The Bees Knees: Bands That Came And Went

Great bands come and go, and these in particular left faster than usual. Just for fun, I decided to make a list of 12 bands - in recent memory - who came and went well before their time. Mostly bands that only released one or two albums, and a few who - at the very least - disbanded when they were in their prime.

12. Azure Ray
(3 Albums, 2001-2003)
I originally had "Now It's Overhead" in this spot, but since they're technically still together (interestingly, with members of Azure Ray now in their line up), and just not really doing anything at the moment, I went with Azure instead. Always enjoyed their music, and wish they'd make more.

11. American Football
(1 Album, 1999)
Would have loved to see what else American Football would have done had they stuck it out. "Never Meant" is still one of my favorite songs, ever.

10. Criteria
(2 Albums, 2003-2005)
Again, technically still together but other than a handful of shows and a tour in 2006, Crietera haven't done anything in almost four years. I guess that's what you get when your frontman is moonlighting as an attorney by trade (or would that technically be "daylighting"?).

09. Rival Schools
(1 Album, 2001)
So I made this actual list quite some time ago, but am just now getting to writing each perspective. In the meantime between the two, Rival Schools has announced that they are releasing a new album. Not sure if this is an ACTUAL new album, or if they're finally releasing their 2003 album that had been shelved for the last 5 years. We'll see what comes of this, and if they decide to tour on it. If so, I guess I should have probably put Quicksand on here, instead.

08. Old Canes
(1 Album, 2004)
Another band that's technically still together, and even played a handful of shows a couple of years ago...but they've been working on this "new album" for quite some time. Frontman Chris Crisci - since the release of Early Morning Hymns in 2004 - has released two Appleseed Cast albums in the meantime (in 2006 and 2009, respectively). Not that I can complain about new Appleseed records, but I'm still waiting for Canes' second effort.

07. Neutral Milk Hotel
(2 Albums, 1996-1998)
10 years and counting, we're sill waiting for Jeff Mangum to call an end to this indie-folk quartet's "hiatus." "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" is possibly good enough to tide me over for quite some time, but I'd sure like to hear something new from them.

06. Whiskeytown
(3 albums, 1995-1999)
With no offense to Wilco, Son Volt, or even Uncle Tupelo; Whiskeytown is, and always has been, my favorite alt-country group. They managed to actually squeeze out three albums in their five years together which is quite impressive. The third record, "Pneumonia," was released three years after they unfortunately split due to complications of Ryan Adams being batshit crazy.

05. Shiner
(4 albums, 1996-2001)
The only reason they're NOT number one is because they were actually together for close to a decade, and that I don't really consider putting out four albums to be 'barely scratching the surface" albeit they were released within a five-year period. But make no mistake: This band walked away in their prime. "The Egg" is probably in my Top 5 Greatest Albums Of All-Time...maybe even top 3. This band is the music equivalent of Arrested Development.* They left us way too soon.

*Arguably the early 90s hip-hop group Arrested Development could be considered the musical equivalent of Arrested Development...but really, did anybody actually like them?....seriously?

04. Mineral
(2 albums, 1997-1998)
Along with Sunny Day Real Estate, they are considered to be the godfathers of the....(God, I hate this word).... "emo" genre. Normally, instead of "emo" I just say, "They sound like Mineral." Or, "They sound like old Sunny Day." Or, "They sound like Appleseed's first album." Anyway, props to anyone who can define a genre in only two albums.

03. (the REAL) Guns N' Roses
(2 albums, 1987-1991)
Seriously, who doesn't like good-ol' L.A. sleaze-rock every once-in-a-while? 20 years later "Appetite For Destruction" still holds up as a solid record, and other than that we've got Use Your Illusions I & II which although a little uneven, has two great songs for every one lame song. And I guess to be fair, Use Your Illusion was a double album so you could say they put out three records in that four-year period (and no, I'm not counting "G N R Lies" in the mix since it was practically a live album predating "Appetite..." coupled with an acoustic EP of mostly covers...and don't even get me started on The Spaghetti Incident?). While "Chinese Democracy" was honestly, and surprisingly, more decent than I had anticipated, you can't help but to know it's more of an Axl Rose solo project than true Gn'R. And having heard it - along with the mess that was/is Velvet Revolver - I'm not sure I would even want the original lineup to ever reform, but for what they were in the time they were in, they deserve a spot in this list.

02. The Postal Service
(1 album, 2003)
I've let myself get excited and then let down too many times to ever believe that Ben and Jimmy will ever collaborate intensively again. Every time there's a rumor of a new Postal Service record in the works, it always turns out to be false. And while "Give Up" is a magnificent piece of work, perhaps that's the way it should be. Looking at all the albums on this list, you have to wonder if trying build on what was already there will only guarantee an underwhelming response versus having left it to the imagination. It's kind of the musical equivalent of the 1985 Chicago Bears ("The Superbowl Shuffle" notwithstanding): They were great for what they were, when they were, but when they gave it another go, the magic was never quite replicated. But what they had for the ONE year is considered by most to be the best ever. The status by which all others are measured. And that's something that almost no one can live up to...

01. The Fire Theft
(1 album, 2003)
...That being said, I REALLY wish these guys would put out another record. I first discovered them when I mistakenly downloaded one of their songs on a quest for some old Sunny Day Real Estate music, and bought the whole album about a week later. Indeed, it contains three quarters of SDRE's lineup (minus Dan Hoerner), and is very reminiscent of their later work. In many ways, I feel it's SDRE picking up where "The Rising Tide" left off although taking it to the next level. I love all kinds of bands and music, but I thoroughly enjoy the satisfaction I get from entire albums that I can listen to all the way through from start-to-finish. And the more music I listen to, the more I find this feat hard to accomplish (from a composer standpoint - not the listener). While detractors often cite, "It's just not Sunny Day..." I submit that if "How It Feels...." and "The Rising Tide" can be SDRE without Nate Mendel, then certainly The Fire Theft can be pretty damn close to SDRE without Dan Hoerner. I find The Fire Theft to be one of the greatest and one of the most often over-looked bands (considering their members) of the last decade.