Your Top 10 US Alternative Rock Bands

I listen to whatever strikes a chord with me—it really doesn't matter if it’s some folks from Kentucky injecting massive three-minute guitar solos into their country tunes, or some sweeping British pop band featuring violins and endless, ethereal wailing... I was practically forced into punk because I had an older brother who constantly shopped various kinds of junk my way, though all that really stuck was the Ramones and The Clash. To be perfectly honest, I don't think I've ever even heard of the Buzzcocks in my entire life. I also have a deep affection for Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and when it comes to the more modern folk, Americana, or whatever genre you'd care to label it, I'm quite fond of M. Ward, Will Oldham, and Wilco. My absolute favorites, though, would have to be Silver Jews. I enjoy Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and Pavement, as well as R.E.M. up through Out of Time. I like Hüsker Dü too, though nothing out of the ordinary... I certainly don't care for Black Flag or Fugazi at all. I love catching a decent punk show over at KEXP and dancing along with the crowd, provided things don't turn into total chaos there. 😁 I actually adore even the most eccentric moments from Talking Heads; everything Byrne puts out feels like the Bible to me, even if it happens to be the absolute worst kind of conceptual nonsense. Well, alright, perhaps I am exaggerating slightly... Frank Black is essentially God to me. I am twenty-three years old, unemployed, and uneducated, but I do have a new haircut, and I am currently searching for a wonderful woman who looks like Cat Power so we can just roll around in the grass together.

And I love Iron Maiden as much as I love my own mother.

boldscout72 said:I love even the most spineless moments from Talking Heads. Anything David Byrne puts out is basically the Bible to me, even if it turns out to be absolute conceptual garbage.

Well, you've actually managed to surprise me there... I'll sign off on that regardless...

What exactly was "spineless" about Talking Heads? 🤔 😉

boldscout72 said:Damn, you really went on a rant there...

Anyway, how are you holding up with the heat?

Just a few flaws in Little Creatures, but let's be clear about that.

Kevin Chavez3 said:Well, you've actually managed to pleasantly surprise me there... I'm signing on to that either way.

Now, what do you mean by the Talking Heads having a "wimpy" moment? 🤔 😉

Have you ever actually sat down and watched Stop Making Sense?😬

David Sullivan4 said:So, how do you feel about sweating?

Honestly... quite poorly. I wouldn't exactly call myself a "sweaty" person—not by any stretch of the imagination—but then again, a tear just rolls down my cheek every single time I hear The Trooper... It's a bit much, really. Anyway—are we still planning on heading over to Whole Foods this Saturday?

boldscout72, you're getting worked up over nothing. 😬

I haven't actually sat down to watch "Stop Making Sense," though I've listened to it plenty. What's there to be afraid of? Just say "This Must Be the Place" and you'll find your peace... 🙂

boldscout72 said:not until you start capitalizing it in your username like you do when you're being this worked up ☕ 😛

If you actually paid attention to my posts, you’d see I never use capital letters unless I absolutely have to—like when I'm explaining obvious things to people like you.☕

😁

analogharbor442 said:just give him an AC/DC CD

From whom??

Kevin Chavez3 said:Say "This Must Be the Place" and you'll strike gold. 🙂

That live performance—honestly, "This Must Be the Place" stands as one of those singular, breathtaking moments in the entire history of pop music... not to mention the song itself. Just sublime. It reminds me of an episode of Life in the North where my good friend Joel Fleischmann dreams that everyone in town is actually from New York, only to wake up absolutely drenched in a cold sweat. That's when "This Must Be the Place" kicks in for me... truly the best End Credits ever.🙂

boldscout72 said:Pretty bad. I'm not exactly the emotional type. But honestly, I tear up every single time I hear The Trooper. Anyway, are we still hitting up Target this Saturday?

Here comes the heavy hitter, no joke.

oktopod said:Have you actually seen Stop Making Sense?😬

Stop Making Sense is legendary. Both the album and the movie—it was literally the first CD I ever owned, picked up at a Midwest department store back in '88.

I don't get what your problem is! Seriously! It’s a lush DVD! Four different audio tracks, man!

You can find plenty of lies in Byrne's solo stuff. Besides, he sold his soul to the devil (and honestly, screw Microsoft for taking him down like that).

Since we're talking about Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place), I actually don't mind when Talking Heads pops up too.

They should be teaching Remain in Light in schools.

Susan Clark10 said:From whom??

Your sense of humor is incredibly shallow, analogharbor442. 😬

Kevin Chavez3 said:Your sense of humor is just way too dry, analogharbor442. 😬

Though, I did catch on after a few minutes. 😳 😁

stormyviper11 said:Just a few little creatures, but let’s be clear about that.

Don't you dare blaspheme! That album is absolute perfection from start to finish. Same goes for his earlier stuff. Those two following it aren't exactly masterpieces, but because I'm such a massive fan of Byrne, I'd still give them a solid B+ or maybe an A-....

Obviously, when it comes to his solo career, you can take anything a certain octopus says at face value. And that first Talking Heads record was a total masterpiece too—I basically staged an intervention for all those kids lost in the techno scene by handing them a "trip cassette" just so they could actually hear some decent music while they were tripping out on candy. Their later stuff was just a mess, kind of a bunch of samba nonsense, vaguely reminiscent of early Santana... but everyone eventually recovered.

Let's do this:

My all-time lineup, set in my favorite 4-1-2-1-2 formation.

------------------------waits----------------------

r'head------pavement------suede--------smiths

-----------------------cave---------------------------

-------pjharvey-------------beatles------------

-----------------------atdi---------------------------

--------------pulp-------------pixies---------------

On the bench: Calexico, Clash, Sonic Youth, Stone Roses, Television, Morphine, Joy Division, and MSP.

After finally grinding through the production process, it hit me—Speaking in Tongues is actually the perfect album... I wouldn't be surprised if they recorded it at a studio like Capitol Studios. Truly delicious stuff.

analogharbor442 said:Once I finally got past my issues with the production, I realized that Speaking in Tongues is actually a perfect album.

Agreed. It sounds a bit less thin than the original CD release; fingers crossed this new remaster holds up...

If REM had actually blown up after *Out of Time*, they’d have the same legendary status in the eyes of real music heads like us who actually get it. After *Naked* dropped, Byrne basically felt like there was no point in Headsi existing anymore once Marr played on that record.

Man, I’d take this for my birthday. It’s not even much. Come on, don't be cheap—chip in. You’ve got four months. Thanks.

--- coastalpanther11

coastalpanther11 said:If REM had just burned it all down right after *Out of Time*, they would have held that same legendary status in the hearts of us true alt-rock purists—you know, those of us who actually *get* the music. I recall hearing that Byrne felt there was no point in Headsi continuing once Marr had played on the *Naked* record...

Well, I’d personally love this for my birthday. It isn't asking for much. Come on now, don't be stingy—let's get a collection going. You’ve got four months. Thanks.

--- coastalpanther11

I'm signing on for both of them. My birthday is only three months away. Better hurry up. 🙂

coastalpanther11 said:Come on, don't be stingy. Pull your wallets together. You have four months. Thanks.

--- coastalpanther11

Our apologies!