Recommend Me upbeat punk/alt/indie

Iruka

My ambient playlists are quite full and well rounded right now, and I feel like my other music tastes could use a new spark. I'm looking for any punk, alt or indie rock, I haven't looked around in these genres for a while.


Favorite Bands, in order:
Cake
Modest Mouse
Incubus
Weezer

Bands I like, and would like to explore more similar music:
The Thermals
Gogol Bordello
Forgive Durdan
The Silversun Pick-ups
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists


Qualities I'm looking for:
-Lyrics that are easy to discern and interesting
-A lot of energy, Upbeat tempo (they dont need to be happy lyrics)
-bonus for seemless albums that go down smoothly in one sitting


Things I tend to dislike:
-High pitched Female vocalists
-An abundance of yelling or screaming
-Blatantly Political lyrics shoving agenda down my throat. Creative and slanted is fine.


Hopefully that's enough to get some recommendations. I promise to listen to everything suggested, even if I can only get to clips on last.fm. Feel free to throw in wild cards, I'm pretty open.

Spoiler'd is a slightly more obnoxious list of bands I listen to already:

Spoiler:

+/-
Muse
Alien Ant Farm
Say Anything
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Beirut
Gorrilaz
Arctic Monkeys
System of a Down/ Serj Tankian
Electric Six
Buffalo Daughter
Franz Ferdinand
The Strokes
Pink Floyd
Led Zepplin
Blood, Sweat and Tears
Radio Head
The Shins
Street Light Manifesto
Sublime
Flobots
Kanye
Story Of the Year
The Walkmen

The Working List:

(key)
**Lime- <3
*Lime- I liked it, probably Will pursue further
Lime - Liked it, will look at it again next time I need music
Yellow - Neutral/Maybe not in the mood for it.
White - In my Library
Red - Didnt like it.
--- line - Were I stopped for now.





*Jack Penate
*The Fratellis
Vampire Weekend
**Jamie T (<3)
Rage Against the Machine
*Rancid (Out Come the Wolves)
Joey Ramone
Sufjan Stevens (Greetings from Michigan)
+44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating
Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire
Blink-182 - Enema of the State
Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady
Dead Boys - Young, Loud & Snotty
*Descendents - Cool to be You
The Offspring - Conspiracy of One
**The Ergs! - Upstairs/Downstairs
Goldfinger - Best of Goldfinger
Green Day (Used to like them a whole lot, but feel very meh towards them now)
**The Hives - Your New Favourite Band
Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
Rise Against - Siren Song of the Counter Culture
The Misfits - Walk Among Us
NOFX - Punk in Drublic
Operation Ivy - Energy
Ramones - Ramones
*Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation
Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
X - Los Angeles (female vocals. I know. just kills things for me somehow)
AFI - Answer That & Stay Fashionable
*Agent Orange - Virtually Indestructible
*Bad Brains - Bad Brains
**Bad Religion - (Suffer) (No Control) (Against the Grain)
*Black Flag - The First Four Years
Circle Jerks - Wild in the Streets
Dead Kennedys - (Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables)
Iggy Pop and the Stooges - (Raw Power)
MC5 - (Kick out the Jams)
Minor Threat - (Complete Discography)
**Aquabats
Flux of Pink Indians (I like parts of songs, but its not for me. lyrics run together.)
The Clash
Panic! at the Disco. (Other people ruined this band for me)
Mates of State (Cant get tp youtube right now, donno if the girl ruins it yet)
**Strung Out - (<3) (Twisted by Design) (Another Day in Paradise)
*Strike Anywhere - (To Live in Discontent)
Swingin' Utters - (A Juvenile Product Of The Working Class)
Lawrence Arms - (Oh! Calcutta!)
Propaghandi - (Less Talk, More Rock) (How To Clean Everything)
**The Vandals - (Live Fast, Diarrhea) They're honestly.. kind of.. Adorable? I liked them alot. Fun
*The Bouncing Souls - (How I Spent My Summer Vacation)
Against All Authority - Destroy What Destroys You (Vocals are just a bit to muddled for me, I like the music in general, but not for my playlist.)
Stretch Arm Strong*- Rituals of Life
Bane - Give Blood (tons of energy, but muddled vocals)
Billy Talent - (Voice is high, maybe alittle too emo.)
Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies (Sillyness. For chuckles, they're okay, but Im not sure I need them in a playlist.)
Pennywise - Full Circle
No Use For a Name
Good Riddance
Two Hours Traffic
Tokyo Police Club
System of a Down
Thornly
The Weakerthans
Lagwagon
Limp
Milencolin
Coheed and Cambria (liked the guitar, but wasnt so sure about the vocals, may grow on me though)
Less than Jake
Reel Big Fish
No Doubt (I listened to No doubt when I was little, pretty meh now.)
Erin McKeown - Slung-Lo, Cinematic (I may eventually be in the mood for some one like her, but not now.)
Kris Delmhorst - (pretty how town) More testament to my dislike of Female vocals.
**Catch 22 - (The Keasby Nights) I know catch 22 pretty well, no idea why I dont have them in my library.
Flogging Molly
Dropkick Murpheys
*Nekromantix
Horrorpops (Nope.)
*Tiger Army (Really liked Annabel Lee, other songs I encountered were sort of okay, seems like I'll have to sort through what I like for them.)
*The Gaslight Anthem Like their faster stuff.
Jimmy Eat World
Placebo (I think I hate his voice, but I found him growing on me as I listened.)
Kings of Leon (I'm alittle in love with KOL right now)
Emmy the Great (cute, but not for me)
**Tiger Tunes (I have have a soft spot for silly techno)
The Unicorns (I don't listen to them very much though)
Tilly and the Wall

---

*Los Campesinos! (I guess Im a whore for indy, but Id like it more without the girl)
Face to Face - (Live Album)
Wolf Parade - (Apologies to the Queen Mary) not too bad but I didnt latch onto anything.
No Age - (Nouns)
Oxford Collapse - (Remember the Night Parties)
Women - (Women)
British Sea Power - (The Decline of British Sea Power)
Deerhunter - (Cryptograms)
The Fall - (This Nation's Saving Grace)
Fucked Up - (The Chemistry of Common Life)
McClusky - (My Pain and Sadness is More Painful and Sad than Yours)
Nick Cave - (Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!)
Slint - (Spiderland)
Tiger Bear Wolf - (Tiger Bear Wolf)
Times New Viking - (Rip it Off)
Vivian Girls - (Vivian Girls)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - (Is Is EP)
The Week That Was - (The Week That Was)
Shonen Knife
The Get Up Kids - (Something to Write Home)
Against Me! - (Reinventing Axl Rose) (Searching for a Former Clarity)
Fake Problems - It's Great to Be Alive
Polar Bear Club
Pepper
The Expendables
A Day To Remember
The Headstones
Social Distortion
illScarlet
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
The Mother Hips - Kiss The Crystal Flake
The New Pornographers - Electric Version
Pixies - Doolittle
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
The Subways - All or Nothing
The Trews - Den of Thieves
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
The Boxer Rebellion - Union
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Self-Titled
Bang Camaro - Bang Camaro
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain, Dear Science
LCD SoundSystem - All my Friends.
Cibo Matto
The Faint
The Brothers Martin
Mars Volta
Wolfmother
The Rakes
Dandy Warhols
Ozma
The Fiery Furnaces
Spoon
The Libertines
The Kooks
Jets To Brazil


Kevins List:

Blackalicious,
Brandtson,
Classic Crime,
Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip,
Decemberists,
Dirty Pretty Things,
Dispatch,
Dresden Dolls,
The Duhks,
Family Force 5(iffy),
Feeder,
Fionn Regan,
Guano Apes,
Gui boratto(techno I've been into lately),
Hardkandy, Heiruspecs,
Hello Madness (on Demonoid, real good contributor album),
The Hush Sound***,
Jose Gonzalez,
Kings of Leon,
The Kooks,
The Last Shadow Puppets,
The Matches,
The Pink Spiders,
The Veils***(one of my favorites),
The Young Knives, Zox,
The Futureheards,
The Afters

dispatch.o

You mention punk but I don't see any Rancid or The Ramones. Are you sure you want punk? I actually don't see anything in your list at all that I would consider punk rock.

Rancid : Out Come the Wolves

Spoiler:

Ruby Soho

Roots Radicals

Joey Ramone

Spoiler:

What a Wonderful World
sort of an important note, he recorded this track while dying of cancer.

Trillian

Sufjan Stevens all the way. Especially Greetings from Michigan, the Great Lakes State.

Iruka

Dispatch: Yes. I've been exposed to punk pretty recently, I know I like it but I have pretty vauge ideas of where to actually start. I actually do have Out Come The Wolves, though. I'll check out what you suggested in the morning.

TheGreat2nd

PUNK ROCK!
A comprehensive list, in alphabetical order?
With suggested albums
It's pretty much my knowledge of punk in two lists.

You could go with some upbeat pop punk...
+44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating
Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire
Blink-182 - Enema of the State
Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady
Dead Boys - Young, Loud & Snotty
Descendents - Cool to be You
The Offspring - Conspiracy of One
The Ergs! - Upstairs/Downstairs
Goldfinger - Best of Goldfinger
Green Day - Dookie
The Hives - Your New Favourite Band
Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
Rise Against - Siren Song of the Counter Culture
The Misfits - Walk Among Us
NOFX - Punk in Drublic
Operation Ivy - Energy
Ramones - Ramones
Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves
Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation
Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
X - Los Angeles

Or some louder punk...
AFI - Answer That & Stay Fashionable
Agent Orange - Virtually Indestructible
Bad Brains - Bad Brains
Bad Religion - Suffer
Black Flag - The First Four Years
Circle Jerks - Wild in the Streets
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Iggy Pop and the Stooges - Raw Power
MC5 - Kick out the Jams
Minor Threat - Complete Discography


EDIT: I'm a huge punk fan (if you couldn't tell).
It's the one reason I got into music and playing guitar.
Punk rock was my gateway drug into metal, indie, r&b, hip hop, country, blues, everything etc.
It's just my first true <3.

DOUBLE EDIT: Oh, and if you don't know who Blink-182 is, get them first.
Because.
Also, Blink-182 is reunited once again reuionzxnciuhreiwhynccxkfshforweohj <3 <3 <3

dispatch.o

Iruka wrote: »

Dispatch: Yes. I've been exposed to punk pretty recently, I know I like it but I have pretty vauge ideas of where to actually start. I actually do have Out Come The Wolves, though. I'll check out what you suggested in the morning.

fixed it to have direct youtube in the spoilers. I think if you're going to listen to punk you should do yourself the service of listening to a couple Ramones tracks just to see how far it's come.

Zombiemambo

Aquabats! A very silly punk rock/ska band that sing about their adventures as superheroes. Guaranteed to put you in a good mood.

As for more punky punk, try Flux of Pink Indians, The Misfits, NOFX, Ramones, The Clash or the Sex Pistols.

Cokebotle

I still enjoy Panic! at the Disco.

mynameisguido

The newest Hives album (Black & White Album) is a really great fun, upbeat album.

Mates of State might be right up your alley as well---I'm not sure if I would describe it as upbeat per se, but it is vibrant music and the lyrics are interesting.

W2

If it's Bad Religion, then it's gotta be No Control.



At least, that's my opinion.

Edgie

For yet more punk, try:

Strung Out - Twisted by Design
Strung Out - Another Day in Paradise
Strike Anywhere - To Live in Discontent
Swingin' Utters - A Juvenile Product Of The Working Class
Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta! (Though really, anything by them is pretty fucking great)
Propaghandi - Less Talk, More Rock (Or try How To Clean Everything)
The Vandals - Live Fast, Diarrhea
The Bouncing Souls - I think I'd recommend How I Spent My Summer Vacation as the first offering from them.. earlier albums are more punk sounding, later albums are much cleaner.
Against All Authority - Destroy What Destroys You (Very fast skapunk, political oriented)

If you want some good hardcore, try:

Stretch Arm Strong - Rituals of Life (A Revolution Transmission is good as well, with more of an emphasis on punk than Rituals)
Bane - Give Blood

i n c u b u s

For punk/alt you have to check out Billy Talent, really great stuff.

Improvolone

Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies is pure fun. (cover band alert)

Sir Carcass

I will second:

Strung Out - Twisted By Design
Bad Religion - Against the Grain
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - everything they've done, except maybe the showtune one.

Deadfall

Whenever I need to recommend a punk band I always go with my all-time favorite, Pennywise. Full Circle is their best album.

No Use For a Name is always good, in my opinion. As is Good Riddance.

Trus

Going along the Modest Mouse theme;

Two Hours Traffic

Tokyo Police Club

Dman

I second Billy Talent,

System of a Down

For Rock:

Thornly

Alpine

Fucking <3 Tokyo Police Club

Folk punk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWGcEcqAK6g

Same guy who sings for Propaghandi

Ninyu

Lagwagon
No Use For A Name
Limp
Strung Out
Bad Religion
Milencolin

Coheed and Cambria - more rock opera-y but their latest CD is amazing.

Elin

Am I the only one here that still has love for Less than Jake and Reel Big Fish?

Reel Big Fish is upbeat and easily listened to. Also No Doubt. They are back in studio and I'm hoping Gwen leaves her solo stuff under a bed somewhere.

Quoth

Erin McKeown - Slung-Lo, Cinematic
Kris Delmhorst - pretty how town

HenriettaCollins

Catch 22 is good punk/ska, super upbeat. The Keasby Nights album is their best.

Flogging Molly is irish punk, also really good but there will be slower songs mixed in and all their albums are great.

Dropkick Murpheys, also irish punk, a little more aggressive but def worth checking out.

Necromantix, horror/rockabilly and if you end up liking them check out his wife's band the Horrorpops. Tiger Army is another great rockabilly band.

Doxa

The Gaslight Anthem. I had similar tastes and when I heard this I immediately loved it. They have very nice songs all around. Their message is simple and consistent. The lyrics are simple. They rock live.

Spoiler:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saDySbphQS8

Casual

You want good alt rock Jimmy Eat World is a must try their bleed American album. I would also recommend you explore some Placebo and the latest Kings of Leon album is pretty damn good.

SpongeCake

Emmy the Great!

Lintilla

It sounds like we like a lot of the same music, so I feel okay suggesting these summery groups for your ears:

Tiger Tunes (Is fun to dance to, a bit electronic.)
The Unicorns (Is now basically another indie band called Islands, you might look them up instead.)
Tilly and the Wall (They have a tap dancer as percussion! Wild Like Children is still my favorite album.)
Los Campesinos! (Terribly clever lyrics, some female vocals, and english accents, though.)

I think they all have full tracks on Last FM, since you mentioned it.

Deadfall

Oh, almost forgot:

Face to Face.

About as upbeat punk as you can possibly get.

Mithrandir86

Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
No Age - Nouns
Oxford Collapse - Remember the Night Parties
Women - Women
British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power
Deerhunter - Cryptograms
The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace
Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
McClusky - My Pain and Sadness is More Painful and Sad than Yours
Nick Cave - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!
Slint - Spiderland
Tiger Bear Wolf - Tiger Bear Wolf
Times New Viking - Rip it Off
Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Is Is EP
The Week That Was - The Week That Was

Quoth

Shonen Knife

Edgie

Seconding Face to Face.

Get their live album. It's recorded so well that it's like a singles album but with greater energy.

Alchemist449

Wow, I'm amazed no one mentioned The Get Up Kids. Something to Write Home (their second album) about sounds right up your alley. Against Me! is one of the best bands working in punk right now, even if their last album was kinda disappointing, check out Reinventing Axl Rose or Searching for a Former Clarity and go from there. Fake Problems would be perfect for you if you like upbeat punk and Gogol Bordello, check out the new album It's Great to Be Alive. The Bouncing Souls are kinda a given, check out the live album...The Gaslight Anthem are amazing, and deserve every bit of success they've been getting. The Lawrence Arms are really good though for you The Greatest Story Ever Told would be a better introduction than Oh, Calcutta (which I like more but is really more of a love letter to the converted than anything else).

Oh, and check out Polar Bear Club. So good.

Folken Fanel

For a great up-beat, slightly reggae feel, check out Pepper.

The Expendables would fall into that category too.

urahonky

The Get Up Kids is my choice. Everything about them is amazing.

e: Damn! I thought I had recommended a good band no one listed first.

Iruka

Damn, You guys are awesome! Through Youtube and Last.Fm I'm going through each band and listening to a few songs, I'll post a list Of what I liked and what I didnt fairly soon. I'm pretty giddy about having new shit to be into. Keep it coming if you can, guys.

Zephos

I might humbly suggest A Day To Remember, just had a new cd come out and its pretty rocking... it can get a bit screamy (a few whole songs, and some parts here and there of other ones.), but i think they have a really fun sound...

who else could pull of a cover this gloriously strange?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkmTAt1aKUg&feature=related

noir_blood

I am bookmarking this thread, and when I get home, I'll be downloading a bunch of song to put in my zune.

Decius

If you want upbeat punk that's actually punk, I would strongly recommend The Headstones (best song about necrophilia ever) and Social Distortion. If you want something a little more poppy, with a nice mix of reggae and ska, check out illScarlet.

vegeta_666

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
The Mother Hips - Kiss The Crystal Flake
The New Pornographers - Electric Version
Pixies - Doolittle
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
The Subways - All or Nothing
The Trews - Den of Thieves
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
The Boxer Rebellion - Union
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Self-Titled
Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American OR Futures
Bang Camaro - Bang Camaro
The Killers - Hot Fuss

Most of these fall under alt and indie. And, these are just example albums. Best ones in my opinion.

cyphr

Mith and vegeta know what's up. Let me add a couple:

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain, Dear Science

There's one more, but here's what you have to do: listen to it once. You're probably gonna think it sucks. Now leave it be for a day, come back to it, and read the lyrics while listening. Trust me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDRLW748j68

The album is called Sound of Silver.

Iruka

Alright working down the list here. I'm tired, so probably no more till morning. If you're wondering there are about 130 seperate bands on this freaking list, good job yall. Alot of names I know, I lot I don't, some I have.
(key)
**Lime- <3
*Lime- I liked it, probably Will pursue further
Lime - Liked it, will look at it again next time I need music
Yellow - Neutral/Maybe not in the mood for it.
White - In my Library
Red - Didnt like it.
--- line - Were I stopped for now.





*Jack Penate
*The Fratellis
Vampire Weekend
**Jamie T (<3)
Rage Against the Machine
*Rancid (Out Come the Wolves)
Joey Ramone
Sufjan Stevens (Greetings from Michigan)
+44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating
Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire
Blink-182 - Enema of the State
Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady
Dead Boys - Young, Loud & Snotty
*Descendents - Cool to be You
The Offspring - Conspiracy of One
**The Ergs! - Upstairs/Downstairs
Goldfinger - Best of Goldfinger
Green Day (Used to like them a whole lot, but feel very meh towards them now)
**The Hives - Your New Favourite Band
Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
Rise Against - Siren Song of the Counter Culture
The Misfits - Walk Among Us
NOFX - Punk in Drublic
Operation Ivy - Energy
Ramones - Ramones
*Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation
Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
X - Los Angeles (female vocals. I know. just kills things for me somehow)
AFI - Answer That & Stay Fashionable
*Agent Orange - Virtually Indestructible
*Bad Brains - Bad Brains
**Bad Religion - (Suffer) (No Control) (Against the Grain)
*Black Flag - The First Four Years

---

Circle Jerks - Wild in the Streets
Dead Kennedys - (Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables)
Iggy Pop and the Stooges - (Raw Power)
MC5 - (Kick out the Jams)
Minor Threat - (Complete Discography)
Aquabats
Flux of Pink Indians
The Clash
Panic! at the Disco.
Hives
Mates of State
Strung Out - (Twisted by Design) (Another Day in Paradise)
Strike Anywhere - (To Live in Discontent)
Swingin' Utters - (A Juvenile Product Of The Working Class)
Lawrence Arms - (Oh! Calcutta!)
Propaghandi - (Less Talk, More Rock) (How To Clean Everything)
The Vandals - (Live Fast, Diarrhea)
The Bouncing Souls - (How I Spent My Summer Vacation)
Against All Authority - Destroy What Destroys You
Stretch Arm Strong - Rituals of Life
Bane - Give Blood
Billy Talent
Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
Pennywise - Full Circle
No Use For a Name
Good Riddance
Two Hours Traffic
Tokyo Police Club
System of a Down
Thornly
The Weakerthans
Lagwagon
Limp
Milencolin
Coheed and Cambria
Less than Jake
Reel Big Fish
No Doubt
Erin McKeown - (Slung-Lo, Cinematic)
Kris Delmhorst - (pretty how town)
Catch 22 - (The Keasby Nights)
Flogging Molly
Dropkick Murpheys
Necromantix
Horrorpops
Tiger Army
The Gaslight Anthem
Jimmy Eat World
Placebo
Kings of Leon
Emmy the Great
Tiger Tunes
The Unicorns
Tilly and the Wall
Los Campesinos
Face to Face - (Live Album)
Wolf Parade - (Apologies to the Queen Mary)
No Age - (Nouns)
Oxford Collapse - (Remember the Night Parties)
Women - (Women)
British Sea Power - (The Decline of British Sea Power)
Deerhunter - (Cryptograms)
The Fall - (This Nation's Saving Grace)
Fucked Up - (The Chemistry of Common Life)
McClusky - (My Pain and Sadness is More Painful and Sad than Yours)
Nick Cave - (Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!)
Slint - (Spiderland)
Tiger Bear Wolf - (Tiger Bear Wolf)
Times New Viking - (Rip it Off)
Vivian Girls - (Vivian Girls)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - (Is Is EP)
The Week That Was - (The Week That Was)
Shonen Knife
The Get Up Kids - (Something to Write Home)
Against Me! - (Reinventing Axl Rose) (Searching for a Former Clarity)
Fake Problems - It's Great to Be Alive
Polar Bear Club
Pepper
The Expendables
A Day To Remember
The Headstones
Social Distortion
illScarlet
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
The Mother Hips - Kiss The Crystal Flake
The New Pornographers - Electric Version
Pixies - Doolittle
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
The Subways - All or Nothing
The Trews - Den of Thieves
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
The Boxer Rebellion - Union
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Self-Titled
Bang Camaro - Bang Camaro
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain, Dear Science
LCD SoundSystem - All my Friends.

mynameisguido

Some other possibilities I thought of since I replied the first time:

Cibo Matto: Upbeat, somewhat poppy, with light-hearted lyrics for the most part---they're Japanese accent is kind of heavy at times, but I think the lyrics are understandable most of the time. I recommend Stereo Type A.

The Faint: A bit darker than most of the recommended stuff----electronic rock with something of an edge. Very upbeat though, and not political except for maybe one song which is mildly political in nature (I honestly didn't get it at first). I'd recommend Wet From Birth, though I know a lot of people prefer Danse Macabre.

The Brothers Martin: Electronic rock, with something of a pop sensibility to it. Really great if you can handle Ronnie Martin's (who does about half the songs) somewhat high pitched voice. As well as some mild religious lyrics.

Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium is a great, upbeat album (with some slow bits). I never paid attention to the lyrics though, honestly. Also their other albums don't really hold up to the same standard though.

Wolfmother: First time I heard this I thought they were a Led Zeppelin cover band, but their self-titled album is one of the more fun albums I've ever heard. Very silly but very good.