B-sides: Broken music bands are better off apart

The breakup of a favorite band is a sad thing. In fact, it may be a sadder event for fans of the band than for the band itself. If I were to survey 100 students at UCLA, I would be willing to bet that 95 of them have endured a favorite band’s breakup. Most of us would like nothing more than for those bands to reunite and return to the world of music in a blaze of chart-topping glory.

But I would argue that may not be the best idea.

Rolling Stone magazine recently reported that Liam Gallagher, ex-Oasis member and half of the volcanic duo of brothers that anchored the band, would be open to an Oasis reunion if he and Noel Gallagher could put their problems aside.

Whoa there.

The pool of bubbling, egotistical attitude that has separated the two brothers for the past several years is not something that can simply be kept at bay for the length of a tour. Each and every show would be a tense, unnatural effort to keep things civil for the length of a set. Any on-stage chemistry would be forced, and if and when the tour blew up in a storm of sibling rivalry, it would be the legacy of Oasis’ music that suffered.

In short, I think Oasis should stay very, very broken up.

Oasis is not the only band to recently throw around the idea of a reunion. Many bands have toyed with the prospect. But much of the time, the same issues that derailed the band in the first place arise again, making it clear that a reunion tour might not be the best idea.

Pink Floyd is a great example of this. Yes, there have been a couple of isolated shows in which certain members have played together, but the band is simply not close anymore, and that becomes abundantly clear soon after each group appearance. I would like nothing more than to hear the entirety of “Wish You Were Here” live, but I wouldn’t be able to resist looking for signs of tension. The magic of the music just wouldn’t be there anymore.

That’s because issues as large as those that break up a band are too divisive to just disappear after having so many years to fester. There may be a brief honeymoon period at the beginning of the reunion, but the bottom line is that the same personalities will eventually clash, just as they did before.

I think the exception to this rule are bands that reunite relatively soon after they break up, ideally within a couple years. In those cases, there’s a bigger chance that wounds will have had less time to fester.

Pop punk group Blink-182 seems to have it figured out after its reunion, as evidenced by its huge tour and newly released album. Another successful comeback particularly important to me is that of Lydia, an alternative rock band which has recently started up again, under the musical guidance of two original members, with a new album and tour after breaking up roughly a year ago (followed by about a week of mourning by yours truly).

Sadly, exceptions such as Lydia seem to be rare. Sigur Rós, the Icelandic juggernaut that is, in my opinion, one of the best bands of all time, has been on an indefinite hiatus for the last few years. There have been hints of new music to come in the future, and “Inni,” a package of a film and double-live album, is due out Nov. 7. The fact that the band is releasing new forms of content strikes me as encouraging, but I’m tempering my hopes as more time passes. And as much as it pains me to say this, if the group still hasn’t returned from its hiatus within a couple years from now, it may be best if it stays separated.

This thought about my favorite band pains me immensely, as I’m sure it pains others when they think about the situation of their favorite separated bands. But we can hope for reunions, and we can hope for the best.

As for me, I still Google search “Sigur Rós new album” two or three times every month.

Which of your favorite bands have broken up? Email Bain at [email protected]. “B-sides” runs every Monday.