canada vs. america
Hot on the heals of Matthew's hottest bands in Canada post, comes the Top 40 Bands in America, courtesy of Information Leafblower. While friendly debate is always fun (and hopefully encouraged), I'm always astounded by the people who seem genuinely angry about such exercises. Case in point:
Wow. What a bunch of goddamn predictable garbage. Is this what happens when too many music bloggers stump for eMusic (so they themselves can get free mp3s whenever someone signs up)? Not a whole lot of variety. You'd almost think that the entire music community is made up of douchebags who somewhere in the back of their heads think they're Bob Dylan. That includes Dylan. Modern Times was just total friggin' rubbish. This all shit you listen to in between yoga class and baking some fucking cookies. It's like the only thing on people's iPods are meticulously organized files and not music. BAAAAARRRRRRFFFFF!Which sort of begs the question as to why people bother visiting sites that they hate so much. I despise Deal or No Deal, but I don't go on the NBC website to tell them they're "retardds!!!111111" For the record, I prefer to listen to Ghostface Killah while mulling over my long term investments and deciding which purse to carry my dog in. The Arcade Fire is my yoga and cookie music.
In more list news...
Sean's poll of the top 25 bands in Australia seems to be generating much less controversy.
Time Magazine compiled the top 100 essential records of all-time. Aaron insists that it must be satirical. It's, at least, somewhat perplexing. If they allowed compilations, wouldn't that dictate that certain various artists comps (like a girl group one) should be on there for sure? At the very least, as much as I love London Calling, the Essential Clash is, well, essential if you're only going to own one Clash record.
The fine folks at Boompa e-mailed me about giving away some passes to Leeroy Stagger's upcoming two night stand at the Railway. He's playing with Patrick Brealey on the 24th and Leslie Alexander and Dustin Bentall on the 25th. I'm still working out the details, but it will probably involve a free record or two and you telling the world your favourite drink (alcoholic one, of course). Full 411 tomorrow.
now playing: Otis Redding - Satisfaction (Rolling Stones Cover)
5 Comments:
i thought that Top 40 Bands in America list was just as perplexing as the Time one. there are some laughable picks on both. these types of lists are geared for your expected audience, be it music bloggers or dentist office readers. but if it's posted elsewhere and showing up in the popular section on delicious and stuff, these types of comments are expected. especially when the article implies things like "Lavender Diamond and Car Stereo (Wars) are better, say, The Wrens (or insert your favourite band)", well then you do kinda deserve some criticism. internet just lets you do it in "retard!!!111" form.
i think i stopped reading information leafblower when he started posting pictures of cats.
By 
, at
5:26 p.m.
While the concept is nice, big & collaborative music-blogger created lists are often problematic. Compiling lots of submitted ranked lists just creates results showing domination of common artists who are a bit more popular, and inturn completely marginalizes of any band remotely obscure or underrated. The lists become less informative and less revealing (I think we already well aware that music bloggers enjoy TV on the Radio, yes?)
These year end/best of lists would be much more entertaining if (1) those who contribute submitted a smaller ranked list, and (2) contributors voted on totally based on totally personal/subjective measures, or (3) those compiling the lists chose a much narrower topic (eg: your “best of Vancouver now” list was farm more interesting any generic “best of 2006” type list).
By , at
11:12 a.m.
i agree, why leave comments that only offer bile and hatred and leave no constructive opinion, btw i think both lists compiled were very good on the whole, you are never going to please everyone. Also i love the wrens but their last record came out in 2003
By , at
4:00 p.m.
the thing about the Time list the perplexed me wasn't really Tom Waits vs. Elvis vs. Public Enemy...
but the whole idea of compilations being essential "albums"...
as for the blogger list, I agree that they (and year-end lists in general) might be getting a bit stale... and also that dissent is expected (and welcome)... but I just find it frustrating that the internet seems to have a higher than usual percentage of "debate" that's just ad hominem attacks. You don't hear people (or at least not that many people) calling up the Team 1040 to yell "JOCKS SUCK!!!! Fuck hockey! You should be talking about politics instead, asshole!"
I just 'silence' all of my critics.
I just don't take lists too seriously. They are fun and stupid.
By , at
3:24 p.m.
