Band of the Decade

so we only have a couple of years left in the aughts, and i was thinking recently about the band that best "defined" the decade

i'm thinking The Strokes

not just for their pure musical output, but the enormous influence they've had on rock music … i was flipping through an old Mojo recently and caught an interview with the arctic monkeys guys, who talked about seeing a Strokes show in London as an enormously formative moment, like all the punks talked about seeing the Sex Pistols … I could go on and on …

White Stripes might be second

I would have to give this some thought, but my answer definitely wouldn't be the Strokes. A good and perhaps culturally important first album does not a band of the decade make. The two follow ups were pretty weak; their shows were underwhelming; and they just faded away pretty quickly.

I don't think the band of the decade would have anything to do with Rock music. I'd look more towards Hip Hop or Dance music.

I could be dissuaded, and I understand the argument about not having enough great albums

BUT I feel like they are the standard-bearers for some of the movements that really defined rock music (on both sides of the pond) in this decade: downtown NYC scene, velvet underground obsession, garage rock revival, post-post-punk, etc, etc

So you're asking me to define "band of the decade" and "band that had the most cultural impact on people other than myself"?

Yet I bet 98% of the general population couldn't name a single Strokes song (myself included), and 95% wouldn't recognize one if they heard it.

Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
I could be dissuaded, and I understand the argument about not having enough great albums

BUT I feel like they are the standard-bearers for some of the movements that really defined rock music (on both sides of the pond) in this decade: downtown NYC scene, velvet underground obsession, garage rock revival, post-post-punk, etc, etc

I immediate thought was Radiohead

this is, of course, a very silly topic, but if you're thinking in terms of quality + cultural impact, then i'd say it's someone out of outkast, kanye, white stripes, sleater-kinney.

It's the Police, right? Is that the right answer?

If we're talking strictly rock music, and personal preference plays no part…sure I'll give it to them.

Originally posted by El Jefe Design:
I immediate thought was Radiohead

This is an interesting topic. Thing is, is the answer the most successful band of the decade? Most influential? Best quality of music?

I liken the Strokes to the NY Dolls. They made an enormous splash on their arrival, based just as much on their image as their songs. They made a big impact on subsequent popular music, in the U.S. and abroad, and became music-culture icons. That, however, did not translate into correspondingly large sales, which they haven't enjoyed, and their subsequent releases have been whimpers.

I liked "Room on Fire" better than "Is This It?"

Brian

P.S. And I really loved "Is This It?"

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
If we're talking strictly rock music, and personal preference plays no part…sure I'll give it to them.

Originally posted by El Jefe Design:
I immediate thought was Radiohead

Considering they haven't released an actual song this decade, I'm going to have to say "Definitely No."

Brian

P.S. I'm so young and don't know years very well, but "O.K. Computer" was released in the 1990's wasn't it? Like around 1998? Why would they qualify for band of the decade? Maybe band of LAST decade…

Originally posted by Relaxer:
This is an interesting topic. Thing is, is the answer the most successful band of the decade? Most influential? Best quality of music?

I liken the Strokes to the NY Dolls. They made an enormous splash on their arrival, based just as much on their image as their songs. They made a big impact on subsequent popular music, in the U.S. and abroad, and became music-culture icons. That, however, did not translate into correspondingly large sales, which they haven't enjoyed, and their subsequent releases have been whimpers.

Part of the problem with the Strokes is that the music mediascape has changed dramatically over the past decade or so. Corporate media devote far more time than in the past to entertainment. These same media also struggle to appear hip in the eyes of younger generations that often get their news from other outlets (at least when they're paying attention at all). Coverage of music is everywhere, as is music itself, all you have to do is watch a commercial or two. The Strokes appeared as this new media monster was growing and had an insatiable appetite for anything hip and cool. They were the perfect fodder; they were connected to the industry, they "independently" released a 7-inch to claim some semblence of authenticity, and they were immediately signed to one of the biggest labels in the biz. The rest is hiszzztory.

Raccoo-oo-oon

/thread

I disagree with alot of you on this thread. The Strokes' follow up "Room on Fire" was not a total disappointment. Of course it's no "Is This Is?", but it wasn't all bad. Now "First Impressions of Earth" is where I disagree alot. I thought First Impressions revamped the strokes and was almost as good (if not as good) as "Is This Is?". Try listening to the whole album. There are many great songs on that album. Also, I went to see them last year at DAR and it had to be one of the greatest shows I have ever been to.

That being said, band of the decade? Don't think so. Good choice, but I think there's definately a better choice than The Srokes.

Originally posted by IMAmoose24:
I disagree with alot of you on this thread. The Strokes' follow up "Room on Fire" was not a total disappointment. Of course it's no "Is This Is?", but it wasn't all bad. Now "First Impressions of Earth" is where I disagree alot. I thought First Impressions revamped the strokes and was almost as good (if not as good) as "Is This Is?". Try listening to the whole album. There are many great songs on that album. Also, I went to see them last year at DAR and it had to be one of the greatest shows I have ever been to.

That being said, band of the decade? Don't think so. Good choice, but I think there's definately a better choice than The Srokes.

I'll agree Room On Fire is not at all a disappointment and a more then ample successor to Is This It?, but anyone who likes LP3 has to be a complete biased fanboy/girl. It has a song or two, but it's the Strokes' Be Here Now.

Originally posted by Julian, good manners AFICIONADO:
I'll agree Room On Fire is not at all a disappointment and a more then ample successor to Is This It?, but anyone who likes LP3 has to be a complete biased fanboy/girl. It has a song or two, but it's the Strokes' Be Here Now.

I thought "First Impressions" was great but it's certainly different from the first two. That concert at DAR WAS great. But Casablancas, et al will have to do a LOT more coke to equal "Be Here Now." I wish I could find that clip of Noel Gallagher talking about "Be Here Now" from "Live Forever." Oh, here it is (from 0:52 to 1:24):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdUf6Ua9P0g

And now matter how bad it is, it will always be the third best Oasis album. The three the released afterwards were all more dire than "Be Here Now."

Brian

P.S. I get the nose drip whenever I hear that AT&T commercial.

P.P.S. Plus, it's revisionist history to say "Oh, they were doing a lot of drugs and that's why "Be Here Now" is such a cocaine record." They were doing tons of blow for "Morning Glory" (and to a lesser extent on "Definitely Maybe".) Listen to the song "Morning Glory" and tell me it doesn't sound exactly like something off of "Be Here Now."

I like the idea of this question…for me, the band of the decade would probably have to be Queens of the Stone Age. I could list many reasons, but really just because of the quality and consistency of their music. Hell, buy the vinyl version of "Lullabies to Paralyze" and you get tracks like "Like a Drug", "Infinity" and "Precious and Grace" and there's no way you can tell me those songs suck.

But from a public/cultural standpoint, I don't think there is a single band or artist that has defined this decade. We're in an era where the nurturing and development of artists is almost extinct. One need to look no further than the dissolving of record labels, the fact that few people sit through entire LPs, and most kids aren't "fans" of a band and instead they download songs. Flip through the iPods of any of the 20-something I work with and you will NOT find more than 4 or 5 songs from a group or artist. There is little value for something that you can get for free.

So that being said, I dunno. Maybe it's Kanye West? Britney Spears? Hannah Montana? What really inspires people these days and sets a benchmark by what an artist or musician should aspire towards? I just don't think that there's anything obvious, certainly nothing that speaks for my own tastes. Even in the 1990's we could have said the decade was summed by anyone from Nirvana to Radiohead to Outkast.

The fact that no band jumps out at you (Beatles, Sex Pistols etc.) tells you right there what a week decade it's been.