Favorite Bands (Encore Episode 143)

I've made a good friend through this website recently (*cough* @Lucas27 *cough*) and he and I had a really interesting conversation about favorite artists.

My top 5 has been settled for the last two years (Thrice, Barry Manilow, Steven Curtis Chapman, Backstreet Boys, and Fall Out Boy), and then a year or so ago I expanded to a top ten (Sara Groves, Mae, The Receiving End of Sirens, The Reign of Kindo, and Jesse McCartney). While he and I were discussing it, though, I realized that The Reign of Kindo has effectively been replaced in my top with Wolves at the Gate.

(I will also admit that there was a fair chance in mid-2016 of Mae getting replaced with Jimmy Eat World...but nahhh.)

I'm excited to listen to this episooooooode! Craig is my favorite not-Thomas, although it'd be sweet to get Drew back on an episode soon, too.

 

Heads up. You put "are" instead of "our" in the second sentence.

Looking forward to the episode!

 

@Jason Tate you guessing Craig's almost-favorites correctly was hilarious

 

Oddly enough Mae and Jimmy Eat World are probably top 5 for me.

 

There's a much longer story there for me.

Ironically, Mae is one of the artists I had a huge falling-out with, but after a few years of dismissing them and forgetting them, I eventually came around to them again. I came across a used copy of Singularity and decided giving the album another chance was worth a few bucks. I ended up falling in love with the record, and it stands about equal in my books now with Everglow. Then I gave the morning/afternoon/evening series another chance and ended up loving all three of those as well. I also really loved the Schematic album, all of which re-solidified Mae as an all-time top-5 favorite rock band for me. (At the time, my favorite rock groups/collectives were Thrice/Modern Post/Dustin Kensrue, The Receiving End of Sirens/The Dear Hunter, Mae/Schematic, The Reign of Kindo/This Day & Age, and House of Heroes. AKA I really like to cheat.)

The thing with Jimmy Eat World is, for me, they're actually a brand new band. I heard Clarity for the first time in May~ish and, after falling in love with it, starting working my way through the rest of the band's discography. After digging into Clarity and Bleed American, it forced me to totally re-evaluate my picture of Mae. Suddenly, Destination:Beautiful was just a cheap rip-off of those two albums. Even The Everglow, to a certain extent, felt like JEW + better utilization of pianos/keys.

The extent to which I loved Clarity, BA, Futures, and Damage had JEW poised to become one of my favorite artists, but two important things happened. First, Mae came back with their re-release of (m)(a)(e) -- which, from your avatar, I THINK you've heard about. Getting to experience all those songs in a new light reminded me that Mae ultimately transformed into a band far more interesting, far more experimental, and far more special than simply a JEW knock-off. The second thing was, Integrity Blues. I don't love it. I really don't. I think the first three songs are perfect and the rest is fine. If I'd received Integrity Blues as one of JEW's best records (which was the reaction for most people), then JEW probably would've catapulted themselves into "favorite" status for me. As it is, I still love them a lot, but Mae is Mae is Mae is Mae.

 

Totally get that. I did find Integrity Blues to be their best album since Futures, though I've really enjoyed EVERY album they have put out.

The re-imagined, re-worked, remastered, version of (m)(a)(e) is amazing. I bought the vinyl the second it went on sale. Really made those EPs stand out so much more within their discography. And unlike most Mae fans I LOVED and still love Singularity from day one.

I'd probably place Mae right above JEW if I were to make a list. I think I discovered both bands around the same time and I've been following both ever since. Each of those bands have albums and songs that are really important to me so all though I may rank Mae higher than JEW today it could change tomorrow.

 

Microwave

boom case settled.

 

hi hello there

 

Hey Ya! - Outkast

 

My favorite band is definitely the Bouncing Souls. They've been a constant listen for me many years. I also really appreciate their ethics and approach to being a band and making music. Brand New was up there for a while, but has trended down some over the years. Gaslight and Menzingers are really high up for me as well. Only others that might make in would be like Tom Petty or the Beatles.

 

Hot Water Music, Fugazi, Bad Religion, The Lawrence Arms, Promise Ring

Why doesn't anyone ever mention Butch Walker's hair metal band or Marvelous 3. I thought those Marvelous 3 records were really derivative.

 

I like that no one is ever surprised by my favorites.

 

If it makes you feel better, it's not that you're predictable, it's just that we all "get" you by now

 

I should listen to HwM more than I do.

 

I really think a band name can make people curious enough to checkout a band or skip a band all together. I didn't listen to Moose Blood for the longest time cause I thought they were a metal band. I'm not huge into that music so I skipped them for a long time. Also found out they hear that all the time from fans.

 

Green Day, All Time Low, Jimmy Eat World if I had to pick three.

The 1975 definitely have a case if they make another great album. Linkin Park and Yellowcard have probably been up there in the past, but the former sorta faded for me when I got into college (though I do still like all their albums) and the latter, while they have three or four amazing albums, also have too many albums I don't think are that great.

 

I think "Brooklyn You're Killing Me" is my favorite song on 'Zombies On Broadway'.

 

Woah I think you're the first that I've seen say that.

 

It's not my favorite but I l don't understand the hate.

 

It starts the album off on such a blah note

 

Favorite bands for me would be something like Brand New, Ben Folds, Manchester Orchestra, The Killers, Death Cab, and JEW.

Also, as far as not listening to bands based on their name, when people were talking about that first Moose Blood record I ignored it for a long time because the name sounded like they would be a death metal band. Then eventually I saw someone compare it to early manchester and listened and enjoyed it.

 

Haven't finished listening to this yet but felt compelled to say I think people underestimate the band name effect, or at least I know it affects me. I tend to not like "The" names to begin with but i can be honest and say I didn't listen to the menzingers for a long time because menzingers is an ugly sounding word and I thought they'd sound like some gritty bad punk band. I've seen the error of my ways, but the effect is real. Also, I like the full AMITW name.

 

Haha. I just love the energy and kind of slightly frantic nature of the song. I like the lyrics. For me it honestly might be one of my favorite songs he's written in a couple album cycles.

 

I've had The Resolution as the opener for Glass Passenger for so long. I didn't find out until a couple years ago that it wasn't. So weird.

It was actually one that I sited as one of my favorite album openers. Ha