Artists you've checked out because of their name

Companion thread to Artists You've Written Off/Pointedly Ignored because of their name

Let's talk about good band names. They don't necessarily have to be artists you ended up liking, but just names of artists that intrigued you enough to check them out - possibly with a positive bias going into it. Writing my own list, I realize this This was more of a significant thing for me when I was younger and buying music was higher risk due to having less money and there being fewer ways to preview it.

A few off the top of my head that I remember actively seeking are Ministry, Suicidal Tendencies, Public Enemy, Napalm Death, Meat Beat Manifesto, Orbital, Godflesh, and Gang Starr. (I don't consider Godflesh or Gang Starr to be very good names, but they intrigued me, I bought their music based on them, and ended up becoming a fan of both acts.)

Orchestre Poly-Ritmo de Cotonou

Lord Echo

The New Monkees

Stereolab

Bad Cop Cad Cop

ugh *Bad Cop Bad Cop

Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard

Acid Mothers Temple

DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson

OOIOO

Bed Wettin' Bad Boys

I'm not ashamed.

Neither were they

Faxed Head

Actually, Pissed Jeans. I was like, "what is this, a punk band about humiliation?" And it was!

Factory Floor
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All
Cattle Decapitation

xxp heh, I helped organize a Faxed Head reunion show

Orchestre Poly-Ritmo de Cotonou

brb registering Orchestre Hitler on bandcamp

Death

Greet Death.

when I was researching the 1900s I found loads of recordings by "Indestructible Military Band"

Of course it turned out that this was a Sousa-style marching brass band who played for the company making "indestructible" shatter-proof wax cylinders

Greet Death.

Black Music Disaster

Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
and every variant that Jim Foetus used.

Pinkshinyultrablast

I remember seeing the name Faxed Head in issues of Metal Maniacs and being very intrigued. Never did listen to them, though, so outside the purview of this thread.

These days it's mostly brutal death metal bands that draw me in based on their names, so: Pathogenic Virulence, Abominable Putridity, Human Barbecue, Cranial Contamination, Faceless Burial, Visions of Disfigurement
But also: Slant (Asian hardcore band)

brilliant corners

take it to the Euro 2020>21 thread

I will check out any punk band whose name begins with “dis”

meat beat manifesto i saw an article in spin magazine in the mid 90s and i was hooked since!

Severed Heads
REM (I inexplicably thought they were an industrial thing for some time)
Eyeless in Gaza
Essendon Airport
Nurse With Wound
Cabaret Voltaire
Pale Fountains
West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
Art Ensemble of Chicago
African Head Charge
Death Grips

Things from childhood are coming to mind more readily as the transition from 'heard of' to 'heard' was so much less trivial pre-internet. Definitely agree with Orchestre Poly-Ritmo de Cotonou and Brilliant Corners too.

Dead Can Dance
Black Tape for a Blue Girl
Cat Power
Massive Attack
Sonic Youth
Fantomas
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Boredoms
Meat Puppets
T. Rex
Jesus Lizard

Skinny Puppy

Stereolab most definitely too. One of the coolest band names ever.

Massive Attack piqued my curiosity when I was young. Funny because I don't think it's a very apt name for their music even though they're great

I heard-of *and* heard them simultaneously via the "Unfinished Sympathy" promo clip on TV. But they were being credited as Massive briefly (circa Gulf War) which was way less intriguing.

I’ve always thought Primal Scream was an awesome band name. Muse, too.

West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band seconded.

Portugal The Man were a disappointment.

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbHd7CxFRHvgmgu3dVMHLK.jpg

Heh

Mainliner
The Broken Penis Orchestra
Contagious Orgasm
International Rude Boys
DJ Exodus and Head Pressure
DJ Nut Nut and Pure Science
Atomhead
Bedouin Ascent

The flying burrito bros

Billy Bang

Anal Cunt

James “Blood” Ulmer

Pat "Blood" Metheny just doesn't have the same ring

Anal "Blood" Cunt

“Blood” Hound Gang

Melt Banana
Earl Sweatshirt
Crumbling Ghost