The Top 5 Most Disappointing Bands

It is a sad but true fact of the music industry, that some artists will never be able to live up to their early successes.  I’m not so much talking about one hit wonders, but rather bands who were able to make a few decent albums before falling off into obscurity and making only terrible music.  Some of my favorite songs of the last decade or so now leave a sour taste in my mouth when I think of where the people responsible for them now reside.  So without further ado, I present to you the Top 5 Most Disappointing Bands.

#5:  The Cardigans – To the most mainstream of listeners, The Cardigans had one big hit.  Fair enough.  But if you listen to their first few albums, you’ll find a that they had more to offer than just “Lovefool” (including a cover of “Iron Man”).  Songs like “Carnival” displayed a childlike wonder at life, a sort of doe-eyed whimsy that the band was never able to fully recreate in their later albums.  The critical verdict on Grand Turismo, Long Gone Before Daylight, and Super Extra Gravity are pretty clear: they pale in comparison to their first few albums.  There are a few loyal fans out there who still like what they hear, but when I tried to sit down and review Super Extra Gravity a while back, I just couldn’t listen to more than a few songs without getting bored or uninterested.  Tough break for a band that still gets regular plays on my iPod…”Lovefool,” of course.

#4:  The Dresden Dolls – The Dresden Dolls did the opposite of The Cardigans.  Rather than change their sound or try to expand upon it, they kept everything exactly the same for their sophomore album, Yes, Virginia.  Unfortunately, the band didn’t analyze their own music to realize that it’s uncannily gimmicky.  A person can only listen to so much German cabaret music before throwing in the towel and switching to something a little more easy on the ears.  When listening to Yes, Virginia, you can literally hear songs trying to recreate the intensity of a song on their self-titled debut, or others trying to recreate the hopelessness.  It’s all rather sad, or disappointing if you will.  With the release of No, Virginia, due in May, we’re almost guaranteed to be treated to the same repetitive nonsense.

#3:  Rilo Kiley – Believe me, I’m completely disappointed in Rilo Kiley.  The band that I used to cite as one of my favorites doesn’t even crack the Top 50 with their new Fleetwood Mac-wannabe music.  In many ways, I’m most disappointed in this band because they didn’t just make bad music, but made a conscious decision to sell out (more info on that HERE).  But they still gave me three incredibly solid and endearing albums that remain among my favorites to this day.  The top two on this list, well… they gave me much less to enjoy and therefore disappointed even more greatly. 

#2:  No Doubt – Every time I see Gwen Stefani on TV or read about her on the internet, I’m just heartbroken at what she has become.  The once punk-rocker chick who used to throw manic fits on stage and make teenage boys swoon has become a diva of epic proportions with her own clothing line, Japanese posse, and excessive bling.  Still, the most depressing aspect of it all is that she not only left her band No Doubt behind to embark on these endeavors, but she drove them into the ground before breaking off to go solo.  Tragic Kingdom is a classic album by almost all accounts.  It was followed by the less-successful, but still pretty decent, Return of Saturn.  Rock Steady is where things started to go downhill, however, with the band putting more of a focus on electronic, danceable songs rather than sticking with, or evolving their rock sounds.  It’s a shame.  The band is currently back together making an album that should be out sometime next year, but my hopes aren’t high.  I really can’t see Gwen going back to who she was in the early 1990s.  I’m almost sure she’ll be prancing around on stage in high heels and sunglasses at every show.  Too bad.

#1:  Live – Back in March, we at Audio Overflow revealed our love for Live’s 1994 masterpiece, Throwing Copper.  What you may not be aware of is how god awful the band got after releasing that album to the world.  It’s one of the most heartbreaking tales of alternative rock, maybe even worse than Kurt Cobain being an idiot (too soon?).  Secret Samadhi had about 3 decent songs on it, including the beautiful “Turn My Head,” and The Distance to Here had “The Dolphin’s Cry.”  And that’s it, folks!  Never mind that Live has released 3 albums since then.  Did you even know that?  Probably not unless you watch American Idol.  The depths that the band has fallen to is depressing.  I mean, who names their album Birds of PRAY?  I think the best thing for the band to do would be to pull an Alanis Morissette and milk that one shining star in your discography for all its worth.  I’m talking an acoustic version, a live version, maybe even a version where you have guest vocalists come on and pay tribute to it.  When that’s all you got, you do what you can.  Poor guys.

Moods – Self-Loathing

For the most part, I like myself.  I’m a pretty decent person with a pretty decent future, and I write a pretty decent blog about music.  Who couldn’t like that?  Unfortunately folks, there’s a side of me that I just can’t stand: my musical tastes in the past.  The following playlist is not only a playlist of songs that I used to like, or that I used to own, but still own.  Do I still enjoy listening to this stuff?  In a comedic way, yes.  While assembling this list, I literally cracked up several times when thinking about how bad these songs are.  “What If?” is laughably bad, while N.E.R.D. is just downright suckage – but they all have their place in my past, in my life.  I suppose if I ever needed a reason to hate myself, this would be a good place to start.

The Top 25 Alternative Rock Albums (Albums 5-1)

So after 4 weeks of counting down Audio Overflow’s Top 25 Alternative Rock Albums, we’ve finally made it to the Top 5. Be sure to let us know what we should have added and what we should have taken off.

#5. Our Lady Peace: Happiness Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch (1999)
Erin says: “A lot of the songs on this album are really unique and I truly get into them. I believe that Our Lady Peace’s uniqueness is what makes their music so entertaining and memorable. The majority of the songs on this album definitely fall into that category. “

Cale says: “This was one of the first albums that I can remember liking all the way through. Each song on it is fantastic and passionately performed by the band. They have not matched the heights reached on this album since.”

#4. Bush: Sixteen Stone (1994)
Erin says: “When I first saw the movie “Fear”, I remember thinking, “I want this soundtrack”, when someone next to me said, “just buy Sixteen Stone”. Well, I never did, but that never stopped me from listening to, singing to, and respecting the many wonderful works of Bush. Gavin Rosdale’s voice is one of my favorites and seemed to almost embody the concept of alternative rock…Or at least every 16 year old girl’s stereotype.”

Cale says: “Totally agree with Erin on that one. Gavin’s voice truly makes this album what it is. The amount of quality songs contained on it is nearly unparalleled in the genre. Still, if it weren’t for Gavin, I doubt anyone would’ve ever heard of this band.”

#3. Nirvana: Nevermind (1991)
Cale says: “I think that for the most part, Kurt Cobain is one of the most overhyped vocalists of all time. When it’s all said and done, he was downright terrible at vocals. Still, Nirvana was a band that started a music revolution, and Nevermind was truly ahead of its time.”

Erin says: “Well it’s no big secret that Nirvana is not one of my favorite bands…so why would I nominate them for the top 25? Well it’s simple. Grunge is one of the subgenres commonly associated with alternative rock and since Nirvana was a HUGE turning point away from hairbands of the 80’s, I respect them and this album. If not for this album (and this is heavily debated) I believe that music today would be entirely different. They were pioneers in the music industry…definitely innovators.”

#2. Pearl Jam: Ten (1991)
Jill says: “”Alive” was and always has been one of the most stiring songs ever. It’s the benchmark for a deep, dark story and I never took the chorus for anything inspirational. Sometimes being alive can be such a burden. “

Erin says: “Just awesome! There’s a reason why most alternative stations still play a good majority of “Ten’s” songs on the radio. They are still great songs over a decade later! I can’t think of one song on this album that I hate. I really feel like Pearl Jam and this album take home the prize for being the most unique.”

#1. Live: Throwing Copper (1994)
Cale says: “Words cannot accurately describe the greatness of this album. It came out when I was in middle school, and I have revered it highly ever since. “Pillar of Davidson” is one of my all-time favorite sing along songs and “Lightning Crashes” still sends chills down my spine. The greatness of Throwing Copper is only heightened by the sad truth that Live was never able to put together an album as solid as this ever again. But if there was an album on this list that deserved to be considered the greatest Alternative Rock album of all time, I’m happy it could be this one!”

Erin says: “If you’ve read my retro review on this album, then you already know my opinion. If you don’t like it, you probably don’t have ears. Throwing Copper is capable of stirring up many thoughts during it’s course of play time. I have yet to listen to it and not have an overwhelming appreciation of their talent. Definitely my favorite alternative album!”

Live: "Throwing Copper"

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most devout Live fan. Sure, I like them well enough, I’ve heard a few of their albums, and I’ve even seen them live (nice, huh?). One of their songs even inspired me to create a piece of art which I later entered in a contest and got a few offers on (no, it wasn’t a great piece, but hey, music inspires people to pay). Live put out their first album in the late 80’s followed by another one that the general public probably still knows nothing about, but it was their breakthrough, Throwing Copper album that leads me to this retro review.

Let me start off by saying that this album has some great songs on it. It is a mostly brilliant album. Throwing Copper begins with a track called, “The Dam at Otter Creek”. This song is both entertaining an unusual. It starts very softly with only a quiet guitar riff and lead singer, Ed Kowalczyk’s unique voice. The lyrics would lead you to believe that this song deals with the most unfortunate death and cover up of a man. However, nothing is ever as simple as it seems, so I’ll leave the interpretation up to the listener. Though the song begins modestly, it soon picks up and becomes a rock out track in the style that only Live can accomplish, with its heavy sound that, by the end is more menacing than modest. While this song didn’t go on to be a radio hit, it’s a perfect introduction of what’s to come. “Selling the Drama” was a hit that was born from Throwing Copper and is still played on many alternative stations. In the album insert, an accompanying picture to the lyrics of this song intensifies it’s mystery. A mystery is exactly what you get with this song. In all the years I’ve listened to it, I know all the words, but none of the meaning. The lyrics are made of of mostly analogies and antonyms. There are actually very few sentences in this song, but plenty of entertainment. It’s very easy to sing along with as the melodies are pleasing and easily memorable. I don’t often meet people who like Throwing Copper, but not “Selling the Drama”. I believe they’re appropriately paired.

“I Alone” probably remains to this day, their most famous hit. It’s a killer song with great lyrics and awesome musicality, and I know it’s by far, my favorite from Live. In fact, if you listen to this album and despise this song, I will question your auditory senses. These particular lyrics, like a lot of Live’s lyrics, take on many religious undertones in dealings with places, figures, actions and emotions. The album insert acknowledges Kowalczyk as the lyrical mastermind, and his talents are brilliantly displayed in this track. He writes/sings, “I’ll read to you here, save your eyes. You’ll need them, your boat is at sea. Your anchor is up, you’ve been swept away and the greatest of teachers won’t hesitate to leave you there by yourself chained to fate.” May not read like much, but your ears should say different. It’s one of their most acclaimed songs, beginning very quietly and simplistically, adding percussion in the second verse, then with all hell breaking loose into the chorus. Then just as suddenly as it came, the drama has faded back to simplicity for the verse, but refuels soon after. From then on, “I Alone” takes the same boisterous feel up until the end. If I may take you to my one Live concert flashback, “I Alone” is freakin’ awesome live (this word usage getting confusing yet?) The next track, “Iris” will come at you like a surprising shock. Not only does Live grab you a few times with this track’s immediate volume and instrumental transitions, they also make some interesting rhythmical choices. Nothing in weird time signatures, just unusual in the transitions;. It’s a nice effect. Kowalczyk’s voice is just as unique as ever in the quality of his voice (tone/timbre). This song is far from my favorite, but it’s not a bad one. “Lightning Crashes” is also a fan favorite. I can definitely determine that this song is about birth and death. I also presume it deals with the circle of life. It depicts a mother giving birth to her baby; baby lives, mother dies (fact). Years later, baby grows up and is having a baby of her own; both live (logical presumption). This track is emotional and beautiful in one swoop. Not only is the story behind the song so human, but the music itself is appropriately tasteful in regards to the events it tells of. “Lighting Crashes” was dedicated to the late Barbara Lewis (1973-1993).

While Throwing Copper boasts some great tracks, “Top” is not one of them. It’s an almost musically boring song with lyrics that are obscure enough to the point of wondering, “Is he just taking out some long, overdue aggression, or is he a newly reformed neo-Nazi?” A bit strange, I agree, but I’ll let you ,the listener, make a decision. Apart from the meaning, it’s really not a musically memorable song. I don’t know the words from memory, I can’t tell you what it’s about, and I will admit to having skipped over this track. It’s simply not my favorite. However, the next track is completely opposite in it’s delivery. “All Over You” is a lyrically shorter song that has a catchy hook and is full of overall entertainment. Along with it’s counterparts, “All Over You” has had tremendous airplay and is considered to be a good song by most Live fans, though it’s not their most creative; It’s actually pretty safe. While Kowalczyk’s vocals remain heavy, the overall song is lighter than a lot of them. Your mom may even enjoy this tune.

“Shit Towne” is one song with two distinct sounds. A specific sound for the verses and a completely opposite sound for the chorus. It works to this songs advantage. It seems to be pretty cut and dry where lyrics are concerned as they describe a place I picture to be a lot like “Cheap side” in the movie A Knight’s Tale; a place that’s poor, dangerous, and derelict. They then claim that’s where they live. I really like the verses in this song though. I feel that they paint very vivid pictures while at the same time being melodically appealing. I enjoy this track a lot, though probably wouldn’t play it for the children. “T.B.D.” is a favorite song of mine on this album. If you Google “T.B.D., Live” you’ll find many bloggers claiming that they know exactly what the song is about, yet every definition is different. In this case, the only fact that any of the bloggers got right about the song is that T.B.D. stands for the Tibetan Book of the Dead. There are many ideas behind the meaning of this song, which I would encourage you to Google later, but for now, here’s my opinion of the song. It’s one of the softest songs on the album with Kowalczyk’s quiet vocals and the timid volume of the musicality. “T.B.D.” does seem to take a while to get through, due to the lack of change throughout the song, but the elements which seem so constant, force you to listen to the lyrics. A good song that is both lyrically interesting and challenging.

I do not find the track “Stage” very special at all. It’s pretty average lyrically and melodically. In fact, without giving it too much notation, I will say that unlike “T.B.D.” this song’s lack of change works to its disadvantage. While being much faster and shorter than it’s predecessor, it seems to last forever. You’d be likely to skip over this one during the listening of the album. On the contrast, “Waitress” is an angry tale that is seemingly about a problem waitress doing an okay job. Apparently, Kowalczyk is highly pissed during these few minutes. His excessive use of profanity leads the listener to believe that there’s more to this story than meets the ear, but we’ll likely never know. The instrumentation in “Waitress” does a fantastic job of portraying the same anger. While there is nothing super unique about this song, other than the random, “happy go lucky” whistling at the end, most Live fans would probably enjoy giving this song a quick listen. Even softer than “T.B.D.” is the track “Pillar of Davidson”, where like other Live tracks, there appears to be more to the story than the listener is privy to. The lyrics are dark with dealings of drugs, religion, death and other elements unbeknownst to us. The melodies of the track, vocally and instrumentally, are enchanting, while Kowalczyk’s vocals and one of “the two Chad’s” background harmonies enhance this song’s chorus. It’s a beautiful song that I tend to merely listen to rather than analyze, so please forgive the lack of remaining comments on this song, but I feel you’d do the same. Definitely check this one out, as it’s sure to be one of the two quiet pleasers.

I remember the first time I heard “White, Discussion”. I wasn’t too sure what it was about then, and I’m not too sure what it’s about now, though I highly doubt it’s about white supremacy, as you may first believe. The meaning of this song will be for you to discern and contemplate, as I would not do it justice to give my interpretation. As for musicality, “White, Discussion” has an intriguing guitar melody that compliments Kowalczyk’s vocal melody and ability. It’s soft, yet gruff. At the end of the second verse, the song builds an immediate momentum and fury that lasts a few moments, then returns with the lyrics, “Look where all this talking got us, baby”. “White, Discussion” keeps the energy up through the end of the song. It’s a great song on the album, probably one of the best, and again, it’s just as good live.

Throwing Copper was released in 1994, and 14 years later, it is just as great an album today as it was then. All the songs on this album are definitely good and most of them are even great. Some are even perfect. It’s all a matter of opinion, but I say the fact is, Throwing Copper will hold up as being one of the best albums made, ever.

Key Tracks:
1. I Alone
2. Lightning Crashes
3. T.B.D.
4. Pillar of Davidson
5. White, Discussion

9 out of 10 stars