Bar Talk: Top 10 Favorite Bands of All Time

OK I know I'm way late but... I'm bored

Honorable Mentions
(To clarify this, I think all of these bands are amazing, but I'm reserving the top 10 for bands that I know most/all of their music and that I listen to continuously)
in no particular order:
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
Queen
Gorillaz
BT
Smashing Pumpkins
Silverchair
Minus the Bear
Ben Folds Five
Elliot Smith
Rufus Wainwright
Count Zero
(I know there's a lot, shut up!)

And NOW
the top 10





#11 Brand New - WHAT?! Mark's not allowed to do a top 11 is he?!?!?! Well here's the deal - in honesty, I listen to #11 more than I do #10 because I truly am a child of the nineties, but I strongly believe #10 is a better band. So that's how I justify it. Anyway...

#11 Brand New - I don't venture into the emo realm very often, but Brand New is a notable exception. Their lyrical ability shines on the band's second release, Deja Entendu, which proved that emo doesn't all have to be about crying over a break-up. Some song subjects range from a guy seducing a drunk girl in the wonderfully creepy "Me vs Maradona vs Elvis", to the loss of innocence in "Sic Transit Gloria: Glory Fades". Especially notable is their ability to write varied, accessible music. They're just an overall great band.
Favorite Song: Okay, I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't

#10 Led Zepplin - Hearing live recordings of them is just unbelievable. Their music defined a generation and influenced probably thousands of musicians afterwards. Never since Led Zepplin can we truly say that we gave the world rock gods. They weren't afraid to push the envelope, with songs ranging from the slow, introspective "No Quarter" to the epic "Achilles Last Stand" to the bluesy "Dazed and Confused. They could do it all - and that's exactly what they did.
Favorite Song: Kashmir

#9 Beck - From the moment I heard his first popular single, the mopey "Loser", I knew I would be a fan. Beck's music is everywhere, used as transition music on radio stations, in television specials, commercials - and the best part about that? His music has not suffered for commercial success. His singles are staples on most major radio stations, like "Where It's At", "The New Pollution", "Sexx Laws", "Beautiful Way", "E-Pro", "Devil's Haircut" - and the list goes on and on. Able to produce incresingly unique albums, while still keeping his trademark sound, Beck is liable to be around for a while. Also he uses crazy puppets in his live show. It is nuts.
Favorite Song: Get Real Paid

#8 The Mars Volta - This band is basically what you get when you combine punk, psychadelic, progressive rock, and a complete loss of grip on reality. Despite the difficult time one has understanding their lyrics (seeing as how they speak a mixed-up, schizophrenic version of English), their albums are always thought provoking, and follow a concept that people devote entire websites to translating from Mars Volta-speak to normal English. Having seen them live, they know how to put on a great show, love to jam and use obscene numbers of people to participate in the dense music making.
Favorite Song: Viscera Eyes

#7 DJ Shadow - Trip-Hop legend DJ Shadow is a force to behold when you see him live - emplosive and trippy images accompany his unbelievable turntable abilities. He is able to seamlessly integrate portions from certain tracks into others to give each live show a complete unique sound. Everything he attaches his name to is thought out from the first second to the last, and it's impossible to hear his music and not want to dance. I also include UNKLE's first album under this number, because 90% of it is courtesy of Shadow.
Favorite Song: The Number Song

#6 Nine Inch Nails - It is almost unfair for me to put this band on this list considering I only got into them less than a week ago, but it's honestly like this band is an addiction of mine. I have already bought three albums, and plan to buy the others soon. Every dark, grinding, emotional song gets into my head so intensely that I feel like my thoughts sound differently now. The music is so beautiful in its own unique way. Trent Reznor's ability to create a cohesive album is unparalleled, and I think that "The Downward Spiral" and "The Fragile" are the greatest concept albums I've ever heard. Bonus points for sheer musicality, using rhythms and tone colors Stravinsky would have envied. Give me a few months and this band may even move up a few spots...
Favorite Song: The Fragile

#5 Umphrey's McGee - In my opinion, the undisputed kings of the jam music scene. With hundreds of songs in their repertoire of original material, and another couple hundred covers, of everything from the Beatles to Toto to Smashing Pumpkins. They tour pretty much constantly throughtout the year, generally playing two to four hours of sweeping jams and mind-boggling guitar solos. They never play the same show twice, and every show is a completely different experience to the listener. Their studio albums, though underappreciated compared to their live act, are all tight and varied, with a great usage of the benefits of the studio.
Favorite Song: Bright Lights, Big City

#4 311 - Another band you just can't help but dance to. Their live show is awesome, their music is fun and funny, and every track across their eight major albums is amazing, and they have experienced basically no dip in popularity since their first big release almost fifteen years ago. Their singles are known my pretty much everyone everywhere, and they are known for their catchy infectious riffs. Can't wait to see them in a few weeks!
Favorite Song: Omaha Stylee

#3 Incubus - Another band on my list which went through a big change throughout their career, from their Primus-inspired roots to the pop-rock stardom they've achieved today. Incubus became a household name after their release of the single "Pardon Me", and since then have been dominating alternative radio stations with each release. The concert we attanded last thursday was absolutely unbelievable, busting out basically whatever they wanted from their whole career, including some amazing, guitar heavy songs from "A Crow Left of the Murder" along with their new favorites "Anna Molly" and "Dig". Brandon Boyd sings like an angel and is also hot as hell and likes to take his shirt off. :)
Favorite Song: Just a Phase

#2 Muse - Finally having shucked the critics' beliefs of being Radiohead wannabes, with their newest cd, Muse is basically on top of the world. They have had 15 singles on four albums, and are currently wowing crowds with their high impact live show. Their music is like minimalism meets angry rock. Especially on their sophomore release "Origin of Symmetry", lead singer Matt Bellamy is not afraid to scream and wail, in complete contrast to his normal vocal crooning or ridiculously high melodies (that rival even Freddie Mercury's range). Owing to their recent success, they have already announced a return to the studio for a new album, probably due out late next year. Thank God.
Favorite Song: Space Dementia

#1 Radiohead - are my idols. They have continuously reinvented themselves with cds that range from poppy acoustic songs to full blown techno, and yet when you hear them scroll through their repertoire in concert, they are so consistent in their sound that you'd never question that the songs belong to different genres. Thom Yorke sings amazingly, and there is not a track they've released (since their questionable premiere album, Pablo Honey) that I do not have the utmost respect for. This review also includes Thom Yorke's "The Eraser", which although is not part of the band's repertoire, still shares a lot of similarity with their b-sides.
Favorite Song: How To Disappear Completely