It's getting harder and harder to tell one white-guy guitar band from another, especially when their names sound as interchangeable as their music. From Superdrag to Super Deluxe, godheadSilo to God Street Wine, Honeyrods to Honey Dogs, hordes of bands risk being mistaken for one another by choosing monikers that barely differ from those of their peers. Still, the serious student of pop knows that each musical act is a unique entity with a distinct vision. And though similarly named twentysomething quartets Third Eye Blind and Dog's Eye View may even look alike, their philosophies — and their music — are poles apart. This handy chart should help you decide which of these oft-confused bands fits your listening lifestyle.
THIRD EYE BLIND
HOME BASE: San Francisco
CURRENT ALBUM: Third Eye Blind
SMASH HIT: ''Semi-Charmed Life,'' currently No. 9 on Billboard's pop singles chart
WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE: An angst-ridden, postmodern Raspberries
LIKELY TO APPEAL TO: College kids contemplating their first body piercing
SUBVERSIVENESS QUOTIENT (OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE): Four. Though you might not know it, ''Semi-Charmed Life,'' is about methedrine addiction.
TYPICAL LYRIC: ''Doing crystal myth will lift you up until you break/It won't stop/I won't come down''
ALSO KNOWN AS: That ''Doo, doo, doo'' band
DOG'S EYE VIEW
HOME BASE: Seattle (leader Peter Stuart recently emigrated there)
CURRENT ALBUM: Daisy
SMASH HIT: Last year's ''Everything Falls Apart,'' from their debut album, Happy Nowhere
WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE: Hootie & the Blowfish after a few espressos
LIKELY TO APPEAL TO: Flannel-clad lit majors without significant others
SUBVERSIVENESS QUOTIENT (OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE: Zero. Cat Stevens fan Stuart's warm-and-fuzzy sensibility can be summed up by the fact that Daisy's title is a partial homage to a dead dog.
TYPICAL LYRIC: ''The trouble with love is it lifts you up and knocks you down''
ALSO KNOWN AS: Dog's Eye who?
