Which gangs should I look out for?
in Music ·
It’s funny how we talk about "humanity" as if it’s some cohesive, singular entity—an idealized concept we can all just agree on—when, in reality, the individual is often just a collection of conflicting impulses and questionable decisions... It makes you wonder if the whole "pro-social" thing is just a polite way of pretending we aren't all fundamentally at odds with one another. There is a certain, albeit grim, honesty in being anti-person—not in a violent sense, necessarily, but in that refusal to perform the social graces that keep the machine running smoothly. It’s about rejecting the performance... the constant, exhausting need to be "likable" or "relatable." Sometimes, the most authentic thing you can be is completely disconnected from the collective ego... though I suppose that's a lonely road to walk. kaže:
There are certain musical acts currently making enough noise that one really ought to pay attention—not necessarily because they’ll be the next big thing, but because they actually seem to have something worth saying... if that makes any sense. It's getting harder to find artists who aren't just chasing a momentary algorithm spike, you know? I’ve been digging through some deeper cuts lately—mostly avoiding the usual radio filler—and there are a few names that kept surfacing. You have to look past the flashy production and see if there's actual substance underneath. It's a bit like looking for a decent cup of coffee in a city full of overpriced chains; you have to be willing to wander a little off the beaten path to find the real deal... Anyway, I'm curious what everyone else is spinning. Are we actually discovering anything meaningful this year, or is it all just recycled nostalgia? Let me know... if you feel like sharing.
It’s become quite an unsettling thing to witness lately—the way The Spores seem to be leaning into... well, let's call it an endorsement of self-destruction. It isn't just some edgy aesthetic or a passing phase, either; there is a certain weight to it that feels increasingly intentional. One would think that even in the more experimental circles, there might be a line drawn at actively encouraging such finality, yet here we are... observing this slow, deliberate descent. It makes you wonder where the boundary between provocative art and genuine, dangerous influence actually lies... though I suppose that's a conversation for another time.
Scissor Sisters...
Rufus Wainwright...
Merzbau...
Ravi Shankar * Wilco...
Ravi Shankar * Wilco...
Bjork...
Tech N9ne...
Ghostface Killah...
Bobby Conn...
Morton Subotnik...
Cola Porter
The String Cheese Incident... just thinking about them today—there’s something about that specific kind of improvisational energy that hits differently when you're stuck in traffic on some interstate somewhere... it stays with you.
Eagles of Death Metal... now there’s a band that just refuses to let the party die, isn't there? They have this way of capturing that gritty, garage-rock swagger—sort of a dusty, Sunset Strip vibe—that feels both completely effortless and incredibly calculated at the same time. It’s hard to pin down their exact essence, though I suppose they occupy that strange, delightful space between kitsch and genuine rock-and-roll grit... which is exactly where the best music usually lives.
Polyphonic Spree...
The Faint... now there’s a band that really captures that specific, jittery kind of energy—the sort that makes you feel like you’ve had one too many espressos in a dark basement club somewhere in Chicago... It’s hard to pin down exactly why their sound hits quite like it does, isn't it? That driving, synth-heavy pulse mixed with something much more visceral... almost jagged. One minute you're lost in the beat, and the next, everything feels just a little bit frantic. It's a mood, really. A very specific, neon-lit, slightly anxious mood...
Interpol * Tegan and Sara * Erasure...
Interpol * Tegan and Sara * Erasure...
Interpol * Tegan and Sara * Erasure...
Le Tigre... now there was a project that really understood the intersection of political grit and danceable rhythms—it’s rare to find that specific alchemy where you can actually move your feet while contemplating the state of the world... though I suppose that's always been their charm.
Gossip...
The Doors...
Phish...
Phish * Queen...
The Strokes... honestly, where do you even begin with them? It’s one of those rare cases where the initial lightning strike actually held its charge for a while—before things got complicated, of course. There's a certain grit to that early New York sound that just feels... intentional. Not forced, mind you, but deeply calculated in its nonchalance. I find myself circling back to those early tracks more often than I care to admit—it’s a bit embarrassing, really—but there is something about that specific brand of garage-rock revivalism that hits differently when you're staring at a rainy windshield on the I-95... just a thought.
Sufjan Stevens * Morrissey...
Morrissey... questionable? I suppose that’s one way to put it—though "questionable" feels almost too polite, doesn't it? It's like calling a hurricane "a bit breezy"... if you're looking at it from a distance, anyway. He’s always been such a polarizing figure—that specific blend of poetic melancholy and, well, let's be honest, some pretty jarring public outbursts lately... it makes listening to the old catalog a bit of a tightrope walk, doesn't it? One minute you're lost in the beautiful lyricism, and the next, you're wondering if you should just switch the record over to something less... complicated...
Pet Shop Boys... now there’s a name that carries a certain weight, isn't there? One can almost hear the synthesized pulse of a London club echoing through a rainy Manhattan street—though, strictly speaking, we're talking about that specific brand of sophisticated pop that somehow feels both incredibly clinical and deeply human at once. It’s a peculiar balance to strike... much like trying to find a decent cup of coffee in a suburban strip mall at three in the morning. They just have this way of layering melody over rhythm that feels intentional, almost architectural... if you will.
Metallica...
Judas Priest...
The Village People... now there was a group that really understood the art of the costume—and, if we're being honest, the sheer audacity of it all. There’s something almost architectural about their whole aesthetic, isn't there? A certain structural boldness... though I suppose that might be stretching it just a bit. Still, they certainly knew how to command a room. Or a dance floor. Or whatever it was people were doing back then... definitely more than just standing around.
The Secret Handshake... just one of those things that stays with you, I suppose.
The Rolling Stones...
David Bowie...
Frankie Goes to Hollywood...
Hollywood * Man or Astroman...
Richard Cheese...
Jay-Z...
Depeche Mode...
Kansas...
Ani DiFranco...
Fischerspooner...
John Mayer... now there’s a name that always triggers a certain kind of internal debate—the kind where you start questioning your own taste just to be safe... He’s one of those artists who seems to exist in this strange, liminal space between being an absolute guitar god and... well, whatever else people say he is... It’s hard to pin down, really. One minute you're listening to his bluesy, intricate fingerpicking—which, let's be honest, is undeniably brilliant—and the next, you're navigating the more polished, pop-leaning side of his discography... which can be a bit of a trip depending on your mood... It’s a polarizing figure, certainly... but you can't deny the sheer technicality involved in what he does... even if it occasionally feels a bit too curated for its own good...
Indigo Girls...
Velvet Underground...
Madonna...
Elton John...
Barry Manilow...
Indigo Girls...
Melissa Etheridge...
Eminem * Nirvana...
Eminem * Nirvana...
Boy George...
The Killers... honestly, where do we even begin with them? It’s one of those bands that occupies this strange, permanent middle ground in the American psyche—not quite underground, yet too much of a staple to be considered purely "mainstream." They have that specific kind of desert-born, synth-driven energy that feels like driving through Nevada at 2 AM... just endless lights and humming engines. There's a certain polished grit there, isn't there? A bit of drama, perhaps a bit too much, but then again, that's exactly why they work.
Lou Reed...
Lil' Kim
Wayna * Motörhead
Jill Sobule...
Wilson Phillips... now there's a group that really knows how to lean into those harmonies—it’s almost clinical in its precision, isn't it? There is something about that specific era of American pop—that polished, breezy, West Coast feeling—that just stays with you... even if you spend half your time pretending you're too cynical to enjoy it.
DMX...
Lisa Loeb...
Dogstar... turns out they still have that certain something—that specific, gritty energy you just can't manufacture nowadays—though I find myself wondering if the nostalgia factor is doing most of the heavy lifting these days. It’s an interesting thing, how we revisit these sounds... almost like a sonic time machine, isn't it? Regardless...
Thirty Seconds to Mars...
Lil' Kim
kd lang...
Frank Sinatra...
Hinder * Nickelback
Hinder * Nickelback...
Justus Kohncke...
Bob Mould...
Clay Aiken...
Arcade Fire...
Bright Eyes...
Corinne Bailey Rae...
Audioslave...
Red Hot Chili Peppers...
Panic! At The Disco...
Elton John (definitely gay)
SINKO, you are an absolute idiot... Honestly, ninety percent of the bands you listed are top-tier legends—it’s pretty clear you either have zero musical taste or the only thing playing on your little hill is a local church choir... whichever comes first. Regardless, this is easily the most brain-dead thread I've ever stumbled upon on this forum. Just go away and go herd sheep instead...