Going off the Sonic Youth thread...

What do you think are the most overrated bands of all time? Let's not even go that far. Let's talk about bands who get great critical response but really aren't that great. I'm not looking for groundbreaking "overratedness," just plain old consistently overrated.

I'll start

Super Furry Animals

I know this is supposed to be indie, but AC/DC, Guns n Roses, Metallica and pretty much every band that sounds like them makes me sick, critically acclaimed or not. I honestly would not accept less than $5 to sit through an AC/DC song. I really wouldn't.
In terms of indie rock, some bands that critics and fans love I just don't really understand. I wouldn't call them underrated, I just feel like there's something I'm missing about the music.
Overrated(just a couple off the top of my head):
The Hold Steady
M.I.A.
LCD Soundsystem
I like all three of them, but they're not as good as their Metascores say they are.

quote:

The Hold Steady
M.I.A.
LCD Soundsystem
I like all three of them, but they're not as good as their Metascores say they are.

That's asolutely what I meant about Editors. (see "about Editors")
Metascore too high...

I wish I lived in a world where people actually liked music, and didn't just pretend to.

watchoo talkin' about?!?

Can we get a bit of an explanation from the only true music lover on the site, m. leland?

Make no doubt, I love music, which is why it is incredibly irritating to hear about a band and find they aren't enjoyable to you in the least. Or even worse when after you hear them you find they've garnished amazing reviews. Its not always talking trash, its just a kind of "why cant I get into them, am I crazy?" kind of deal.

With that said

Spiritualized- boooooring. Every song sounds the same, its a terrible gimmick as well. Yet the polyphonic spree did it just fine.

Fiery Furnaces- God, terribly boring. And I dont mean I cant handle slower music, its just uneventful been there done that kind of deal.

Arctic Monkeys- This sadly proves the point a friend of mine once made "most indie rock bands arent that good and if they were and had the chance, they'd sell out" except this band was never that good! And now people are mad that they were on SNL. If music is bad, its bad, and no matter how much earlier you beat your friends to hearing this generic rock group, it was bad back then too.

The Mountain Goats - A friend of mine used to send me stuff of theirs when they were just getting started and doing local gigs, and I just couldnt stand them. And I still cant, tried, cant, eh?

And finally

The Velvet Underground - Just kidding.

Spoon - I have no idea why this was on so many year end lists. Bland (in my taste) and overrated. It is just another standard rock group. I don't see anything special.

Pavement - Good, yeah. Overrated, yeah.

Fiery Furnaces - They are definately overrated which is funny to type because I do like them and enjoy them pretty often. I think their experimentalism is respected too much. They really don't anything too great with those experiments.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Good. Not as god as the hype.

Guided By Voices - Better than spoon but kind of in the same category to me. I enjoy them but they are far more respected than necissary.

Magic Numbers - Totally overrated. I don't know if anyone saw some of the good ratings which drew me to them. Overrated for sure.

Secret Machines - simply overrated. Thats all.

Sleater-Kinney - I like Sleater-Kinney but that doesn't mean they are the saviours of Grrrl Rawk. They are like 40 years old. I know, I know that doesn't have anything to do with it. They are great, they just aren't super fantastically great like some allude to.

Sonic Youth - I think they are. They've come out with some great stuff in their careers but so would you if you were making it as long as them. Just not life altering for me. Guess it isn't my generation.

Stereolab - Overrated

Mogwai's early stuff - It isn't that much greater than their later stuff like every review says.

Tortoise - I don't know. I like these guys but they are so overrated. Oh well.

quote:

Originally posted by Sicnarf:
Spoon - I have no idea why this was on so many year end lists. Bland (in my taste) and overrated. It is just another standard rock group. I don't see anything special.

Pavement - Good, yeah. Overrated, yeah.

Fiery Furnaces - They are definately overrated which is funny to type because I do like them and enjoy them pretty often. I think their experimentalism is respected too much. They really don't anything too great with those experiments.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Good. Not as god as the hype.

Guided By Voices - Better than spoon but kind of in the same category to me. I enjoy them but they are far more respected than necissary.

Magic Numbers - Totally overrated. I don't know if anyone saw some of the good ratings which drew me to them. Overrated for sure.

Secret Machines - simply overrated. Thats all.

Sleater-Kinney - I like Sleater-Kinney but that doesn't mean they are the saviours of Grrrl Rawk. They are like 40 years old. I know, I know that doesn't have anything to do with it. They are great, they just aren't super fantastically great like some allude to.

Sonic Youth - I think they are. They've come out with some great stuff in their careers but so would you if you were making it as long as them. Just not life altering for me. Guess it isn't my generation.

Stereolab - Overrated

Mogwai's early stuff - It isn't that much greater than their later stuff like every review says.

Tortoise - I don't know. I like these guys but they are so overrated. Oh well.

Ouch, you named about half of my favorite bands in that post. Who's not overrated in your book?

Eric, duh, the new "in" thing to do is to be "out" so you can actually be "in," so make sure you proudly and loudly set yourself apart — not by what you like — by what you dislike. This way you're not like all those hipster douchebags that like exactly all the same stuff you do. Or almost all the same stuff. Negative is the new positive…you lousy, Pavement-loving hipster douchebag.

quote:

Originally posted by m.leland:
Eric, duh, the new "in" thing to do is to be "out" so you can actually be "in," so make sure you proudly and loudly set yourself apart — not by what you like — by what you dislike. This way you're not like all those hipster douchebags that like exactly all the same stuff you do. Or almost all the same stuff. Negative is the new positive…you lousy, Pavement-loving hipster douchebag.

I'm just going to keep enjoying my Spoon and Pavement albums while sipping on a nice cold PBR.

I like Pavement.

Just overrated in my opinion.

Oh the "hipster". How do they make it into every post?

Are you trying to say that people who don't like the music you like to don't really like music at all? “Those hipsters! They’re all closet Spoon fanatics!” That’s kind of ridiculous. A lot of people like that there music up there but that doesn’t really give it any more relevance. A lot of people like Yellowcard and a lot of people like Radiohead. Doesn’t put them in the same category. It doesn’t mean that you really like Yellowcard but say you hate it for face value. M.Leland…are you a closet Yellowcard fan…? Heh, Just Kidding, even if you are its all right by me.

Overrated doesn't mean horribly unlistenable, just hyped to an extent that doesn't fit the actual sound. I've been offered so many classics over the years of music that was supposed to be "where it all started" and supposed to be the most incredible thing ever made and been horribly let down just because of expectations. The bands weren't bad per se just overhyped; overrated. I own and listen to all the bands on that there list up there. Doesn't change the fact that they are overrated. It’s just an opinion. I know these forums hold a lot of sway on the cool-o-meter but I promise that posting this information isn't titillating mine. After all I am only a Participant. You can probably discard all of this. I mean comments are really only valid if you are an Enthusiast…or is it a Know-It-All? I lose track. I’ll get there one day though.

quote:

I'm just going to keep enjoying my Spoon and Pavement albums while sipping on a nice cold PBR.

Oooh, can I have one?

Overrated can mean a lot of things, but to me the worst is when a band is "original" and they just sound like a knock off. The worst is all these indie bands lifting from the sounds of the 60's. Anything that people are passionate about is fair game for criticism, and music is no exception.

So who cares if we sit around and complain about bands we dislike, we've at least go a genuine interest in music, and if someone doesnt but poses to, who's it hurt?

quote:

Originally posted by Chris_Creevy:
Overrated can mean a lot of things, but to me the worst is when a band is "original" and they just sound like a knock off. The worst is all these indie bands lifting from the sounds of the 60's.

Is lifting sounds from the 60s any worse than lifting sounds from the 80s or 90s? I'm not not sure what music you're listening to, but there's not much out there that's not borrowing elements from pre-existing genres.

i would have to agree with ericg75. even a band like talking heads, who i think is one of the most original bands that ever existed, lifted sounds from other genres and time periods.

quote:

Sonic Youth - I think they are. They've come out with some great stuff in their careers but so would you if you were making it as long as them. Just not life altering for me. Guess it isn't my generation.

Ouch. I thought you liked experimental shit Sicnarf. Listen to "Providence" from Daydream Nation and try to tell me that Fennesz didn't base his career on that one song alone. What is it with new kids and their hate for Sonic Youth. Most of the new noise shit would not exist if it weren't for them, they're the gateway drug dude. Just an opinion, I mean you also like Joanna Newsome and Andrew Bird, right, and to me they are the most horrid and boring things I've ever heard. Oh, and just to make the point, I am definitely NOT dissing Fennesz or noise because as some of you know I mostly listen to stuff like that.

Overrated:

1. Its a fact music editors have this fascination with americana, so the way they bolster up Loretta Lynn, Rosanne Cash, Bruce Springsteen's latest, is just sentimental "I know what real music sound like" critic garbage.

2. I think there is a tendency for a critic to bring the "new" band to the front. I'd rather see a decent second major album or a major label debut before I consider them the greatest band of all time. Examples:
The Zutons
Super Furry
The Editors
Arctic Monkeys.

Its not what you do on your first CD that makes you great, its what you consistently do over time that does.

quote:

Originally posted by MrSinister:
Overrated:

1. Its a fact music editors have this fascination with americana, so the way they bolster up Loretta Lynn, Rosanne Cash, Bruce Springsteen's latest, is just sentimental "I know what real music sound like" critic garbage.

2. I think there is a tendency for a critic to bring the "new" band to the front. I'd rather see a decent second major album or a major label debut before I consider them the greatest band of all time. Examples:

Super Furry

Its not what you do on your first CD that makes you great, its what you consistently do over time that does.

Um, Super Furry Animals have released seven albums. And they've been consistently great, so I think you can cross them off your list.

As to your first point, I'm not sure the "fact" that you mention is a fact that applies to ALL music editors. I read a lot of mags, and many of them cater to americana fans, but others make no mention of those artists. Your criticism seems to imply that all americana is garbage, which seems hasty, although I'll join you in not caring for the Lynn, Cash, or Springsteen records. I think it has less to do with the "this is what real american music" should be mentality, and more about venerating old warhorses.

quote:

Originally posted by MrSinister:

Its not what you do on your first CD that makes you great, its what you consistently do over time that does.

Well, true, but it is possible for a band to release a terrific first album, and then become pretty mediocre. That won't make them a great band, but it would still make them a band that released a great album.

Case in point: The Violent Femmes. I haven't been that impressed with anything they did after their self-titled debut. Their debut however, is nothing short of fantastic. I'd rank it among my favorite all-time albums.