Top 10 American Bands

Top 10 American Bands

Written by destructomaximo 67 Comments
Last Updated:: August 16, 2008

After releasing the Top 10 British Bands of all time and the Top 5 Swedish Bands of all time, it was only a matter of time before we released a “Top 10 American Bands” list. Sticking to bands within our generation helped narrow the long list of bands on our original roster, which was more like the top 1000 American bands. Luckily, we rethought our list after a fateful computer crash. As usual, this list has nothing to do with chart positions or albums sold, simply what we like. Since we are always right, take note, dear reader, and go get whatever you might not have from this list. Kisses fu%#ers.

10. moe.

Unfairly slapped with the label of “jam band” due to early fans of Phish and Widespread Panic, it’s been tough for moe. to slip through the cracks into the realm of rock band. Ranging from heavy and dark to light and silly, they remain the tightest band I have ever seen live (although you really need to concentrate on ignoring the bare feet and whipping dreadlocks by the stage…it was 2 parts rock show to one part ninja training). The most remarkable part of moe. is their lack of aimless noodling that plagues improvising rock bands. The play between the two screaming guitars build, climax, do a few back-flips, pound a twelve pack of Saranac (see their “Happy Hour Hero”), and vomit pure rock and roll that’s closer to the love child of Zappa and the Stones than their droning, jammy contemporaries.
9. Ween

A lot of my friends are Ween fans that I can not talk to about Ween. The die-hard have taken silly inside jokes and twisted them into some strange free-base religion that is only fully understood if you attend mass on mushrooms. I lack this communal kinship with Ween & Co., my relationship with the band is personal, even intimate. From the first notes of Tick on God-Ween-Satan I was hooked. Each album represents a night out with your friends, from fluxuating stages of sobriety to serious mood swings, you can feel Deaner and Geener poking fun at their most intimate fears (Spinal Meningitis [got me down]), highs (Mushroom Festival in Hell), friendship (I Saw Deener Crying In His Sleep), loves (Sara), Anger (You Fucked Up), Lust (LMLYP), and every other emotion known to man, woman, and boognish. Go make Ween your new friends, your special brown friends.

8. The National

Several years ago my cousin’s six year old daughter went missing. The family split up and searched for her for hours. I finally found her hiding in a closet under some old clothes and shoes and explained to her that the game wasn’t funny and people were very scared because they couldn’t find her. She told me it wasn’t a game, and that she needed 5 more minutes. She was having a private talk, she informed me, with her brain. The first time I heard the National, it was the opening Secret Meeting off of Alligator. When the line “I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain” played I was brought back to that closet and realized I had found a band that had somehow tapped into the genius mind of a six year old, and I haven’t been let down by them since.

7. MMW

On stage, locked in a room whose walls are made of keys and dials, John Medeski’s head remains still, eyes fixed on his two band mates, while the rest of his body flails like an octopus surgically striking keys that one would assume was at random if it weren’t from the sonic bliss falling from the speakers. The drummer, Billy Martin, is not sitting behind his kit; he is standing in front of it with one hand carefully striking the high-hat with the other hand on a table of children’s toys and random percussion instruments. Between these two is a calm Chris Wood, seemingly oblivious to the chaos he is surrounded by, coolly plucking notes from his upright and sending vibrations through the floor and up into my soul.

6. White Stripes

Fickle hipsters be damned, even if your precious Detroit De Stijl duo has crawled into the mainstream, they still represent the little of what is good in the quagmire of the music industry. Raw, true, two-piece roots blues infused with the energy and distortion of modern youth offer sweaty, intelligent, energized, if eccentric spit-shined dirt for those ear goggles to relish. They let their ironic hipster façade fall away like a curtain call, and I suggest you let your cynical elite fanciness do the same.

5. Flaming Lips

Forget the animal costumes. Forget the blood. Forget the spaceships and B movies. Forget the awkward transition from guitar grunge to experimental psychedelia. Forget that it took four ghetto-blasters simultaneously played from four corners to listen to one of their albums. When all of the art-school imagery (which is a fine accent, but not the main show) fades away, you’re left with lush landscapes of sound and the most honest and humble lyricism of our generation. “Who knows, maybe there isn’t a vein of stars calling out your name.”

4. Built to Spill

My introduction to Built to Spill came slowly. It started with the intriguing baritone (Calvin Johnson) bellowing in Beck’s Atmospheric Conditions. Searching for more of the K Records founder led me to the Halo Benders, co-headed with Martsch. The amazing (and B2S live favorite) Virginia Reel Around the Fount first caught me with Calvin bellowing about belly-buttons (“Inny, outy, I don’t care!”), but simultaneously in the background there was another voice. This voice juxtaposed Calvin’s silliness with the lines “How can I be in a solid state?” What a great question! There were so many answers! There was a clever allusion to amplifiers! We’re more than 80% water! Who was this profound rocker? Doug Martsch, that’s who. He took me by the hand and led me step by step through the Built to Spill catalogue and taught me that I could be introspective and fun at the same time, and still be smart.

3. Pavement

The 1990’s were unknowingly dominated by Pavement. They were so heavily emulated that when I first saw Weezer’s Undone video I thought it was either a practical joke by Pavement or a new band was ripping them off with the signature slacker bouncing bowl-cut and t-shirt. While watching a Pave video on MTV, Beavis commented “Um…they look like they’re not trying very hard.” Pavement wasn’t trying very hard to be anything. They didn’t look like rock stars, they didn‘t hog the limelight, they didn’t sound like anything on the radio in 1991, they didn’t stir up controversy (except for playfully poking fun at STP and the Smashing Pumpkins on CR CR’s Range Life), and they sure as hell didn’t stick to one style of music. They wrote songs that cracked you up and confused the hell out of you. Their eccentric and confounding lyrics have been dissected by fans to death, but Steve Malkmus still insists he pretty much free styled and slap dashed them together at the last minute. They were my anti-star heroes, which was probably the last thing they wanted.

2. Modest Mouse

Like the Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse saw some fan backlash as they slowly crept into the mainstream spotlight with Good News, and again, I see this as a sign that the popular culture is tired of being spoon-fed hits and singles. Pissed, talented, too smart for their own good, and drunk as hell, Modest Mouse waxes on road trips, life, and the shitty-unfair world we’re thrown into when we’re born, and they say it with a defiant fist instead of a hopeless whimper. Flanked by random, seemingly non-congruent violins, cellos, classical guitars, and other exciting instruments that seem to come out of nowhere, Modest Mouse gives us amazingly arranged, and amazingly raw songs of honest angst, honest empathy, and in return, honest hope…Plus, they fuckin’ rock.

1. Wilco

Wilco refuses to be labeled, but that hasn’t stopped them from acquiring a trunk-full of them. They’ve been called alt-country, lo-fi, indie, experimental, art-pop, avant-garde, and just about anything else you can think of that would help a person find them in a record store. Wilco is a rare band that has been consistently and simultaneously an amazing live band and an amazing recording band. I can’t recommend an album that they’ve made that couldn’t be my favorite record-of-the-moment. With no end in sight (they’re currently writing their follow-up to the amazing Blue Sky Blue) and seemingly no fumbles along the way, Wilco is without a doubt THE GREATEST American band…in my own prissy opinion.

67 Comments

#1 Joe says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:11 pm

Good list but I think Weezer should have been on there.

#2 NecroVMX says:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:09 pm

You officially have the worst taste in music ever.

#3 Phil says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:47 pm

I agree with Modest Mouse but that’s about it. To each his own though.

#4 Karl says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:42 am

This was a well written article. I like the music lists you guys come up with. Seeing Wilco on your Top 10 90’s Bands List, and on this one made my day. You guys should do a Top 10 Australian Bands list next.

#5 Craig says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:46 am

Not bad but I would have liked to see Phish or the Grateful Dead on this list.

#6 George says:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:07 am

They only put 90’s band’s on, otherwise they would have made the list too long. I’m amazed they found any good modern bands. Music these days blows ass.

#7 Tristan says:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:45 am

No Talking Heads?

#8 Nick says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:19 pm

What happened to Sonic Youth?

#9 old-wizard.com says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:20 pm

As with all of our music lists we were forced to leave off some incredible bands. Sonic Youth was one of them.

#10 Darren says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:22 pm

You guys should stick to video games.

#11 Mike says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:28 pm

Karl: I guarantee you that if they did a Top 10 Australian Bands list they would put the Bee Gees on it.

#12 I Hate Old-Wizard.com says:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:17 pm

Why do you guys bother to keep posting these stupid lists?

#13 Paul says:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:47 pm

No Nirvana = EPIC FAIL

Once again Old-Wizard loses.

#14 Lillie says:
March 15th, 2010 at 11:56 pm

Your top 3 are genius. I’m not quite certain about the rest (although the White Stripes are most certainly amazing). I could argue that Modest Mouse and Wilco are possibly some of the most amazing bands of all time – for American bands, that is. They are both incredibly poetic and almost fantastic in their inventiveness.

#15 robert says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:09 am

i like the majority of the bands mentioned on your list but I don’t know if I’d consider them the best American bands.

Seems like most of the bands would fall under Indie or Alternative. So why is it missing bands like The Bravery and The Strokes?

Next time you do a top ten american bands list, you should do it by genre. Just a suggestion.

#16 Chris says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:51 am

It’s all about Metal. White Stripes have no talent. Most of these bands seem to be on the list simply for being anti-industry and are all easily forgotten.

#17 Big Al says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:49 am

Great list. I love all these bands with the exception of moe.!

#18 26 says:
March 15th, 2010 at 8:58 pm

moe sucks and wilco isnt that great

#19 DM says:
March 15th, 2010 at 11:58 am

Thanks 26, for that intelligent and insightful argument

#20 wookiefingers says:
March 15th, 2010 at 6:59 pm

Top 10 WHITE American Bands.

Good list otherwise and has got me thinking about Ween again. Thanks.

#21 Josh says:
March 15th, 2010 at 11:28 am

the White Stripes is on this list and Metallica isn’t?!?! WTF?!?!

#22 Alpha says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:05 am

One word SLAYER, grow a fucking pair and listen to some Metal!

#23 astonished says:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:35 am

this is a joke. right?
the person who owns this site is more full of themselves than rolling stone mag
this list shouls have been labled top ten bands that nobody knows or cares about.

again, this has to be a joke site. right

#24 DM says:
March 15th, 2010 at 8:25 pm

funny how som of you are pissed that the bands are too knopwn & generic and others are mad that they’re too unknown…instead of whining like little b*&^$s why don’t you tell us YOUR opinion so we can all be exposed to new bands.

#25 Wonderful List! says:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:05 pm

Personally, I loved this list. I know I’m in the minority here, but that’s actually why I like it so much. I never thought I ever see a list of Top X American Bands that was FRESH. No Nirvana, no Dave Matthews, no Sonic Youth, no Bruce Springsteen…. I don’t know what to say! This list totally caught me off guard.

Not only that, but the paragraphs about each band were insightful and well written.

To the author: Its good to see that there are independent thinkers left in this country! I almost gave up hope. I will definitely come back to this site frequently.

#26 Wonderful List! says:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:07 pm

To the Old Wizard:

Out of curiosity, what do you think about the Flogging Molleys?

#27 chris Gavin says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:11 am

…My Morning Jacket

#28 Joe says:
March 15th, 2010 at 11:37 am

I’m sorry guys. I love this website all except the music reviews. Personally I think you have the worst taste in music I have ever seen. You like these indy, “underrated” bands that make you think you are edgy and cool for liking them. Sorry you are not. Most of all the shit you claim is great is just non-talented fluff that all sounds the same.

At least you do not listn to nickelback.

And oasis sucks. period. awful.

#29 Joe says:
March 15th, 2010 at 11:44 am

Some great known american bands: Pantera, 311, Rise Against, Killswitch Engage, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mudvayne

Some great not as well known american bands: All That Remains, Trivium, God Forbid, Lojic(a must listen)

#30 sean says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:56 am

way to leave off sonic youth, but overall fuck yea to the top 5. also, come on dude, the doors

#31 Ezra says:
March 15th, 2010 at 4:32 am

decent list as far as indy goes but just not complete with out The Bad Brains or Black Flag. Totaly diffrent style though.

#32 youngblood says:
March 15th, 2010 at 8:03 pm

are you kidding me? hoe about MC5?! The Sonics?! Frank Zappa? what fag wrote this?

#33 Relayer71 says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:16 pm

You left out about 100 other IMPORTANT American Bands of the last 30 years or so.

This list seems too modern. And too “indie rock”.

Pavement is great of course but Modest Mouse is horrible, repetetive, boring.

Where is Sonic Youth?
R.E.M.?
The Melvins?
Superchunk?

And the Big Daddy of them all…. Guided By Voices???????

#34 Grabo says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:57 pm

Ever hear of Nirvana, douche bag?

#35 DM says:
March 15th, 2010 at 6:20 pm

@Relayer71

GBV is too sporadic for me, but Alien Lanes is a classic. Sonic Youth was #11, and it was a tough call.

@Grabo

Yes, I was actually old enough to be around for all of it, the whole scene. Nirvana was great, but without Kurt blowing his head off no one cared. He was an uppity tool bag who couldn’t handle the fame he craved in the beginning. The guy never lived under a bridge in Aberdeen, but his life was pretty tough, and he was a great songwriter. The tidal wave of fans who idolize him and Nirvana are living on some alternate plane…Foo Fighters are a better band than Nirvana was.

#36 Relayer71 says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:35 am

GBV sporadic?

Alien Lanes
Under The Bushes Under The Stars
Mag Earwhig
Earthquake Glue

Were all excellent albums. Their last album, Half Smiles Of The Decomposed was 14 tracks. Remove 3 and it would have been a perfect album.

Yes, they probably put too many songs on their albums (14 was a short album for them, heh) and some of them were duds but this doesn’t take away from Robert Pollard’s songwriting genius and the fact that they probably recorded more great and memorable songs in say any 3 albums than most artists in their entire careers.

If anything they’re more consistent (not to mention accessible) than Sonic Youth. Everytime Kim Gordon opens her mouth it’s a good song ruined.

#37 Relayer71 says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:46 am

I agree with you on Nirvana though. And I was a fan even before they became huge. Their career was way too short for them to be on any “best” band list. Look at the track record:

Bleach was a mediocre album.

Nevermind was a very good album at the time, a great kick in the pants for the pop music scene in general but it was nothing new or terribly groundbreaking. It was great in that it changed the landscape but it was no The Joshua Tree.

In Utero – personally I like this one more than Nevermind. I liked the feel and sound of it and it had a couple of songs I loved. But you can tell Kurt was stretching it as far as ideas – seemed like every song on Nevermind was a perfect little pop-punk gem where In Utero is a bit rough around the edges. Shortage of ideas maybe? It’s ok, though – Soundgarden should have stopped with Superunknown because the followup album was terrible.

#38 Otto says:
March 15th, 2010 at 3:27 am

No Nirvana? No Sonic Youth? R.E.M.? Alice in Chains? Soundgarden? Foo Fighters?

And to top it all off…MODEST MOUSE?

You’re a prick.

#39 JeZeP says:
March 15th, 2010 at 2:23 pm

I agree with Otto

Also, how about Red hot chili peppers

#40 Heroic Janitor says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:52 pm

Great list!

#41 Heroic Janitor says:
March 15th, 2010 at 10:53 pm

Ween FTW!

#42 Uhhhhhhhhh,pie says:
March 15th, 2010 at 8:27 pm

Hold the phone, you forgot Three Days Grace. I know what you are thinking and they are not a Christian or any other type of religious band. They are heavy metal. One of their songs is called I Hate Everything About You. Now if that doesn’t scream, “Not religious.” I don’t know what does.

#43 andrew says:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:35 pm

Pretty shitty list, and everyone in The National is ugly as hell.

#44 ConcernedReader says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:40 am

No Black Crowes? Are you kidding me? They’re one of the few “real” rock bands going today. They’ve been churning out great albums for almost 20 years. Plus they’ve had great success both in sales and certainly on the road. They’re as strong now as they’ve been in 15 years. No way you can have a list of greatest American bands and not have them on there. And what about these: STP, Alice In Chains, Aerosmith and the Eagles? Especially the last 2. Based on success alone they’re in there right at the top. Oh yea ever heard of CCR and The Doors? Jeez…

#45 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 11:09 am

where are Nirvana and R.E.M.?

#46 joel says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:23 am

the doors were American
Jimi Hendrix Experience was American
what-the-fuck

#47 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 1:20 am

Oh yeah, Red Hot Chili Peppers should be here too.

#48 avi says:
March 15th, 2010 at 9:43 pm

joel, they sad in the description it was bands of their lifetime, not all time.

#49 Bob Marley says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:36 am

This list sucks. how about some recognition of older bands like the eagles or the beach boys.
The list should be:
10.RHCP
9.Aerosmith
8.REM
7.Lynyrd Skynyrd
6.Pearl Jam
5.CCR
4.Beach Boys
3.Tom Petty
2.Bruce Springsteen
1.The Eagles

#50 Zach says:
March 15th, 2010 at 7:53 am

Yeah. What about Dylan? The Grateful Dead? The Velvet Underground? The Talking Heads? The Pixies? Oh and by the way, you left out Woodie Guthrie (yes I know he was more of a troubadour, but whatever) and about 10 blues artists (such as Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Lightning Hopkins, Albert King). You also failed to recognize any jazz (Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker) and you totally forgot about country music and traditional folk music.

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