as though he's sitting beside me, needing comfort; during "Born in the USA" I feel like I can chant along with him and, who knows, give him a fucking high five or something.

Bruce has energy that I can't really describe. No matter what CD or record or iPod song of his I listen to, his energy seems to flow into my ears and pulses in my body, like two hearts. It's amazing. I've never seen him live, but if listening to studio versions is this good, then I probably wouldn't be able to stand his actual presence.

Oh, and I almost forgot--the music is overwhelmingly good. Always simple, always mindblowing. Gotta love it.

Great to see another Bruce fan here. You should definitely see him live if you get the chance, he's still a powerful live act.