There are so many bands I should love and simply don't much care, so many times I know it's me and yet I just can't hear em.
1. The Replacements – are at the top of the list. Not only do people I respect love them, but they are the carrying card standard bearer of imdie rock. hell, Juliana Hatfield namechecked the fuck outta Westerberg in her memoir and my good buddy Bill holdship wrote the liner notes to the reissues. And whenever I get around to listening to em, I don't dislike them. But don't color me impressed either.
2. John Mayer – You can't hate, and I never do hate, a person's music because I hate the person. Mayer is a walking STD and a nasty mouth nitwit, but his music, even the lame-o singer/songwriter crappola, isn't that bad. Battle Stduies would impress me by anybody else. but his voice is so heartfelt and he is so blatantly insincere that I can't bear the guy.
3.REM – Yeah, the mid-1190s caveat notwithstanding, and their terriffic swan song single from last year noswithstanding, these guys stole the dB's throne from under them and I've never come close to forgiving them.
4. Hot Chip – As often as not, when I take an irrational dislike to a band, it is because i didn't like them. Hot Chip are the dance rock band de jour, they could teach James Murphy a thing or two, and I can't remember the name of one of their songs. They bore me to death.
5. U2 – Again, I'll give em their post-Zootopia, pre-Atomic peroid sans voir, but just about nothing before and nothing after. After is their fault but before is mine: there is something just too overblown about them.
6. Nas – No reason I can think of, in theory I should love this Illmatic New Yorker. But he is too heavy, his beats, his languaghe, his pacing: he drags me to the ground. I can't listen to him.
7 – 9. Split Enz, Crowded House and Fountains Of Wayne – If you don't like a pop bands pop songs, you won't like the pop band
8. Big Star – I know, but I preffered the Box Tops