Why "Album" Bands are better than "Singles" bands
 

So this all started when I made a sonic youth mixtape and I was just left unsatisfied aftwerwards. It's not that the songs weren't good but I need to immerse in a full sy record from a certain period to fully appreciate them. It sounds too weird to have "brother james' after "incinerate", something about the flow. Thats when I realized sy truly are an album band and even though the idea of album oriented rock conjures up bad images of prog rock from the 70s I think it's a compliment. Don't get me wrong I love bands that will release a few amazing singles like the buzzcocks, mgmt and superchunk but I want a band that can hold my attention over 10 minutes.

So what are some of your favorite album bands that can release a collectively good record?

all my favorite bands are album bands.
it's rare for me to listen to music in any other way but a whole album these days.

I much prefer singles bands.

I think album bands that demand an hour of my attention are rude. Gimme some hooks and a beat I can dance to for a few minutes and then leave me alone.

Totally agree! Also all my favourite artists, who still make records, are album bands (for example Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore, Kate Bush, 22 Pistepirkko, Radiopuhelimet, Dr. John, Grinderman, P.J. Harvey, Mulatu Astatke have made great album inside last two years). I don´t think it´s a good thing, that many people nowdays have no patience to concentrate on anything at least 45 minutes.

I realised today that many of my favourite artists are both strong single and album bands. And it was very remarkable that in mid-sixties many of my favourite "album"-bands released great singles where both sides were not in albums (for example Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Pretty Things, Traffic, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Pink Floyd, The Who and in Finland Blues Section, Wigwam and Tasavallan Presidentti). It was in the seventies when albums came more important than singles, but there were also exceptions. When Jethro Tull released their great entity "Thick as a Brick" they also released same time an ep "Lifes a long song" where were 5 average songs. And for example Hawkwind and Amon Duul 2 released singles whose songs were not in albums. In new wawe it was also very typical that singles songs were not in album (for example Joy Division, Bauhaus, the Cure). Today singles seem to be only promotion for the albums. And yeah, SY are not very strong single band (many of their singles have a-side from album and not very good b-side, Genetic is almost only exception), but they have one great single that are not in album: Flower/Halloween.

By the way I really love many prog entities like Genesis Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Yes Tales From the topographic Oceans.

i don't like albums, if i listen to an album in order it'll usually be by a non-album band.