Ok, I Think I’m Caught Up With The “Rock And Roll”
July 30, 2010 15 Comments
Sometime in the early ’00s I sort of stopped discovering new, how you say, “rock and roll” music to get into. The list of (a) non-retired bands that (b) I still liked had shrunk to a fairly stable and manageable handful, meaning that between their sporadic releases, I haven’t really had to buy very much music this decade. Certainly nothing like the previous decade, when music was probably my main expenditure after rent and Frosted Flakes. As a side effect, I also sort of stopped paying attention to bands that I had kinda liked, but weren’t quite in that upper echelon.
What this means is that I missed all of Green Day after sometime around Warning, and I missed the White Stripes entirely. But you will surely be massively relieved to hear that in the past six months or so I have rectified this via iTunes. And yes, I can report that Green Day’s last two albums (especially 21st Century Breakdown) have indeed been very good, and that the White Stripes really do rock (except for on the 2-4 songs every album where they are just stupid).
So anyway, now I’m basically caught up. That is, unless someone can convince me there’s any point in checking out U2′s post-’90s albums that are virtually impossible to tell apart, or all that post-The Bends Radiohead noodling jazz nonsense that everyone seemed to feel compelled to pretend to like for a few years. Because otherwise, really, what’s there been this decade? That bizarre Black Eyed Peas thing with the dancing Swedish girl? What is that supposed to be anyway? It’s like they just do commercials or songs for commercials or commercials that also happen to be sort of like songs or something. How anyone can even pay attention to them is beyond me.
But I’ll be sure and check back in with “rock and roll” sometime around 2020 and see what the kids have come up with by then. What strange new innovations shall the future bring. A fourth chord? I sure hope not.
I don’t like U2′s music. I find it unlistenable these days.
Radiohead’s albums Kid A and OK Computer are works of genius, imo, and will likely be considered to be among the top 50 albums in rock history.
Anyway, let’s talk about rock n’ roll.
Jet’s album Get Born is GREAT.
The Hives are very good.
I think you might like The Thermals as well.
I think there is just as much good rock n’ roll out there as ever. Certainly more than there was in the 80′s.
I have the feeling I wouldn’t like U2′s recent music either. I’ve never quite been able to give their recent stuff a long enough listen to determine for sure. But that does kinda go along with what you’re saying.
I suspect I would like Jet, I think I’ve heard some of their stuff. On the, like, radio (remember those?)
I’d think you’d have a special place in your heart for the Thermals.
The verdict on these: Jet – I like (I’ve heard Are You Gonna Be My Girl of course, just didn’t know that’s who it was). I always like the Hives when I hear them (actually I may have that album) but something about their music is forgettable; I come away thinking ‘nice’ but never come away wanting to re-listen. That Buckcherry thing is insane. As for The Thermals, I checked them out on iTunes when you mentioned them, but the lead singer’s voice ruins it for me.
I can be very particular about lead vocals. A certain kind of nasally/collegey voice is one that is off-putting to me. For example, I’m pretty sure I’d be a huge fan of XTC if not for his voice. I have this issue with a few Canadian bands (Tragically Hip comes to mind) as well. Great music, can’t get past the voice.
I don’t know why, but I like the Thermals a lot.
I’m guessing when you say, “that Buckcherry thing is insane,” that’s not a good thing. I, kind of, did not expect you to actually like that. It’s misogynistic/hedonistic, and that isn’t very “you”. But, I love it, and I’m not quite sure that I’m a misogynist or a hedonist.
I think you might also like Vampire Weekend and Modest Mouse.
No, I meant ‘insane’ as a compliment. Like unexpectedly over-the-top, as a sincere approach to a type of music that is usually only skirted in a tongue-in-cheek way. That basically could be a Poison song or something. And I kind of admire the guts it takes to do that.
Overall it reminds me a bit of that band The Darkness that had the below hit a few years back, not necessarily in actual musical style but in the overall approach, of taking a sincere approach to a music style that had become a joke:
I really like that song by the Darkness.
Thanks.
I realized after I put up the Vampire Weekend that you probably wouldn’t like that singers voice either.
I guess I can put up with the nasally whine more than you.
Modest Mouse isn’t very rockin’, but they are a really cool band, in my opinion.
Radiohead’s albums Kid A and OK Computer are works of genius, imo, and will likely be considered to be among the top 50 albums in rock history.