there are a minute number of categories most band names can fall into and gajillions of band names ever
I hate about half of them. The band name doesn't always reflect the quality of the band, of course though– there's plenty of guys, especially in SLUDGE/STONER METAL/ROCK (to be a good sludge band a prerequisite is to have an unimpressive name)-- who have abysmal names who are good acts!
but anyways, there are two major offenders that get me when it comes to band names I hold negatively, both of which have origins that usually fall into "haha we're so fucking clever", or "oh man when people hear our name they'll double take and be like heeeey! wait a minute!" but instead the natural reaction should be to boo them off stage until they get a better band name.
The first of the two types I hate is "our band name is two or more things that are redundant, or contradictory"
Like why the fuck would you call yourselves LOCAL NATIVES shit's stupid yo. It's gimmicky and if anyone is lame enough to go "haha that's clever" it'll get old immediately and you're stuck with it forever. Another bad one is Blind Man's Color, who I have never listened to and don't plan to.
The second of the two types I hate is "our band's name is just a really long phrase", like Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Sometimes it doesn't annoy me too bad, like …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead is ok in a twelve-year-old-kid way, if it wasn't for the sad fact that any time anybody will ever talk about them or play them on the radio, they will forever be turned into "Trail of Dead".
Thoguh, the real worst band name ever is We Were Promised Jetpacks. Huh! I bet whoever came up with that zany name giggled to himself about it for the rest of the year.
On the other hand, I like names like Acid Mothers Temple and Neutral Milk Hotel, so somebody is probably laughing at me! There is something classic about that word/adjective/noun format though.
