The 411 Music Top 5 08.05.08 Top Alternative Bands

Posted by Blake Lauderback on 08.05.2008

This week we look at the Top 5 Alternative Bands. But just what do we think is alternative? Fugazi? R.E.M.? Faith No More? The Velvet Underground? Come on in and find out.


Well now, it is once again time for the minds of the Music Zone to get into the ring and battle it out for the right to be your champion of the Top 5. Thank you to all of you that joined us last week for our version of the Top 5 Progressive Rock Bands of All Time. If you by chance missed it, what the hell is wrong with you?

Thank you to all of you that submitted your vote for your favorite writer last week, and thank you to all of yu that submitted your own Top 5. However, I realized when the emails began flooding in that I hadn't made something apparent. Your list should be of this week's version. For instance, after reading this week's list, you would email me what you thought where the Top 5 Alternative Bands. That way, you have the luxury of reading all of our lists and the comments made by your fellow readers. That way you get a distinct advantage that you will need, since we are all professionals (or at least trying to pass as one.) So, I will hang on to everybody's lists and combine them with any I get this week, and next week will feature the first winner!

With that said, it is time to unveil last week's winner… well… me. I suppose that comes from us all having some strong similarities between our lists, and I think I honestly received a few extra votes just for mentioning Tool. Speaking of the comments from last week's edition, I was completely surprised when so many people came out in droves to support Coheed and Cambria. Now, it is not that I don't think that it is cool that they do what they do, or that they have some talent, but I just don't see them as comparable with the likes of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Rush, etc. Anyway, enough of looking back, it is time to get to today's edition!

So read up on our lists, write your own, and send it in along with your vote for which writer you think got it right. Sound good? Good. Moving on.

---

Of all of the genres that we have covered up to this point, none of them have been as hard to define as Alternative. The Metal list brought up arguments about a few bands, and punk continued the debate by questioning bands like Green Day and their membership in the punk club. Last week saw a few readers contend that certain eras of bands were or weren't "progressive." However, in each of these circumstances, we could all at least come to some sort of a consensus about what is metal, punk, or prog. This was most certainly not the case this week.

In fact, a few of the writers shied away from participating since the genre is so tough to put your finger on (While other's simply needed a week off.) So, when it comes down to it, only two of us decided that we were prepared to square off against one another in this super subject style of rock, and we each take a TOTALLY different approach.

Enjoy.

The Top 5 Alternative Bands of All Time

Jesse Coy
[Starship Exile]
(1x Champion)

[note- oh, this one outta be good. Really, I'm looking forward to what is and isn't considered alternative music. The definition will probably be like trying to catch water in a sieve. So let me make clear my definition of alternative music. No grunge band will be present, because I believe there're far more than enough of them to make their own category. No industrial, industrial metal, nor any gothic band will be here (same reasoning). What follows are great acts who I feel defy category, not necessarily 120 Minutes or Lollapalooza bands, though not necessarily not 120 Minutes or Lollapalooza bands. Uh, whatever.

HONORABLE MENTION: Cake, Dead Milkmen, fIREHOSE, Radiohead, Beck, Morphine, Orange 9MM, Bloodhound Gang, Mindless Self Indulgence, Perry Farrell post-Jane's Addiction projects (JA being early grunge)

5. Primus - Some say funk metal, but really, does that label truly work? I think Primus are far more unique than that. They've also carved out their own distinctive sound that I daresay is never really imitated, nor do they have any obvious influences. Just listen to one of their EP's of covers. They go from The Residents to Metallica to Pink Floyd to The Police to XTC to The Meters. That's some alternatives for you. The tally? On 120 Minutes? No, I think they were stuck exclusively on Headbangers Ball. Played a Lollapalooza? You bet.

4. They Might Be Giants - Well, here's your college rock/alt rock band. They also carved out for themselves a very unique niche. For a while, it was just the two Johns. They did expand to a fuller live act. Their lyrics range from odd to quirky extreme. They've been called geek rockers. They came up with a phone line where you could dial to hear segments of new songs daily. And I say, if you can go from devoting one song entirely to Alice Cooper and then another to James Polk, then there's something quite alternative about you. The tally? On 120 Minutes? Yes, they were. Played a Lollapalooza? No they didn't.

3. Fugazi - For anyone out there who cried about Fugazi not being listed by any "official listers" as a best punk band, guess why, they are not PUNK! That's simple. And I laughed when I saw someone throwing Minor Threat out there over Bad Brains. Anyway, Fugazi as alternative music? You bet. They continued to develop their unique alternative sound over the years, and unlike Sonic Youth, who have a few good albums to their name, Fugazi does the alternative thing well without pretension overload. The tally? On 120 Minutes? HA! Played a Lollapalooza? HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!

2. Ween - I think of them a bit as the dirtier version of They Might Be Giants. No, not really. While they can certainly go the quirky route (there's my TMBG comparison.), musically they're far more impressive. They often ape a genre to such a degree that you're re not sure if they're making fun of it or paying homage to it. As a matter of fact, it doesn't matter. The songs are so good or so much fun that you don't care. If there's anyone out there who only thinks of "Push the Little Daisies" (a classic nonetheless) when you hear the name Ween, you're doing yourself a big disservice not checking out some of their other albums. The tally? On 120 Minutes? Yes, as well as Beavis and Butthead (to notorious levels). Played a Lollapalooza? I don't think so, but I am too lazy now to look it up for sure. Deal with that.

1. Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle/Faith No
More/Fantomas/Tomahawk/Peeping Tom) - There's no way I'm going to narrow this between bands, nor should I. There's a common denominator here. And all I can say is that when I hear of a Mike Patton project or collaboration being put out there, I look forward to hearing it. I'm well aware that Faith No More existed before him. Yet when he jumped aboard, his influence was in place and continued to grow. Mr. Bungle is great, dark, exuberant fun. Fantomas is bafflingly brilliant at odd moments. Tomahawk is a nice, slightly elusive blend (ex-Jesus Lizard guitarist on board there), and Peeping Tom is hip-hop, funk alt rock fun. Here's a genius artist who seems to care little for boundaries, and pushes vocal ranges to alternative extremes.

---

Blake Lauderback
[Ask 411 Music, Reviewer]
(1x Champion)

[Note – I decided to break down Alternative music into my five favorite "sub-genres" and cover one band (plus a few Honorable Mentions) from each of them. This is by no means designed to be a representation of ALL of Alternative, because doing so in just five bands is impossible in my mind. I also excluded grunge since I believe it to be worth of it's own genre all together, so to all of you wondering about the lack of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc, you will eventually get your day in the sun. On with the show. In not so much of a particular order…]

5. R.E.M. (College Rock) - Honorable Mentions: The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Replacements For a while in the late 80's and through the 90's, there existed this small little underground sect of Alternative Music that featured a totally unique style. In this case, the alternative that everyone was seeking was to get away from the overproduced and incredibly synthetic sound of the 80's music scene. In order to do so, the bands went back to where the found success in years past… the garage. So now the garage band was reborn, but it sounded drastically different than the hard rock and punk based bands of the days gone by. Now the new sound was a very relaxed and the lyrics quite intellectual and deep at times. At the forefront of the movement was a band by the name of R.E.M. Many claim that it was them that launched this new sub-genre that was sweeping college campuses everywhere, and that it all started when the released their 1981 single "Radio Free Europe." The band never looked back, churning out albums like Eponymous, Murmur, Reckoning, and Automatic For the People, and touring relentlessly to this day.

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers (Funk Alternative) - Honorable Mentions: Primus, Sublime, 311, Faith No More Somewhere along the line, someone accidentally spilled the funk music of bands like Funkadelic and a drop or two of Bob Marley into a huge vat of rock. The result? One of the most fun and fascinating sub-sects of the alternative movement. These bands were very dependent on strong bass riffs that laid the groundwork for their music. While all of these bands have had outstanding (though sometimes way too short lived) careers, I don't think any of them can match the body of work by the RHCP. I have a strong feeling that in a decade or so we will really begin to realize just how much classic music these guys have produced, including albums like Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic and Californication.

3. The Smashing Pumpkins (Hard Rock/ Alternative) - Honorable Mention: Silverchair, Collective Soul, Sonic Youth Several bands took some of the things from the college rock scene and then combined them with a much harder edge than their predecessors. Of all of these bands, The Smashing Pumpkins are my personal favorite. The masterful mind of Billy Corgan took his angst-ridden lyrics and swirled it all together with some heavily distorted guitars and the stunningly powerful drumming of Jimmy Chamberlin. The result was some of the most unusual sounding but brilliant rock in quite some time.

2. Weezer (Pop/Rock Alternative) - Honorable Mentions: Ween, Beck, Flaming Lips While there were often bands in the world of alternative music that did their best to stay clear of the mainstream world, their were other's, like these guys, that fully embraced the chance to mix a little bit of pop sensibility with their dose of alternative goodness. No other band has perfected the concoction quite like Weezer. Fueled by the brainy Rivers Cuomo, these guys have perfected the art of writing the three to five minute pop rock song loaded with sarcasm and self-depreciation. While other bands in alternative have often been overly concerned with keeping a serious image, this band has relished their chance to lighten up and have a good time, all the while crafting a solid body of work. "Say it Ain't So," "Buddy Holly," "El Scorcho," "Hash Pipe," "Dope Nose," "Keep Fishing," "Beverly Hills," and now "Pork and Beans." How can you deny their pop brilliance?

1. The Velvet Underground (Proto-Punk / Experimental Rock) - Honorable Mentions: David Bowie, New York Dolls, Elvis Costello. Perhaps the term alternative wasn't really thrown about until R.E.M. and company broke out in the 80's, but these are the guys that pioneered the path of alternative rock, and when it comes to going against the flow in the world of rock, no one does it like Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. Let's just say that isn't just coincidence that the word ‘Underground' is in the name. The debuted in the late 60's, and while the shared a similarity or two with the bands of the day, they had a tendency to delve deeply into the world of avant-garde, bringing both social commentary and overt sexuality into their work. The band was far from a commercial success at the time, but they had an intense cult following that included quite a few music critics. As we heard many a time while we discussed punk music, sometimes attitude is everything, and these guys had every aspect of the alternative attitude… and the music to back it up.

---

That about does it for our look at the greatest alternative bands in history, and our lists are as diverse as the enigmatic genre itself. Hope you enjoyed yourself, and as always feel free to let us know what you think.

Be sure to stop by next week as we will be looking at the most Underrated Bands of All Time.

Don't forget to send in your personal Top 5 lists! Your list could be featured in the intro next week! Make sure to include your vote for your favorite writer as well.

Until next time, keep it "Epic."