Taking sides: Which Kurt Cobain-endorsed band was the best?

Imagine the All Tomorrow's Parties festival Kurt Cobain could curate if he was still with us. (AP Photo/Robert Sorbo)

Tonight, tropicalia superheroes Os Mutantes take the stage at 9:30 Club, opening for weird-rock rambler Ariel Pink. And while Mutantes first emerged in Brazil in the late 1960s, Americans of a certain age (ahem) were first exposed to the trio's joyful noise in the 1990s when Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain declared himself a fan.

2010 has been a busy year for many of the artists Cobain championed during his short life. The Vaselines reunited, the Melvins dropped a new record, the early Raincoats' albums were reissued on vinyl and the Pixies' reunion tour spiraled into what felt like its umpteenth year.

Which Cobain-endorsed band had the biggest effect on you? Click Track's contributors picked favorites for this week's Taking sides post. Read our thoughts after the jump and vote in our poll below.

Chris Richards: Warning: The following appraisal of the Wipers includes the terms "voice of a generation" and "criminally underrated." A nod from the voice of a generation can go a long way, but despite Cobain's devotion to the incredibly deserving Wipers, I still think this band remains criminally underrated. Play "Tragedy" at my funeral afterparty.

David Malitz: Had I been able to see Nirvana in 1993 instead of being dragged to a hockey game by my dad, I probably would have been utterly perplexed by Half Japanese. It wasn't until many years later that I was able to appreciate -- and become wholly obsessed and enamored with -- the outsider punk-rock brilliance of "The Band That Would Be King." But news of that opening slot for Nirvana was my first exposure to the band and I have Cobain to thank, if just a little bit.

Allison Stewart: His support of the Meat Puppets was entirely awesome. He backed them, and they became alt-rock famous, which was nice. And then they released that album with "Backwater" on it, which was a great song, even though I barely remember it now. Did it have words? Or was it just kind of mumbly? And then the Meat Puppets started to release albums that weren't so great, then one of them went to prison, and then they broke up. All of the things in that last sentence weren't Cobain's fault, though.