My 100 Favorite Bands of 2009, Part Two

Part two! Are you ready? I know you're anxiously awaiting this. What am I listening to anyway? That crazy kid. Crazy.

75. Something to Do - I played a show with this band one time, no big deal. Seriously, no big deal. I'm pretty sure everyone in this band is like in their thirties and has a family and a career. But this band is nonetheless good ska. I wish I had been a little older and better and guitar when I met them, I might've empathized with them more and we might've played somewhere cooler than the House of Bricks.

74. Saves the Day - This is a band that achieved success when they were young, so I'm threatened by them and therefore I HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT THIS BAND. But this band is good. No big deal? No big deal.

73. Pink Floyd - What a stereotypically prog thing of me to have on my list. This is another band that if I'm really honest, don't like that much. But they've done so much for music! But they're so boring. Blah.

72. Joan of Arc - This is a solid band and they are so consistent, which to me is their calling card. I play this band a lot on my radio show because it's there and it's perpetually labeled "new" much like Owen's CD.

71. Fatter Than Albert - This is one of my favorite ska bands. I remember when I was freaking out because I thought I didn't like ska anymore (which turned out to be mostly true) but the bright spot in all of that was I discovered this band and The Flaming Tsunamis.

70. The Sound of Animals Fighting - This is a good band. This is a real good band. When Anthony Green screams, the stars explode and shit. The RX bandits are good too, so since they have combined powers it works out well. Clearly.

69. Rumah Sakit - My high school English teacher introduced me to this along with Don Caballero and it was really good. He also introduced me to Sonic Youth and Rocket from the Crypt, which I like less. But the point is that he is a rad dude, and this is a rad band. This is a pretty content-free entry.

68. Modern Life Is War - This band is what I think of when I think of hardcore music. My best momory from this band is driving around after dark during the summer in Shane's car while he was blasting this band. They're also from Cedar Falls or some shit like that, or were anyway, so that's another plus.

67. Don Caballero - Here is the other band that my high school english teacher introduced me to. They have album titles that all have the word "Don" in them and so I can never remember which ones are older and which ones are newer. It's a major fucking bummer.

66. John Legend - Check it out, this one doesn't fit in with the rest. But I like R&B and John Legend is the cream of the crop. He also understands the ethics involved with being a commercially successful artist, which is important, I think. He advocates for music in schools and such.

65. Ratatat - This is good electronic music. I first heard this band on albinoblacksheep.com, I also heard The Arrogant Sons of Bitches there too. I can't believe a site I liked as a kid had such good musical taste.

64. Black Sabbath - When I want to feel like a badass, I listen to Sabbath. Henry Rollins likes Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and now it's my favorite song by them, I don't think it's a coincidence. I do whatever that guy says.

63. Nirvana - There is a kid in my dorm that looks like Kurt Cobain, but he's really good at guitar, so it's not a perfect imitation of Cobain. He does lots of drugs, but goes into class and is in college. It's a conundrum.

62. Carry the Torch - Under "Musical Blue Balls", this band is pictured. Four songs, each one a masterpiece, no follow up. What the hell is goin' on? Lame as hell. I want to seek out this band and inspire them to release new stuff because come on, shit is weak if they don't release anything else.

61. Tribune - This is Thomas Erak's High school band. I know what you want to ask, and yes, he shredded back then too. His career went uphill until Doppleganger, and has gone downhill since and it's sad to see because he's still only 23. I can't help but believing he's got more in him if he can avoid the major label producers and stuff like that. It's scary what commercialization can do to unprepared bands.

60. The Anahiem Basement Symphony - The second of my projects on this list, FML. I think that as much as I wrote Ska Band Go!'s songs, I had even more of a creative influence on this project. I even wrote some drum beats for this, which I never ever did in Ska Band Go! I don't view this as dead, either. I want to do more dumb, fun recordings with my friends here, though Kyle and I have Green Version now. So that's that...

59. Coheed and Cambria - Once upon a time, this was my favorite band by far. They are another band like The Fall of Troy that has really fallen off since their first few albums, and it's sad to see. They have a prequel album coming up that is set within their concept before their first album, and my fingers are crossed, for better or for worse. I'm expecting good things now.

58. Q and Not U - This band reminds me of driving to Grandview University last year for classes. They sound really weird and I would blast this in my car and sing the lyrics as loud as I could driving down I-80. I never fully appreciated how much fun I was having, much like right now, and virtually every other point in my life pretty much.

57. Say Anything - This band is really really quickly becoming one of my favorites. To illustrate this, I have basically been writing this for two hours on parts one and two, listening to this band, and now they're actually at 53 on this list. Crazy right? I want to be this sincere when I write lyrics because it seems to always yield powerful, original material. I can't say enough about Max Bemis' skill.

56. Ampere - This is the new or old band of some other band that I like, but I can't remember. I really like how short these songs are because I don't have an attention span of significance. It's hard though, good? Okay.

55. The Flaming Tsunamis - Crossover screamo/ska. Pretty good but it's essential to listen to this in small doses. They sing about how people over prescribe Ritalin and it's a bad thing and I totally get behind that so I guess idealistically we are the same so that's a plus.

54. Misfits - I want to have dark flowing hair and a fishnet top so I can CRUSH THINGS with my awesomeness. Glenn Danzig has lived the dream for decades. I want a piece, Danzig. It's time to select an apprentice.

53. Desaparecidos - Conor Oberst does not get much better than this, Bright Eyes can suck it (not really). But this band is his finest work for sure, no question about it, no sir.

52. Druids - I see these guys a lot. A lot. In the front row. This is probably the best band in Des Moines right now, in my opinion, though I suppose they are actually from Pella, but you understand, right? Right? The guitarist in this band has a huge beard and I don't think he can possibly be awkward, probably because he is often drunk when I see him.

51. Castevet - When Oceans broke up, I was worried that this band was done too but apparently these dudes are going strong and releasing new music and I am pumped as hell. I envy Chicago's music scene.