list season: the top 5 "better them on the radio than clay aiken" bands of 2005.

radio is a dastardly beast. it swallows bands whole and spits out the trash at the least-common-denominator. for every nirvana, that changed the parameters of radio; or radiohead, who changed the parameters of popular music in general, there are radio-ready bands who the 14-year-olds think it's cool to like. i'm not exempt: i loved smashing pumpkins, bush, and hootie and the blowfish. this post is not about the GREAT bands that happen to make music that is played on the radio. this post is for the not-so-good bands who are heralded by radio programmers as something more than what they really are.

5. "rock and roll queen":
the subways are a really good band. but this is, by far, their worst song. it's what sixth graders write on the outside of their notebooks, saving it for the really cool girl that they don't have the nerve to talk to. this song probably took about six minutes to write. but this song and its o.c. endorsement is what's gaining the band their "next big thing" status. so, more power to them. better them on the radio than clay aiken.

4. the bravery:
whether you think these guys sound exactly like the killers, or if you think sam endicott looks exactly like a mix between morrissey and mark arm, "an honest mistake," arguably the bravery's best song blew up on radio this past year. however, their second single wasn't as good. neither was the rest of the album. but the guys have LOTS of style, and a little potential. better them on the radio than clay aiken.

3. youth group:
when i first heard youth group, i said what everyone else said: "diet death cab for cutie". but going back and listening to "shadowland", their first single, and more songs from their album like "why don't the buildings cry", they actually sound EXACTLY like nada surf. i mean, i know the band is still young and trying to find their sound, but this is just flagrant. oh well. better them on the radio than clay aiken.

2. coldplay:
so, a band with a ton of promise in the beginning got stuck at the bends, and now, they're at their third album, and don't realize that they should be AHEAD of radiohead right now. parachutes was the bends. a rush of blood to the head should have been ok computer. but it was the bends, too. and x&y was actually not as good. they should be at their kid a by now. better them on the radio than clay aiken.

1. the killers:
when the killers first came out, i was all over their shit. i saw them at a tiny venue at the bumbershoot festival, and that was the very first rock show i had ever gone to. i don't know if it's overkill, or the fact that i'm older, but i'm really starting to see how mediocre they really are. "mr. brightside" has always been my least favorite killers song, and of course it's their biggest hit. oh well. better them on the radio than clay aiken.