Those bands that are called things like "I love you but I have chosen darkness"

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Does it even matter how their music sounds? Can it ever be more noteworthy than such a clunky ridiculous name, or attract people even more than the name?

I have never heard this band and yet I think I know exactly which people I know like them. And I hate them.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:12 (eighteen years ago)

no this shouldn't be on ILM, I want to hear what actual human beings think...

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:12 (eighteen years ago)

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9ibyGXOYlNFlAUA.NejzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NDgyNWN0BHNlYwNwcm9m/SIG=12i35jh3a/EXP=1163179086/**http%3a//www.austinchronicle.com/binary/recos.ChosenDarkness.jpg

Considering the look of them, the name also reeks of cheap irony.

― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:19 (eighteen years ago)

Does it even matter how their music sounds?

In this case, no.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:20 (eighteen years ago)

I'm presuming there are nine of them, including a girl who plays long plaintive notes on a cello that get more and more frantic as the song inevitably gets louder and louder over nine minutes?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:21 (eighteen years ago)

Also, there are no good bands with more than three words in their name - discuss.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:22 (eighteen years ago)

(xp) See, you would think so, but I think these days plain-old jangly indie bands have names like this, too, bands like Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:23 (eighteen years ago)

actually they're supposed to be good (i've chosen darkness, that is), but i still haven't heard 'em. i doubt, ronan, that you'd like 'em.

band names are getting worse and worse all the time, for sure. i don't think "i love you but i have chosen darkness" is all that bad, honestly. scanning the cmj list this year was extra-painful.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:24 (eighteen years ago)

naw...
The United States of America
Tonto's Expanding Head Band
Captain Beefhart and His Magic Band

it's more like there are no good band with a full sentence for a name

― Dr. Alicia D. Titsovich (sexyDancer), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:26 (eighteen years ago)

Is there anything worse than indie being "cool" as it is with all these fucking horrendous bands, at least "in my day" indie rock was miserable and nobody liked it, you could believe in that, surely this should be the case. I guess it's not indie that's so big now....just ROCK? either way....awful!

x-post I reckon not joel! I could say, well they are ok, if they were. But the name puts me off massively.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:26 (eighteen years ago)

indie is tankin', i think.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:27 (eighteen years ago)

I blame Godspeed You Black Emperor!

― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:27 (eighteen years ago)

I was joking with "you could believe in that" I should stress...

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:27 (eighteen years ago)

there's some uk band called "the rise and fall of the british middle class" now or something. i can't wait til bands have more colons and semi-colons, personally.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:28 (eighteen years ago)

"Forward Russia"

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:31 (eighteen years ago)

"Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly"

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:31 (eighteen years ago)

the activation code will be sent in a separate email

― bo janglin (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:33 (eighteen years ago)

horses were once more plentiful on the plains

― bo janglin (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:33 (eighteen years ago)

I love you; but I have chosen: darkness!

― jhoshea megafauna (scoopsnoodle), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:33 (eighteen years ago)

keep a stiff upper lip, henry kissenger

― bo janglin (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:34 (eighteen years ago)

we need to get back to bands with three letter names like Cud and Mew, minus the suckage of those bands

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:35 (eighteen years ago)

TAD

― bo janglin (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:36 (eighteen years ago)

REX

― Guy In Accounting Who Just E-mails Around YouTube Links (Mr.Que), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:36 (eighteen years ago)

A great year for the British Music industry

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:37 (eighteen years ago)

I am in your record store, killing your enthusiasm for popular music and humanity.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:37 (eighteen years ago)

Also, there are no good bands with more than three words in their name - discuss.

El Perro Del Mar have/has a couple of good songs but...damn...

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:38 (eighteen years ago)

We have read one or two books, Eastern Europe is cool.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:38 (eighteen years ago)

lists are OK on ILE btw (WINKFACE)

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:38 (eighteen years ago)

indie is tankin', i think.
-- hstencil (hstenc!...) (webmail), Today 11:27 AM. (hstencil) (later)

about 7 years ago.

wheres the new explosion?

― sunny successor (katharine), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:38 (eighteen years ago)

ps these bands need to be kicked in the nuts

― sunny successor (katharine), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:39 (eighteen years ago)

I like it when these bands with silly overwrought names are so po-faced serious. I usally end up buying their albums.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:40 (eighteen years ago)

A Guy Called Gerald would be such a terrible name if he sounded like Badly Drawn Boy

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:40 (eighteen years ago)

altho A Tribe Called Quest does disprove Matt's suggestion more convincingly.

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:41 (eighteen years ago)

I'm forming a band called "Noise 4 Peace".

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:43 (eighteen years ago)

HEY GUYS HAVE YOU EVER NOTICE THERE ARE/AREN'T A LOT OF BANDS CALLED "THE SOMETHINGS" THESE DAYS? WHAT EXACTLY IS IT THAT IS UP WITH THAT?

― dommy p is alright WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN I CAN SAY ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE (Dom, Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:44 (eighteen years ago)

"this toads the wet sprocket..."

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:45 (eighteen years ago)

HEY GUYS HAVE YOU EVER NOTICE THERE ARE/AREN'T A LOT OF BANDS "THESE DAYS? WHAT EXACTLY IS IT THAT IS UP WITH THAT?

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:46 (eighteen years ago)

"These Days" is not the best Bon Jovi album, I'll give you that.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:47 (eighteen years ago)

this was the good thing about Franz Ferdinand. 4 piece indie bands should just call themselves Wincey Willis or similar.

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:47 (eighteen years ago)

HEY GUYS HAVE YOU EVER NOTICE THERE ARE/AREN'T A LOT OF BANDS COVERING "THESE DAYS" BY THE DEAD GERMAN ONE FROM THE VELVET REVOLVERGROUND? WHAT EXACTLY IS IT THAT IS UP WITH THAT?

― dommy p is alright WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN I CAN SAY ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE (Dom, Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:47 (eighteen years ago)

I'm presuming there are nine of them, including a girl who plays long plaintive notes on a cello that get more and more frantic as the song inevitably gets louder and louder over nine minutes?
-- Matt DC

haha yesss i know exactly what you're talking about! band like this are like some climatological thing, like lake-effect snow. constant, unfortunate, but never a very big deal.

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:50 (eighteen years ago)

x-post bands be ownin royal tenenbaums soundtrack

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:51 (eighteen years ago)

The real answer to all this and why band names changed from the early 90s to now is the more unwieldly the band name the easier it is to Google.

― dommy p is alright WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN I CAN SAY ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE (Dom, Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:51 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, Google isn't kind to bands like Japan and The The.

― Abbott (Abbott), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:52 (eighteen years ago)

The differences between conservatives is endlessly interesting to me

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:53 (eighteen years ago)

GOOGLE APPROVED ROCK

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:54 (eighteen years ago)

My god, it's like we're just running in place

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:54 (eighteen years ago)

i give up, those aren't funny :(

― geoff (gcannon), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:55 (eighteen years ago)

The official band site for mediocre late 90s punkas "A" isn't one of the first 200 matches Google returns for "a". God knows how you're gonna find 1997 Northern Irish Green Day tribute act "co.uk"

― dommy p is alright WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN I CAN SAY ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE (Dom, Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:55 (eighteen years ago)

everyone of these posts could be band names

(is the name of my new band)

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 9 November 2006 17:55 (eighteen years ago)

Skipping 102 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Especially NPR commentators.

HAHAHA - every time I read these band names I hear the voice of Jon Schaeffer from Soundcheck reading them.

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Monday, 13 November 2006 00:51 (eighteen years ago)

Has not the world suffered enough FOR:
moe.

???

Well, let's not forget (Smog), but I think he dropped that eventually.

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Monday, 13 November 2006 00:52 (eighteen years ago)

walking by brixton academy on friday night

lol i thought this was a band name!

― roc u like a § (ex machina), Monday, 13 November 2006 01:06 (eighteen years ago)

they must be russians

― b-minus time traveler (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 13 November 2006 01:33 (eighteen years ago)

I scanned this band on iTunes. They are retro postpunk.

― Sundar (sundar), Monday, 13 November 2006 07:10 (eighteen years ago)

This thread reminds me of a coworker who told me he thought Pretty Girls Make Graves was a brilliant band name. He was old enough to know better and was a big My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult fan.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 13 November 2006 07:30 (eighteen years ago)

The moral here is that good song or book titles do not make great band names. I don't find any of these quite as offensive as Hollywood's "Verb-ing Firstname" trend though.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 13 November 2006 07:34 (eighteen years ago)

10 band names i will offer for one low price of $25:

1. his maladroit handling of the question of his ancestry

2. maybe at some level smells do fit into a pattern

3. i think we will have to prepare to warm ourselves

4. pass it along, sign on, switch off

5. as we grew, however, our comfort was penetrated by events too troubling to dismiss

6. mary: mother of god

7. i'm new at this so please speak slowly

8. krotch

9. make friends before you need them

10. ship out of luck

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 13 November 2006 07:45 (eighteen years ago)

Children Of Bodom

Actually, this name makes a lot of sense for a Finnish metal band, because it's a reference to the Lake Bodom murders, a famous triple homicide that took place here back in the sixties.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 13 November 2006 07:46 (eighteen years ago)

Anyway, you can imagine how difficult it is to use these names in Finnish, where we have cases and not prepositions or postpositions. For example, "I like I've Love You But I've Chosen Darkness" translates to "Minä pidän I Love You But I've Chosen Darknessista".

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 13 November 2006 07:49 (eighteen years ago)

My friends used to have a punk band called Smell My Hand, It's Got Dog Pee and Human Shit on It. The name was inspired by a comment a random bum once made to us. I don't think they had any gigs though.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 13 November 2006 07:55 (eighteen years ago)

sometimes your posts remind me of rose from the golden girls talking about life in st. olaf.

― estela (estela), Monday, 13 November 2006 07:57 (eighteen years ago)

actually, this wouldn't be THAT bad as an album title. providing that the band was ridiculous & tongue-in-cheek enough (i'm picturing a cradle of filth/alien sex fiend-hybrid of sorts here).

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 13 November 2006 08:00 (eighteen years ago)

Smell My Hand, It's Got Dog Pee and Human Shit on It

spelled "Jyvüürääminanenrastakakämisen" -- or something.

also, it sounds suspiciously like a GG Allin song title.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 13 November 2006 08:02 (eighteen years ago)

I Can Lick Any Sonuvabith In the House, a supersuckers-type band in portland.

― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 13 November 2006 08:24 (eighteen years ago)

i just started two bands called "Hi Dere Waht Is It Made" and "I pooped in my nan's flange". if you have a problem with that, fight me.

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:03 (eighteen years ago)

"the fact that there's a band called stars of track and field is giving me vertigo"

best band name ever?

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:07 (eighteen years ago)

God knows how you're gonna find 1997 Northern Irish Green Day tribute act "co.uk"

maybe why they changed their name to "co_dot"?

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:11 (eighteen years ago)

i have just started another band called The Single Syllable Nouns.

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:16 (eighteen years ago)

co.uk changed their name to co_dot because co.uk is actually a trademarked term.

Next week on "I know late 90s rock", fun facts about Symposium and Apes, Pigs, and Spacemen.

― dommy p is alright WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN I CAN SAY ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE (Dom, Monday, 13 November 2006 09:20 (eighteen years ago)

I have nothing against long band names, as long as their not pretentious. For example, Electric Blue Peggy Sue And The Revolutionions From Mars isn't, while I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness is.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:23 (eighteen years ago)

Electric Blue Peggy Sue And The Revolutionions From Mars isn't pretentious?

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:26 (eighteen years ago)

No, because it sounds like a joke and isn't suppose to mean anything deeper.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:28 (eighteen years ago)

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness doesn't sound like a joke??

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:31 (eighteen years ago)

It sounds like a joke to me, but I suspect that wasn't the band's intention. And if it was, then it reeks of postmodern irony, which I hate (and which is pretentious in itself).

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:32 (eighteen years ago)

Electric Blue Peggy Sue And The Revolutionions From Mars doesn't reek of postmodern irony?????!

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:33 (eighteen years ago)

Nope.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:33 (eighteen years ago)

Not in the same way as I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness does. They clearly belong into different categories.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:34 (eighteen years ago)

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness doesn't sound like a joke??

all of these posts, and not one charlie murphy joke/reference/picture YET?!? for shame, people!

http://www.tcnj.edu/~cub/images/charlie_murphy.jpg

DARKNESS, hahaha!!

http://www.upscaleaudio.com/rare/rickjames.jpg

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:35 (eighteen years ago)

the only saving grace for Electric Blue Peggy Sue And The Revolutionions From Mars is that it takes the form of "something and the somethings" which is a traditional band name structure. it's no David Devant and His Spirited Wife. though.

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 09:37 (eighteen years ago)

I Love You But I've Chosen Charlie Murphy would be an awesome band name.

― dommy p is alright WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN I CAN SAY ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE (Dom, Monday, 13 November 2006 09:38 (eighteen years ago)

Dunno but those various "Punk Goes ___" collections have some mighty long nonsensical band names on them.

Punk Goes 80s includes tracks from "Hidden in Plain View" and "A Thorn for Every Heart" and "Motion City Soundtrack." Punk Goes 90s collection had ones from bands called "Scary Kids Scaring Kids" and "Bedlight for Blue Eyes."

(Feel free to mercilessly mock both my awareness of those collections and their claim of "Punk," but there are some data points in whether this is or is not a trend.)

And why blame Godspeed You Black Emperor when we can blame The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black?

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Monday, 13 November 2006 15:35 (eighteen years ago)

i have just started another band called The Single Syllable Nouns.

I think this name would flow better if you just used "monosyllabic" instead of "single syllable"

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Monday, 13 November 2006 15:36 (eighteen years ago)

you can start that band if you like. we can have a battle of the bands

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 13 November 2006 16:09 (eighteen years ago)

It has been suggested to me that the best band name ever would be Adjective Noun.

Their first album would be called Self-Titled Debut and their second album would be called Disappointing Follow-Up.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Monday, 13 November 2006 18:41 (eighteen years ago)

I Love I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness But I've Chosen The Darkness

Nice.

I almost forgot Volcano I'm Still Excited!!

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 13 November 2006 18:45 (eighteen years ago)

I don't find any of these quite as offensive as Hollywood's "Verb-ing Firstname" trend though.

Movie titles that begin with present participles

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 13 November 2006 18:48 (eighteen years ago)

Cute Is What We Aim For is the worst name for a band that has ever existed in the history of the universe.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 15:39 (eighteen years ago)

They Might Be Giants was original-sounding at the time.

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 15:41 (eighteen years ago)

"Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band with Choir" is just taking the piss.

― ONIMO ph34rz teh NOIZE (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 15:48 (eighteen years ago)

It has been suggested to me that the best band name ever would be Adjective Noun. Their first album would be called Self-Titled Debut and their second album would be called Disappointing Follow-Up.

I am going to form this band RIGHT NOW. I have no musical skills, but what they hell.

Who's with me?

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 16:47 (eighteen years ago)

I can play my iPod, sort of. Will that be good enough?

― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 16:49 (eighteen years ago)

Au Revoir Simone is a good band, and their name isn't that intrusive (despite being a sentence). At the very least, beats the hell out of You Say Party! We Say Die!

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 17:55 (eighteen years ago)

There was also Get The Hell Out of the Way of The Volcano. Which was still a better name than The Blow.

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 17:57 (eighteen years ago)

The One World Orchestra featuring The Massed Pipes and Drums of the Children's Free Revolutionary Volunteer Guards

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 18:34 (eighteen years ago)

> Their first album would be called Self-Titled Debut and their second album would be called Disappointing Follow-Up.

Stereolab: 'Stunning Debut Album' (actually a 10" single)
PiL: 'Album' (or 'Cassette' or 'Compact Disc' depending on format)

― Koogy Yonderboy (koogs), Wednesday, 15 November 2006 14:51 (eighteen years ago)

fourteen years pass...

It's kinda weirding me out that Claire Vaye Watkins' new novel is called "I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness" (I guess maybe in reference to one of the characters having that as a tattoo?), but I guess that's fair game when your band name is a complete sentence.

― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 25 May 2021 14:39 (four years ago)

I've wondered if the title of Andrea Kleeman's novel "You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine" is a Desperate Bicycles reference, but haven't read it (so wouldn't know if there are internal indications).

― Fauna Sukkot (Deflatormouse), Tuesday, 25 May 2021 18:28 (four years ago)

Charles Atlas reference surely?

― Are Animated Dads Getting Hotter? (Tom D.), Tuesday, 25 May 2021 18:56 (four years ago)

Ah, yeah, it occurred to me that both might have taken it from the same source. Thx.

― Fauna Sukkot (Deflatormouse), Tuesday, 25 May 2021 19:23 (four years ago)

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