And You Will Know Us By Our Nametags

Some of my favourite responses so far from the ILM thread Make A Band Name More Reasonable:

  • Slayer (But Only When Negotiation Has Ceased To Be A Tenable Option)
  • Aboveaveragedeth
  • !!
  • Death Cab For Anyone Who Needs A Ride
  • Strained Relationships Scene
  • A The
  • Carter The Hesitant Kissing Gadget
  • Jane’s Character Flaw
  • Optionalic
  • LCD Couple Of Guys With Some Music Equipment
  • …And You Will Know Us By Our Nametags
  • Warm Warm Warmth
  • The Current Sound Of Basingstoke
  • Groove Flotilla
  • Queensbundestag
  • The New Eroticists

My contributions to the thread:

  • Soundmanslaughterer
  • Meanwhile Back In A Russia That, In Marxist Political Theory, Would Be More Accurately Described As Socialist
  • DJ Penumbra

Say My Name, Say My Name

This column breezily explores the inverse relationship between the quality of a band’s name and their ultimate success, a phenomenon which has always amused me. And of course, I’ve whiled away many a dull moment by wondering what I’d name my band, though I usually take it for granted that we’d be destined for failure and therefore feel free to be a bit loopy.

  • The Meaningless Plurals: No prizes for guessing which sorts of bands we’ll be satirizing. But we’ll also play the occasional Motown cover, with great tenderness.
  • The Google Sex Perverts: Not originally my idea. Jonathan, who was once the only South African reader of this site and is now possibly one of many South African non-readers of this site (because I haven’t heard from him for a while) came up with it in a hilarious comment thread on the previous incarnation of this site, and I’ve never forgotten it.
  • I Am Spartacus: Yes, our songs will all only have 3 words and be very repetitive. How’d you guess?
  • Boutros-Boutros Kweli: We will be the ultimate “positive hip-hop” supergroup. Common will beg to work with us and we’ll say “Phooey, you’re boring!” We’ll let Hi-Tek produce us, but he’ll have to change his name.
  • Frau Farbischener: An all-girl Franz Ferdinand tribute band.

What would you name your band?

Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia

I’m not sufficiently steeped in Mogwai musicology to be able to tell yet whether Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia are highest-form flatterers or shameless copycats, but in the meantime I’m thoroughly enjoying the tracks I’ve downloaded, and at the very least it has to be said that the name totally kicks ass.