I’ll start: Chumbawamba. Criminally underrated. Yeah, Tubthumper was coopted by the SportsBro set and played into the ground but by and large their catalog is pretty damn good. I would argue they could well be the official band of Boing Boing.
I largely wrote them off another commercial poppy sensation after Tubthumper until I heard of them collaborating with Negativland. Now, that had me intrigued. I came to learn that their music was incredibly interesting and subversive. That they were huge activists, and practiced what they preached - rather than using their profits after “selling out” to buy gold plated swimming pools filled with money, they put their money right back into activism. As an example when GM purchased the rights to use one of their songs, they gave all the money to anti-corporate organizations.
Anyway this thread is about the music. They had a very diverse catalog running the gamut from punk inspired to folk music. A lot of it is pretty great.
Here’s a perennial favorite of mine (if you don’t laugh at this, then you are probably a member of Metallica):
That’s a bold statement. Part of the charm is everyone having their own weird, and obviously wrong, tastes. Sometimes I’m amazed that agreement formed around the colours white, black, and red. If any band were to win a popularity context, I’d place my bets on Talking Heads.
Still, will give your pals Chumbawumba props for this:
What better thread to manufacture controversy than one about musical tastes, eh?
Funny you should bring up Talking Heads. Here’s a potentially pitchfork worthy statement: I’ve never really been a fan. Something about David Byrne’s singing and delivery has just always really grated on me.
In September Ⅰ went to a Jazz concert in NYC. The band consisted of four drummers playing a full drum kit each and nothing else! It was surprisingly good and “listenable”. One of the drummers was actually the one who plays the drums on the Late Show with Colbert! That concert took place a week before the first episode.
