Bands with Confusing Names
 

As a fan of metal, where band names are often unsubtle to the point of brainlessness (Possessed, Slayer, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Burn the Priest, Mayhem, Death, etc), a lot of the more esoteric band names strike me as silly to the point of absurdity. I realize that there is likely some artistic reason for these names, but my numbskull mind sill rebels, even if such names are still fun.

I invite people to give examples of such weird names that confuse them, amuse them, impress them, etc. You can just list them, you can explain them (either your examples or those of others), you can mock them, you can condemn entire genres for their naming pretensions, or whatever.

Here a few that I can't help but feel are just arbitrary for the sake of being arbitrary (most of them are probably indie bands):

Andrew Jackson Jihad
Animal Collective
Cage the Elephant
Portugal. The Man
Neutral Milk Hotel
Death Cab for Cutie
Yo La Tengo
Gay for Johnny Depp

And it may not be a band name, but Stereolab's Emperor Tomato Ketchup is too stupid not to be stupid.

I Wrote Haikus About Cannibalism In Your Yearbook

Wilco: reminds me of Costco for some reason.

U2: Me too? is that what their name means?

Yo la tengo: Means 'I have it' in spanish, Good band but i always found their name a little weird. it's a good kinda weird though

Taking back Sunday: Who took it??

And you will know us by the trail of the dead: it sounds cool but it's definitely a mouthful.

I always assumed it was a reference to the word used by people communicating by radio meaning "will comply".

It's a reference to a type of American spy plane that was shot down by the Soviets in the 60s, leading to an international incident.

It's apparently a reference to a funny baseball anecdote.

Sounds like something Briks would do.

Half Man Half Biscuit always confused me.

I think they have a fairly literal name actually. Rather than being an actual band, I think they consider themselves more a collective of solo musicians. And a lot of them have stage names involving animals. Hence they're an "animal collective".

Christianity?

Jefferson Airplane is a bit unusual as well.

Here's the Mother lode of bad/weird band names...

Weird Band Names

Adolph Hitler's Nipples is already taken. ****. I was going to call my next side project that.

:laughing:

i thought the same thing, i was gonna write they were probably an atheist group but idk anything about them really.

I just know alot ppl mention them.
I see.

that's kinda cool i guess but it really is disassociated with the sound of the band imo.

Voivod.

Cocteau Twins.

Explain those, Jansz! :p:

A voivod is a Slavic prince, or warlord, and it was the title of Vlad Tepes.

Gonna assume military commander/governor of a province is what they're going for with Voivod. Taken from a number of Slavic spellings, Vojvod, Voivoda, Wojewoda, etc, it's kinda like "Duke".

I can explain some of them at least. :)

Whatever...

(crappy video. great song.)

There is the Voivod
vvvvv

http://scareystore-xx.hxcspace.com/i...warandpain.gif

The band and fans sent Piggy off right.

http://i352.photobucket.com/albums/r...arBURNresz.jpg

The Eagles of Death Metal?
Also R.E.M., but the band said that they picked the name by opening a dictionary at random.

The Flaming Lips is ****ing horrible and means next to nothing.

Also Neutral Milk Hotel is dumb

Arcade Fire

System Of A Down (they admitted they wanted their name to he close to Slayer)

Porcupine Tree

Cage The Elephant

Wingnut Dishwasher's Union

Hella

OFWGKTA

The The

Autechtre

Radiohead

Apples In Stereo

It's a Norcal thing.

I always assumed it was joke. Like maybe some other band was described as "The Beatles of punk rock" or something so they decided to describe themselves as "The Eagles of death metal".

It's a reference to a Talking Heads song.

Is it? Always disliked the name I thought it was in terms of something like "That was hella awesome" or some stupid **** like that.

I always assumed Gorkys Zygotic Mynci meant something in Welsh, but apparently it doesn't and is just totally meaningless.

Part Wild Horses Mane On Both Sides

NMH I'm pretty sure means nothing. Like Strawberry Alarm Clock, psych oddness. Also could do with Jeff Mangum's 'Milk" stuff.

As WDU's music is political in nature, a wingnut is a person with extremely radical/irrational political views, and I assume the 'dishwashers union' part because it's really hardcore and punk rock and DIY to wash your own dishes.

The Flaming Lips and The Apples in Stereo I'd imagine are more psych mumbo-jumbo, and I find them fitting and good names.

Sometimes you just gotta make up a word too

Pavement.

Luv them but to me their name sounds like an electronica group.

Band names that sound like album titles:
Faded Paper Figures
Horse Feathers
Thee Silver Mt. Zion
etc

!!!

Naming your band ██████ is pretty ridiculous

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Plus, they sound like ... well, let's just say you went to Walmart to buy some Sigur Ros but ended up three dollars short, so you bought the off-brand version. That is what GY!BE sounds like.

Thee silver mount zion memorial orchestra with tralala band a choir....

I so strongly disagree on so many levels.

I don't really see the sigur ros comparison, despite both bands being post-rock.
Totally different sound imo.

I always thought that it was a weird bastardisation of Gorky's Psychotic Monkey, which itself means absolutely fuck all.

Wait, how the **** were you able to say **** without it ****ing being censored?

It depends on what country you're in.