First Listen Gold!
First listens can be deceiving. You can hear a song and think this is your new favourite band, only to rforget about them 6 months later. Then there's the growers which either show a hint of interest or not at rall, but you soon realize these bands are amazing and they have earned your attention. This is a list of rbands that I listened to once and knew they were special and sure enough they continue to be in heavy rrotation to this day. |
| 1 |  | Glassjaw
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know...
I remember first hearing "Ry Ry's song" off of a list of Playboy model's current digs in 2001. To
this day this frustrating and barely there band has plagued my ears with agonizing joy and I
finally saw them live last year and unfortunately my life won't be complete until I see them
again and again. |
| 2 |  | Mewithoutyou
A to B: Life
I used to frequent a site called www.theprp.com. This website showed me many bands that I
still listen to today and there was a link to "Gentleman" and from that moment on I wanted
more from this band. Although they have waned from the aggressive nature of that album,
Mewithoutyou has been a staple in my life and hopefully aren't done yet. |
| 3 |  | The Mars Volta
Tremulant
I shouldn't be counting the Mars Volta because they are the result of a breakup of
At the Drive-in and I was trying to avoid adding bands that I listened to because of massive
hype or because I already trusted some of the members. But I remember hearing this EP and
although I was a hormonal teenager and was good to go at any time, I literaly almost came.
This band in their early albums are what I hold to be near perfection in their anti-perfect
chaos. |
| 4 |  | Wintersleep
Untitled
The first time I heard Jaws of Life off of this album I instantly knew that Wintersleep was
something special. Anyone familiar with the band may not agree with me, but this and the
next album by them are classics to me and i've seen them twice live, one being of the of the
best shows of my life. |
| 5 |  | At the Drive-in
Relationship of Command
I remember seeing a copy of this sitting on my musically aware friends desk in high school.
He always kinda thought he was cool by knowing about underground bands and wasn't always
keen to sharing his "secret' bands. He never suggested I listen to them, but I decided to look
them up and after first listen I was hooked and still consider this is one of the albums of all
time. |
| 6 |  | Cave In
Jupiter
This album showed me more than a favourite band, it introduced me into new wave
progressive rock that is still one of my favourite genres (along with classic prog).In the
stream of commerce was the song that made me instantly fall in love with this band and
unfortunately I don't know if I will ever get to hear it live. |
| 7 |  | Modest Mouse
Good News for People Who Love Bad News
It may not be their best album or even my favourite, but this was the first time I had heard
anything from Modest Mouse. I struggled to love their older stuff right away, but this album
instantly connected with me and I learned to like their entire discography. Very stoked for the
new album, I'm just gonna go into it with an open mind and not expect anything "like" any of
their previous albums. |
| 8 |  | The Frames
Burn The Maps
I remember watching this mediocre show with my friend and I heard the song "dream
awake". I could no longer pay attention to the show and (before shazam) searched the
internet for show song list. After listening to the Frames' discography I couldn't understand
why I had never heard of them before and unfortunately it sounds like they are done being a
band. |
| 9 |  | RX Bandits
Mandala
I can't remember what song it was that I heard first of Mandala, but something about this
album and band instantly sparked an emotion in me. Although I would be in for quite the
argument with most Bandit fans, this is my favourite album still by them and after their mini-
hiatus I couldn't be more stoked that they aren't done yet. |
| 10 |  | Oceansize
Frames
I don't even know what album by them that I heard first, but they satiated my need for heavy
proggy rock. This band still finds itself on my playlists quite often and unfortunate that they
called it quits. I got an amazon gift card for christmas and the first thing I plan on buying is
some Oceansize vinyl! |
| 11 | | O'brother
Garden Window
I remember hearing Lo by O'brother and instantly falling in love with this band. The featured
review on this site says this is what Thrice would sound like if they continued on with the Fire
portion of their elements release, and fuck did that hit the nail on the head. I remember being
disappointed by the rest of that Thrice release and this helped fill the need of a band that I felt
went down the wrong path. |
| 12 |  | The Darcys
Warring
Hearing "the river" by this band on my favourite CBC radio program one night made me sit up
and take notice. Normally its a lot of calm/haunting/slow music that is very enjoyable, but in
comparison this was a banger. Unfortunately they only have two original releases thus far and
after two members leaving the band and who knows how many more, but those two releases
are in heavy rotation and will continue to for a long time. |
| 13 |  | Motorpsycho
Behind the sun
This is the second newest band to blow me away, but that doesn't mean they are any less
significant. Seeing the review on this site peaked my interest and then seeing their massive
discography made my jaw drop. How could I never have heard of a band with this many
quality releases! Behind the sun was awesome and I realized that so was most of their
discography. I hope one day I can see this band live and wish their damn records weren't so
expensive. |
| 14 |  | Rishloo
Living as Ghosts with Buildings as Teeth
Now I have only listened to this album once and I have never heard more than a few songs
from their other albums. This album inspired me to make this list and if this record turns out
to make me feel the way I did with that first listen then this will be a permanent addition to
this list. |
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