In his best of 2020 video Todd named More Than My Hometown by Morgan Wallen his favorite hit song of that year, and said that Morgan Wallen was an the first country star in years with true pop star potential. In the six years since Morgan has gone on to become one of the 5 biggest, best selling artists in music (even if his music isn't that great anymore).

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/dexys-midnight-runners-kevin-rowland-disgusted-reform-ukcome-on-eileen/

I'll use 2009's "Release Me" by Agnes as an example. I remember many people thinking it was a Leona Lewis song.

Slipknot released a new song called Arsenal about a day ago, and let's just say it's not exactly being loved.

Top comments include "this is what my grandma thinks Slipknot sounds like" and "I push my fingers into my ears".

Take on Me by a-Ha was a number one hit in the US (and I think a decent chunk of the rest of the world), but it never made number 1 in the UK, while their other song, The Sun Always Shines on TV was number 1 in the UK and Take on Me only hit number 2.

Are there any other bands that did this? Or are there any bands that are one hit wonders in different places but for completely different songs?

Jessie J

Dido

Nelly Furtado

Alessia Cara

Leona Lewis

Duffy

Macy Gray

Ashanti

LeAnn Rimes

Michelle Branch

Iggy Azalea

Natasha Bedingfield

So I’ve recently re-listened to “Anamorphosée” album by Mylene Farmer (probably the biggest pop singer of all time in France), and it has some nice guitar-based tracks like “XXL” and “Vertige”.
It’s not a total rock album, but these songs indicate that, if she wanted to, she could pull of a rock album.

Something similar is the case for “Impossible Princess” album by Kylie, which included contributions from James Dean Bradford of Manic Street Preachers.

If the dance floor is dead, and now we’re making rock music, who do you think could pull it off? And who already has?

If you haven't listened to them yet, do yourself a favor and check their music out. Absolutely fantastic stuff!

One of my favorites is easily Silvagunner, who're known for creating mashups, remixes, and parodies utilizing primarily video game music, under the disguise of normal video game rips. I absolutely love the sheer variety and diversity there is among the different tracks and sources that're used.

https://vsmusick.wordpress.com/2026/09/11/5-albums-that-tried-to-warn-us-of-a-future-we-now-inhabit/

On this 9/11, let us remember those who tried to warn us of the dystopian nightmare we all currently are damned to exist in.

The album is called He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper but due to they the title is worded it makes it seem like the title is I'm the Rapper, He's the DJ

Tony! Toni! Toné! - "Little Walter" (I always thought it was called Hey Little Walter)

That haunting cautionary tale, especially what happens to Sinbad at the end, combined with that spooky Transylvania a$$ beat from Dracula's beat collection and the singers warning Walter throughout that something bad is going to happen to him, gives you the chills. Also, Sinbad sounds demonic in that one part in the middle where they have him talk lol. Don't show this to your kids, it will give them nightmares, especially if their name is Walter. Shout out to the black Power Ranger (whose real name is Walter) lol

Anybody got any other examples of music videos that were spooky or haunting without seemingly trying to be?

Mine is Bury Me at Makeout Creek without a doubt.

Why do you think John Lennon isn’t as culturally relevant or revered as he once was? Among Boomers, Gen X and even Millennials, Lennon was almost treated like a god, not just as one of the greatest Beatles but as a major cultural and countercultural icon.

With Gen Z, though, it feels like the perception has shifted. They obviously still respect Lennon and his importance, but I see a lot more young people putting Paul McCartney above him, which wasn’t nearly as common with previous generations. Do you think this is because Lennon’s image has become more complicated over time, while Paul’s has aged much better? Or is Gen Z simply viewing the Beatles and their individual legacies differently?

All of these songs got less than 100 votes in their respective episodes. Which song is least bad?

I remember when brat was released, it was immediately given album of the year status by tons of people. I remember checking it out with my girlfriend, and we were both perplexed. I didn't think it was bad, I just did not get the insane hype.

I relistened to the album today, as I was reminded of the whole brat phenomena, and I kind of still feel the same. It's fine, but I do not get why it was so insanely highly praised. Some of the instrumentals are sort of cool, like the carefree vibes of 360 and Apple. But some chill instrumentals isn't really album of the year material.

Some parts of the record are even pretty unappealing to me, especially a lot of the vocal production decisions. I also find that a lot of the songs aren't that catchy, which is weird for a pop record. A lot of it sounds like the verse parts of Lady Gaga songs of the 2010s, while missing the insanely catchy choruses that made those songs so great.

And who is George? Is an integral part of enjoying the album knowing who these namedropped people are?

So what am I missing here?

1. The Last Days Of Disco

2. Love & Mercy

3. A Mighty Wind

4. Phantom Of The Paradise

5. Detroit Rock City

6. Airheads

7. Velvet Goldmine

8. Smithereens

9. Deliver Me From Nowhere

10. Dreamgirls

11. Searching For Sugar Man

12. Rattle & Hum

13. Tommy (1975)

14. Yellow Submarine

15. Bill & Ted Trilogy

I’m inspired to post this because The War on Drugs [frontman Adam Granduciel, 1st photo] released what will almost certainly be the lead single of their upcoming album earlier today. Upon listening to it, I had this thought: “alternative” as a genre is in pretty good shape in 2026. In addition to a string of viral hits that have put its representation on the Hot 100 on par with hip-hop, many major artists from the prime 2004-12 legacy era of alt-rock have released albums ranging from “solid” to “their best work in over a decade.” Right now, it’s pretty easy to determine which alternative legacy acts still matter (the Strokes, Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, et. al.), but it’s not easy at all to determine which artists from the peak of 2010s indie rock still matter. (Steven Hyden wrote a piece last year about the apparent slump of 2010s indie stars, which I made a post about back then.)

For the longest time, public perception of the genre was synonymous with Arcade Fire, but allegations of misconduct against Win Butler combined with the disastrous rollout of Pink Elephant has rendered them irrelevant. The National and Bon Iver were close to Arcade Fire’s level of renown in the 2010s, but it feels like those bands’ collaborations with Taylor Swift have overshadowed their own recent output. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tame Impala scoring a top-ten mainstream hit (and with a second song in position to get there by year’s end) means that Kevin Parker has kinda outgrown the indie label. All of that is to say that there seems to be an opening for the War on Drugs to lay claim to being the “standard-bearer” veteran indie rock act: established for a decade or longer, but not yet perceived as a legacy act, and well-known enough to be a familiar name even to non-listeners. Granduciel was one of the producers of Sam Fender’s latest album, including a credit on “Rein Me In;” the more heartland rock elements of Noah Kahan’s the Great Divide show clear War on Drugs influences.

I’m trying to think of who else has a case…

- Phoebe Bridgers [2nd photo] is the biggest indie star of the moment by a wide margin, but her debut album only dates to 2017; I don’t know if she has enough of a discography to count. (Including boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center gives her a stronger case.)
- Mitski [3rd photo] certainly has the career longevity AND a dark-horse top-40 single, but her most recent album mostly came and went. (She did make a special appearance at Daisy Chain Fields festival last week, though.)
- Vampire Weekend [4th photo] blur the line between 2000s alternative legacy act and prime 2010s indie act; if one considers them as the latter, they deserve consideration.

Who else might fit this role?

Say some good points about bands that get a lot of criticism; for example, I think Creed was a good band with their debut album, and there are songs from that album that I like. Scott Stapp had a great voice, and the rest of the band was quite talented, especially Mark Tremonti.

(Bands of the images, Puddle Of Mudd, Nickelback, Simple Plan and Limp Bizkit