2009年 Mar 24日 Tuesday, 7:38

1. The Smashing Pumpkins 2,520
They've been my favourite band since 1994 or so, when a high school friend introduced me to them good and proper. Prior to that I had seen video clips of theirs (the first was "Disarm") and found myself intrigued. I have seen them three times now, the first times being in 2007 when I caught two of their shows during their nation-wide tour of the US. The third time was back home in Perth, Australia, last year. My love has not wavered yet.
2. Liz Phair 981
Liz Phair's music speaks to me, and though she has moved on and is a lot happier than she was (or so it seems anyway) when she wrote Exile in Guyville, I myself am still in a place in life where I can totally relate to and take comfort from her earlier music, particularly the aforementioned legendary album and the Girlysound demos. Liz Phair dared to go pretty far and managed to stay in the mainstream spotlight while doing so. That's probably why she had such shock value.
3. Silverchair 722
I've loved them since they first emerged as a trio of tiny tottie teenagers in 1994, and I still love them today. I think Daniel Johns is a true musical genius. It doesn't hurt that he's totally sexy, either. The other boys do all right too. Hehe. I really respect the way this band has grown and can't wait to see what they do next - though admittedly I am more of a fan of the pre-Young Modern sounds (with some notable exceptions, even that album has some brilliant tunes).
4. Soundgarden 669
Ahhh, good ole Seattle soundz. Soundgarden were amongst the original cohort and they probably stayed so awesomely legendary by quitting relatively early on (1997 to be exact). Chris Cornell was one of the guys who most heavily frequented my teenaged bedroom walls, and popped into the odd daydream too of course. His incredible voice and pretty darn nice looks were quite enough, and then he had to go and write/co-write a bunch of totally rockin' and awesome tunes as well. Well, Chris, you've gone and done it - doomed to be on my faves list for good.
5. Veruca Salt 632
GIrls kick ass! Veruca Salt proved the truth in this saying, and continue to do so even with Nina Gordon long departed. From the early effort American Thighs to the recently released IV, this band has not failed to enthrall and rock me to my core. Louise Post is a guitar soloing legend who blows my mind at every turn…AND she left me a comment on my MySpace page. Veruca Salt also brought us some of the most exceptional b-sides, including "Sundown", "Cock of Nothing" and "All Mine".
6. Nirvana 573
Picture it. Year 7, a boy I like, it's music class and all I've ever known is Madonna, Michael Jackson, and other 80s gems (sure, those two both went beyond the 80s, but anyway…). We're allowed to bring music of our choice into class. The boy brings Nirvana's album Nevermind, and we listen to the first three songs. I watch three of the boys headbanging in unison (though they're lying on their stomachs completing homework at the same time), and somehow my fate is sealed. Nirvana are the new everything. This was the first album I ever bought, and I still have that same copy in my collection. Kurt Cobain was a legend and his music will live on.
7. Foo Fighters 532
Spin-off from Nirvana, I guess… Though bands aren't usually referred to as "spin-offs", but "side projects". What a fucking incredible impact this little side project of Dave Grohl's has had, eh? I wonder if even he knew how far his new band would go as it rose from the ashes of Nirvana. We know now - his band has gone far, and it's as strong as it's ever been. The Foo Fighters are another band who keep delivering the goods, and they have some brilliant b-sides fo sho. "The Colour and the Shape" comes to mind, as well as the brilliant cover "Iron and Stone" and the awesome "Winnebago". In short, Dave Grohl is great in so many ways, and so is his music. Rock on!
8. Queens of the Stone Age 510
Ahhh, the sexy redhead strikes again. First his influence is heard in Kyuss, and then he strikes out on his own and kills all elevator music with QotSA's renowned sound. I haven't listened as much to these guys as I was for a while there, but they still reappear relatively regularly, and I guess I listened enough early on that they're clinging on for dear life at the moment. Hehe. Still, I am never disappointed when iTunes randoms me onto yet another QotSA track.
9. Madonna 465
Since I was a little kid, Madonna has been a staple in my daily musical diet. I guess as long as I've known music, I've known Madonna and I've almost lived and breathed her songs at times. This trend doesn't seem to be dying down, although I admit I don't own any of her more recent albums (beyond and including Ray of Light). Still, Madonna has tried so many styles successfully, and has been so very daring (with awesome results) that she ain't going off my faves list anytime soon.
10. Kittie 453
RoooOOOOOOOAAAAR! Watch out, here come Kittie to shred your ears and mess with your mind. I don't think they got much better than Spit, but then I'm biased towards the more melodic style of metal. Kittie are an all-girl band who prove extremely well indeed that guys aren't the only ones who can play metal. Just take a listen to "Spit", the title track from their debut album, to know what I'm talking about. I am a particular fan of Morgan Landers' vocals, but I think they need to bring Fallon Bowman back too!
11. Heather Nova 448
The lady has the voice of an angel, and much of her music could be described as easy on the ears, mellow, slow, quiet, moving, etc. But there are also moments of gutsiness and gut-wrenching honesty that make Heather Nova a remarkable artist. I saw Heather live a few years back (probably lots more than I realise) and it was a show with just her on guitar and another lady playing the cello. It was one of the most breathtaking performances I've ever attended. Heather's still going strong and when I avoid the more unforgivably commercial strains of recent releases, I can still take comfort in the old school albums and the new school exceptions.
12. Unwritten Law 446
Perhaps they are a surprising inclusion in my list, particularly as I still don't own any of their albums ;) But I can thank my brother for making me aware of them and in fact, exposing me to a great deal of their music. Thanks bro!! I don't know what it is about this band in particular, but I do quite like punk rock in general anyway. Still, Unwritten Law really got me with the likes of "How You Feel", "Coffin Text" and especially "Holiday". I will definitely own some of their albums soon! Yes, I still buy CDs!
13. Helmet 424
Oh, lordy. I can thank Silverchair for introducing me to these guys and their original, hard-rockin' sound. Silverchair hosted Rage one time, and who should show up quite a lot in the playlist? Why, Helmet of course! Same story for Soundgarden, incidentally, but anyway… Helmet also feature Page Hamilton, who we always thought was kinda sexy - he has a noice voice too! If songs like "Unsung" and "Wilma's Rainbow" weren't enough, every release since those days has had something excellent to offer, though admittedly I haven't bought anything since Aftertaste. I have never seen Helmet live, but would dearly love to before I die!
14. Hole 343
Courtney Love has long been an idol of mine, even if I never aspired to imitate her drug-taking, rip-roaring and shock rocking ways. Hole's music has been dramatic, dirty, ugly-yet-beautiful, polished, "sell-out" (according to some), daring, shocking, depressing, moving, righteous, feminist… I could go on. Each Hole album has something different to give, and varies sound-wise too. But each will also remain in my collection as a prized possession. Even their collection of b-sides and rarities, My Body, the Hand Grenade, blows my mind, particularly with the likes of "Burn Black" and "Turpentine".
15. Jawbreaker 338
I saw these guys at the music festival Summersault in 1996, at Fremantle Oval. I already knew I loved their album Dear You, but I didn't know until later years that their other albums, while significantly different in sound to Dear You, were also totally great. I still haven't bought them, of course *blush* but I am going to get right on that!