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Rock/blues music leads
EggyToast
Jersey CityRegistered User regular
Jersey CityRegistered User regular
Hey guys, I've been slowly accepting some more rock music into my life lately, but due to essentially pursuing nothing that was 3-4 guys and a guitar + drums for years has left my knowledge of the area pretty lacking. More importantly, the only friends I have who give a shit about music are into this indie/folk twee crap.
So, here's what I'm looking for. The short of it is that it's essentially stripped down, blues-oriented, "rocking out" rock music. I was clued in via my wife listening to some White Stripes, and discovering that a lot of their older stuff hit this note exactly -- notably about a third of the De Stijl album ("Little Bird," "A Boy's Best Friend"). Furthermore, a large chunk of Tom Wait's output from Real Gone fits it as well ("Baby Gonna Leave Me"). I know there's more of this kind of music out there, but exploring similar artists is futile -- White Stripesian bands are just vanilla rock bands to my ears thanks to the hard rock/metal rock/butt rock aspects, and the only bands compared to Waits are plain weird.
I'm not looking for epic prog noodling, nor metal, nor ballads. The lyrics don't have to be amazing (but hopefully it's not just singing with a backing band, a la poorly compressed music). I appreciate the looseness and energy in the above mentioned tracks/albums more than any music theory elements. It can be tracks under 3:30 but can't be punk. And it can't be something that people outgrow once they get to college
Any leads? Am I hopelessly stuck with 12-18 tracks?
So, here's what I'm looking for. The short of it is that it's essentially stripped down, blues-oriented, "rocking out" rock music. I was clued in via my wife listening to some White Stripes, and discovering that a lot of their older stuff hit this note exactly -- notably about a third of the De Stijl album ("Little Bird," "A Boy's Best Friend"). Furthermore, a large chunk of Tom Wait's output from Real Gone fits it as well ("Baby Gonna Leave Me"). I know there's more of this kind of music out there, but exploring similar artists is futile -- White Stripesian bands are just vanilla rock bands to my ears thanks to the hard rock/metal rock/butt rock aspects, and the only bands compared to Waits are plain weird.
I'm not looking for epic prog noodling, nor metal, nor ballads. The lyrics don't have to be amazing (but hopefully it's not just singing with a backing band, a la poorly compressed music). I appreciate the looseness and energy in the above mentioned tracks/albums more than any music theory elements. It can be tracks under 3:30 but can't be punk. And it can't be something that people outgrow once they get to college
Any leads? Am I hopelessly stuck with 12-18 tracks?
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The Mars Volta is definitely not what he needs seeing as how he wants to keep it simple. Anyway, also check out the Strokes since you mentioned the White Stripes. Also a lot of "classic rock" (although I hate that generic label) will suit you well, and it'll all be fresh. Early Zeppelin and Who (before either got too experimental and progressive), Cream, The Rolling Stones, Thin Lizzy, Guns N' Roses and like I said before AC/DC will all be right up your ally.
- Gary Busey
A Glass, Darkly
I've heard lots of Cream, Rolling Stones, Guns & Roses, etc. I grew up in the 80s and my dad was into early 70s rock, and I generally have heard "everything" that's been around up to around 2000. I lived through grunge and 90's alternative. Led Zeppelin is indeed classic, and I and II has a lot of the elements I mention, but I've heard it all and it just makes me think I'm listening to my dad's music.
I also can't really get into a lot of the 80s harder rock because it's a dude screaming. I couldn't listen to Axl Rose without thinking I was trying to be ironic, and I feel the same about AC/DC. It's one of the reasons I can't get into metal or anything that's too hard -- guys growling and screaming just sounds fake.
William Elliott Whitmore sounds like good stuff, but is a little mellow/folky. I've got Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and it's similarly mellowish. My wife owns a The Killers album, which is modern & close in sound (although obviously still a "rock band"). I guess the catch is that the stripped down element means it's usually just a guy, his guitar, & drums -- hence the appreciation of The White Stripes (but even then, a lot of the fuzzy stuff on the later albums just doesn't interest me).
Keep 'em coming, though; I'm checking the stuff I haven't heard before out on the iTunes store
B.net: Kusanku
Also, although it's kind of hard to tell from what you're saying, but although it might be more mellow, you might like Beck - Mutations. It's got a lot of influences from tropicalia to country, but also lots of blues.
Doug Martsch, the lead singer of Built To Spill, has some good stuff too. Lots of slide guitar. Check out "Heart (Things Never Shared)".
- Gary Busey
A Glass, Darkly
Also have a look at the new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album. It's a fair bit rockier than their earlier stuff, similar to his side project Grinderman, which is also very good.
One more to mention are The Dirtbombs, who I'm seeing tonight. Start with Ultraglide in Black.
Also, pushing the genres you specified quite a lot, Say Anything's ...Is a Real Boy is a great album.
I recommend starting with Sticky Fingers, then Love you Live, then Tattoo You, or just go with Forty Licks to jump right in.
I've got Tattoo you and love you live double press on vinyl, still waiting to find a working sticky fingers for a reasonable price. I also found some good japanese prints (the german and japanese prints had better sound quality and were more sturdy) but I'm thinking of flipping them for profit.
This does extend into the other music I like. The "classical" stuff is minimalistic, usually a quartet at most and not just all strings. The jazz I like is usually a trio and the idea of a solo is usually restricted to a minute, and isn't a trumpet ;D I'm just surprised there isn't more rock music that's essentially 2-3 people and isn't dominated by a fuzzbox and screaming. And that didn't come out in the 70s or 80s.
the black keys - drums, guitar, simple rock http://youtube.com/watch?v=dKXlgISd3iA, also http://youtube.com/watch?v=y-CukK3eYt0 is my favorite by them even though i heard it a bit too much on commercials
do make say think - http://youtube.com/watch?v=EYRwE9HPgpM does this appeal to you? this is one of my favorite bands, no blues here but you seem to be interested in some good rockish instrumentation without a fuzzbox, so this sort of thing might be up your alley. they have some less mellow songs. not really
for some more rockish stuff in that vein, try broken social scene. you said you don't like indie, bss is indie but that means a lot of things, it's not twee or anything, it doesn't sound like sufjan. feist was in bss but bss doesn't sound like feist (not all the time at least)
you have yankee hotel foxtrot, but wilco has a few more rocking songs. see: i got you ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=LuSf2c8fN_g ) and some pop rock as well, see: i'm always in love ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z3tWXQbTpbM )
Pandora.com - Just type in an artist or song you know you like and it does all the work for you.