Return of the 90s: The Top 10 Bands Reuniting From That Decade
Has it really been that long? Is the nostalgia already kicking in to the point where these bands going on tour is considered a “reunion”? Regardless, here is a Top 10 List of the bands “reuniting” from the 90′s that are touring soon. This list is determined by my personal taste, so people are bound to disagree. I have it ranked by my excitement, and by who I’d like to see live the most. Enjoy:
#10 – Creed
Creed is the band I am least excited to see. It would make me happy to never hear their music nor see another picture of Scott Stapp ever again. What a cocky douche-bag this guy was. His vocals sound like a bad impersonation of Metallica and Pearl Jam while plugging his nose at the same time. You want to know why these guys were popular? Ask Nickelback. Nickelback today is what Creed was in the late 90′s: talentless and somehow regarded as musicians. Given, Creed’s guitar player is lightyears better than Nickelback’s, but you just can’t get worse than Stapp. He could take any song, sing it, and make it sound like the worst song ever written. This month they announced to the world that they are not only planning on touring again, but planning on writing new music. I am hoping the world has learned of its mistake, and will not let this band terrorize our ears once again.
#9 – Sugar Ray
Believe it or not, but this band actually use to play a poor version of funk/metal. That is, until they had their smash hit “Fly.” They are one of the biggest examples of a band to “sell-out.” They had one taste of success with “Fly” and flipped their music faster than you could blink. They had ridiculous success with “Someday,” “When It’s Over,” and “Every Morning,” forever marking themselves in history as one of the bands you always loved to hate, and were completely embarrassed to enjoy. Probably the catchiest worst music to come out of the 90′s, and you can expect a new full-length studio album from them in the near future. I guess they already blew through their paychecks. BOOOOOOO
#8 – Third Eye Blind
Jesus. Just look at that eyeliner. These guys were bad. Not as bad as Creed or Sugar Ray, but pretty damn bad. The only thing that makes them a step above the two previous acts is that they actually wrote songs outside their hits that could be considered well-written and requiring some type of talent. Being the soundtrack to countless chick-flicks in the 90′s, they are having their comeback by playing the Bamboozle Festival and putting together a spring tour.
#7 – Blink 182
Personally, I was never a fan. I found their music to be talentless pop that paved the way for even worse acts like New Found Glory and Good Charlotte. The only thing that would make me get a ticket for their show is Travis Barker, who is a damn amazing drummer. This was also a band people loved to hate, but was certainly their guilty pleasure. Their reunion is one of the biggest hypes going around right now, so expect a tour and another album at some point soon
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#6 – Blur
Yeah, it would be pretty cliche for me say “woo-hoo!” to the news of this reunion. Other than their hit “Song 2,” they never really made a big impact on the music world. They had a huge cult following, were much bigger in England, and are could easily live the rest of their lives off publishing royalties. The reason I have these guys at number 6 is a)I never really listened to them outside of “Song 2″ which kicked major ass, b)the one song alone is better than anything ever written by some of the bands on this list, and c)their front-man, Damon Albarn went on to front Gorillaz, which I am a huge fan of. They are reuniting, but more than likely only touring in Europe.
#5 – Jane’s Addiction
This is probably the least surprising reunion on the list, and is also why it’s lower than the bands taking the 1-4 slots. Jane’s Addiction has been having their on-and-off relationship pretty much their entire existence, so them calling another tour a “reunion” isn’t really factual. Yeah, I would still love to see them live, especially since their going on tour with Nine Inch Nails (a personal favorite of mine), but it still lacks any nostalgia or surprise.
#4 – Limp Bizkit
Probably the most hated band that ever existed. People who listened to them in the 90′s are more embarrassed by that than the giant neon goggles they wore with their oversized Jnco Jeans. If 9/11 or Katrina weren’t enough of a hint, consider this the first sign of the apocalypse. This band ruined so many things in music. They made Nu-Metal a cliche, they killed the creation of rap-rock which Rage Against The Machine so eloquently perfected, and they made backward hats and puffy jackets a fashion bomb. You may be wondering why I put them so high on the list, and the reason is simple. Why wouldn’t you want to see a sign of the apocalypse? Seeing Fred Durst on stage with his baggy pants and red backwards hat, trying to relive his glory-days as a rapper/rockstar, would be comical at the least. Besides, as bad as this music is, I’d much rather see a possible Durst assassination than Creed or Sugar Ray. This possible world-ending reunion could summon Satan himself to come out of Hell screaming, “God, whhhhhyyyyyy?!”
#3 – No Doubt
Outside the song “Bathwater,” everything past the album Tragic Kingdom was pretty bad. That album perfected the ska-rock sound and projected this band into rock stardom. I’ve seen this band live before, and they do put on an awesome show. They even make their electro-pop-rock sound tolerable when performing. Plus, Gwen Stefani is hot. She always has been. It would be good to see her going back to her rock roots instead of doing her pop/hip-hop/dance crap that shes been doing the past five years.
#2 – Alice In Chains
My love for music can be tied to Alice In Chains. Their album Jar Of Flies was, literally, the very first album I ever owned. Sure, I had the entire Michael Jackson catalogue when I was a youngin’, but Jar Of Flies was the first album that was MINE. It was given to me at a party, and was the first actual CD that I ever had. It certainly changed my life because I found a sound that I never heard before. It was dark, heavy, passionate, and I never really understood it until my teen years. True, their singer Layne Stanley died in 2002 from a drug-overdose, but their new singer allegedly sounds identical. Just to see the band that started so much in my life would be monumental for me, and this is why they are so high on the list. Expect a full length album in September and a tour to follow.
#1 – Faith No More
Finally. The reunion that Mike Patton was quoted to say would never happen. I’m not going to be cheesy and say that it’s “Epic” just like their only hit song, but you get it. Mike Patton has one of the biggest cult followings in music history (yes, I am serious), and to see him with the band that made him famous would be astounding. Faith No More is not one of the most popular bands in history, but they were certainly a band that influenced the biggest bands today. If Faith No More never existed, much of the music afterwards would have been drastically different. They are the band that your favorite band was a huge fan of. They are legends in the minds of those who know them; they are the Led Zeppelin of the underground eccentric rock. Though it’s not the original lineup, it’s still the biggest news I’ve heard in a long, long time. I’ve heard rumors that they only plan to tour in Europe, but it would certainly be the best excuse to travel.
Top 10 Albums of 2008
2008 wasn’t really the best year for music. It had some good albums, but not many of which I think will go down in my book as some of my favorites ever. I tend to listen to hours upon hours of music everyday, and I left 2008 with a tad bit of disappointment. With this list, I am veering away from my usual, where I look at it from a critiquing point of view, not from my own personal choice. Here is my personal choice of the Top 10 Albums of 2008:
#10 – MURS – MURS For President
This album was good, but not nearly as good as it should have been. MURS is a true underground hip-hop artist who flows well and is actually articulate. His songs are passionate, not about how much money he has or how many women he sleeps with. He’s not about the bling, he’s about the knowledge, but sometimes when you have lyrics like “sometime’s a man’s just gotta be a man,” it makes me think twice about your lyrical capabilities.
#9 – The Cool Kids – The Bake Sale
I learned about The Cool Kids at the end of 2008, but this album definitely makes my list. It’s old school, rhyme-to-the-beat hip hop that gives you that nostalgic feeling you got when you first heard RUN-DMC when you were young. They have simple beats, catchy hooks, and their lyrics are hip and trendy making you realize that yes, they really are the coolest kids.
Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer
#8 – Amanda Palmer – Who Killed Amanda Palmer
I won’t lie to you. Amanda Palmer is one of my heroes. I am very easily able to admit that I am one of her many cult-following worshippers who will buy anything she comes out with. This album was no exception. Produced by Ben Folds and recorded in my home town of Nashville, this album had its few and far between notions of imperfection; however, not only did it sound astounding, but if you’re a fan, you can never get enough of her songwriting.
#7 – N.E.R.D. – Seeing Sounds
N.E.R.D. is the hip -hop act that snobby, uppity music lovers have in a secret playlist in their iTunes library. ”Hip-hop? No! Never! Such trash!” Bullshit. This is hip-hop when done by classically trained jazz musicians. If you don’t like this group you’re being stubborn and are probably a douche-bag that thinks Bono is a musical deity.
#6 – Kanye West – 808′s & Heartbreak
I already have a post about this album and how much I personally loved it. Yes, the beats can kinda sound the same in many of the songs, but this album was such a personal accomplishment for Kanye that it’s easily overlooked. He is the embodiment of a universally big ego, but for some reason I love that he is so neurotic and cocky. It has become less of me actually taking it seriously and much more of me finding it humorous. This album definitely makes the list because of such a bold move he took to make it.
#5 – mc chris – mc chris is dead
Ok, so I know I have way too much hip hop on this list. This is the last one I promise. But seriously, mc chris is the fucking jam. All other hip hop artists rapping about technology and star wars will fade into oblivion, leaving mc chris the champion of this small cult of a genre. Nerds rejoice! mc chris is here to save your musical desires with quite possibly his best album to date!
#4 – The Raconteurs – Consolers Of The Lonely
If this list was based more about music critique and not my personal choice, then this album would definitely be at the number one spot. This album was nearly perfect. Every song was phenomenal, and I’m not even a big Jack White fan. If you don’t like Jack White, do not fret. The majority of this album is sung by his counterpart, Brendan Benson. I didn’t think that their first album was that great, but I really didn’t think that they would be able to better. Luckily, and surprisingly, they blew past their first album and produced what will more than likely go down as their greatest work. Even if you don’t like The White Stripes, you need to listen to this album. It’s just that good.
#3 – Ben Folds – Way To Normal
Ben Folds was never someone that I really got into. When I first heard about him having a new album, I was interested, but not nearly as excited as many of my friends. That is, until I heard it. What was best about this album, was not even the album. Ben and his two band mates leaked phony versions of some of the songs online weeks before the release date to throw people off. The thing was, the phony songs were almost better than the ones meant for the album! If you were to take advice from me on this album, grab the leaked songs as well as the album. Every song is amazing.
#2 – Lydia – Illuminate
I can’t express how much I love this album. This album is absolutely phenomenal. I don’t know if it’s the actual album being this good, or if it’s my surprise of it not being terrible. Before this album, I was not a fan of this band. Though I have a friend in the band, I kinda felt they were a mediocre rip-off of Bright Eyes, which I heavily disliked in the first place. This album came out of nowhere and blew my fucking mind. I saw them in L.A. just to see my friend again, but left with my mouth on the floor. This band has a lot ahead of them and I am very interested to hear what their next effort will sound like.
#1 – Foxy Shazam – Introducing…
This is by far my favorite album of the year. It was a tough decision between this and Lydia, but this album had to take the victory. This band is by far the most original on the scene, so much that bands like Mindless Self Indulgence have stolen their style and put it onto their albums. But fuck that. I first saw this band in 2004 in a tiny venue in downtown Nashville and they played in front of five people, three of which consisted of my band. I have seen this band literally over 20 times, and I am not lying when I say that it blows me away each time. Every show gets better, and every song gets better. They are in the midst of writing for their new album, and I cannot wait. If you haven’t yet, GO FUCKING LISTEN TO THIS BAND.
Honorable mention:
Nine Inch Nails – The Slip
The reason this album didn’t make the list was the recording quality. If you want to hear how these songs are meant to be heard, go see them live. They play nearly the whole album in their new set list and its goddamn incredible.
Top 12 Most Groundbreaking Albums In The Last 10 Years
So yeah, a lot of people are doing Top 10′s these days. I guess it’s because it’s in high demand. Music is what I am most passionate about, so my Top 10′s are going to deal primarily with music and music only. I chose to do a Top 12, only because there were so many that I had to put on the list. A lot of artists on this list you will disagree with, but it’s my list, not yours.
