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[Condition Oakland]

I miss the refreshment of discovering a new band that instantly topples whatever old band was your reigning favorite.

For the longest time I listened to nothing but Jawbreaker. Then, Pavement came in and knocked Blake Schwarzenbach down to number two, but it's been at least four years since that happened!

I love Pavement, but I know if there's a band out there that can supercede them that I will obviously love it more. I feel chained down! Four years with the same favorite band (awesome as they may be) is getting stale.


Has anyone else ever had this problem?

[ScrambledGregs]

Radiohead were my favorite band for pretty much the last 6 years. Then I realized that I never listened to them much anymore. Then I stopped caring altogether. It's mostly that they only release an album once every presidential election cycle, but it's partially that they just don't do it for me anymore.

Truth be told, I don't have a favorite band, because it seems like at least once a year I discover a band that takes over my life for awhile and becomes my favorite. I've been on a huge Spencer Krug kick lately, so right now Sunset Rubdown/Wolf Parade/Frog Eyes/Swan Lake are my favorite band(s).

[Disgruntled Jack]

Man, I know the feeling. You can only liste not one band's songs for so long before starts gradually mutating into white noise.

[Ishotdanieljohnston]

That very same thing happened to me with Radiohead. I still like them and all... but it's getting a little self indulgent with this "new release" they refuse to release.

[Hat]

Honestly, I've never felt like I had to discover a new band to be my new favorite. I really started to get into the Beatles about four years ago now, probably a bit more, and the second I find a band that can consistently make me smile and dance as the Beatles do, they get to be my new favorite band. If not, they don't. I don't see why its necessary to say "Ok, I am tired of Pavement being my favorite band, it is time for a new favourite band" when it seems kind of obvious by the way you talk about Pavement that they aren't really your favorite band anymore anyway. Maybe there are new bands you like more that you feel less confident declaring as your favorite band, because they haven't gotten enough critical acclaim, or really made enough albums yet or maybe there's just a lot of bands that you aren't sure which one you like best.

All of these things are ok, you don't really need to force anything as banal as "What your favorite band is", unless you're in a hurry to update your myspace profile or something.

[Inlander]

Condition Oakland, you've got it easy. Having your favourite band supplanted by another is nice. Sticking by your favourite band through thick and thin, trying to convince yourself they're still good, then slowly and cruelly realising that they've become shit, on the other hand, is excruciating. When I was in high school my favourite band was the Tea Party. My favourite album was Splendor Solis. I loved them the way only a teenager can love a band. Every time they put out a new album I rushed out and bought it. But . . . every time I did so, I found myself fighting against my better instincts. With each album the band got less and less interesting, and seemingly more and more up themselves. I willed myself to enjoy their newer music, but every time I gave Splendor Solis another spin I realised the band had lost something they used to have. Their music just didn't have the thrilling detail and musicianship and intricacy it used to have. It'd become stale and predictable and generic. Eventually, it happened: they released a new album and I just couldn't be bothered. I was out of love. In a way, it was a kindness: it'd been such a long time coming. Still, a little piece of my inner music nerd died that day.

[kablaaamo]

I mostly just fade in and out of momentary favourites, which I recognize once I realize that I've listened to hardly anything else in a week. Any band that does that gets played pretty regularly, in between obsessions.

That kind of boggles me, actually, to have something be your number one for years and years. The artist I consider my favourite now (Final Fantasy) has been there for about...4 months? That might be the longest running musician ever, for me....and I'm finding that I'm not even listening to him that much anymore. I agree with the commenter who said (more or less) that there's only so many times you can listen to something and keep finding it fresh, no matter how good it is.

[casull]

Nightwish>Muse>Franz Ferdinand>Angra>Opeth>From Exile>The Human Abstract.

That prettty much sums up my last two years, anyway. Before that it was shitty shit.

[amok]

I've had it pretty easy in the favourite band stakes. Back when I was 15-16 I was massively into Queens Of The Stone age; we could easily spend a whole weekend just smoking pot and listening to Queens over and over. Oh yeah. Then I discovered Anathema and they've pretty much been the band since - I can still listen to the last 5 CDs and enjoy them as much, if not more, as when they were fresh and exciting. Although I must admit I do listen to them less often these days, just 'cos I'm so familiar with 'em, but they do get busted out regularly. Apart from Ted Leo in the last year, no one's really made a serious challenge for the top spot. Never really had any kind of existential crisis about it... Anathema are just the greatest band ever

[Ernest]

When I was 16 I discovered At the Drive-In.  Then I discovered Fugazi, who have been my favorite band until recently.  I don't have a definite favorite anymore, probably because I have so much music I haven't fully digested.  Drive Like Jehu made a run for the top spot, though.

[TheBoredOne]

I've had that problem before as well.

People used to ask me what my favorite band was, and I always had the name ready.

Eventually I was just saying it out of reflex though.

Now I don't really have a favorite band. I just randomly enjoy different music.

Does that make me a music slut? Should I get checked for hearing AIDs?

[Luke C]

Nightwish>Muse>Franz Ferdinand>Angra>Opeth>From Exile>The Human Abstract.

That's an interesting list of changes. Opeth to Franz Ferdinand in two steps.

[barnacle]

metallica -> megadeth -> the project hate mcmxcix -> emilie autumn -> mindless self indulgence

i consider the first two medeocre at best now.  the last three are my favorite three now, i like them about equally now that the freshness has worn off.

[Decima]

Radioheadfans should try UNKLEs "Never Never Land". I like Radiohead, but UNKLE (atleast its present constallation, stupid DJ Shadow) is my absolute favourite band. Never Never Land features songs that are like Radioheads but more electronic and much more complex.

[schimmy]

I listen to Skyclad way too much. Over the past few days, I've been trying to cut down how often I listen to them, but that's just left me listening to Sabbat.

[Stefan Autsa]

Recently, my favourite band has been The Daughters, especially with their new album. The screaming on the first was pretty cool, but now ASF Marshall is singing?! Dear lord!

I think when you are younger, you are devoted fully to one artist at one time, but as you age, you realise this isn't feasble any more. You just end up liking lots of bands, instead of worshipping one act. There's nothing wrong with that, as I've got more music now then I ever did as a kid. But when you're young, and you were bought an album by your parents, or you used your pocket money to purchase that record you'd been dreaming of all week, it meant so much more to you. And seeing as we can now stroll into any store and walk out with a bag of cds, well...

The band that once spoke to you now is drowned out amongst the other voices in your collection.

This could be just me, however.

[camelpimp]

Hm...

Yuki Kajiura > Smiths > Echo and the Bunnymen > Sleater-Kinney I supposers.

But, honestly, I've got a new favorite band every month, so I've got the opposite problem. (Well, I can never get tired listening to Sleater-Kinney)

[Kyros]

For te past two years my favorite band has been The Dismemberment Plan.  I think it's easy to stick with a favorite band when they aren't around making albums anymore.  This way you KNOW they were awesome and they can't come out and make an album you don't love to ruin it.

[KharBevNor]

I listen to Skyclad way too much. Over the past few days, I've been trying to cut down how often I listen to them, but that's just left me listening to Sabbat.

I have a very similiar problem, though over the last year both Current 93 and Sol Invictus have also been vying for the top spot. Neither is quite as consistent as the 'clad though. C93 have an incredible capacity for ruining amazing albums, the ultimate example being putting Twilight Twilight Nihil Nihil right slap in the middle of All The Pretty Little Horses, and SI have had a few weak releases, though they are, in my opinion, still improving with their latest album. Skyclad, under Walkyier anyway, only ever really had one or two songs I don't consider good or better (Snake Charming annoys me and Science Never Sleeps is superfluous). Other than that, awesome band. I reckon the next albums from Skyclad and Sol Invictus respectively will decide my all-time favourite. I don't think there's any other serious competitors for the title. Maybe Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows. The third highest band on my Last.FM is Inkubus Sukkubus, but I'm just not sure I can justify them being my favourite band.

For a sense of completeness, my first favourite band of all time was Pink Floyd, then it was Iron Maiden, then Cradle of Filth, then nothing for a bit, then Skyclad.