Most important musician or band of the 2000's?

musicismylife78

I feel there is really no debate about who fits this, its Radiohead. They really represent this decade so well. From blowing our minds with Kid A, to the release of those couple new Thom songs on the Twilight soundtrack, and These are my Twisted Words, the band has spanned this decade. Radiohead are the most important band of the 2000's and heres why.

I can think of few bands with as much creative genius and acclaim as Radiohead. Although Hail to the Thief seems to often get knocked down a few notches by folks, the truth of the matter remains, few bands have ever in the history of music, let alone this decade, released as strong and consistently brilliant records as the run of Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail, and In Rainbows. Thats a hell of a run folks!

I think they deserve band of the decade honors additionally because they consistently push the envelope and force listeners to reconsider what a song is. I can only think of a few other bands who really fit that criteria, Tool and The Mars Volta are two. But certainly on Kid A through In Rainbows Radiohead have forced listeners to as I say think about what they consider to be a song. Kid A, the song, has that sort of lullaby thing at the start and features Thoms distorted voice. Its a brilliant song, but combines, two unsimilar things, a soft, quiet, calming almost bell sounding thing,and then Thoms almost alien voice. At times in that song its hard to even understand what Thom is saying, or to even decipher what language he is speaking, even though we all know he is singing in English.

Or take Pulk/Pull revolving doors. The beats, and again Thoms distorted voice. This is really unlike anything I can think of. Thom sounds like he is a 6 year old girl, but somehow the song sounds amazing.

Or go to Like Spinning Plates. The songs got an almost trance/house like vibe to it, and Thom singing backwards. Unreal.

The change from album to album is another aspect of the band that is unique. After Ok Computer they dont make a guitar record, they make Kid A, a record almost void of any guitar. Next Amnesiac pushes that idea further, songs become more electronic and blip sounding, Amnesiac is probably their most out there sounding record.. Thoms voice in many of Amnesiacs songs is completely disguised. They follow that up with a guitar record, Hail to the Thief. Then instead of a weird sounding record, they throw everyone for a look and create probably one of their if not their most accessible work since Pablo Honey.

Additionally, their songs are the soundtrack to the 2000's, in tone and ideas and critiques. A society losing its way, bereft of meaning and human contact, instead choosing to dwell, the world does, on the superficial, the technological and the capitalist way of life. Radiohead counterbalance that. Their music isnt Rage Against the machine, although they obviously share similar ideas. Radiohead didnt say "Bush sucks" or "end the iraq war now" on record even though they obviously felt and feel that way. Their music is more atmospheric. The tone of the song itself creates those ideas. For people, who feel that the internet and the technoculture, the whole system itself, is corrupt and bankrupt, you will find no better soundtrack to our declining society these last 10 years than the 4 albums Radiohead put out.

Finally, the band seems musicially 20 years ahead of any other band. In a buisness sense this is also true. Few bands, and fewer CEOs and record labels are sure how to proceed in a Post Napster music world. Radioheads pay what you want buisness model, and the giving away of the free songs the last few months, their stated ideas that, whether they were pulling our chain or not, seemed to suggest they want to release EPs and not albums now, all go to show, they think outside the box, while everyone else is inhaling the exhaust and dust.

Radiohead is a band that GETS IT. They understand their audience, they understand that although we all love a good pop tune, listeners can be challenged and can actually consume and enjoy art that is challenging and difficult and nonconformist. They also get that a world where people, no longer buy cd's, where millions, strike that, hundreds of millions of people download music for free. Instead of whining about it, they do the "pay what you want" thing and then release several songs free online in the last few months.

JOEJOEJOE

I agree that Radiohead is the band of the 00's, but I think Arcade Fire gave them a run for their money towards the end of the decade!

South of Seattle

I think Wilco and NIN also would be considered as well.

Newch91

Jack White.

Wobbie

I like Pearl Jam.

musicismylife78

JOEJOEJOE wrote:

I agree that Radiohead is the band of the 00's, but I think Arcade Fire gave them a run for their money towards the end of the decade!

Youll get no argument from me on this one. Funeral especially, I think is one of those albums that just blew everyones mind. Its one of those albums that comes along once every 30years or something. One could argue, that the whole indie culture and indie love affair that has swept the globe since 2003 or 2004, is in some ways hugely indebted to Arcade Fire in that they blew the door down when Funeral came out. I dont think its a stretch to suggest that the reason bands like The Shins, Death Cab, Modest Mouse, and others are so popular right now, is in someways related to Funeral blowing up when it did. It exposed people to this thing called indie rock, which is without a doubt the reigning musical genre, and most likely could be called the scene or the musical direction of the decade. And to see Arcade Fire live, you will have no doubt that they are probably the greatest live band on the planet.

musicismylife78

South of Seattle wrote:

I think Wilco and NIN also would be considered as well.

Good point. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot especially, is alot like Funeral, in that it just blew the doors open, and blew everyones mind. I actually always thought Ghost is Born was a better record, which is saying something And NIN, I agree Trents output in the 2000's, is pretty much unmatched. Trent is one of those people I mentioned, he gets it. He is unparalleled, and it on another level completely. The whole lead up to Year Zero alone, should put him near the top of any list of important musicians of the 2000's.

musicismylife78

imalive wrote:

I like Pearl Jam.

While I love PJ as much as everyone else, I dont think they are the most important band of the 2000's, they deserve a spot on this list though. Their work in the 2000s was impressive and is obviously loved by all of us here, but I dont think they did anything completely revolutionary.

musicismylife78

i think to be on this list you have to be pushing the musical boundaries, to be a band thats critically and commercially loved, and you have to have made a significant impact on music and pop culture at large. Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Wilco, and NIN all fit this

Jack_C_Gregory

In my personal opinion, Josh Homme is the most important musician of the 2000's. If you listen to the work of his flagship band Queens of the Stone Age, (2000 releases include, Rated R, Songs for the Deaf, Lullabies to Paralyze, Era Vulgaris), you will hear that, while creating a signature sound, no two albums sound alike. I think part of this is due to the revolving door of musicians appearing on his records. The albums have grown from straight ahead rock to having dance and or industrial influences.

Not only has the QOTSA material been solid, but I feel that at this point you could take the music world and play "Six Degrees of Josh Homme." This is a positive thing in my opinion. The fact that he has taken his popularity and used it to promote his friends bands is very reminiscent of the early 90's when you would see band wearing a t-shirt of one of their contemporaries. By becoming a fan of Josh Homme's work my personal music lexicon has grown and grown. These are some of the bands and musicians he is associated with (whether he was a musician or producer), The Desert Sessions, Fififf Teeners, Mondo Generator, Eagles of Death Metal, Screaming Trees, Eleven, Masters of Reality, Sugartooth, Beaver, Jubilee. The Waxwings, Zilch, The Distillers, Spinnerette, Wasted Youth, The Dead Weather, Them Crooked Vultures, Sweethead, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Lupe Fiasco, Biffy Clyro, Fatso Jetson, Mastodon, NIN, PJ Harvey, Ween.... The list just goes on and on.

Obviously I had heard of NIN, Ween and PJ Harvey before QOTSA, but you get my point.

tcaporale

I agree with the OP. Whether or not you think they're overrated, they had a great impact on the music industry as a whole, and have been the most critically acclaimed band of the decade.

The themes of their songs also reflect the decade well - a mixture of confusion and exasperation at the state of the world.

Wobbie

musicismylife78 wrote:

i think to be on this list you have to be pushing the musical boundaries, to be a band thats critically and commercially loved, and you have to have made a significant impact on music and pop culture at large. Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Wilco, and NIN all fit this

I just want something I can sing along with.

I can appreciate your thread.... I just have nothing to add. :roll:

musicismylife78

tcaporale wrote:

I agree with the OP. Whether or not you think they're overrated, they had a great impact on the music industry as a whole, and have been the most critically acclaimed band of the decade.

The themes of their songs also reflect the decade well - a mixture of confusion and exasperation at the state of the world.

perfectly put. The themes of their songs are indeed the themes our society has been grappling with the entire decade.

badbrains

TOOL tool TOOL tool TOOL tool TOOL..........

MysteryTrain

Newch91 wrote:

Jack White.

+1

dcfaithful

badbrains wrote:

TOOL tool TOOL tool TOOL tool TOOL..........

Maybe Maynard, but not Tool as a whole...they released two albums in the entire decade and have been relatively absent.

However, he's kept busy with APC and Puscifer.

slightlystoned

I will say that Kid A is an exceptional album, but as far as a consistent effort by a group Wilco or Arcade Fire gets my vote.

keeponrockin

I'm gonna go with Jack White on this one as well. Simply one of the greatest single rock musicians of all time.

jimed14

musicismylife78 wrote:

JOEJOEJOE wrote:

I agree that Radiohead is the band of the 00's, but I think Arcade Fire gave them a run for their money towards the end of the decade!

Youll get no argument from me on this one. Funeral especially, I think is one of those albums that just blew everyones mind. Its one of those albums that comes along once every 30years or something. One could argue, that the whole indie culture and indie love affair that has swept the globe since 2003 or 2004, is in some ways hugely indebted to Arcade Fire in that they blew the door down when Funeral came out. I dont think its a stretch to suggest that the reason bands like The Shins, Death Cab, Modest Mouse, and others are so popular right now, is in someways related to Funeral blowing up when it did. It exposed people to this thing called indie rock, which is without a doubt the reigning musical genre, and most likely could be called the scene or the musical direction of the decade. And to see Arcade Fire live, you will have no doubt that they are probably the greatest live band on the planet.

Wait ... Death Cab owes nothing to The Arcade Fire.

"Transatlanticism" came out a full year before "Funeral" and it went gold all on its own ... if anything, they probably owe this to Ben Gibbard's work with The Postal Service and the tune "Such Great Heights" ... the success of the next album, "Plans", would have happened with or without The Arcade Fire.

I love the Arcade Fire, have seen them several times in concert ... they are great, I'll give you that. But, it's really tough to call a band the band of the decade when they only released 2 albums (and a much ignored EP).

intodeep

I'm not agreeing that death cab, shins, modest mouse etc owe their popularity to Arcade Fire, but I think what the person was saying is as the arcade fire got popular it put the helped the other bands exponentially.

Kind of like soundgarden, alice in chains and pear jam all had sucess on their own in the early 90's but nirvana helped to push them all too.

Like i said i'm not agreeing i'm just sayin i think that is what they were trying to convey.

Personally arcade fire only put out two albums in 6 years..... They toured their asses off and that counts for something but just not enough output for me to call them the band of the decade.

Jack White and all of his work is a good one so is radiohead

I personally would consider my morning jacket but that is just my personal taste

jimed14

intodeep wrote:

I'm not agreeing that death cab, shins, modest mouse etc owe their popularity to Arcade Fire, but I think what the person was saying is as the arcade fire got popular it put the helped the other bands exponentially.

Kind of like soundgarden, alice in chains and pear jam all had sucess on their own in the early 90's but nirvana helped to push them all too.

Like i said i'm not agreeing i'm just sayin i think that is what they were trying to convey.

Personally arcade fire only put out two albums in 6 years..... They toured their asses off and that counts for something but just not enough output for me to call them the band of the decade.

Jack White and all of his work is a good one so is radiohead

I personally would consider my morning jacket but that is just my personal taste

Not doubting that the Arcade Fire are extremely important in the grand scheme of "indie rock" ... but, my only point was Death Cab doesn't owe them anything.

musicismylife78

my point is this reguarding the arcade fire:

you knowhow soundgarden and mudhoney were established bands way before grunge came onto the national scene, and how by 1991, 1992, these bands and others like them were the biggest bands in the world? The same follows for indie rock in the 2000's.

And yes, you are right death cab became popular, in this decade at least in large part because of The OC's use of them, and because of the fact that Give Up is basically a classic album, but I do think there was something in the water in 2004/2005 that sort of pushed indie rock from being this niche thing, to being where it is now, when we have phoenix soundtracking a car commercial, and vampire weekend soundtracking a Hewlett Packard commercial, or Joanna Newsom on Victoria Secret commercial.

What brought indie rock to this point? Obviously lots of things, but as I said, Funeral just was this sort of opening of the gate, crashing of the gate. It was a huge deal. This band of 7 people or whatever, band members who play violins and glockenspiels and 4 songs called Neighborhood. it was weird. But the album blew people away. Its a perfect record. I think the album is one of those albums that introduces people to other music. Like people bought Funeral, and then sought out other indie rock bands that I listed above

jimed14

Again, I agree with their importance. When they played Coachella in 2005, and 4/5 of the festival attendees were at the second stage watching them instead of at the main stage watching Gang of Four and New Order, it was evident how huge they had become.

On a side note ... what the fuck is going on with them? Album in 2010 or what?

Lifted

while i can appreciate the discussion, personally being the "most important" musician of the decade means nothing to me. however, if we are talking about the most consistent artist, i'd have to give the title to neko case. just look at her body of work from this decade....

furnace room lullaby
blacklisted
fox confessor brings the flood
middle cyclone

she also released two live albums, the tigers have spoken and austin city limits

and lets not forget her work with the new pornographers...

electric version
mass romantic
twin cinema
challengers

facepollution

I'm not sure how anyone could really quantify how 'important' a band has been. But in terms of a band or artist who's pushed the boundaries and had major mainstream success, I don't think there is any question that Radiohead take that crown.

Digital Twilight

facepollution wrote:

I'm not sure how anyone could really quantify how 'important' a band has been. But in terms of a band or artist who's pushed the boundaries and had major mainstream success, I don't think there is any question that Radiohead take that crown.

'Pushed boundaries AND major mainstream success' is the key thing here and i agree. But there are by FAR a hell of a lot of indie little bands, musicians ect who pushed the envolope further then Radiohead ever did or could.

Im not really sure there is an all 'important' band or anything or anyone who deserves such a title. Music would have gotten along just fine with or without Radiohead.

drew0

Radiohead
The Strokes
The White Stripes
Arcade Fire
Muse

My two personal favorites would be Wilco and My Morning Jacket, followed by the Strokes.

eeriepadave

Newch91 wrote:

Jack White.

I agree. White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather.

Others:
Dave Grohl
Josh Homme
Radiohead
Strokes
Kings Of Leon

South of Seattle

musicismylife78 wrote:

my point is this reguarding the arcade fire:

you knowhow soundgarden and mudhoney were established bands way before grunge came onto the national scene, and how by 1991, 1992, these bands and others like them were the biggest bands in the world? The same follows for indie rock in the 2000's.

And yes, you are right death cab became popular, in this decade at least in large part because of The OC's use of them, and because of the fact that Give Up is basically a classic album, but I do think there was something in the water in 2004/2005 that sort of pushed indie rock from being this niche thing, to being where it is now, when we have phoenix soundtracking a car commercial, and vampire weekend soundtracking a Hewlett Packard commercial, or Joanna Newsom on Victoria Secret commercial.

What brought indie rock to this point? Obviously lots of things, but as I said, Funeral just was this sort of opening of the gate, crashing of the gate. It was a huge deal. This band of 7 people or whatever, band members who play violins and glockenspiels and 4 songs called Neighborhood. it was weird. But the album blew people away. Its a perfect record. I think the album is one of those albums that introduces people to other music. Like people bought Funeral, and then sought out other indie rock bands that I listed above

I hear what you're saying there. But those bands became popular because of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. They made a much much larger impact than the Arcade Fire ever did. I don't think alot of people really know the Arcade Fire or much less any of their songs.

Modest Mouse I think had way more of an impact on the indie scene than AF. People can relate on the mainstream to Modest Mouse, Death Cab, Shins etc . . due to the exposure they have, which IMO makes them much more important than Arcade Fire.

Newch91

eeriepadave wrote:

Newch91 wrote:

Jack White.

I agree. White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather.

Others:
Dave Grohl
Josh Homme
Radiohead
Strokes
Kings Of Leon

Three great bands he's made. The man is a genius!

I couldn't agree with you more on the list you made. Dave Grohl has the best scream in rock. Haven't heard much of Josh Homme. Radiohead is Radiohead...genius. Strokes are just fantastic. Kings of Leon are great.

Benzor

Radiohead has got to be number 1. Others in no particular order:

Arcade Fire
Wilco
Kings of Leon
Modest Mouse
Nine Inch Nails