A friend was recently waxing rhapsodic about the band Pissed Jeans, but I simply can't get beyond that stupid name. Perhaps I'm missing some great music as a result. I've loved a lot of embarassingly-named bands in my day too, but I just can't support a band called Pissed Jeans.
Et vous?
― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:05 (thirteen years ago) link
This is terrible, but I've never given John Vanderslice's music a chance because of his last name. I don't know why.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Killing Joke
― Mr. Que, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:06 (thirteen years ago) link
2 pac
― cool app (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:06 (thirteen years ago) link
harry pussy
― mark cl, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:10 (thirteen years ago) link
I was a fan, but I very quickly stopped telling those "not in the know" that I admired the band Garbage because of the response the name alone generated.
― The Wild Shirtless Lyrics of Mark Farner (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:13 (thirteen years ago) link
I quite liked Nashville Pussy when they first made the rounds (when Corey Parks was still the bass player). I've since lost interest/sobered up. I even have a Nashville Pussy t-shirt (complete with since legally-contested bobcat design), but never feel like wearing it, as it'll mean explaining to offended parties that (a) it's a band and (b) they took their name from a ludicrous Ted Nugent quote on Double Live Gonzo and (c) who really gives a damn anyway?
― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:14 (thirteen years ago) link
hey guys if it's OK with you I'm going to totally hate this band sight unseen for their name having the phrase "pure AT heart" in it instead of "pure OF heart." even if they did it on purpose to be 'funny' or something.
― some dude, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 12:45 PM (2 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― brewer and what (some dude), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:15 (thirteen years ago) link
lots of people i respect seem to think my morning jacket is alright but there is no way i can get past that name
― fucken cumlord (omar little), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:16 (thirteen years ago) link
Agreed on My Morning Jacket. CANNOT get beyond it.
― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:17 (thirteen years ago) link
Used to really be bothered by At the Drive-In too. Even if it's a stab at Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" (is it?), it's just lame.
Gentle GiantScout NiblettBlind MelonPearl JamBlack Moth Super RainbowWolfmotherAnimal Collective
― photoshop your disgusting ass partner into passive-aggressive notes (sarahel), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:19 (thirteen years ago) link
Toad the Wet SprocketNew Found GloryBoards of Canada
― james k polk, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:20 (thirteen years ago) link
the whitest boy alive
― lex pretend, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:21 (thirteen years ago) link
I refused to listen to Death Cab For Cutie for years because of their name. Even after I inadvertently heard and liked them, I've refused to ever own any of their music, just because I hate their name.
― I can sit in my car all day, and that doesn't make me a car. (HI DERE), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:21 (thirteen years ago) link
Basically 95% of indie/emo bands
― hope this helps (Granny Dainger), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:21 (thirteen years ago) link
Took me a while to shell out for anything by The Butthole Surfers.
― Soukesian, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:22 (thirteen years ago) link
c-murder
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:23 (thirteen years ago) link
clap your hands say yeah
Gentle GiantI don't really like prog but I always liked the name
― iatee, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:23 (thirteen years ago) link
It took me a long time to listen to Of Montreal because I thought the name was so pretentious. My Mom despised the band Hole because of their name but I caught her singing along to Violet once!
― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:24 (thirteen years ago) link
xp iatee: I think I have an aversion to anything that has a name that smacks of "elves and fairies in the forest" or new age/hippie stuff - Animal Collective made me think of hippie jam bands where the musicians have power animals.
― photoshop your disgusting ass partner into passive-aggressive notes (sarahel), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:27 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah agree on animal collective at least
― iatee, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:29 (thirteen years ago) link
my two were mentioned:
My Morning Jacket - got over it and think they're pretty aceDeathcab for Cutie - i think i heard them once and found them unremarkable enough to go on ignoring
― now is the time to winterize your manscape (will), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:32 (thirteen years ago) link
I know it's shallow of me but no matter how many times they sweep the Voice poll I still can't bring myself to listen to The Guys Who're Gonna Beat J0hn D's Ass
― Just one thing I was thinking about as I was getting on the copter (J0hn D.), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:36 (thirteen years ago) link
Big Dick McGee
― brocktune (jeff), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:44 (thirteen years ago) link
I like the name but I couldn't forgive him for killing his wife marion
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:45 (thirteen years ago) link
Black Moth Super Rainbow OTM.
― ilxor, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:46 (thirteen years ago) link
clap your hands say yeahthe yeah yeah yeahs
basically
― yes threads (country matters), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:49 (thirteen years ago) link
Fucked Up, for awhile, now i like them a lot
― wassup rockers? (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:51 (thirteen years ago) link
minus the bear
― yes threads (country matters), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:51 (thirteen years ago) link
Dr. Dog, I guess. I've still never knowingly heard them.
― now is the time to winterize your manscape (will), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:52 (thirteen years ago) link
It took me a while to get around to checking out Eyehategod because of the name. I'm glad I got past that.
Pissed Jeans, oddly enough, doesn't bother me as a name. It suits their sound. They're good! One of the better pigfuck revival acts out there.
― buttslam is a pretty good move (circa1916), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:55 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah yeah yeahs is a great band name, except for when you have to say it aloud
― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 19:59 (thirteen years ago) link
funny, i do remember, way back when I was a teen, hearing about this band Pavement and thinking, come on, come up with a real band name, dudes. Just sounded boring, along the lines of grunge bands naming songs "Porch."
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:00 (thirteen years ago) link
You couldn't pay me a million dollars to listen to one second of the work of a band with a name like "Death Cab for Cutie". No fucking way.
― Bill Magill, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:01 (thirteen years ago) link
Final FantasyDr. Dog
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:03 (thirteen years ago) link
ryan adams
i figured anybody w/name that close to bryan adams who didn't change it couldn't possibly be any good.
― m coleman, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:07 (thirteen years ago) link
maybe i'm in the minority here, but Death Cab For Cutie's name is my fave thing about them, becuz it makes me think of that funny Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band song.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:07 (thirteen years ago) link
!!! is another one, actually
― I can sit in my car all day, and that doesn't make me a car. (HI DERE), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:08 (thirteen years ago) link
In case y'all didn't know:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Cab_for_Cutie_(song)
― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:08 (thirteen years ago) link
(oh xpost!)
and yet, they are totally humorless and sound nothing like the Bonzos AND are just terrible in general
― Pre-Beatles Yoko Ono (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:11 (thirteen years ago) link
agreed
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:12 (thirteen years ago) link
Dogs Die in Hot Cars
― Genghis Khan and his brother Don (G00blar), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:21 (thirteen years ago) link
They've been too ubiquitous here for me to write them off solely because of their name, but I think I might have given Arctic Monkeys more of a chance if they were called just about anything else instead.
― Genghis Khan and his brother Don (G00blar), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:24 (thirteen years ago) link
I gave Dananananaykroyd a listen on emusic out of morbid curiosity (expected some horrible joke band) and was pleasantly surprised with my favorite album of the year to date...
― dlp9001, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:30 (thirteen years ago) link
^^^^I have been struggling with friends' recommendations owing to their name
― yes threads (country matters), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:38 (thirteen years ago) link
Haha, I never made that leap from At-the Drive In to Poison, but I love it!
― display names have been changed to protect the innocent (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:41 (thirteen years ago) link
i had a friend who was really into the pAper chAse & kept insisting i check them out but i refused because i thought their name looked dumb. now, "When & If The Big One Hits" is one of my favorite songs but i still don't like looking at their name.
more recently, i had a similar experience with tUnE-YaRdS.
― myndbloom, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 20:43 (thirteen years ago) link
Gastunk has a name that just doesn't entice.
― Neotropical pygmy squirrel, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 21:03 (thirteen years ago) link
OK I just googled to check Ricky Gervais Podcast wasn’t the name of a band― Alba, Sunday, March 13, 2022 9:48 AM (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
― Alba, Sunday, March 13, 2022 9:48 AM (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
After this day on ilxor.com, this made me laugh my ass off, many thanks
― we need outrage! we need dicks!! (the table is the table), Sunday, 13 March 2022 23:09 (three months ago) link
From the press release for the new ANALEPSY album:
"The correct pronunciation of the name of the band is 'uh-nuh-leh-psy' [ʌnʌlepsy], and it was chosen due to its (now obsolete) meaning: recovery of strength after an illness."
And yet, there's still a giant space anus on the cover.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNzeBDjXoAQmvfA.jpg
― but also fuck you (unperson), Monday, 14 March 2022 11:05 (three months ago) link
The oldest I ever felt was when I found out there's a band called Alvvays. Spelling shit in a Transylvanian accent is a thing now? No fucking way.
Anyway I later found out it was just to make the name google-able but the damage was done.
― The 25 Best Songs Ever Ranked In Order (Deflatormouse), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 04:47 (one month ago) link
AlvvaysChvrchesTHE VVITCHWavves
― Hans Holbein (Chinchilla Volapük), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 04:53 (one month ago) link
Hovvdy
― Hans Holbein (Chinchilla Volapük), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 05:04 (one month ago) link
I don’t mind the VV or exchanging “U” for “V”.
The ones that always make me want to check something else are the ones that look like gamer chats, changing letters for numbers: 0 as O, 1 as I, 3 as E, 4 as A…
Eg:
CRIM3S, UNIIQU3, N3URO, N4NO, F4ST
And they usually have to style their names with ALL CAPS, so it doesn’t look extra stupid.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 05:27 (one month ago) link
I swear I once saw an artist called QU33N L4TIF4H which I thought was extra annoying because I also dislike parody names (with counted exceptions).
I can’t find the name in spotify or youtube so maybe I dreamt it.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 05:33 (one month ago) link
Not gamer only sorry, the correct name is “leetspeak” which I don’t usually mind, but hate seeing it on band names
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 05:36 (one month ago) link
this reminded me of Le1f - not that I minded his name. Spotify helpfully re-routed me to “Kalifa”, which he apparently goes by now (although Wikipedia is unaware of this yet).confirmed by his Insta tho: https://instagram.com/khalif?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
― butt-mooning is a polysemous word, hoss! (breastcrawl), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 07:19 (one month ago) link
At first I thought that artists were starting to use sentences, numbers, signs and replacing letters because every artist name in existence had already been used. Now I have my doubts.
So yeah it's not easy to take completely seriously artists named 1da Banton, Kizz Daniel, Blaq Diamond, Da Muziqal Chef, Spellz or BNXN fka Buju to take a few examples from the Afro-Pop/House generation. Maybe it's the French tradition of orthography in me. There are worse offenders in indie pop, cloud rap and vaporhouse I'm sure. Or things like iamamiwhoami irrationally raise my apprehensions up.
― Nabozo, Tuesday, 31 May 2022 09:08 (one month ago) link
I'm also weirded out by artist names that look deceptively like a person's name but they're a group. Or the converse. I'll put that one under a touch of OCD though.
― Nabozo, Tuesday, 31 May 2022 09:11 (one month ago) link
J3THR0 TVLL
― Halfway there but for you, Tuesday, 31 May 2022 11:47 (one month ago) link
Mashing up the previous three posts:
J3THR0 TVLL. The Man
― anatol_merklich, Tuesday, 31 May 2022 12:31 (one month ago) link
I take some of these kind of names as enforced outsiderness, since they're resistant to search, proof you are in the word-of-mouth circle, the way punk bands chose names unprintable in family newspapers. See also Four Tet pseudonyms, etc.
― bendy, Tuesday, 31 May 2022 14:00 (one month ago) link
I remember hating the idea of Ned's Atomic Dustbin because the name sounded like a stupid parody band. As if they were going out of their way to be zany. But they're okay. Generic and all their songs sound the same, but they're a credible early-1990s buzzsaw indie Madchester / Grebo / Whatever-style band that sound a bit like the Wedding Present. "Until You Find Out" is okay.
God Fodder got to number 4 in the UK and, amazingly, it cracked the Billboard 100! It's mind-boggling than anybody in the US bought Ned's Atomic Dustbin's debut album, let alone enough for it to reach #91.
It's particularly weird because their song titles were fine. The album titles were okay. But the band had a stupid name. Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine could abbreviate the band name, but Ned's Atomic Dustbin defies abbreviation. Ned's AD? NA Dustbin? NAD? They couldn't even call themselves Ned's.
I mean, Kissing the Pink was a little bit clever, but Ned's Atomic Dustbin was just bad.
― Ashley Pomeroy, Wednesday, 1 June 2022 19:41 (one month ago) link
It's a Goons reference, which was a bit odd given their ages
― Doodles Diamond (Tom D.), Wednesday, 1 June 2022 19:48 (one month ago) link
They were usually referred to as The Neds iirc. Music best described as "thrashy".
― seems you've been thinking quite a lot about all this, well why don't (Matt #2), Wednesday, 1 June 2022 19:53 (one month ago) link
Maybe this belongs in the "stolen names" thread but I used to see listings for a local act called Dylan Nirvana (not sure if a guy or band) playing around the EV/LES.
Idk what more to say about that other than "no".
― The 25 Best Songs Ever Ranked In Order (Deflatormouse), Wednesday, 22 June 2022 23:02 (one week ago) link
The 1975
― mirostones, Thursday, 23 June 2022 10:45 (one week ago) link
I just listened to Just Mustard last night and really like them, but if I had encountered their name alone (outside the context of a rave review) I would have recoiled.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Friday, 24 June 2022 13:21 (one week ago) link
Likewise. As great as they are (they’re from my current place of residence, too), that name is all manner of cringeworthy.
― wronger than 100 geir posts (MacDara), Friday, 24 June 2022 16:14 (one week ago) link
They're also hoping to be confused with 70s folk legend Must Justard.
― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 24 June 2022 16:21 (one week ago) link
The Dirty Hit label alone has them, Wolf Alice, and beabadoobee, all three of which I wrote off for varying periods of time because of their names
― Vinnie, Saturday, 25 June 2022 05:19 (one week ago) link
Kurt Vile & Joanna Gruesome.
― Grandpont Genie, Saturday, 25 June 2022 17:26 (one week ago) link
I always assumed Kurt Vile was a punkier pun on the Weimar era composer and Mr Lotte Lenya. Apparently it's his real name though.Thought it was a pun cos it was one I'd at least mentally played with myself a few decades ago.
― Stevolende, Saturday, 25 June 2022 17:44 (one week ago) link
I'd at least mentally played with myself a few decades ago
Don't worry, Stevolende. It's perfectly normal to do that.
― Nutellanor Roosevelt (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 25 June 2022 17:56 (one week ago) link
Apparently it's his real name though.
Haha, I never knew that. Always assumed it was a Weill pun too! Apparently there was a Swiss vibraphinist called Kurt Weil to muddy the waters further.
― Grandpont Genie, Saturday, 25 June 2022 18:50 (one week ago) link
_The 1975_The Dirty Hit label alone has them, Wolf Alice, and beabadoobee, all three of which I wrote off for varying periods of time because of their names
― broccoli rabe thomas (the table is the table), Saturday, 25 June 2022 20:52 (one week ago) link
Massive lols at "just mustard", a spectacularly bad name.
― Kim Kimberly, Saturday, 25 June 2022 20:58 (one week ago) link
All these years and nobody mentioned Slightly Stoopid?
― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Saturday, 25 June 2022 22:06 (one week ago) link
I avoided Mercury Rev for years because I can't stand the name. Finally got around to listening to them and fortunately disliked the music too. Awful singing, and not in a fun Flaming Lips way.
Flaming Lips is a ridiculously stupid name too but I love their '90s records. Managed to get past the name on that one.
― The Ghost Club, Saturday, 25 June 2022 22:41 (one week ago) link
Early Mercury Rev had another singer that made things less twee, the music was also more chaotic and exciting. Always liked the name though.
A friend told me about beabadoobee a few months ago and I nodded while they were talking but mentally said NOPE
― Cow_Art, Saturday, 25 June 2022 23:40 (one week ago) link
Just discovered the existence of a band called Sigourney Reverb and have already written them off because of their name
― von mannequin lives (Matt #2), Saturday, 25 June 2022 23:48 (one week ago) link
Surfer Blood fits alongside Dogs Die in Hot Cars as being like...nah, doesn't make me laugh, doesn't make me feel good.
― deep luminous trombone (Eazy), Saturday, 25 June 2022 23:58 (one week ago) link
I can't stand any band name that is a play on an existing name. That's the worst. Chet Faker? NOOOOOOO
― Cow_Art, Sunday, 26 June 2022 00:00 (six days ago) link
I guess I could give them another go... Any recommendations?
― The Ghost Club, Sunday, 26 June 2022 03:39 (six days ago) link
Yerself Is Steam and Boces are both awesome, the former is a hair better. Play it loud.
― Cow_Art, Sunday, 26 June 2022 12:24 (six days ago) link
Not sure what's wrong with Mercury Rev as a name either?
― Doodles Diamond (Tom D.), Sunday, 26 June 2022 12:30 (six days ago) link
Easily confused with Martin Rev?
― von mannequin lives (Matt #2), Sunday, 26 June 2022 12:41 (six days ago) link
Deafheaven
― assert (matttkkkk), Sunday, 26 June 2022 12:59 (six days ago) link
xp I heard something about the band reading a review of one of their gigs or something to that effect and having some words stand out in a way like how Exploding Plastic Inevitable was chosen. Mercurial.... & Rev... as part of a word elsewhere in the text that they connected. THink I heard it was a Chris Roberts review too. Memories of an early 90s Melody Maker double spread story if i'm remembering right.
― Stevolende, Sunday, 26 June 2022 13:00 (six days ago) link
Spotify at least used to have a couple of earlyish gig recordings available from teh David Baker era which is the earlier singer an dthe chaotic era. I think that direction slightly outlasted him and was going by about 95/96. The band became a bit less improvisational and started using strings and things in places. I always heard the early material as sharing some of teh same ballpark as Flaming Lips though the rhythm was a lot more fluid. Jonathan Donahue had played guitar with the Lips before going solo and leading Mercury Rev. I think the band had formed asa bunch of players who had come in to add playing to a soundtrack for subaquatic video footage . When they were doing so they were coming in at different times and overdubbing and I'm not sure they had played together as a band until after the lp was recorded. Which may be one reason that Boces is more coherent for the main part. Yerself Is Steam is pretty great though as are the singles and bsides from the era and whatever is on Lego My Ego and other mop up sets from the era.I find the Caribou Vibration Ensemble set with Marshall Allen that came with Rough Trade copie sof Caribou's Swim cd shares some of the same qualities as that David Baker era Rev.
― Stevolende, Sunday, 26 June 2022 13:09 (six days ago) link
I remember something about the Baker band being volatile; fistfights and general chaos. The side project Paralyzed Mind of the Archangel Void is one of my favorite heavy psych albums.
― Cow_Art, Sunday, 26 June 2022 16:17 (six days ago) link
Re: Just Mustard, first heard of them from a Maura recommendation so it was already too late for the name to bother me. Also I kinda like how it's something you could say if someone offered you Mayostard or Mustardayonnaise.
― sloop johnnin' skater (geoffreyess), Sunday, 26 June 2022 22:10 (six days ago) link
There was a band on a Max's Kansas City comp called Just Water, which I thought was a stupid name, but then I started hearing that phrase here and there (liquid spills, rain, etc) and came to appreciate the idea more.
― nickn, Monday, 27 June 2022 00:15 (five days ago) link
They did a cover of "SIngin' in the Rain," didn't they? Used to hear it on the radio all the time back then.
― Build My Gallows Hi Hi Hi (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 27 June 2022 02:00 (five days ago) link
Not rain, just water
― Vinnie, Monday, 27 June 2022 05:49 (five days ago) link
Thanks for the recs, will give them a go. Haven't been in a heavy psych mood for a while but it's about time to try again!
I dunno, it's just visceral for me. Instant bad vibes. I think maybe 'Rev' just makes me think of gross boy things?
― The Ghost Club, Monday, 27 June 2022 07:25 (five days ago) link
Obviously Rev must have connotations I'm not aware of.
― Eavis Has Left the Building (Tom D.), Monday, 27 June 2022 08:13 (five days ago) link
I just realized I only consciously realize I've written off an artist because of their name when one of their songs comes up in a Spotify playlist and I think "huh, maybe the War on Drugs are worth listening to"
― Vinnie, Monday, 27 June 2022 12:07 (five days ago) link