Friday, October 9, 2009

Reunited And It Feels So Good (Wishful Thinking Edition)

Over the last couple of years we have seen some pretty major acts get back together - The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine and recently Pavement, just to name a few. Now I am a realistic person. I know some bands are better off staying split, but what about the bands who might still have something great left to give the world? Here, a list of groups who need to bury the hatchet and start shredding the axe.

1. The Smiths - Johnny Marr is running around with Modest Mouse (which is like an NFL player on a high school team) while Morrissey continues to make his just-bearable solo albums. Really guys, this is better than bringing joy to millions of die-hard Smiths fans across the world? Really? Modest Mouse? Seriously? Okay then.

2. The Smashing Pumpkins - Not Billy Corgan, some girl on bass, an Asian guy on guitar and a some teenage drummer in the background - I want the real deal, D'arcy, James, and Jimmy. Otherwise you are not allowed to call yourselves The Smashing Pumpkins. Got it?

3. At The Drive-In - The reason you may not have heard of them is because they broke up right after their debut album started to gain some attention, and right before I was supposed to see them in concert (thanks for nothing). The band has split into two different groups now - The Mars Volta and Sparta - neither of which kicks as much pure unadulterated arse as At The Drive In.

4. Neutral Milk Hotel - I've already covered this one in the past, but allow me to repeat myself. Jeff Mangum, I know, you had a break down, the stress of touring and being kind of nuts takes its toll. How about you just go into the studio and cough a couple times into the microphone just so we have something. Anything!

Grandaddy - Maybe the saddest story here, the band broke up because they were too poor to keep doing it. You did your part Grandaddy, reaching for something higher than just mainstream success, giving us epically beautiful songs about the break down of modern society - comparing your blues and the numbness of our generations ennui to a cell phone on standby. No I don't blame you. I blame America.
Who do you want to see reunite?

6 comments:

  1. The Blues Brothers, Pink Floyd and Monica and Ross.

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  2. Personally, I just want the Pumpkins to go back in time before they decided to try to get back together with a pretend band - and NOT do it! I can't bear to listen to any of their great 90's music anymore, just because of how terrible they have become. They need to go away! At The Drive-In would be best to get back together. They don't have much history to destroy.

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  3. I think we can all agree that Rage Against the Machine is defined by the sum of its parts...
    Audio Slave? The Night Watchman?
    It's all just weak ass Rage-lite and you gentlemen know it!

    What ever happened to good ol' fashioned mob-inciting, torch burning, Central American coup attempting, pissed off for a damn good reason, powerful powerful RAGE!!!???

    RATM represented what every musician secretly wants to do: invade so deeply into a person's soul that they will literally try to go out and change the world. (and mayyybe get arrested doing so)

    :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz8wU9DdbqU

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  4. Tim,

    Do you need us to perform an exorcism?

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  5. At The Drive-In didn't break up after their debut album. Relationship of Command was their first on a major label (Virgin) but they had two albums (first came out in '96) and some EPs before that.

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  6. Re Modest Mouse: you wanna be starting something there? Seriously?

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