Brandon Flowers...

sweetcell wrote:

kosmo wrote:
Well in the second division legacy league I see…

The Decemberists / Belle & Sebastian / Phoenix / Elliot Smith

elliot smith?  srsly?  the decemberists aren't there yet (but have potential).  B&S are too niche.

kosmo wrote:

You can also add R.E.M. and possibly the Stone Roses

don't make our 10-year cut-off.

Charlie wrote:
Wilco.

don't make our 10-year cut-off.

Note:  I said second division….  For every Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Led Zep, The Who there are artists whose legacy is going to last for a smaller subset of people.  i.e. The Kinks, The Creation, The Hollies, Big Star, The Zombies, Love, Roky Erickson, etc.  There are also going to be cult legacy artists which Elliot Smith embodies.

back wrote:

callat703 wrote:


Selling out clubs, playing big festival appearances, and largely holding it down in a big way in a live setting - no matter how big the audience.  They also have two hugely acclaimed records - very similar to the Arcade Fire in this respect.

we'll have to agree to disagree then. Arcade Fire? as big as the Rolling Stones? not even in Canada.
lets not diminish was Flowers was saying here, we're talking biggest bands in the world, ever.

Well, I think we're saying roughly the same thing.  I didn't say they were going to be that big - I said they have the potential to do so, given the level of excitement and interest surrounding them.  In all likelihood, they won't get there - but this is the crop of bands that are at least on the right pathway. 

Personally, I think its more likely that Arcade Fire ends up running a course like that of the Talking Heads, and LCD Soundsystem mirrors Kraftwerk - of course, this is assuming that they continue to put out albums.

kosmo wrote:
The Zombies, Love, Roky Erickson

'Nuff said!

The Strokes

HoyaSaxa03 wrote:
The Strokes

You could interchange the Strokes/ The Killers/ Franz Ferdinand and each of their debuts into Sweetcell's comment.



if the killers has kept up the momentum they built on Hot Fuss, they might have been The Next Big Thing.  but between mediocre follow-ups and general douchiness… 

thinking about it, franz ferdinand almost had a shot at it. 

Charlie wrote:
People are going to remember the Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, and Radiohead? Really?

I'm more than a casual music fan, and I couldn't name a Smashing Pumpkins song other than Rat in a Cage, a Pearl Jam song that wasn't on their debut, or a Radiohead song other than Creep or a few songs from The Bends.

I don't think the three of those bands will ever approach anything near Stones/Beatles status in the psyche of the general public, most likely because they didn't come out in the early years of rock and roll, when classic rock tastes were first being cultivated.

agreed that you really needed to be active in the 60's through 80's to attain god-like status, but PJ and radiohead will be remembered.  SP won't.

kosmo wrote:
Note:  I said second division….  For every Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, Led Zep, The Who there are artists whose legacy is going to last for a smaller subset of people.  i.e. The Kinks, The Creation, The Hollies, Big Star, The Zombies, Love, Roky Erickson, etc.  There are also going to be cult legacy artists which Elliot Smith embodies.

oh, ok, in which case you strayed off-topic:

back wrote:
But it is astonishing that when thinking of bands that will be remembered forever, Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, even U2, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Pumpkins…..what band that has come out in the last even 10 years will ever gain that status? 

Charlie wrote:
You could interchange the Strokes/ The Killers/ Franz Ferdinand and each of their debuts into Sweetcell's comment.

agreed, although FF had two solid albums before shatting the bed.  killers only had one, and i don't have a proper appreciation of "room on fire".

Charlie wrote:
if the killers has kept up the momentum they built on Hot Fuss, they might have been The Next Big Thing.  but between mediocre follow-ups and general douchiness… 

To an extent, I think you can argue they have kept that momentum - they're still headlining big festivals around the world, they're playing small arenas; they just haven't made a jump to the full indoor arena level (Verizon Center, etc).  They're basically on the same level that Kings of Leon is now on.  I will give you that it definitely seems like Kings has more momentum than the Killers at the moment, however.

sweetcell wrote:

Charlie wrote:
You could interchange the Strokes/ The Killers/ Franz Ferdinand and each of their debuts into Sweetcell's comment.

agreed, although FF had two solid albums before shatting the bed.  killers only had one, and i don't have a proper appreciation of "room on fire".

I think the biggest difference, however, is how the mainstream media has reacted to these bands.  The Killers has been generally embraced (singles from all of their albums have ended up on the radio), while the Strokes and Franz Ferdinand didn't have legs beyond their first albums.

I think another band worth mentioning as having a spot in the future is Animal Collective. It should be noted that they have an incredibly rabid fanbase (almost comparable to Radiohead's) and are currently selling out their shows at an impressive pace. Their most recent album had a TON of hype surrounding it. You want an example of a band that is really gaining momentum, then AC is definitely one to mention.

betao wrote:
I think another band worth mentioning as having a spot in the future is Animal Collective. It should be noted that they have an incredibly rabid fanbase (almost comparable to Radiohead's) and are currently selling out their shows at an impressive pace. Their most recent album had a TON of hype surrounding it. You want an example of a band that is really gaining momentum, then AC is definitely one to mention.

Valid point, but I don't see there being a prayer of Animal Collective playing anywhere larger than D.A.R. Constitution Hall.

callat703 wrote:
To an extent, I think you can argue they have kept that momentum - they're still headlining big festivals around the world, they're playing small arenas; they just haven't made a jump to the full indoor arena level (Verizon Center, etc).  They're basically on the same level that Kings of Leon is now on.  I will give you that it definitely seems like Kings has more momentum than the Killers at the moment, however.

interesting that both bands are bigger in europe than in north america.

betao wrote:
I think another band worth mentioning as having a spot in the future is Animal Collective. It should be noted that they have an incredibly rabid fanbase (almost comparable to Radiohead's) and are currently selling out their shows at an impressive pace. Their most recent album had a TON of hype surrounding it. You want an example of a band that is really gaining momentum, then AC is definitely one to mention.

disagreed.  AC was mostly blog-hype with some (unsustained) interest in the mainstream.  how many AC songs do you hear on popular radio?  none.  what size venues are they playing?  theaters and halls, not arenas and stadiums.  they aren't headlining big-name festivals.  their fans are indeed rabid… but there are too few of them, at the moment, to warrant consideration IMO.

I'll give you that, but just give them some time. I'm curious to see how much hype there is for their next album, as well as venue sizes for their next tour. They sold out the club within 2 days of going sale - and this was before the show was actually advertised. I'm curious to see how high they'll be billed on festival lineups around the release of their next album.

i think you might underestimate AC just a bit. granted, they're much more likely to settle into the sonic youth/flaming lips career path/popularity. but if they hit their 95% PECOTA projection they could get to … well, not radiohead level, but something approaching that. in any case, 20 years from now there's no question they'll be far more relevant than kings of leon or the killers. but that won't really be a select group.

BookerT wrote:
i think you might underestimate AC just a bit. granted, they're much more likely to settle into the sonic youth/flaming lips career path/popularity. but if they hit their 95% PECOTA projection they could get to … well, not radiohead level, but something approaching that. in any case, 20 years from now there's no question they'll be far more relevant than kings of leon or the killers. but that won't really be a select group.

I might be underestimating - sure.  But I also don't see Animal Collective's music or stage show translating in a space much bigger than Constitution Hall.  Can you imagine seeing Animal Collective at the Verizon Center?  Or even the Patriot Center for that matter?  I'm better able to accept the idea that they could become a group playing sheds, but even then - that's a lot of people for a band whose music is designed to be avant garde.

I also think it is debatable how relevant they'll be 20 years from now.  Relevance is an interesting question in general, as it depends on how you define it.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are getting there…they are definitely headliner material now.

Muse are not that big in the US. They don't have a platinum record here and definitely not a household name.

Arcade Fire has the potential.

Silversun Pickups, nope. I don't see them having a big future. And the 5.3 review of the new album by Pitchfork doesn't help…

callat703 wrote:

Bands that may yet have a shot at it:

My Morning Jacket | The Arcade Fire | LCD Soundsystem | Death Cab for Cutie | Muse

I also think Silversun Pickups, The Raconteurs, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and some others have potential to go down that road, but it is too early to tell.

Hello wrote:
Silversun Pickups, nope. I don't see them having a big future. And the 5.3 review of the new album by Pitchfork doesn't help…

Apart from the Arcade Fire (and maybe LCD Soundsystem, of the bands I listed), I don't think Pitchfork propels bands to potential stardom on the level we're talking about.  I can't think of an example of a band that Pitchfork broke that has gotten that big - am I missing somebody?

As for Silversun Pickups - as I said, I think it is too early to tell, but modern rock radio is all over them, and they're licensing their stuff everywhere.

Fleet Foxes and Animal Collective…but we shall see in next couple albums…

callat703 wrote:

Apart from the Arcade Fire (and maybe LCD Soundsystem, of the bands I listed), I don't think Pitchfork propels bands to potential stardom on the level we're talking about.  I can't think of an example of a band that Pitchfork broke that has gotten that big - am I missing somebody?

I think Green Day had the momentum, they are playing Verizon Center and seem to have a rabid fanbase.  But I don't think they fit the 10 year rule.

Matchbox 20 could have had a little thing going for them.  But not within the 10 years.

I see no way Silversun and AC get to this level.  I can hardly imagine a DAR headline show by them, much less an arena tour.  Even though I loathe them, Coldplay seems the only one that really has made it big recently.

callat703 wrote:

BookerT wrote:
i think you might underestimate AC just a bit. granted, they're much more likely to settle into the sonic youth/flaming lips career path/popularity. but if they hit their 95% PECOTA projection they could get to … well, not radiohead level, but something approaching that. in any case, 20 years from now there's no question they'll be far more relevant than kings of leon or the killers. but that won't really be a select group.

I might be underestimating - sure.  But I also don't see Animal Collective's music or stage show translating in a space much bigger than Constitution Hall.  Can you imagine seeing Animal Collective at the Verizon Center?  Or even the Patriot Center for that matter?  I'm better able to accept the idea that they could become a group playing sheds, but even then - that's a lot of people for a band whose music is designed to be avant garde.

I also think it is debatable how relevant they'll be 20 years from now.  Relevance is an interesting question in general, as it depends on how you define it.

sure, i can imagine seeing animal collective at verizon center. i'm imagining it right now. there it is. i see it. damn, it's fucking empty in there! who booked this show?!?!

seriously though, say there are 1,500 people at an AC show right now and say there are 8,000 people at a KOL show. i bet if you asked everyone at their respective show if the band they were seeing was one of their very favorite bands you'd end up with roughly the same number of "yes" responses. i don't see AC losing any fans in the near future. i think they'll only gain fans, even if they don't make a record as good as "MPP" again. KOL/killers don't have that loyalty, or the overwhelming popularity of pearl jam back in the day. like, i know KOL pretty much sold out the patriot center, but back in like 94 PJ sold out the patriot center in a matter of minutes, and that was before internet shenanigans.