Bands That I Like

29 Black Flag Black Flag From the outset, Black Flag was less a band than a state of mind. For their first three years, the hardcore pioneers essentially functioned like a karaoke bar, cycling through three different vocalists who each provided their own sneering interpretations of guitarist Greg Ginn’s circle-pit-stoking songbook. But with the arrival of a young, barely tattooed Henry Rollins in 1981, Black Flag found a frontman who pushed their self-immolating aggression and absurdist social satire to fearsome new extremes. (Who better to draw out the scathing critique from ostensible drinking anthems like “ Six Pack ” and “ Thirsty and Miserable ” than a straight-edge singer?) Black Flag for me really starts with their debut album & first with (a then 20-year-old [and soon-to-be-legendary]) frontman and vocalist Henry Rollins on 1981’s Damaged released on independent label SST Records who contributed a lot to the punk/hardcore scene of the early 80’s. Although the ba...

28 Björk Björk If Billie Holiday is an American treasure, well, if you were to put that treasure underwater, froze it, thawed it out centuries into the future and doused some acid & baking soda on it, out of that treasure chest would come Björk. Originally gaining fame in her home of Iceland with her band, the Sugarcubes, Björk was bound to break solo & she did just that with 1993's Debut . Following that was 1995's Post , 97's Homogenic , 2001's Vespertine, 2004's  Medúlla , 2007's Volta , 2011's Biophilia  (the first album where I was truly a fan), 2015's Vulnicura and 2017's Utopia . There's a lot to unpack there... you can't skip her first three or four albums, they're all amazing. I like Volta  just because it seems to be the loosest (and most fun) album she has. Vulnicura  was her break up album, with Björk expressing that the album reflects her feelings before and after her breakup and the healing process. Her legacy...

27 Billie Holiday Billie Holiday The first jazz singer to really incorporate blues & move peoples hearts, Billie is immortal. I didn't get into her with her traditional music but rather the 2007 album Remixed and Reimagined . Even through the chops & screws- one thing was unmistakable- that voice- so beautiful, so unique, so pure... She said she tried to sing like a horn & it's evident. She is one of the most accomplish vocal performers of all time. A half-a-century later & her style is still mimicked. Billie is as American as apple pie. In 1935 she was singing at the Apollo Theater. She hopped around labels- Columbia to Decca to Verve- until finding her home. She would battle personal problems (drug use & the like). She would pass away on July 17, 1959. Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington... there's certain artist that are almost as important to American history as they are to the progression of popular music itself. Billie is one of...

26 Ben Kweller Ben Kweller Coming out of Austin, Texas, Kweller got a record deal at a super young age, showing promise with his original band (Radish), however, Kweller was bound to be a solo artist. The band broke up & we got Sha Sha ,  one of the best debut albums ever. The songwriting here is superb. So realizes. So... just there! Def. check that our... Kweller's next two albums were a double-hitter; 2004's On My Way  (one of the first C.D.'s I remember buying) and 2006's self-titled  Ben Kweller . Since then it's been more sporadic. His country & western album  Changing Horses  saw some highlights, like "Gypsy Rose". Fly A Kite  was just alright. But for a certain time period Kweller could do no wrong. His collaboration with Ben Folds and Ben Lee, titled The Bens, was one of my favorite things to listen to growing up. The Bens were my first entrance into the whole independent music.... music made for a certain sector. For a long time I ...

25 Ben Folds Ben Folds Starting with his 90's band & continuing into today, Ben Folds was the first rock musician, who wasn't dead or past their prime, who really felt like mine! It's hard to explain but Ben Folds was writing music that really connected with me. And he was still rockin' the suburbs- which might explain my obsessiveness with him in middle school & high school... and college... & a lil' bit today. Ben Folds was my first concert, at the Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis, this must have been around 2004, because he was touring in support of his Sunny 16 E.P. He was touring with Rufus Wainwright & somehow Guster headlined, but we would leave during their set. Ben Folds described his music as "punk rock for sissies." That's a pretty good way of putting it. He is my generation's Piano Man. He has stayed busy since the dissolution of Ben Folds Five in 2000; a successful solo career, collaborations with William Shat...

24 Belle & Sebastian Belle & Sebastian Which one is Belle and which one is Sebastian? Well, actually… none of their 7 (!) members are either. This Swedish band is one of indie-rock’s most consistent and most loved bands, and for good reason. Since their debut album, 1996’s Tigermilk , they have been putting out amazing music. This band really first came on my radar when my brother (who’s ten years older and introduced me to music that wasn't being played on the radio… what we call “ I ndie”- whether they’re on a major label or not… if it sounds “indie” we call it “Indie”... quite a strange phenomenon… but in this case Belle and Sebastian are actually indie… having all their U.S. albums released on legendary Matador records… [that brings up another point… at what point does an Indie label get so big that they could be considered a major label? {Sup-Pop- I’m lookin’ at you!}]) and I started covering the song “ Like Dylan in the Movies ” in our sets. I had never heard...

23 Beck Beck With just two turntables and microphone Beck became one of the most popular artists of all time, becoming more popular than Jeff Beck somehow. Okay, maybe more than the turntables and microphone, there was harmonicas and acoustic guitars and strings and the like. From 1988 to 1992 Beck would record and self release tapes. Equal parts Daniel Johnston, early Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. He would finally get to indie-label status with 1993’s Golden Feeling . 1994’s Stereopathetic Soulmanure followed, as did 1994’s One Foot In The Grave (containing the awesome song “Rowboat”, which Johnny Cash would later cover .). But where a lot of people, including myself, really see his discography starting, the Beck we all know and love today, is with 1994’s Mellow Gold , containing the hit “ Loser ”. I remember being at Best Buy and trying to get into Beck, and the guy working there suggested this one. Although it is a personal favorite of mine, it is a hard sell and entry point...