The 60's had the Beatles and Rolling Stones, the 70's, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, the 80's had Van Halen, The Police, and U2. The 90's had STP, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana. What about now?
I don't know if we have that now. The absolute top, game-changing bands. Hell I only listen to the Lithium channel on Sirius.
I'll tell you in 10 years or so. It's kind of tough to determine that while it's still going on. Looking back would be a different story.
foo fighters by far I think. edit: I would also say black sabath was pretty defining more so then aerosmith........
I don't believe we have one. Honestly 99% of our music is garbage now. Sadly enough if you want to define my generation the question becomes: Is Brittney Spears a band?
Radiohead. Even though they came out of the grunge/alternative era of the 90s, they redefined themselved with Kid A and Amnesiac, came out with a political album in Hail to the Thief which defined the times, and In Rainbows which is a beautiful album to close out their presence in the 2000s. But theyre just a personal band to me. Theres way too much corporate-approved crap out their clogging the airwaves that hurts all genres, thats why theres no one band/sound that captures the decade as in previous decades.
As much as I hate them: N*Sync and Justin Timberlake. They define the corporate digital pop that has been so popular the past decade. It doesn't matter who you mention, like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon they can all be connected to back to this boy band and their one great star. As much as all of us who love music want to believe something else, this guy has owned the 2000's like no one since Wacko Jacko in the 80's. The different genres of music will always have their own little idols and such, but not one of them has transcended and plastered himself everywhere like JT. For the 2000's, Timberlake is king.
i've been telling my niece that greenday is their version of the stones. while they started as a punk band theyv'e grown to a very diverse band that plays many different styles of music and add to the fact they have had the same members since they started i would have to say it's greenday.
Well seeing how I don't think any of the bands initially listed are any good except Van Halen, Police, and STP (I think pearl jam is good, but overrated, and I don't much care for them), you may be right about Radiohead (whom I vehemently dislike). I like the Foo Fighters a lot, so I'm guessing it shouldn't be them. PS: U2 sucks.
60s Beatles AND The Who (also could be 70s) 70s Led, Eagles and Pink Floyd 80s Van Halen 90s Pearl Jam, Nirvana, RHCP 00s sadly: Killers, Strokes
Aerosmtih doesnt define anything imo, nor do the Police actually. As far as this decade, not sure lol. Will probably be some crap band like Linkin Park
Their new stuff is actually good, and I cant stand Coldplay. Ugh, they've actually outsold the Beatles and Miley Cyrus and with less then half the talent. I truly fear what music my kids are going to like.
like others have mentioned i think it'll be... Foo Fighters RadioHead ColdPlay Green Day and an "emo" band like Fall Out Boys/Panic at the Disco
The thing is Nirvana and all those groups of bands came out as a side band (as in not a band that was a member of a enourmously popular style of music, but made that music popular). Radiohead abandoned britpop and doesn't really have a musical style it champions, it is sort of a group in its own... they redefine stuff as much as say Sonic Youth did in the 90's... that is they are an interesting band, maybe a great one (i would have my doubts but...) but there is no one else doing that music, so they are not championing a change and influencing a movement (like all the widely considered important bands of the past did). It pains me but the only "movement" of independent "rock like" music right now is the "indie" movement. But no one band has really defined that movement at all (for a moment there I thought that Clap your hands and say Yeah! would... but they didn't). So you really got no one to pick. The Strokes maybe? I remember reading once that every decade had given us a "tough" british band and a "poppy" british band (The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, The Clash and The Police, Blur and Oasis (humour me on that one... Blur is so much more awesome though) and the 2000 had given us Coldplay and Radiohead....
I think it's been a great decade for music. Saying "what band has defined the decade" is a bit tough because everyone has different tastes. I mean for me it's TOOL without a doubt but that is just me. There has been so much other great stuff though. Maiden's return to form, In Flames, Kamelot, A Perfect Circle, Sparta...just to name a few of my faves. I mean almost everything I listen to right now was produced in this decade.
Id like to add Mars Volta. Theyve influenced alot of other bands since they came out with De-Loused in the Comatorium and Francis the Mute.