Who is the BEST "Big" band right now?

[Lancemc]

Straight-forward question, but forgive me if I left off any extremely obvious choices for the poll. In any case, I suspect the "other" catagory will be quite popular, but we'll see how this goes.

So the question is quite simply, who do you fine folks feel is the BEST high-profile band these days (meaning in the past 5 years or so, NOT based on total career output)? Does that make sence? Also try to judge purely in terms of quality of musical output...

 

[intedomine]

Hard to say, I went for Coldplay, but it's such a difficult topic to define.

Personally, I wouldn't call Arcade Fire or Flaming Lips "big" bands at all. In Australia at least, they are pretty much "cult" in the sense that they barely get any radio play...and I've never heard Wilco on the radio either.

Surely Green Day should probably be on this list, and even My Chemical Romance.

So Coldplay for me, for the fact that AROBTTH was released in the past 5 years, and I've never tired of listening to it. And, X&Y, for the most part, has some quality songs on it.

 

[Lancemc]

D'OH! Green Day. I knew I'd forget a big one.

 

[Zoots]

It's so subjective but I went with U2 despite complaining about their recent output every now and then.

 

[XHendrix24]

Arcade Fire. Definitely.

 

[LemonMelon]

Of those...

1. U2
2. Radiohead
3. Flaming Lips

No artist around today could really touch those. Not even Arcade Fire, who has only made one brilliant record and one really good one. U2 is U2, Radiohead had the Bends through Kid A streak, and Flaming Lips are on fire right now.

 

[cobl04]

So many variables

I voted U2, though Muse came close.

 

[Axver]

In my opinion, all of those bands are in the "meh" to "they suck" range, and I don't see how groups such as The Arcade Fire and Wilco remotely qualify as "big".

I can't think of any truly big bands whose current output I enjoy. I would have voted enthusiastically for Muse had Black Holes And Revelations not stunk so badly.

 

[XHendrix24]

Of those...

1. U2
2. Radiohead
3. Flaming Lips

No artist around today could really touch those. Not even Arcade Fire, who has only made one brilliant record and one really good one. U2 is U2, Radiohead had the Bends through Kid A streak, and Flaming Lips are on fire right now.

Yeah, but do you really think that over the past 5 years any of those bands best Arcade Fire?

Over the past 5 years, U2 has HTDAAB (an okay CD), Radiohead has Hail to the Thief (an okay CD), and Flaming Lips have Yoshimi and Mystics (one great CD and one okay CD). In my eyes, Arcade Fire easily bests recent Radiohead and recent U2, and the only really close comparison would be the Lips, since Yoshimi is probably around the Funeral level of greatness, and Mystics, like Neon Bible, was a lesser CD compared to its predecessor (though I think Neon Bible>>Mystics).

I guess it is all opinion when it comes down to it, but my opinion in this case is correct, so I feel the need to trumpet it everywhere.

 

[SeattleVertigo]

Tough question. I'm enjoying Arcade Fire's work the most right now. But before I got caught up in Neon Bible fever, it was U2 for sure. Radiohead and Wilco are also putting out very good music.

 

[Irishteen]

Have to go with Arcade Fire, 2 brilliant albums and a great EP, even if they're not big

 

[BVS]

Wilco, Interpol, Arcade Fire, Muse?

Most of those bands you could mention to the casual music fan and they wouldn't know who the hell they are.

I'd have to say right now it comes down the U2, Green Day or RHCP as being the three main big bands. Bomb was an OK album, Stadium meh, and American Idiot is now almost 3 years old...

 

[BoMac]

What about The Killers?

 

[Aygo]

U2, naturally. Whether U2 still generated tones of hate (as it happens in any era), no other band has the capacity to surpass U2 as "the biggest band".

Radiohead has lots of better moments than U2 but they don't want to be a "big band", it's not on their pretensions.

Pearl Jam has released great albums, but not all were well received. Even their homonimous one received mixed-to-positive reviews.

R.E.M. is going down. "Around The Sun" (which I find a great album) was porrly received, "Reveal" as an okay album and nothing much more... It's been a while since they're not globaly admired.

Muse. It's a great band (I love BHAR and "Origin Of Symetry") but they're overrated, they're not doing anything that hasn't been done before.

RHCP. I like them as a band but... why do they insist on the same sonority with fewer changes in the last 16 years?

The Flaming Lips, Wilco, Interpol and The White Stripes are okay bands for me. Like Muse, they're not revolutionary.

The Arcade Fire. A great band, their 2 albums are but... they're overhyped and they're not doing too anything 100% new.

Coldplay has 3 choices:
- They make another great album like AROBTTH
- They decide to take Eno's knowledge and make another "we want to be the next U2" album
- They put together these 2 options in the next album and they'll be claimed and the new "biggest band in the world"

Although these bands have great albums, some are recognized but the general public but none of these are... U2.
None of these bands made such drastic sound changes as U2 has been making and none of them broke social-cultural-political conventions like U2 did and still does.

 

[STING2]

Straight-forward question, but forgive me if I left off any extremely obvious choices for the poll. In any case, I suspect the "other" catagory will be quite popular, but we'll see how this goes.

So the question is quite simply, who do you fine folks feel is the BEST high-profile band these days (meaning in the past 5 years or so, NOT based on total career output)? Does that make sence? Also try to judge purely in terms of quality of musical output...

You realize that outside of the indie community, many people have never heard of Arcade Fire. Their first album has sold 327,000 copies to date in the United States. So I'm not sure you could define them as "BIG" or "High Profile". In any event, this is an interesting poll.

 

[impy13]

Had to go with Wilco, but only because they've been much, much more active than Radiohead in the last half decade.

 

[angelordevil]

In my opinion, all of those bands are in the "meh" to "they suck" range, and I don't see how groups such as The Arcade Fire and Wilco remotely qualify as "big".

I can't think of any truly big bands whose current output I enjoy. I would have voted enthusiastically for Muse had Black Holes And Revelations not stunk so badly.

Is it cold and raining there today, perhaps?

If you asked a random person at the mall who the biggest band are, U2 are likely to be the answer.

I'm actually loving Muse right now. I think they're at the top of their game. Same thing with Pearl Jam, who have gone through a real resurgence.

With seven band members, The Arcade Fire are most certainly the biggest best band. They are also the most relevant young band, IMO.

 

[Screwtape2]

I wouldn't consider Wilco, Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire or Interpol "big" bands. I'd only heard of Arcade Fire and Interpol before I came here. I also wouldn't consider REM or Radiohead as currently big because the average fan probably doesn't know anything by them made in this decade.

I went with Coldplay by default because I don't like any recent work by any currently "big" artists. I think Arcade Fire is by far the best but they aren't a "big" band.

 

[sue4u2]

Well it is U2 , for not other reason than they are U2.
The Killers (US wise) would be next,
untill ColdPlay releases there new album..then all bet's are off.. If it's good, and maybe even if it's not ( this is the US, after all.. )
This falls into the "in my humble opinon" category.

with that said, I did enjoy Arcade's Fire performanc on SNL last night.

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

U2 and Wilco are my two favorite bands, but I wouldn't put them in the same category. I can't ever see Wilco being hugely "successful"--not that commercial success and quality are one in the same. Also, I unfortunately don't think Wilco's music will have the same staying power over time that U2's will. Not that it shouldn't, but I just don't see it happening.

I think many of the other bands you mentioned are either overrated or not really big bands yet. I do love the Arcade Fire, but part of me wonders if they'll still be popular in 10 years--not because they're not good, but because I feel like it's just too early in their career to tell. R.E.M.'s best days are behind them, in my opinion. Pearl Jam is good, but I do think U2 is better.

So that's a long way of saying I voted U2.

 

[Saracene]

The only truly, globally "big" bands on this list IMO are U2, Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Radiohead, Pearl Jam and White Stripes are pretty well-known but not really big.

If this was a question about what band's most current output I was impressed with the most, I'd go with Muse without a question,

 

[intedomine]

Muse are definitely getting "bigger." They have the potential to become as "big" as Coldplay, give them both time and the release of a song that would prove an instant hit on commerical radio.

I personally find Muse horribly and curiously over rated. I found both Knights of Cydonia and Time Is Running Out pretty tedious after about 3 listens. Starlight is still rather nice, but nothing mind blowing. But that's just my ears doing the talking....

Green Day needs to be considered as "big".

 

[Lancemc]

Man, shoot. I didn't intent for this to become an argument of semantics. This has nothing to do with who's the bigger band or how big they are.

Maybe I should have just said "Of the bands listed, which one does the most for you these days?"



Make more sense? Sheesh.

 

[Justin24]

U2
ColdPlay
The Killers

 

[Lancemc]

I can't say I understand all the love for The Killers around here either. Granted I haven't listened to all of Hot Fuss, but the several songs I have heard have done less than nothing for me. Actually, that's an understatement. They do something...they irritate me to no end. They really are a terrible band. And it pains me to see such an act become so incredibly successful while infinitely more talented acts go completely un-noticed. But that's the nature of the business.

 

[LMP]

I can't say I understand all the love for The Killers around here either. Granted I haven't listened to all of Hot Fuss, but the several songs I have heard have done less than nothing for me. Actually, that's an understatement. They do something...they irritate me to no end. They really are a terrible band. And it pains me to see such an act become so incredibly successful while infinitely more talented acts go completely un-noticed. But that's the nature of the business.

They're Duran Duran, pure and simple.

This is a hard question to answer. Right now, I'd say The Flaming Lips, but next week I'll say Arcade Fire, or The White Stripes, etc...

 

[tomtom]

The Killers IMO are ridiculously overrated. Hot Fuss had catchy, hooky, well-written tunes with some killer (NPI) singles and some decent supporting tracks. For what it is, I find Hot Fuss very enjoyable. But by no means would I mention them in the same breath as a Radiohead or a Wilco. And we're not even talking about the awesome B-movie badness of Sam's Town. When You Were Young couldn't possible be more formulaic if it tried.

...Btw my vote went to Pearl Jam. Their new album is, track for track, incredibly strong, even if it isn't quite as good as Ten or Vs (the other 2 PJ albums I've heard in their entirety). I've found myself humming or singing every song on the album at some point or another, and there's a great range of styles on it, from the balls-out garage pop-rock of the opening deuce, to the mid-tempo introspectives of Gone and Unemployable, to the wistful acoustic pop of Parachutes, to the epic closer, Inside Job. It's relaxed, confident, passionate, angry, joyous, and vital, and with good lyrics to boot.

Radiohead, I reserve judgement until I see the studio treatment of songs from LP7. That stuff could be mesmerizing, if the shows were anything to go by...

 

[BonosLil'Pal94]

What about The Killers?

and that, my friends, is why I chose 'Other'. I'm really into them right now, and their last album was awesome

I'd choose U2 or RHCP or White Stripes next such a tough choice!

 

[MrPryck2U]

Easily, it's U2.

 

[LMP]

Easily, it's U2.

why?