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[manzoman96]

I come across a lot of bands that have been around for ages but people or myself claim that their best work is long behind them. For me it's Weezer. Their newer stuff hasn't been so bad but I think everyone can agree that they peaked in the 90's.

Do you guys have any examples of bands that have stayed around consistently while also putting it consistently good music? The one that come to mind for me would be probably the Red Hot Chili Peppers, though I wasn't a huge fan of their last album. I'd also put in for Coheed and Cambria.

 

[Haloid1177]

Rush. They had a rough patch in the late 80s/early 90s but Clockwork Angels is one of their best albums. Iron Maiden followed a similar path.

 

[Ian]

My favourite band, Supergrass. Sadly no longer performing together, but every single one of their albums was awesome, and most of their b-sides and rarities are great, too.

Maybe I'm biased though

 

[aeolist]

radiohead obviously

 

[megashock5]

Bowie
Peter Gabriel
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails

These are one that spring to mind. Maybe New Order or Faith No More to a lesser extent. Didn't stay at their best, but never dipped below a certain level.

 

[gamz]

U2

 

[thestopsign]

Red Hot Chili Peppers have not been consistent.... Their newest album is complete garbage.

I'd say the most consistently solid to above solid band I know is Spoon. They put out an album every 2 to 3 years and I am always amazed at how much I like each new album. They also were Metacritic's band of the 00's for how consistent they were (not necessarily the best, just high quality releases).

http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-music-of-the-decade

 

[Perfect Blue]

The Flaming Lips and Blur

 

[gamz]

The cure?

 

[Blue Calx]

Tom Waits
Aphex Twin
Alice in Chains

 

[Stairouais]

Yo la Tengo

 

[User 479360]

In my opinion, NIN and Marilyn Manson.

 

[Baconsaurus Rex]

Joy Division

 

[Massive Nights]

Tom Waits: The Thread

 

[Calderc]

Deftones
Opeth
Slipknot
Baroness
Lamb of God

 

[wenis]

Tower of Power / Portugal. The Man

 

[aeolist]

Baroness

<3

 

[Eos]

Rich Gang

 

[wild wild rice]

Not entirely flawless, but:

Tim Hecker
Michael Jackson
Sam Cooke
Jay Reatard
Autechre
Minor Threat

come to mind without thinking very hard.

 

[eXistor]

<-------Nick Cave in whatever capacity, be it Bad Seeds, Grinderman or doing movie scores with Warren Ellis, he's never really had a bad streak. Even Nocturama (which is considered his worst album) is pretty good to me.

Tom Waits is also very dependable.

 

[Soulflarz]

I want to say Fall Out Boy but if you liked their older stuff as a rule of thumb you don't love their new stuff as much.
However, they're still managing to get huge singles every album, soo

 

[JABEE]

Bob Dylan would be an answer, but he had a down period in the 1980s. Dylan has been doing this for over 50 years though.

 

[kavanf1]

Depends how low you set the bar but I'm inclined to say none. Even my favourite bands have released some boring shit.

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

Slick Shoes
BTBAM
Homegrown
Every Time I Die
Animals as Leaders

 

[Nickle]

Even R.E.M.'s worst albums are still pretty good, IMO.

 

[TheLetdown]

High on Fire

Wire

Yo La Tengo (already mentioned)

EDIT: The Fall (yeah, there may be periods better than others, but the constant evolution, man...)


For clarity, do these bands still have to be around to qualify?

 

[King_Moc]

Nick Cave is the only one I can think of that has practically no lows over a long time. Even Bowie had the 80's.

Maybe Sonic Youth too, to a lesser extent.

Edit: ^^^ Wire too, good shout.

 

[bathsalts]

Iron Maiden is the best example I can think of.

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

The Decemberists
Modest Mouse
Puscifer
Lamb of God
Mastodon
Meshuggah

 

[wild wild rice]

Wire



EDIT: The Fall (yeah, there may be periods better than others, but the constant evolution, man...)

Two of the best bands of all time, but I can't agree they've stayed consistently good.

 

[Weetrick]

Sigur Ros
Bjork

That Iceland consistency

 

[Deadceptor]

Now that I think of it, there's just one band that has put out only phenomenal albums with no shitty material. I'm talking about Ghost (B.C), but of course they have only released 3 albums so far. Wait, there's also My Chemical Romance with 4 outstanding records!

Other bands that've put out mostly great music: Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin, Wolfmother, Bloc Party, Paramore, Maximo Park and Fall Out Boy.

 

[Mookie1515]

Foo Fighters

 

[digitalrelic]

Red Hot Chili Peppers have not been consistent.... Their newest album is complete garbage.

I'd say the most consistently solid to above solid band I know is Spoon. They put out an album every 2 to 3 years and I am always amazed at how much I like each new album. They also were Metacritic's band of the 00's for how consistent they were (not necessarily the best, just high quality releases).

http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-music-of-the-decade

Spoon is a good one. I feel like every time they release a new album, it's their best one. Only knock I could see is that they haven't been around as long as some of these other bands.

 

[TheLetdown]

Two of the best bands of all time, but I can't agree they've stayed consistently good.

I'm fine overlooking total missteps as long as when they misstep, they're always doing it for good reasons.

The Fall particularly has reached places that they just didn't hit, but I love them for that.

1 to add that's technically still around: Neil Young (with and without Crazy Horse)

And because they're not broken up, they're on "indefinite hiatus": Fugazi

 

[deli2000]

I was going to say Yo La Tengo & Spoon but they've both been mentioned. I would throw Portishead & Deerhunter into the mix as well.

 

[PROh1bited]

QOTSA
NIN
Depeche Mode
Led Zeppelin
The Beatles
Jimi Hendrix
Rush

 

[Sagely]

This is a really subjective topic, but my pick would be Nine Inch Nails/Trent Reznor. I enjoy even my least favourite NIN album more than pretty much any other artist I listen to, and Trent's recent work on the Gone Girl soundtrack was fantastic in my opinion. Can't wait for the new NIN stuff that is supposedly coming this year.

 

[SilentRacoon]

Nick Cave, David Gilmour, Jack White, David Bowie and pretty much all listed above me by PROh1bited, good taste bro.

Special mention goes to Ennio Morricone because it would be a bit unfair to list a legend like him along the others.

 

[User 479360]

Slipknot is another one

Deftones are up there, too, outside of Saturday Night Wrist.

Plus a lot of classic rock bands.

 

[wild wild rice]

I'm fine overlooking total missteps as long as when they misstep, they're always doing it for good reasons.

The Fall particularly has reached places that they just didn't hit, but I love them for that.

1 to add that's technically still around: Neil Young (with and without Crazy Horse)

And because they're not broken up, they're on "indefinite hiatus": Fugazi

Yeah, I can definitely respect their experimentation.

 

[Shuggananas]

Mmmh, gorillaz and daft punk that haven't been quoted

 

[Demy]

You guys are naming off all the good ones. Radiohead, Bowie, Rush, NIN, Bjork, Nick Cave, Flaming Lips, REM.

Let me add Tool and Queens of the Stone Age in case I missed them.

 

[Octavianus]

David Bowie, Joy Division, Depeche Mode and Tom Waits

Spoiler

What is Tom waiting for?

 

[AlphaDump]

Iron Maiden without a doubt.

 

[The Broken Ska Record]

I want to say Fall Out Boy but if you liked their older stuff as a rule of thumb you don't love their new stuff as much.
However, they're still managing to get huge singles every album, soo

Nah. Folie a Deux was hot garbage.

 

[phanphare]

The Phish from Vermont

over 30 years as a band and they're still going strong, they just played one of their best tours as a band this past summer, and they do it all while staying completely outside the mainstream. name me another band like that that can sell out 4 nights at MSG in minutes or get over 40,000 people to show up to a festival where they're the only band that plays.

edit: in 2004 they were pretty bad but that is only one year of their career and it's mostly because their leader and guitar player was literally dying on stage addicted to alcohol and heroin. even then there were still some great jams but their composed music took a huge hit. but he got clean and now they're back and going strong.

 

[styl3s]

Pearl Jam.

Eddie Vedder has a voice of an angel and i have seen that band live from the early 90s till up to a few years ago and out of the half dozen times i have seem them they were amazing every time. Pearl Jam may not have been around as long as some bands but i would say they have had a pretty fucking good and long career.

 

[Dinokill]

Slipknot although I'm find All Hope is Gone not up to par with the other albums.

Led Zeppelin

Coheed and Cambria

Lamb of God

 

[Shrike_Priest]

Ulver has been great for 2 decades, while never being boring. That's a pretty good run.


Iron Maiden are still amazing, but No Prayer for the Dying and Virtual XI kinda stain their record.

I'd say Tom Waits and Nick Cave are the best choices.

Kudos to Johnny Cash for the revival so late in his career, but he had a serious slump