Jueves 1 May 2008, 16:16
Ok, this is MY opinion of the top artists over the whole of last.fm by listener number for 01/05/08. I'm not saying this is true. I'm only doing it as something to avoid doing work…
1. Radiohead - 99,720
Well, I don't think they are good enough to be the most listened band in the world (ok, last.fm). Sure, they've started off a lot of the music I like, and they're inventive, but there is such a thing as being too experimental. The new album is both experimental and boring for the most part. However, both The Bends and Ok Computer are very good albums, and Just is a masterpiece. Overall, their older stuff is far superior, because it's more normal.
2. The Beatles - 91,688
Shoot me if you want, but I think The Beatles are distinctly average. It sounds so generic and not very exciting at all to me. I know that at the time, it wasn't either of those things, because rock music hadn't really got going, but that doesn't stop me from disliking it. Certain songs of theirs I can stand, like Back In The U.S.S.R., but most I wouldn't listen to if I had the choice. Worse than Radiohead.
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - 76,156
Just because of the sheer quantity of material they've made, which means there must be a lot of good songs in their amongst the other crap, I'd say they are better than The Beatles and perhaps Radiohead. By The Way is a great album, and their Greatest Hits is also awesome. Some of the stuff of their new album is extremely good as well.
4. Muse - 68,558
They should blatantly be at the top of these charts. Every album they've made is better than anything any of the other bands on this chart has produced. They are as inventive as Radiohead (Citizen Erased), can write better catchy songs than The Beatles (Starlight), and can do better basslines than Flea Hysteria). All in all, the best band here, and it's good that people have started to recognise how good they are.
5. Metallica - 63,028
I haven't listened to much Metallica personally. However, I know the songs King Nothing and Enter Sandman, and from them, I can tell they're pretty good. Not really my type of music of choice, though I am tempted to download certain songs now and then. Much better than The Beatles (that'll please the metalheads).
6. Coldplay - 62,786
Coldplay aren't that bad. They make very good epic songs, and I like quite a lot of the songs on X & Y, especially Talk. However, they're not very exciting. They tend to stick to a formula, which seems sensible, as it has made them one of the biggest bands in the world. In theory, I should like the epic piano rock formula they're using, but I don't think Coldplay do it as well as other bands, perhaps because they aren't especially energetic. Also Chris Martin is a tad annoying.
7. Linkin Park - 58,566
I had no idea that they were so popular. Personally, I like maybe two of their songs, In The End and What I've Done. The music is good, I quite like it when rock bands use decks in their songs, but what puts me off them is the rapping. I really, really dislike rapping, and won't listen to any of it out of choice. Therefore, Linkin Park go down in my estimation quite considerably. Also, working with Jay-Z does not automatically make you cool.
8. Nirvana - 58,186
I'm not a fan of grunge music normally, and I don't change for Nirvana. If anything, I think that Nirvana are perhaps worse than the grunge imitators that followed, like Puddle Of Mudd and Nickelback. I like one song of theirs, Smells Like Teen Spirit, and that's only because the riff is catchy. I dislike Kurt Cobain's singing and guitar work in general, and the fact he's been elevated to god-like status also annoys me. Dave Grohl is a better singer, guitarist and drummer than Kurt Cobain ever was.
9. The Killers - 56,458
Mostly, I like The Killers' work. But on their second album, they definitely are worse than on their first. The album is still fairly good, but nowhere near as good as the first, where every track was exceptional. When You Were Young and Why Do I Keep Counting? are the only new tracks that remind me of their old glory. They've tried to change their style completely, and it's mostly failed. However, overall they are better than almost all the bands on this chart.
10. Foo Fighters - 55,490
Hopefully, Dave Grohl's new band will eventually eclipse his old. They make much better music than Nirvana, and Dave Grohl is able to switch well between his almost screaming vocals for heavy numbers and quiet vocals for soft songs. The most recent album is very good, showing all the sides of Foo Fighters. To me, there is a lot of filler of In Your Honour, the only really good songs being Best Of You, In Your Honour, DOA and Resolve. Mostly, however, a good band.
Well, that wasted a hell of a lot of time.