Artists You've Written Off/Pointedly Ignored because of their name

xp As a flip side to this, I remember explaining to a friend that Lou Barlow of Sebadoh used the name "Sentridoh" for his solo stuff, and my friend frowned and was like, "What's the deal with this guy??" Like he found the concept genuinely outrageous and distasteful for some reason...

I did hear Beach House once but their name just puts me off.

They're a good band, the name is a bit strange though because it seems to imply a different style of music to what they actually play.

Personally, I think that's the only cool thing about them. I'm a sucker for that particular bit of misdirection. See also: Swans, Cherubs. Trying to think of an example of the opposite approach - gnarly name, chill band. I guess The Grateful Dead sort of count

Spandau Ballet

(answering Paul)

"I did hear Beach House once but their name just puts me off."

in a record store the other day I overheard two gen zers talking and one said to the other "if someone likes more than one Beach House album that's a total red flag" and the other one agreed. I don't know what is going on anymore.

lmao akm

Alvvays
Chvrches

I guess that rules out Wavves as well?

i assume you pronounce the 'vv's in "Wavves" though

if someone only likes one Wire album, that's a pink flag

("...that's-a Pink Flag," if you're Mario)

Car Seat Headrest. I simply refuse to contemplate listening to a band with a 'quick, think of something' name like that.

― giraffe, Friday, 11 March 2022 08:52 (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

Dry Cleaning is another one like that.

― Alfred Ndwego of Kenya (Tom D.), Friday, 11 March 2022 09:51 (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://pressplaypresents.com/artists/gut-health/

https://www.nme.com/artists/english-teacher

there's a terrible name

1000+ posts and no mention of Squirrel Nut Zippers, well let me be the first then

Became irrationally angry when confronted with the awful hybrid name Michael Cera Palin earlier this week, which I see has already been mentioned upthread so I will add . . .

Ritt Momney.

Except Squirrel Nut Zippers had a lexical pedigree, and they were also, um, pretty good?

Like, I'd rather hear them than Cherry Poppin' Daddies or big Bad Voodoo Daddy or whatever. And while we're at it, Cherry Poppin' Daddies is WAY more gross and indefensible than Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Weirdly, around the same time as those bands there was a quite charming hyperlocal act called Ululating Mummies. (I am speaking of 1990s Richmond, Virginia here).

Ululating Mummies would get (understandably) annoyed if you called them Undulating Mummies. Ululating and Undulating are totally different words. I will die on that hill.

https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/squirrel-nut-zippers-return-to-massachusetts/

The candy dates back nearly a century, to a time when New England was the center of the candy-making business. Squirrel Nut once belonged to the 140 candy companies in Boston and Cambridge. They churned out such now-extinct brands as Hoarhound Ovals, Jujube Monoplanes, Whangbees and Climax Mint Patties.

Hoarhound Ovals shoulda been the freakfolk aughts band the cast off band members formed

Climax Mint Patties is astonishing

crazy to think that Squirrel Nut Zippers is a horrible band name while Squirrel's Nut Zipper is an amazing one

Hoarhound? I thought it was horehound.

I spent every vacation of my childhood being dragged through ye olde townes (colonial or colonial-adjacent minor cities with a few cobblestone streets and maybe an oldish house).

The gift shop would always have the following things: a tricorn hat, a replica Declaration of Independence, a quill pen, a wax seal kit, and some terrible olde-timey candy (invariably including horehound).

Nut Zippers is the best option in that scenario

No Squirreling, Just Nut

Didn't know about the origin of SNZ's name, still makes them sound like a comedy ska band though. Are they a comedy ska band? Can't even be bothered to find out.

they are one of those like Cab Calloway / fedora bands but spooky. i think

The Hoars that Liked Sandwiches

Hoarhounds of Love

I love Sea And Cakes' The Fawn album, but when someone once asked me at work who I was listening to, I said "Tortoise".

Squirrel Nut Zippers were both better (in a musical sense) and less toxically masculine (in personnel and presentation) than the other neo-swing bands tho

They were much more 20s/30s hot jazz than 40s swing, and in terms of their approach I feel like they had more in common with weirdos like Tav Falco and Tom Waits than with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies or Brian Setzer. I mean, this is not the kind of thing you do in hopes of having a hit record or spawning a dance craze.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS2IBMQIjDo

English Teacher? seriously??? ffs i've strained my eye-rolling muscles

it helps me that a lot of phc and emo bands have off-putting terrible names because i'm likely to find the music similarly terrible

I’ve always thought the main reason Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich have never had a real reappraisal is their name. They are one of the great singles bands of 60s and the albums are all good, but they’ve actually become a bit obscure comparative to their success - younger 60s heads aren’t really aware of their music and I think it’s the name.

Possibly, I mean they didn't take themselves very seriously and recorded a lot of gimmicky/ near novelty material so it's not surprising they aren't up there with, I don't know, the Kinks. Also they didn't write most of their big hits.

Most of the ppl here give off terrible vibes from their name.

the landfill that time forgot: crap uk bands of 00s/10s

I guess I’ve never had any problem with novelty stuff, so I’m the outlier here. What others see as novelty features on DDDBM&T records, I see as brilliant pop touches. I still think they’re closer to the big UK bands than they are usually considered. Manfred Mann, for example, didn’t write their A-sides and did plenty of singles that were arguably a bit novel, but they still command this ambient respect DDDBM&T never get and some of their stuff is still well-known and well-liked.

You're preaching to the converted here, I'm a fan of DDDBMT.

People don't really pay much attention to Manfred Mann these days either.

I guess not. I hate how ancient this music is now :(

i'm going to listen to 5-4-3-2-1 now, hope this helps

The DDDBM&T thread on here has at least twice as many posts as the Manfred Mann thread! That's not saying much though tbf.

DDDBMT?

maybe if the name was shorter, catchier, and had any euphony in it, there would be more recognition of ilthem. at this point the name sounds like a graveyard of tech or pharma names.

DDDBMT are the best band bloody ever

KMFDDDBMT

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mike and Tich

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Dee,_Dozy,_Beaky,_Mick_%26_Tich

Terry, Blair & Anouchka
French Frith Kaiser Thompson
Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Are there any acts named after the members that can't be written off just for doing that? Even when Fred Frith is involved?

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe were pretty great. Better than whatever line-up of Yes was doing the rounds at the time.

By the time the Rabin/Squire/Kaye/White Yes actually put out another record and toured, they had reunited with ABWH!

Emerson, Lake, and Palmer does roll off the tongue somehow, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe does not

Uh, French Frith Kaiser Thompson are totally awesome…